~NRK~
~April 1st : Naruto Uzumaki Returns~
One would normally think Naruto Uzumaki would return in a bombastic manner.
Even the boy, himself, had considered it… But he chose otherwise.
He didn't want to agitate anyone, much less cause a scene that didn't need to happen and raise guards.
So, wearing a simple orange kimono with black flame borders, his tools in a craftsman's belt, and his black shinobi sandals, Naruto Uzumaki walked up the steps to Tokyo Jujutsu High with his father and friend in tow.
Wearing a white and red version of his son's outfit, with his talisman box on his left thigh and a kunai holster on the opposite, Minato wore an at-peace smile as they crested the final set of steps.
Finally, Yuta Okkotsu swallowed nervously as he followed along with them.
Wearing a white kimono with black cuffs and borders, an image of light blue clouds, and some straw sandals, he adjusted his conical straw hat with one last breath.
With his arms crossed in his sleeves, Naruto didn't do much else as shikigami sprouted from every direction and locked onto him.
"I'm back," he said simply, monkey tail curling up in curiosity.
The spirits grew agitated.
"Well, that was nice while it lasted."
~NRK~
~Superiors Chambers~
Sitting in these chambers after so long was kind of nostalgic.
The chains of talismans were kinda breaking that image and the amount of intensity in the room could be better but you lived how ya lived.
"Naruto Uzumaki, you've been gone for quite some time," one of the superiors said. "Curiously, likely around the time of the top of the mountain's disappearance."
"Sorry about that, by the way," Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Didn't think that'd happen, couldn't control my power back then."
There was silence as Minato hummed next to his child, also in chains.
"W-What?!"
"You admit to it?!"
"This is ridiculous!"
The shouts, exclamations, and disgruntled voices of their higher-ups had Naruto humming while Yuta fidgeted, shivering in his own chains.
"I-Is the isolation part?" He asked his best male friend.
Naruto's tail rubbed the back of his head. "Probably not," he admitted as Yuta sweatdropped.
"And you!" Yuta jumped at an accusatory voice. "What are you carrying?! That thing… You're clearly cursed!"
The brunette looked down in thought… Before nodding. "Y-You're right," he admitted.
There were more murmurs and grunts, the three just waiting.
"This is quite curious," a single voice broke through the mumbling murmurs.
Naobito Zenin hummed loudly.
"Come now, let's not make this last longer. I was of the opinion we've been prepared for years."
There was a collective silence, one of the other elders making a grimacing sound.
"Must you seek embarrassment? Is that so?" She asked.
The Zenin head rolled his shoulders. "I was here prepared to listen in as we'd previously decided but what am I listening to? Is this not some form of interrogation? And, on that note, you have an admission of responsibility, what exactly is the plan?" He asked before taking a swig of his alcohol.
There was more silence but this one lay embedded with the shuffling of clothes and flickering candles.
Naruto smiled at that. "Well, if no one's ready yet, I'd ask, why are we in chains?" He asked simply.
"..." There were murmurs once more before one spoke up.
"Your disappearance leaves an impression of running off, young man," that same female from before explained before noting the blonde's tail. "And you've done something to yourself that we've no knowledge of. The reasons nor the dangers of it."
"Oh, you mean my tail?" Naruto offered as the appendage twitched. "Well, I got this after being in a coma," he admitted. "After Toji-sensei cut me down, I was lucky he knew how to kill and incapacitate."
There were chokes. "That failure of the Zenin Clan!?" One person spoke up as Naruto frowned.
"Failure, huh? I guess, for most of you guys, it'd be like that."
"And that means?"
"It means you guys have issues that cause your own problems," Naruto frowned. "Hell, had I really not been as understanding as a kid, as nice, do you honestly think you wouldn't be dealing with a second Toji right now? That I wouldn't have just gone on and became like him? All because of you people?"
"Blasphemy!"
"That agitating mouth of yours is as uncouth as expected!"
"Respect your superiors, boy!"
More of such things were spouted as Naruto wore a flat expression.
"... Are you done?" He asked them with a look of utter annoyance. "My God, you people are in serious need of some rearrangement. You honestly can't even take responsibility for your own mistakes and instead try and lob insults at me, that ain't cool much less respectable."
The 'heat' in the room heightened, Yuta blinking as he looked around.
'They've got above-average cursed energy,' comparing it to himself and Rika's, he could note this much.
And yet it all 'broke' at a powerful flare of Naruto's now glowing form.
"Grow up," he told them without remorse, mandala shining in his left eye. "For God's sake, act like some WISE old men, would you?"
There was silence, gasps, chokes, and grimaces.
"You people… Honestly, I'm really surprised some of you had amazing kids, much less good-natured ones," Naruto said simply as his power faded away. "You'd have thrown me away as a kid without a second thought, looking at my Heavenly Restriction as a problem instead of trying to work people like me into the system. To accept the odd ones and learn about them and work alongside them. Now, with my power, I can bet most of those tones have changed, huh?"
Many kissed their teeth as his gaze went over them.
"Tsk, you're lucky, boy. Blessed with something you can't possibly imagine," one of the old men sneered.
"I made myself lucky, I fought and trained to reach my current point. I may have had this restriction in time but I molded it into something more than just being a Reverse Cursed Technique machine. I won't have you walk over that just because your feelings are hurt," Naruto said with finality as many grimaced.
Naobito just hummed. "So, what do we make of this?" He asked his fellow superiors, clan heads, and high-level sorcerers. "The boy's words may be harsh but he is, at this very moment, rather open about the truth. He's a wielder of positive energy alone and has great control over it to boast of destroying the mountain. What will we do?"
"You've accepted this… Is there something amiss, Zenin-san?"
"Oh, save it, I don't need to consider it too much to figure out that we're not the only ones with chips on the table. Do you not want these boys in our system? I can tell, that one," he pointed at the shyly smiling Yuta. "He's strong," Naobito grinned as Yuta began to sweat.
'Oh no, a battle grandpa!' He feared for this outcome!
Naruto had told him there were tons of these kinds of guys around!
"That's Yuta Okkotsu, a friend I made while on my training journey," Naruto grinned as Yuta bowed respectfully. "We met a couple years back where I found out he had an entire crazy situation with someone who cursed him, Rika-chan."
"R-Rika, come out," Yuta beckoned.
The air in the room thickened, even Naobito's eyes widening in disbelief as the shadow below Yuta began to expand before a familiar figure's long powerful arms came out.
What exited the boy's presence nearly had the superiors up in arms.
"YOU BROUGHT THAT HERE?!"
"WHAT TREACHERY IS THIS?!"
"THAT ISN'T A NORMAL CURSED SPIRIT!"
More of such things were spouted as Naruto sighed while Yuta wilted a bit.
Rika growled a bit but a single touch of Yuta's hand to hers calmed her.
Minato chose then, to speak. "Honorable superiors," he spoke, calming the room with a small 'thrum' of cursed energy.
The flare got his intended effect and he smiled.
"You are a bit mistaken," he began. "Rika-chan, Yuta-kun's attachment, is not a danger to anyone. Not you nor I nor Yuta-kun, himself. She's quite understanding when spoken to and given time to mature."
"What?" Naobito asked. "I'm confused. You act as if she can… conversate…" His eyes widened. "Boy, Yuta-boya, this 'Rika-chan' of yours."
