Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.
Naruto tossed and turned in his sleep, the usual phantoms bearing down on him. It was the same almost every night since the persecutions built up as he got older. What was worse, was that all of it was so vivid, from the deepest recesses of his subconscious, voices he's only heard in shadows resurfaced to torment him.
Why was that wretched child even born?!
Why doesn't the Hokage have that brat thrown out of the village?
Are we actually feeding that demon?
The day that miserable piece of shit is chased out of the village, will be the best of my life.
Your parents must have dumped you in the trash because they couldn't stand to look at your ugly face.
Hey, you kids, don't go near him.
You rat faced punk! Get out of here! You'll ruin my business.
You think I care? Listen, I'm providing an actual service to this village unlike you, you moocher! You want any food? Go eat some weeds.
I wish someone would just kill that boy and be done with it.
"Wake up!"
Naruto felt something tug on his back, pulling at the hem of his jacket.
"It's morning! It's morning! It's morning! Let's play!"
He groaned, scrunching his eyelids. "H-Huh? Wha-?"
"Naru-chan! Let's play! Come on!"
"Mmm…" Naruto stirred, turning on his other side, his free arm flailing at what was disturbing him.
In the living room of his apartment, where it was also daybreak, Kakashi stared at the scene, keenly spotting an anomaly within the cave.
"Hokage-sama, are you seeing this?"
"Indeed," the elderly man agreed, now sitting beside his subordinate while monitoring the screen. "The child they cared for."
"It changed," Kakashi observed.
"Then, this must be what that creature meant."
Kakashi nodded. "It…evolved."
"Naru-chan! Naru-chan! Wake up! Play!"
"Go away…" Naruto mumbled, sluggishly batting at what it was that was pestering him uselessly, the latter giggling excitedly as it dodged at what it thought was the boy indulging its request.
Overjoyed, the small ball of cuteness lunged at the blonde's face and started bouncing on it.
"Naru-chan!"
"Wha-? What the he-?" Naruto's eyes finally snapped open, greeted by a ball of pink that was dribbling itself on his head. "Hey!"
He threw his arms about wildly. "Hey, get off!"
"Play!"
"Alright, okay, I'll play, just…stop and get off me!"
Hearing this, the ball of joy leaped back down on the floor, but didn't leave his side, still bouncing.
Cranky, Naruto leaned on his elbow to yawn away the cobwebs of sleep, blinking rapidly to adjust to the sunlight that brightened the cavern a little. His eyes roamed over his surroundings, catching a glimpse of Bokomon reheating their leftovers by the fire pit until they landed on a small, plant-like creature that was looking right at him with a bright smile.
"Naru-chan!"
If he had to guess, it was another Digimon, with a body that resembled a flowered turnip or bulb. Large blue leafy petals pooled out atop its pink body with yellow green accents and curled stamen jutting out from the middle, the pistil being larger and red in color. Underneath it grew vines that were the same tone as its body, which it had in place instead of feet. Its round, bright green eyes were piercing into him with childlike glee.
"Boko-chan! Naru-chan is awake!" it crooned in joy.
"Welcome back from dreamland, sleepyhead," Bokomon said without looking at him, paying close attention to the cooking. "Hope you like some bread with your meat."
"What…?" Naruto batted his eyelids, running a free hand down his face, lips smacking. It then hit him.
He…hadn't been dreaming. This was all real.
Naruto jolted up, recalling how he got here and everything else that happened after.
"Uh…what's going on? Who or…what-"
"Play!" The living bulb pounced on his right leg before he could finish, giggling happily as it nuzzled its petals against his pant leg affectionately.
Naruto bent down to gingerly pick up the overexcited shrub with both hands, curiously turning it over as it kept acting unruly between his grasp.
"That tickles!" it tittered in a cute voice.
"Where did you come from?" Naruto asked it, to which Bokomon answered.
"The baby from last night."
"What about it?"
"You're looking at it," Bokomon clarified concisely.
"Huh?" Naruto scanned the creature closely again. "Uh…"
"It evolved."
"...You lost me."
Bokomon sighed, shooting him a deadpan look that harbored an unimpressed intensity that; to him, reminded him of Ino's. "Recap. While we eat."
Several minutes later, the three were surrounding the fire, eating their breakfast.
"Okay, so, what you're telling me, is that this little guy is Nyokimon?" Naruto inquired between bites of a loaf of bread, toasted. Bokomon had been saving it to sustain him for a few days, but since he had unexpected guests, he cleaned out nearly half of his stock for a hearty breakfast.