"I… Rika-chan is different, from what I've learned of other cursed spirits," Yuta explained with somber eyes.
He explained what happened to her, her death, the following years, and his meeting with Naruto.
The higher-ups looked offended. "You've hurt people," one of them said as Yuta flinched.
"I-I know, I… My own ignorance caused issues and pained others, I-I can't run from that," Yuta admitted. "And that's why, when Naruto-kun offered me the help I needed, I took it. I-I don't want to hurt anyone, much less people who literally couldn't defend themselves if they tried. Naruto gave me the chance to help people a-and I wanted to do so here."
Naobito laughed as the other higher-ups choked or gasped in interest.
One of them, the woman, spoke in a disbelieving tone. "You… Wish to learn here, at Tokyo Technical Metropolitan School?" She asked slowly, in disbelief.
"Y-Yes, over the years, Naruto-kun and Minato-sensei explained a lot to me. About the Jujutsu World and the people in it who could… Who could stop me and Rika-chan in case something got out of hand."
Just then, as if summoned, he entered with a grin on his lips and a tune in his mouth.
"Ahh~ It seems my presence has been required~," Satoru Gojou grinned again as many grew nervous if not outright hostile. "Ah-haa, no need to be so hostile, higher-ups. It's not like this is a bad thing for me to be handling Yuta-kun's development."
"Many would disagree, you… You're saying we defer this boy to you? For tutelage?" One of the superiors asked with a scoff. "What can you offer him? The boy's curse can't be that powerful."
"Oh, please, you don't need to lie now. I could feel Rika-chan from the moment she entered the barrier," he told them as many of the superiors flinched. "Oh? Didn't you know? Rika-chan is very powerful. As in, there are likely not many sorcerers here who could handle her… Likely, only a few," Satoru cupped his chin as he finally observed Rika for the first time. "... Yikes, uh, no, I'm actually being serious. Rika isn't a feeble spirit, much less a non-articulate one from what I heard through the door!"
Many grew tense at the man's words and shaky smile, Naruto tilting his head.
"Rika-chan's come a long way," the blonde boy grinned as the cursed spirit crossed her arms at him. "It's a compliment, come on."
"You saying it doesn't make it not annoying, Naruto-kun," Rika finally spoke, alarming many despite the previous information. "None of you are gonna hurt Yuta," she growled.
"Tsk," someone kissed their teeth. "Barely trained, it seems."
"It's not as it seems," Minato smiled again. "Rika-chan is a bit touchy but that's because Yuta and she are literally tied by death, you all are well-versed sorcerers, aren't you? You know very well what kind of connection these two will have."
More murmurs.
"Besides, Yuta-kun is right. He can learn to protect people here, to really give Rika-chan the ability to do an amazing amount of good. Especially if she's… Well, we might as well say it, yes? Especially if she's a Special Grade Cursed Spirit."
The air changed as he spouted the title.
Another Special Grade, a cursed spirit at that.
Many were unsure as they grimaced while Naobito hummed.
"Well, that still leaves much to be determined, no? Immense cursed energy, sure, but we'd need to see if she's even worth the title of 'strong'," he said as Minato blinked before smiling even brighter. "I'm more interested in having a cursed spirit back on our side again."
The superiors flinched at that particular topic.
Because it bred concerns.
If Suguru Geto was to conquer this 'Rika-chan'...
"Tsk," Naruto smiled at a female superior's scoff. "... Damn it all."
"So, it shouldn't be an issue," Satoru grinned. 'We've been planning this one for a while,' ever since going back to the island, they'd all spoken at length, of course.
This situation needed care and threats, after all.
"We still have a matter to discuss," another superior spoke, confusing Naruto and co. "Hmph, unfortunately, the boys can be useful. A child who can wield a Special Grade isn't to be underestimated… But the Gojou Clan boy is too important."
"Too valuable," another added with a nod.
There were more murmurs, confusing Naruto to no end. "Um… Wait, what?" He began slowly as Minato's face began to sweat.
'Oh… Oh no,' he thought.
If this went in a direction that he considered at their murmurs, he'd definitely not be able to help. Not if these people were convinced on keeping this ability of Naruto's in the Jujutsu World.
'Permanently'.
Satoru's grin had frozen on his face. 'Oh fuck,' he didn't like where this was going.
"Hahahahaha!" Naobito just laughed, confusing the blonde even further as his tail curled up into a question mark. "You poor bastard."
"That didn't help at all," Naruto muttered. "Look, come on, this is good. We're back, with extra help, though I'm still going to Kyoto High. I did promise to go there, after all."
Many of the hidden-faced superiors… pouted.
Naobito was officially too amused.
"Hmph… Release," one of the higher-ups said with a pulse of curse energy.
Their 'limiters' dropped even if they all realized that, in two of their three prisoners' cases… That hadn't mattered, had it?
The evidence of Naruto's earlier 'demonstration' of his power and Rika's current manifestation said it all.
That'd immediately changed a lot.
"Mm," Yuta smiled a bit. "I-I hope we can have a good working relationship," he said sheepishly as Rika floated down to his level with her arms still crossed.
"I guess," she said as he chuckled a bit.
Minato perked up. "Ah, yes, um… Kushina will be released after all of this, yes?" He asked with a smile.
The superiors rolled their eyes behind their screens as Naobito snickered.
"Yes, Kushina Gojou has no real inhibitions after this, this trial is adjourned… Ah, no, they must be given their school cards."
Naobito smirked at that as the groups murmured.
~NRK~
"Whoa, the Gojou elders don't like me," Naruto sweatdropped as he, Yuta, Satoru, Rika, and Minato walked/floated away from the chambers, the blonde boy and Yuta looking down at their cards.
Yuta looked embarrassed at his designation. "Special… Grade," he whispered at his card's rank.
Naruto, meanwhile, whined as Satoru huffed at the blonde's.
Semi-Grade 1.
"Jesus, those people do need to get some sticks removed!" Naruto whined again.
"Well, hopefully, it shouldn't be that hard. You're Semi-Grade 1, we might be able to just have you take up your personal mission and bump ya up," Satoru chuckled. "Still, I need to chat those old guys down, this is petty even for me!"
Minato just smiled. "So, what's your first-" He began to say before stopping at a 'stampede' of rabbits. "Ah, there's Megumi-kun."
The tidal wave of rabbits parted to reveal a familiar young man.
Megumi smiled as he landed from the 'wave', walking up to Naruto with a hand outstretched.
Wearing a black hoodie, black track pants, knee-high black socks, and white sneakers, he smiled as he reached them.
The two gripped one another before the blonde pat his shoulder as he pulled him in for a one-arm hug.
"Ya've grown well, Megu," Naruto chuckled as the Fushigoro boy smiled some more.
"Thanks, aniki, welcome back," he said, voice a bit deeper, before he noted the others. "Gojou-sensei, Minato-san, and… You're Yuta-san, right?" Megumi asked as he and Naruto let go.
Yuta smiled before Megumi looked up at Rika.
He grinned nervously. "Oh."
~NRK~
~Zenin Estate~
Mai smoothed out her hair over and over, face bright red as she paced in front of her vanity dresser.
Her hair had gotten a bit thicker over the years but hadn't really grown beyond its lip-length nature. Wearing a tight, open, black double-breasted sleeveless coat that came down to her navel, a black strapless top beneath it, tight black pants, and thigh-high black boots, the young woman's waist was saddled with a pair of crossing black belts, pouches sitting across their entire lengths.
"Crap, crap, crap," she hissed in horror, embarrassed to all hell as she buttoned up. "I'm not ready for this!"
"Huh?" Maki blinked, turning to face her as she slung a collapsible spear over her shoulder. "You say something?" She asked.
Wearing a double-breasted mid-neck dark blue coat, a similarly-colored tight skirt, white socks, and brown loafers, Maki's hair had truly grown long, a single long bang coming down the left side of her face.
Mai's eyebrow twitched. "I'm focusing, Maki!"
"On what? Trying to surprise Naruto?"
"Y-Yes!"
Maki's face went flat. "Okay, one, it's not that big a deal, we met like three months ago. Two, you met him THREE MONTHS AGO. It's not some crazy thing," she said flatly.
"Liar!" Mai exclaimed as her twin sweatdropped. "This is crucial, what kinda first impression do I make in Jujutsu High?!"
"Y-You guys going to the same school! Do you really want Todou to make the biggest impression known to mankind before you do?"
Mai froze in 'horror' as Maki smirked.
"Might wanna hurry up before Naruto totally forgets your 'impression'."
"SHIT!"
~NRK~
~Jujutsu High Dormitories~
"I-I've come a long way, Minato-sensei says," Yuta smiled bashfully as Megumi nodded, crossing his arms.
"I can tell, your sheer amount of curse energy is enough to make me feel intimidated," he told him, Yuta blushing in embarrassment. "Ah, sorry, senpai, it's a compliment."
"I-I get that."
Naruto chuckled in between them, Minato long-gone.
'Let's think too much about that,' he didn't think he'd be able to handle the 'truth'. "So, where's… Oh, most of 'em are in here," Naruto began to say before blinking as he looked at Megumi's dorm room door. "Hehe, let's see the Tokyo Crew again."
He turned the knob and opened the door-
"HE'S BACK!" Came two figures before Naruto was laughing in the arms of a happy panda, a black-haired boy jumping on his brother's shoulders as they cheered. "WELCOME, NII-CHAN!"
The Masamichi Brothers grinned as Naruto did, the young man put down as Yuta's brain stopped working.
Rika popped out and 'stared' with him. "... Y-Yuta, there's a… T-There's a panda here," she said in utter disbelief as Yuta kept nodding in disbelief.
"W-Whoa?!" Panda held up his paws in a boxing stance. "Be careful-"
"Whoa, stop, that's Rika-chan, she's nice," Naruto said quickly, getting a blink from the two brothers as Kuma perked up over Panda's shoulder.
"S-She is?" The younger of two asked as Rika leaned in and he hid away. "Y-You've got so much curse energy."
"I get that a lot," she said before tilting her head at him. "... U-Um, he's got a black mark over his eye…"
"Yeah, they're related," Naruto said with the cheekiest grin known to mankind as the others in the room relaxed. "Sup," he said to them as Rika's mind stopped.
"... What?"
"Y-Yeah, what?" Yuta asked in disbelief as Naruto snickered.
Megumi smiled nervously. "Take your time, getting used to Rika Orimoto isn't going to be easy but if these two have, we can," he said with a bit of confidence as the others got up before greeting the group.
"Sup, fellow Freshman!" Came the voice of a boy with a black mask over his face, the guy lifting it up so they could see his shaky grin. "God, she's got so much cursed energy."
He had fair skin, black eyes, and seemingly short black hair that was mostly covered.
Wearing a pair of dark grayish-blue boots, baggy black pants, a baggy long-sleeved top of the same color, and his mask, as stated before, the guy was around Yuta, Naruto, and Megumi's height.
"Yo, nice to meetcha, name's Naruto Uzumaki," Naruto greeted as they clasped hands as the other boy cupped his chin.
"Don't worry, dude, I know. You've been the talk of the town for years, i-it's kinda not fair. Takuma Ino, at your service, future-Grade 1."
Naruto chuckled nervously. "Well… Yeah, I caused a lot of chaos a bit back and good luck, dude," he admitted and encouraged him as a young woman giggled next to Megumi. "Tsumiki-chan," Naruto greeted with double finger guns.
Tsumiki Fushigoro grinned.
She hadn't changed all that much, still having long dark brown hair but it was now in a ponytail with two long bangs. She'd seemingly matured faster than most of them had and she looked as kind as always.
Wearing a cream-colored sweater, a long black skirt, and some brown boots, she grinned before hugging the monkey boy.
"Welcome back!" She chuckled as she held him at arm's length before looking up. "You got big like Megumi!" Tsumiki said with a sly grin as her brother blushed before mumbling something.
"It's nothing," he told Naruto who snickered with Tsumiki. "Oh no."
"It's fine!"
Megumi wasn't sure about that.
"T-Tsumiki-chan?!" Takuma hit his knees in disbelief as the girl tilted her head at him. "NO?!"
"Um… Is he okay?" Yuta asked in concern.
"He's just a bit extra," Mimiko said as she snickered at Tsumiki, the Fushigoro girl blushing as she quickly let go of Naruto before shooting her a look. "Hehehehe."
She'd grown well, too, now being about as tall as Megumi was and sporting their girl's school uniform. Her 'customization' happened to be that her coat had a higher collar with golden tassels in place of buttons of the regular uniform.
"Konbu," came Toge as he raised two thumbs-ups from the middle of the room.
Wearing their male school uniform of a dark blue double-breasted coat and pants, he had on a blue scarf around his mouth, blue sneakers, and had his hair up?
Naruto tilted his head. "Oh, trying out a new style?" He asked the other boy who nodded.
"Shake."
"Good for you, man. Now, we're missing two-"
"We're here!" Came the familiar pair of twins.
Naruto turned with a grin as they saw him. "Yo," he chuckled with a raised hand.
Mai burned up.
Maki smirked.
Mimiko snickered with a click of her phone's camera.
"Well, well, well, look at you, back already," Maki said with crossed arms and a smirk as Naruto laughed before grinning and patting Yuta's shoulders.
"Yep and you guys finally get to meet Yuta! Guys, meet our school's newest Special Grade," Naruto said with emphasis, mouth cracking into a grin that told anyone who wasn't shocked that he was doing this for the fun of it.
The group did react as he'd wanted, though.
"YOU WHAT?!" They all shouted at him and the jumping Yuta whose shaky smile froze on his face.
"?!"
"Hehehehehe," Naruto snickered before patting his friend's shoulder solidly. "Yep, well, most of you guys know that Rika-chan was considered Special Grade by aniki, remember?" His friends perked up while Toge, Mimiko, and Takuma balked.
"Seriously?! You're a higher grade than Nanami?!" The mask-bearing boy asked in disbelief.
"I-I don't know who that is… Wait, um, isn't he the magician with the 7… 3…" Yuta fumbled immediately as Tsumiki giggled. "T-That is! Um…!"
"Deep breaths," Rika told him. "Stop crowding Yuta," she told the others as they all jumped as if remembering she existed. "Rude…"
Mai was taken aback by the feeling of Rika. 'S-She's on a whole different dimension compared to us!' This… This was the difference between a Special Grade Cursed Spirit and all the other clearly weak ones she'd ever fought. "Y-You made friends with… Rika?" She tried as Naruto chuckled.