"It's Pyocomon now, actually," Bokomon provided, parting small portions of his loaf for the Baby II Digimon to nibble on.
"Okay, I think I got it." Naruto proffered. "When Digimon evolve, they don't just change in appearance, but name, too."
Bokomon's jaw dropped, behind Kakashi and Hiruzen who were watching the exchange with interest.
Naruto's mouth became set in an equal mix of pride and smugness upon seeing the scholar's reaction. "That's correct! I guess you're not as dense as I thought you were."
"Thanks," the human child blinked. "Hey!"
"Pyocomon!"
Both were broken out of their banter by the living shrub. "I'm Pyocomon!" it announced, laughing joyously as it bounced across the cavern floor.
"Yes, you are," Bokomon cooed encouragingly. "Are you happy you evolved?"
"Yeah!" Pyocomon bounced on its vines. "I can't wait to get big and strong!"
"Heh, well slow down," Bokomon remarked. "No need to rush."
"I'm with Pyocomon here, Bokomon," Naruto chimed in. "I mean, I can't really evolve, but one day, I'm gonna be really strong, too. The strongest shinobi around!"
"Yeah!" Pyocomon bounced up to him. "Naru-chan is strong!"
"Darn right I am!" Naruto gestured for a high-five, which Pyocomon returned with a vine. "We're both gonna be strong, Pyocomon. You and me."
Bokomon rolled his eyes, letting the exchange go uninterrupted.
After breakfast was done, they packed what was left of Bokomon's belongings to vacate the cave.
"Not much incentive left to stay here anymore," Bokomon stated, securing the straps of his rucksack over his shoulders. "We should be able to make camp near the shrine. I was able to locate it yesterday before Naruto…popped up out of nowhere."
Pyocomon giggled atop Naruto's head as the latter scratched the back of his scalp meekly, an awkward smile etched on his lips.
They started embarking on the path that Bokomon had marked by trees with simple "X's", who pointed at the first one they passed. "Those'll help lead us to the shrine. It was about noon when I got there, but I didn't have my equipment on me. Even so, the fact it's taken me years of tireless work, months of extensive study, deciphering and decoding clue after clue, made it all the more worth it. Deep within the heart of this remote forest lies an archeological marvel that countless others have spent their whole lives searching for. I cannot tell you how moved I was when I first laid my eyes on it. Sure, I threw up and fainted, but that's beside the point."
Naruto marched behind the scholar, arms behind his head, not really listening to the tangent, with Pyocomon resting snugly on his crown, humming a nonsensical tune as it was viewing its surroundings in a new light after evolving.
"Hey, Bokomon, what's so special about this shrine again?"
"Didn't I already tell you?"
Naruto thought about it. "No, all you told me was that it was dedicated to some…'spirit' thing?"
"The Legendary Spirit," Bokomon corrected him. "Part of the legend surrounding the Ancient Ten was that, after they gave their lives to save the Digital World from a great calamity, their spirits remained as a memorial to their power, housed in shrines for each scattered across different locations so that their deeds may be remembered."
"Wait," Naruto gaped in surprise, "these Ancient Ten guys are…dead?"
"Unfortunately," Bokomon answered woefully.
"But, you said they were these super strong badasses that could kick anybody's ass," Naruto reminded him crossly. "Did you exaggerate all of that?"
"No, I didn't," Bokomon denied. "It's because the nature of the calamity was just that bad, they weren't able to survive it."
"Just how bad was it, then?"
"I can't say, since most accounts of that tumultuous era had been lost to time. Not even the Royal Archives could piece together a clear picture of what happened."
Naruto idly scratched Pyocomon with a finger, tickling it. "Royal Archives?"
Kakashi and Hiruzen on their side of the screen listened intently, welcome to any valuable intel that might prove beneficial in dealing with this new variable that's landed on their doorstep.
"A bank of information containing every agonizing detail of the Digital World's history, past and present, that's closely guarded by the Royal Knights," Bokomon informed. "Yggdrasil's Elite Guard, and currently the strongest faction in the Digital World next to the Olympus Twelve (XII)."
"And, who are those guys?"
Bokomon's tone seemed to shift. "Twelve Digimon who are worshiped as living deities today because of how insanely powerful each one is in their own respective right. If the Ancient Ten can be considered old gods, then the Twelve are the new. Many even consider the Twelve to be their successors."
The scholar then let out a scoff, "But, if you ask me, they're just pompous blowhards riding on their coattails."
Naruto sensed there may have been something personal behind that disparagement.