"Rika-chan's not that bad, especially after she mellowed out," Naruto smiled. "Hehe, things worked out, eventually," he added with a thumbs-up. "I'm back for good and a Semi-Grade 1," he told them, showing them his school badge with Yuta.
"No way!" Mai balked as she leaned over his shoulder, the blonde looking proud as she rolled her eyes and pinched his cheek. "Idiot," she smirked as he kept on grinning before she released him. "Still, what's this mean in the grand scheme of things?" She asked him, hopping onto his back while templing her hands on his head in thought.
"Wow, this is new."
"Shush, peasant, now talk."
Takuma fell onto all-fours with a look of despair as Panda chuckled with Kuma on his shoulders.
Flipping his badge up and holding onto her thighs, Naruto shrugged. "I mean, does anyone really know what that means?" He asked, oblivious to Mai's facepalming as she held his badge in her hands.
Many of the others were amused beyond words. "Yeah, I have a couple ideas," Maki smirked as Mai blushed before face-'flopping' into Naruto's hair. "For one, duh, more high-level missions. You can now be recommended for Grade 1 out the gate, and I'm pretty sure you're supposed to get a stipend or something? Like as long as you're doing something professionally productive."
"Oh, right, Yuki-nee-chan's a bum in their eyes."
Kuma, Maki, Mai, and Panda laughed.
"Still, uh, I've got no idea how any of that works, in-depth."
"I mean, you should be able to find out quickly," Megumi said with a nod and a raised brow. "Still, you're the same grade as Utahime-sensei, now."
"It's pretty cool, though, uh… Well, I'm sure most of ya who know what the deal with me is wondering why I'm not higher, huh?" Naruto asked the group as Mai perked up.
"Actually, yeah, I am," she said in confusion.
"Well, guess whose clan elders love to meddle with stuff?"
"My God," Maki stared at him flatly, hands slowly coming up to her forehead before just as quickly sliding down. "What the hell is with these old bastards? What? Does getting proved wrong really bother them so much?"
"I mean, I said as much to their face," Naruto admitted easily as she wheezed… before laughing. "Ah, there it is."
"Naruto-kun," Mai began flatly.
"Yes?~"
"What did you do?"
"Well… Let's just say, me and the superiors have a 'working' relationship and that's about it."
"Uggggghhhhhhhhh," her face fell back into his hair again.
"Well, I thought it was a good idea at the time."
Yuta tilted his head before slowly inching to the side towards Tsumiki. "U-Um, t-this might be presumptuous," he began as her mouth slowly widened into a grin. "I-Is it?"
"Hmmmm…" She tilted her head with a chuckle. "Probably not."
"Probably?" He asked in disbelief as Rika nodded.
"Probably, Yuta," Rika whispered somehow.
"Please stop listening to her," Megumi pleaded with a groan.
~NRK~
They ate in the cafeteria, Naruto nodding to Tsumiki's newest shikigami.
A toad, at that, one with a long squiggly tail that made it look like a chameleon but she was very attracted to 'toad with a tail'.
It hopped onto his shoulder before croaking.
"See, it can repeat sounds," it belted out with another croak before hopping onto Yuta's shoulder.
"T-That's so cool," he said with a look of surprise on his face. "I'm not good at managing shikigami. I need to know how to properly fight alongside Rika-chan, first."
"Yep," the Special Grade declared proudly as Maki snorted. "Yuta's pretty good at the energy stuff but he's not good enough to beat Naruto, yet," she somehow pouted.
Naruto chuckled as Mai raised a brow at that.
"What? You spar with her, too?" She asked, eyebrow twitching at her own… recognition of the type of response she'd receive. "You're gonna say 'yes', aren't you-?"
"Yes-Huh?" Naruto answered before blinking. "I mean… Am I that easy to figure out?!" He squawked as Mai smirked.
"Yep, that little head of yours is full of nothing but fighting and ramen, most of the time, and I'm not even sure if the fighting part is that big."
Naruto blushed a bit before chuckling nervously as the others laughed.
"Ah, there you are!" Came a voice from behind him before Naruto was grinning as he turned to see his parents, Kushina grinning brightly. "My boy's back from 'away' college!"
"Excuse me?" Naruto sweatdropped as she chuckled.
"I mean, I've always wanted to say that, hehe."
Naruto ignored the 'glow' coming off the woman for every reason that mattered. "Well, yeah, I'm back, mom. Things seemed to have worked out somehow, thank God."
"So it has," Kushina hummed. "Still, you guys know school starts tomorrow, right? That's not a lot of time to hang out."
"It's not like Kyoto's that far away," Mai explained. "Besides, missions happen between schools, too. Hell, I could end up with Maki as a team member on my first mission if things get really coincidental."
"She's got a point," Maki chuckled. "We'll be taking missions soon, I can finally begin to prove my worth, yes!"
"Things are bound to get exciting around here," Minato chuckled. "I just hope they don't get too out of hand."
"Hey, we've got enough heavy hitters, now," Naruto grinned. "Especially in both schools if Yuki-sensei's other student is there with us. Yuta's here with Rika-chan and aniki, too, so we're pretty set."
~NRK~
Night fell and, with it, games and karaoke in the dormitory.
Naruto left Megumi's very loud dorm room with a laugh as Mei Mei sang a duet with Ui Ui.
Following behind him, Mai shifted a bang back into place. "S-So, tomorrow, we'll officially be in Kyoto High," she said as an ice breaker as Naruto nodded.
"Yep, we're gonna be on the 'opposing team' from tomorrow on," he snickered as she laughed a bit, the two peering out into the yard. "Still, we're all on the same side and friends, we'll have fun in between, I'm sure."
She nodded, cheeks reddening at her next move. "N-Naru?"
"Hmm?"
"There's… S-So, the reason for why I got such a big go-ahead from my clan is…" Mai began as Naruto crossed his arms into his sleeves, looking intrigued. "T-That is," she turned bright red. "I-I…"
"What's up? Is it that bad?" Naruto frowned in concern as she hiccupped before covering her mouth in complete and utter embarrassment.
Naruto snorted as she fumbled.
"T-That's not it!" She squealed as he laughed, the girl dramatically hitting his chest. "J-Jerk!"
"A bit of one."
Seconds later, the red returned.
God, it returned almost a million-fold as Naruto hugged her!
"I-I, N-Naru-"
"It's been a while," Naruto said softly as her eyes widened before she was hugging him back. "You've been kinda anxious since I got back, what's up? Really?"
"... It's… I-It's something I need to tell you and t-talk to you about later on," Mai admitted, face tucked against his collar. "It's serious a-and I don't think you'll just go along with it like u-usual."
Naruto raised a brow at that as he considered the possibilities.
"Um, we're not kidnapping someone, are we?"
"No…"
"No serious harm?"
"W-Well, h-harm's a very different word f-from what it could end up being."
Weird. "Alright… Well, I'm here," he nodded with a chuckle and one more squeeze. "And whatever it is, I'm down, maybe it'll be fun!"
Steam shot from her ears before she was stammering and stuffing her face more into his clothes.
'Oh God,' t-that could be taken a lot of ways, Naruto! "Ymou almays dom thism tmo mme," Mai whined happily.
Naruto blinked. "Uh, didn't hear that," he said with a squinty-eyed look as she removed her face from his chest with the most embarrassed grinning expression she could muster.
"Don't worry about it! Come on, I-I don't want the others to spread rumors about this," she told him before grabbing his hand and leading him back to the noise and fun.
"Huh? Rumors? What about?"
God, she loved this blonde but he really was a good bit stupid at times.
Mai grinned wider.
Just how she liked him.
~NRK~
The following morning, Naruto and Mai rode the train with Minato and Kushina to Kyoto.
With the man wearing a suit and his wife wearing a qipao, they looked very happy as they held hands and chatted rapidly with one another.
Mai blushed at it, knowing that was the kind of relationship she also desired.
Naruto, meanwhile, finally wore his 'school uniform'.
With many students, it really was mandatory but people were allowed to customize it to their own likes and wants. Then, there were those with special privileges like Noritoshi who wore his family's favored robes.
Her eyebrow twitched.
Or Aoi, someone with a special mentor, who apparently decided shredding his shirt was a constant!
Naruto shot her an amused look at her pout. "Something tells me this 'Todou' guy is a real character," he snickered as she pouted more.
Wearing a pair of his black shinobi sandals, baggy black pants with a thick yellow bar around the thighs with a sort of mural's design, a yellow high-collared vest with a black sun in the middle, a mesh top underneath, and his special goggles, Naruto grinned as she muttered.
"You have no idea."
~NRK~
~Kyoto~
Reaching Kyoto, their 'first contact' just so happened to be none other than Utahime.
The miko woman smiled, not looking the slightest bit older as she quickly grinned for them.
"Welcome back, all of you," she said kindly as Mai nodded, Naruto grinned, and the latter's parents chuckled. "Especially you, Naruto-kun, it's been quite some time. Apologies I couldn't make it a couple months back."
"It's fine, hehe, it was really just the earliest anyone could see me. I know the others have school, you're teaching, and all of that," he grinned some more as she chuckled.
"Yes, it's been quite some time since I've experienced this, hmm… Come along, let's go and see your new school."
They walked a familiar path to Kyoto High, Naruto's arms folded behind his head as he looked at the Golden Temple.
"Yo, nee-chan, do you think I could probably sneak into there and purify that Cursed Object?" He asked Utahime who blinked along with Mai, the two turning to look the same way he was.
Kushina looked to Minato for answers.
"Naruto's power can purify cursed beings, spirits, and objects. We practiced with that a lot, though curses of Grade 2 and lower don't leave anything of worth. Usually, they're just normal spirits that return to the earth," he explained as Mai hummed.
"Whoa, so it's different from the normal way?" She asked Naruto who nodded.
"I think so, there's something different, obviously. It's like I take the negativity away from the cursed spirit to just leave a spirit," he said as she hummed while Utahime tilted her head in thought. "Far as I know? There's likely something extra to this, I'd bet."
"Indeed," she smiled. "It'll be nice to explore these avenues as your teacher again," Utahime chuckled.
"Same, sensei!"
"M-Me, too!" Mai nodded.
Utahime really was lucky, she was sure.
~NRK~
~Kyoto High~
Since they'd left early, they reached Kyoto High just as early, at 10 am to be exact.
With his parents off to do whatever he didn't want to know about at the house, Naruto looked around the area with a small smile as Mai grinned for him.
"It's been a while since I've been here," he said with a chuckle as Utahime smiled with a nod. "It'll be cool to meet up with the gang again… Ah, hey, Mechamaru," Naruto smiled as something flew down to him before landing on his shoulder.
A familiar Mechamaru Pin buzzed. [Truly, welcome back. It's only been three months but things do feel like they've changed a lot.] He chuckled as Naruto grinned.
"Yep. I just hope things go well, the more I hear about this Todou guy, the more I kinda wanna meet him."
The pin somehow looked nervous. [... Friend, there's… Todou is a very powerful character as I'm sure you've been informed.] Mai whined.
"He's a total perv! He only gets along with you by asking you what your type is!" She growled as Naruto raised a brow.
"What? Did he hit on every person here?" He asked in disbelief as Utahime hid her laughter behind a sleeve, looking beyond amused. "Am I dealing with a super pervert?!"
"Yes!"
[Only slightly.] Mechamaru added a bit kindly as Naruto sweatdropped. [Despite her words, Mai is exaggerating a slight bit… A slight bit.] He clarified as the blonde raised a brow. [... You'll understand when you first meet him, Naruto-kun, there aren't enough words in the dictionary that could describe such a thing.]
Utahime smirked a bit despite the 'subject'. 'Knowing Aoi-kun… This might prove curious,' she sweatdropped.
She treasured her students, truly she did, but when one of them asked her which part of her boyfriend she loved the most she could be forgiven for taking some time to warm up to that one.
"Alright, let's get this weird guy over with and make a friend!" Naruto declared confidently as the three sweatdropped.
Yes, even the mechanical object.
"So, that's the guy," a lone young man declared from atop the school building. "I see, I must find out his tastes, Momo!"
"Todou, shut up," Momo Nishimiya rolled her eyes. "That's Mai's crush, you remember when she painfully admitted to you her type?"
Wearing a knee-length black dress, a black choker, and wielding a broom, Momo hadn't really 'grown' like the others had, being the absolute shortest of their group.
With her hair now longer and in two thick pigtails, her eyes went flat.
The tall student's eyes widened in wonder. "I see… I must figure him out now!" He declared before jumping off the roof.
"... Mai-chan, Naru-kun, I am so sorry."
Down below, walking up to the school, Naruto got three seconds of the view before blinking and looking up.
"Um, Todou wouldn't be weird enough to jump off a building, would he?" He asked out of nowhere, confusing the three.
Then, Mai paled. "Goddamm-!"
There was an explosion of force and stone in front of the four, Naruto blinking at the crouched figure within the dust.
"You!" That figure called out, standing up to his full height that placed him at maybe half a foot taller than the blonde. "What is your type of woman?!"
The dust cleared and allowed Naruto to see this character.
'Ya know? He's not as weird as I expected.'
He was tall, as stated before, with a strong build covered by a pair of martial artist flats, white socks, black pants, and a closed black jacket of their school.
Bearing tan skin, black hair set up in a hair bun, and black eyes with one bearing a scar from the left side of his forehead, the boy before him announced once more.
"DECLARE YOURSELF!" He demanded with a pointing finger. "What kind of man are you?!"
Naruto blinked once, twice, three times, before slowly turning to look at the facepalming Mai and nervously giggling Utahime.
"What the hell is going on?" He asked slowly before turning back to the dude. "You're Aoi Todou, right?"
"Ah, you've heard of me."
"I've… Definitely heard of you," Naruto muttered as Mechamaru found it in him to chuckle. "Um, right, what were you talking about?"
"Your type of woman decides the kind of man you can be," the boy, Aoi Todou, declared as he inched closer before standing in front of the blonde with crossed arms and a focused stare. "What kind of man are you? A boring one? One with weird tastes?!"
Naruto blushed a bit at that, muttering something. "One… I'd never say that out loud, dude-Okay, what?"
Todou threw an arm around his shoulders before taking him off to the side. "Ah, I understand, that can be personal to some guys for some reason," he said understandingly as Naruto's jaw dropped a bit while Mechamaru chuckled nervously.
[I've told you, he's passionate.]
"Y-Yeah, um-"
"I'll show you how it works," Todou said with a tutting finger. "I like me a tall woman with big boobs."
The blonde's paled even as his cheeks reddened. "H-Hey, come on, guy, I-I don't really have to-"
"Ya do."
"Hurk?!" Naruto's eyebrow trembled as his cheeks reddened. "... Freaking, you just want to know my type, right?" He muttered as Todou leaned in with an intrigued nod.
"Yes, a type between men can easily be held in secret."
"... Okay, so, just to start, I don't really… I-I like girls with strong hair colors," Naruto began as Mechamaru perked up.
[That's curious… I-I suppose, we share interests in that regard.] He admitted as Todou nodded.
"What else? A woman is more than her hair and mind, Uzumaki, what incites your passion? A big butt? Monstrous boobs? A needle-waist?!"
"For God's sake, shut up!" Naruto hissed as he pulled him back down. "For the love of, I've never… O-Okay, that's not true but I don't… I've never given it that much thought! Powerful personalities and crazy hair colors just vibe with me, okay?"
Ah, one who didn't 'understand' yet, it was Aoi's duty to fulfill this boy's mind!
"Alright, here's an idea," he began as they whispered. "Tell me, does the image of big boobs not rev you?!" Todou somehow whisper-yelled.
Naruto's eyes squinted at the idea.
The only thing that came to mind… Was Granny Tsunade, oh no.
"Nope, not at all," he said with a twitching brow as the older male cupped his chin with a nod.
"Ah, then, what of long creamy legs?"
Naruto blinked at that, clearing his throat a bit as his cheeks reddened somewhat. '... Long legs?' Essentially a nice butt, right? Or was he being extra perverted, himself?
His mind conjured-
"No, no, no! I-I can't, dude!" Naruto freaked out, face bright red. 'I did not just think of Mai, did I?!' It'd been the damndest thing.
Naruto had always thought his female friends were cute, sure, pretty even with how well Mai took care of herself.
But considering the 'secrets within' their clothes, his mind zeroed-in on the green-haired girl's… lower half.
That was currently covered by really tight pants, pants that covered a set of thighs he'd been holding yesterday.
"Ah-hah! We've found it!" Todou said with a grin. "I understand you, Uzumaki, a butt, boobs, they are two halves of the same coin. You want to grab 'em-"
Naruto blushed.
"Smother yourself in 'em-"
"S-Shut up!" Naruto wheezed.
"To EAT like no man has before!" He declared as Mechamaru wheezed.
~NRK~
"Oh my God, Todou, please, shut up!" He pleaded from within his tank, very red at the moment. 'I-I don't… N-Not with Kasumi, I-' He steamed in horror.
Damn that man and his vivid imagination!
~NRK~
Watching the boys fight as Todou laughed, Mai felt her cheeks burn as she thought about what answers Naruto could have given.
"I-I wonder what it is… N-Not to say it's not stupid! H-Hahahahah," she laughed fakely at Utahime's very raised brow. "J-Just, you know, Naruto can g-give stupid answers!"
The woman looked amused as the boys came over, Naruto's face in his hands as Mechamaru cleared his throat.
Todou, in the back, nodded determinedly before throwing Mai an unseen thumbs-up.
Her jaw dropped in horror before she burned bright red at the departing Aoi. 'N-No… NO WAY?!' Was she in the running?!
Was she the girl of Naruto's dreams?!
She looked at the looking-away blonde before becoming determined.
"Alright, Naru-kun! Let's go and see the school!" She declared confidently, pulling on the blonde's bicep and not taking 'no' for an answer.
"N-No, wait, this isn't helping!" Naruto paled before burning up as she dragged him off. "CRAP! DAMMIT, TODOU!"
"I'LL HELP ANY TIME!" Todou shouted from the ether.
"GODDAMMIT!"
~NRK~
Principal Yoshinobu raised a thick gray brow at the blonde in despair in a corner and the seemingly prideful Mai.
What the hell had happened?
"I suppose these are our last students…" He said slowly.
~NRK~
~Kyoto High Dormitories~
Reaching his dorm room, Naruto's cheeks still burned from Todou's… Todou-ness.
'That guy put weird thoughts into my head!' It made it so difficult to look Mai in the eyes right now! "Dammit, Todou."
[Apologies.] Mechamaru said before he beeped. [Ah.]
"Oh, you do get him," Momo said as she peeked in with a waving Miwa. "... Sorry, I didn't think he'd actually jump off the roof," she said sheepishly.
Naruto blinked at them, turning to the two and smiling a bit. "Yeah, well… He's an idiot, unfortunately, I understand on a level most won't," he said weakly.
Momo snickered as Miwa grinned. "Welcome back, Naruto-kun!" She cheered.
She'd grown like the other girls had but was still only the second-tallest with Momo the only one shorter.
Wearing a white dress shirt, black slacks, and black loafers, her katana bounced on her hip as just as long blue hair fell down her head.
"Hehe~ The whole team is together now!"
[Hm, hm, hm, we are.] Mechamaru chuckled. [Good morning, Miwa-chan.]
"Sup, Mecha-kun!" Miwa grinned proudly. "I just had to see! Mai-chan's all energetic and Todou's Todou! Things are going right today!"
Mechamaru wondered if such adaptability could be considered a 'skill'.
[Yes, well, Naruto-kun was given quite the dosage of him. For now, he's put his things down, where are the others?]
"Noritoshi-kun is supposed to be coming by soon, he was visiting his mom," Momo smiled. "He's a lot more open nowadays, I guess we have you to thank, Naruto-kun."
Naruto grinned. "I'm happy. Nori totally needs closer connections and so we're here! So, he's the only one I haven't seen again, oh and Nanako! But I guess we can wait."
[In that case.] Mechamaru spoke up. [Naruto-kun, could I speak to you in private?]
"Huh? Oh. sure."
~NRK~
~Tokyo Jujutsu High~
"I see!" Maki grinned as her steel blade locked against Yuta's wooden one.
The two weapons clacked but nothing more, the maroon glow over the wooden sword denting it a bit but otherwise keeping it as strong as the steel in her hands.
Maki was intrigued as she pushed back at him, sending the boy off his feet.
Yuta was surprised. 'She's almost as strong as Naruto!' And hadn't she only taken off two of those four weights of hers? "It's like a manga!"
He recovered quickly, feet stomping down steadily while crushing the stone beneath them.
Maki thrust out her blade and he raised his guard, blocking it before kicking out at her stomach.
She'd guarded against it almost perfectly, flying back nearly as much as she'd done to him. 'Reinforcement,' if Yuta had as much curse energy as the others said, he had a wicked amount of physical potential. "Good!"
Her feet dug into the ground and brought her to a halt, Yuta's blurring form skirting around her side.
The light glinted off her glasses as she turned with a grin.
Their weapons met again before Maki used the clash to flip overhead, landing behind him and throwing her blade into her opposing hand.
The boy stumbled back from the light slice. "Y-You're ambidextrous?" He asked as he took a deep breath before solidifying his stance.
"Yep," Maki grinned as she stood to her full height, twirling her weapon around her shoulder and into her right hand once more. "I got a lot of ideas over the years. Weight training, perception training, mental training, I've dabbled in a lot of it. The mental stuff isn't as good but I've had a lot of fun with the other ones."
Yuta nodded to that, intrigued. "I guess there are amazing people all over the Jujutsu World," he chuckled sheepishly.
Maki grinned with some red on her face but with pride in her eyes. "You're damn right but you're not so bad yourself. You've got good control over your cursed energy and you're matching my strength with it."
"I-I didn't think it was possible but you're really strong, like, scarily so. You're almost as strong as Naruto is and you still have two more weights."
"Hehe, I've gotta keep up. I only have so many ways!"
She lunged at him at the last word, their weapons locking together before Maki kicked at his shin and stepped into his guard, shoulder to Yuta's chest.
His eyes widened as she tightened her stance and sharply jabbed her shoulder into his chest.
He went flying.
"Woo! YES! I've always wanted to use that!" Maki cheered before lunging after him, the two skirting around gray stone pathways and training circles.
Mei Mei smiled at that. 'She's far stronger than Mai,' but that wasn't fair.
Maki lived off limiters for her body, spirit, and mind, Mai had been trained in cursed energy and heavy physical training. Mai had versatility while Maki had physical stats.
"She's excited," Tsumiki giggled a bit as the group all watched. "She's not able to go all-out often, usually, it's just with Panda in Gorilla Mode," she said.
"Maki's super tough," Panda said. "She's got more strength than I know how to deal with, at times, but then Nee-Chan can step in and teach me. I got better at diverting blows."
"Shake," Toge nodded.
Mimiko hummed as Megumi formed shikigami randomly behind them.
He flipped through shadows, making the previous ones vanish before summoning the next and continuing the cycle.
It'd been his own idea for training his reaction time, to be able to mix, switch, and flip the Ten Shadows at a moment's notice. She even had flashcards for the boy to react to!
The girl blushed, holding her cheeks. 'We've grown so much together,' it was odd but this felt right.
Her older brother wanted them all happy in a world of just sorcerers!
O-Okay, sure, Maki was mostly a non-sorcerer but Mimiko was sure Geto wouldn't mind! The Zenin girl seemed traditional and wanted to be a sorcerer, that had to mean something.
A-And if she could, Mimiko wanted to… S-She'd like to go steady with Megumi if she had the chance!
They could truly have a happy sorcerer family a-and a bunch of sorcerer kids!
She burned at the thought but her mind went a bit elsewhere.
To her other friend who had a genetically powerful crush. Mai really did seem to like Naruto and, from what Mimiko knew, the blonde didn't 'like' like anyone yet so she hoped the girl took her shot!
'Bro's said he's an amazing fit, Mai-chan!' Geto had always said that Naruto would likely create a world of greatness if their plan even possibly failed.
Especially due to how powerful his blood likely was… Though, at times, Mimiko wondered why her brother didn't do this himself.
Icky as it was to think about her brother… M-Mating and stuff, she never got it.
Why not do so himself? Her brother was amazing and could probably make a whole clan so why?
'I should ask the next time we talk,' which would be soon.
The Event was going to take place this Christmas, their big event.
Their Night of a Hundred Demons.
~NRK~
~Kyoto High~
Naruto smiled as he and Noritoshi shook hands.
The older boy hadn't changed all that much, simply bearing a more angular face, longer hair, and more stylized onmyoji clothing.
Otherwise? Still the same.
Nanako, meanwhile, had changed a good bit of her outfit.
Now tanner, with longer hair, she had on a short blue skirt, a off-yellow sweater, knee-high socks, and brown loafers. At her hip, her phone sat as she snickered off to the side with a determined Mai.
"Gonna make it happen, ey?" Nanako asked teasingly as Mai blushed but nodded with narrowed eyes.
"Y-Yeah, I don't wanna take any chances," she admitted as she minded the boys. "... Oh, we're now even in numbers," Mai realized as Momo nodded sagely.
"Yep, now, it's four vs. four, we've gotta get our points in!" She declared as Miwa blinked.
"Points?" She asked.
"Yu-huh, I know, the boys have basically four Grade 1s-in-the-making over there but we've gotta do our best!"
Mai considered that. 'That's right,' she'd almost forgotten.
She had to keep up, didn't she? She'd decided to do so and made a Vow to!
"Yeah… I'll do my best," Mai said as she pat her pouches. "I've got a decent secret weapon, too, and I have some stuff backed-up. I'll make it to Grade 1, Momo-chan," she said with a serious expression.
Momo just looked excited. "Yes," she nearly squealed before sidling up to Mai and nudging her. "Let me guess, can't let the beau be alone?"
Mai's confidence melted and left her a blushing mess that stammered while trying to defend her point.
Momo just snickered and teased with a pleased grin.
Yep, it seemed they had some dedicated fighters!
~NRK~
"Now, you all are here," Utahime said with a smile as she spoke with Naruto, Mechamaru, Mai, and Miwa. "We're all familiar with one another but I'd like us to go over some basic introductions and your own summary of your skills if you would."
Naruto grinned before standing up. "Alright, so, Naruto Uzumaki, at your service. I'm a positive energy-user due to my Heavenly Restriction which took all my cursed energy. I can use two skills of my Three-Tailed Mandala," Naruto stated as he activated the technique.
A familiar yellow mandala formed above his left palm.
"I can move this around and make it bigger or smaller. Through this, I get way better control over my powers and can use the second skill of my Technique, Gold."
"Ah, following the same concept as the Six Eyes?" Iori smiled as he chuckled.
"Yep, there's a third skill but I can't use it yet. Besides that, dad taught me talisman work and how to use positive energy through one of my Three Great Talismans," Naruto grinned as Miwa gasped.
"What's that?!" She asked.
"My greatest creations," Naruto said. "They're the three talismans I put my all into," he explained as Utahime smiled. "You know two of 'em, Sage and Fujin, but I've got one more I completed recently but it needs more time to mature. I can only use it twice at a time."
"That sounds so cool! What is it?!"
"Nuh-uh, secret."
Miwa whined, Mechamaru's brown mechanical shell chuckling as Naruto sat down and he stood up.
[Then, I shall go next if all of us are fine?] He offered and the group nodded. [I am Mechamaru… My own Heavenly Restriction allows me long-range cursed energy use so I can use these robots of my mechanical creation. I can make cursed energy-reinforced robots and metallic parts. Mechamaru, my second biggest project that you see before you, is outfitted with numerous sensors, weapons, cannons, and even spy equipment.]
"He's added to it recently," Mai told Naruto who grinned. "Hehe, he melded a couple of the ideas together due to Star Wars."
[It's a classic for a reason, Mai-kun.]
"I get you, get inspiration from wherever, I definitely can't complain."
He nodded. [I may have lied earlier, there is a third project I've consulted Mai on, a special general purpose idea I've had.]
"Really?" Miwa tilted her head as he nodded before a socket in Mechamary opened and he retrieved a long white capsule. "?"
"... Huh?" Naruto perked up as Mechamaru nodded. "Dude, no way," he said in disbelief.
[Yes, way. I've been trying to 'capture' Techniques.] He explained, Iori's eyes widening. [For one, though, I can't reproduce Cursed Techniques but things like shikigami, Simple Domain, Barriers, and Curtains can be applied to a capsule and released through a special port in Mechamaru's body. I've recently tried using it on just him.]
"That sounds amazing, Mechamaru-kun," Iori grinned as he rubbed the back of his head before sitting down with a nod. "Alright!" She chuckled. "Who's next?"
"K-Kasumi Miwa is speaking!" Miwa declared while standing up. "Um, well… I-I don't have a lot of super-cool secret techniques and stuff b-but I've gotten a Cursed Tool! My Hana!" She said, gesturing to her katana. "It's a blade that gets sharper the more cursed energy I use. A-And I know a bunch of Simple Domain techniques thanks to Mechamaru-kun, Momo-chan, and Mai-chan!"
"Huh, I wonder, can you do something like Falling Blossom Emotion, Miwa-chan?" Naruto asked.
"Kind of! Well, mine is a bit more limited and stuff b-but I've tried working on that! I've even added an energy reaction to it!"
Mai perked up. "Energy reaction?" She asked as Miwa nodded rapidly.
"Well, originally, my Simple Domain allowed me to react to a 2.21 meter radius around me with my weapon. I usually use a quickdraw style but then I learned about Falling Blossom Emotion from you and Naruto-kun did say, at one point, that I could do more stuff with Simple Domain. Ever since, I've tried learning some of the sciency stuff… I-It's so HARD!" Miwa whined as Mechamaru chuckled.
~NRK~
"But you've grown," he smiled. "You've adapted theory and concept into your technique."
~NRK~
"Y-Yeah," Miwa blushed as she laughed embarrassedly. "I made a sort of energy-sensitive reaction for my Simple Domain."
Naruto whistled while Mai considered her words.
"It sounds cool," they said in unison before blinking at one another. "Weird… Alright, let's stop!" The two kept going as Miwa giggled and Mechamaru chuckled.
"Mai-chan, the floor is yours!" Miwa grinned as she sat down before Mai stood up.
"Well, hi, I'm Mai Zenin. My own skills are also kinda all over the place," she admitted as Iori nodded. "I was trained over the past three to four years physically to my limits so I'm pretty active. I have a crazy good control over Reinforcement and can control my cursed energy, in general, pretty well if Mei Mei's words are true."
"I'm sure you do," Naruto nodded as Mai blinked before making a realization face. "Remember what I told you when you visited? Your flow of cursed energy is kinda crazy good. It's like looking at Nanamin," Iori giggled at the nickname.
Mai blushed a bit before nodding. "Y-Yeah, well, you heard it from the sensory master himself. Along with that, I've gotten good at talisman work, lots of long-ranged weaponry, and worked those two together with my Cursed Technique. My Technique allows me to create two objects a day but that basically takes all my cursed energy. I get a wicked backlash from it, too, so I've used it in preparation," she grinned as she pulled a small scroll out of one of her pouches before unfurling it on Naruto's desk.
A single flash of cursed energy later and Mechamaru nodded at the small see-through box of bullets.
"Each one is made from your Cursed Technique, right?" Naruto asked as Miwa gasped, Mai grinning at him with a nod.
"Yep. Your dad said it best, plan ahead, and Mei Mei said I should master my Technique in every way possible. This is one of those ways… Honestly, I've got my own secret weapons like I told the girls yesterday. Everything I make with my Cursed Technique is strong, real strong, that's why I pack those 'secrets' in my scrolls and talismans. Other than that? I got a g-gift shikigami from Naru-kun several years back and she's similar to his shikigami if you get my drift. She's strong with some lightning abilities."
"Amazing," Iori grinned kindly as Mai put her bullets away and sat back down.
"That's crazy, Mai-chan," Naruto whispered as they all focused on their teacher, the Zenin girl blushing but grinning all the same. "I didn't think you could use your Technique like that."
"Hehe~ Thanks. You help me a lot, you know?" He blinked, eyes flicking to her before they went away, Naruto rubbing the back of his head with a flustered expression. "You helped me a lot, Naru, there's a lot I want to do to make up for it."
Naruto blushed a bit more before chuckling sheepishly. "You guys are amazing all on your own, it isn't just me."
"Maybe but you're a big part of it."
He smiled at that.
~NRK~
He sighed at lunch. "Thank God normal study stuff is only three times a week in the morning," Naruto said to the entire gathered group. "I mean, I get it, Nanamin once told me he actually went on to be an office worker so I know it helps but I hate math, science, and history."
"So, all the topics?" Momo smirked as he pouted.
"I can handle literature just fine, thank you very much. I kinda nailed English, though, crazy enough."
"It is kinda odd," Mai said as she twirled her spoon at Naruto. "Hmm… Well, you weren't gonna go on to be a scientist so it's fine."
"That was hurtful," Naruto said before eating some more of his food. "But not wrong. I'm just looking forward to spending time outside of those classes and going on missions."
"Oh, right, did you get the rundown on your situation?" Nanako asked curiously.
"Oh, yeah, I got my first stipend already. I'm kinda surprised when you consider that I literally got held back because of 'clan influence'."
"Hmm?" Todou perked up before grinning. "You should focus on that well… I've got an idea."
"Here we go," Nanako snorted.
"You can come with me to meet Takada-chan!"
"... Is that his-" Naruto began to whisper to Mai who shot him the flattest look known to man.
"Not on his life," she shot back before he could finish.
"Um, so, who's she?" Naruto asked if only to be polite.
"Yes! Another member!"
"Wait, no, I didn't agree to any-!"
~NRK~
"How did I let this happen?" Naruto whined next to Mai, the girl prodding his cheek with a smirk.
"Duh, because you're obsessed with friendship," she mocked him.
"Yeah… Well, maybe I'm overreacting," he told her as Noritoshi and Momo walked with them. "How'd he get you guys?" Naruto sweatdropped.
Noritoshi slumped while Momo nodded.
"I… I gave him an opening," the tallest of them whispered in despair as Momo snickered a bit.
"Yep and Aoi's apparently good at jumping on that," she said. "Hehe, trying your best?" Momo whispered to Mai who blushed a bit before nodding.
"Y-Yeah," she whispered back, pulling on Naruto's sleeve to keep him focused. "It's just gonna take some time."
Momo smirked.
"Come along, newcomers, to greatness," Todou said with a sage-like grin as he gestured to a large gathering by a glass building.
"See?! Takada-chan is famous!" He declared before ushering the four forward. "Come! If we can get in fast enough, we'll be able to get more time with her!"
"W-Why is this his weirdness?!" Naruto cried out as Mai groaned.
"He's an idiot, remember?" She shot back.
~NRK~
Naruto looked at his hand post-shaking. 'Why is this supposed to be special?!' He didn't understand, at all!
Mai seemed to get it for some reason! So did Noritoshi!
So, here he and Momo stood as they looked at the two beguiled brunettes.
"What… I-I don't get it," the small witch whispered to him.
"Momo-chan, this is weird even for me," the monkey boy said back to her.
Todou just looked proud.
~NRK~
The rest of their week was as classic as a school could be.
Well, they learned math, science, english, and history but that was it for normal schooling. Most of the time, they were learning about Jujutsu and/or practicing.
Still, with the passing week, they were now 'ready'.
Ready for missions.
~NRK Out~