"And, they're not the only ones," Bokomon elaborated more. "There are other factions that exist. At the Folder Archipelago are the Three Gods of Destruction. They are the governing powers with an iron fist rule to maintain peace and order over their respective regions. They're also ruthlessly isolationist."
Kakashi and Hiruzen exchanged glances, not the slightest bit new to that kind of government.
"Then, there are the Deva, who are also twelve in number, but instead, they are the heralds of the Four Holy Beasts."
Hiruzen gaped. "Four…Holy Beasts?"
"He couldn't possibly mean the ones that represent the cardinal directions?" Kakashi mused.
"It would seem this world is far more parallel to ours than we can assume it to be." Hiruzen was already fighting back the urge to faint, as a cold sweat poured down his back. All of a sudden, the threat of the Tailed Beasts was already being contested by forces beyond their world's borders. Possibly even dwarfing them.
"Or…"
"Yes, Kakashi?"
"This is just a theory, Hokage-sama." Kakashi, unsure if he was even in his right mind to hypothesize this, elaborated. "Could it be possible that many of the myths and legends that we have in our own world, are connected in some way to this Digital World?"
"A theory rooted in mere coincidence?" Hiruzen conjectured.
"Coincidences can be arbitrary, Hokage-sama, but one too many is already pushing into the likelihood of an unseen force, an entity deliberately pulling strings in the background to their exact whim," Kakashi grimaced. "And, yeah, I've been hitting some fantasy novels lately. So, take what I say with a grain of salt."
"Fantastical your hypothesis may be, it cannot be dismissed given what has already transpired," Hiruzen regretted he didn't bring his pipe along. "There could be a connection or not, but we cannot fall back on mere theories alone."
The traveling trio soon came across a river, the stream of crystal clear water tantalizing them to rest and quench their thirst. "Other historians, including myself, have had to do the gamut of shedding some light on this mystery and get closure to what's been infamously dubbed: 'Lost Paradise'."
Pyocomon let out a jolly trill, falling down from Naruto's head, who deftly caught it with both arms. "Why call it that?"
"Out of the legends involving the Ancient Ten, when they were still active, the Digital World was said to be a utopia. There was no conflict and everyone lived harmoniously in coexistence." Bokomon trailed off with a heavy sigh.
"What's wrong?"
"That's what I find the most unbelievable."
"Why?"
"Free will automatically renders that kind of scenario impossible."
Naruto and Pyocomon traded thoughtful looks.
"Don't misjudge this as being cynical," Bokomon spun on his heel to face the two. "So long as free will exists, no two people can think on the same wavelength, harbor the same opinion. Unless they've been subjected to extreme brainwashing, true independent thought isn't uniform, and thus, will always run into opposing and contradicting views. Which, often enough, breeds conflict."
Hiruzen inwardly sighed in somber concurrence, lamenting the sobering reality. Kakashi, on his end, didn't disagree, but some part of him held out hope, per his sensei's teachings, that people from differing backgrounds could see eye to eye. He wasn't foolhardy enough to expect it, but an inkling of optimism was a net positive for anyone's psyche. To a fault.
"Sounds pretty cynical to me," Naruto pointed out, but from his own personal experience, he instantly felt like he wasn't one to talk. Pyocomon suddenly leaped out of his grip to land on the water, happily splashing about with its vines.
"Not really," Bokomon disagreed. "I'm a firm believer and advocate of tolerance; within reason, and I've had years of arguing with colleagues and friends. We have our disagreements, but none of that should be a reason to stop associating with one another."
A pit in Naruto's stomach formed. "I wouldn't know," he muttered carelessly.
"Hm?"
"Uh, you know," he recovered, "this stream looks like a nice place to have a snack, wouldn't you say?"
"... Okay?" Bokomon said slowly, catching enough of what Naruto actually said. "There should be some around here for us to eat."
"More Meat Fruits?" Naruto presumed loudly.
"Later," Bokomon suggested as his gaze darted left to right. "It should be around here somewhere…aha!"
"What?" Naruto got into a light jog after a sprinting Bokomon, who stopped in front of a tree that had different colored leaves that set it apart from the sea of green.
Instead of answering, Bokomon took out his knife and carved out two pieces of the tree's bark, which he then handed to Naruto. They were about the size of the boy's hand, and about as thick as slices of bread. To Naruto's amazement, instead of being rough and hard, the "bark" was incredibly soft and fluffy, hence why it looked so easy for Bokomon to have sunk his small knife into it.
"We need to get some of the leaves," Bokomon declared, pointing to the unusually colored leaves. Instead of a rich green or the occasional yellow green, it was cast in a rainbow of random hues that outstood the rest surrounding it. It was so bizarre that Naruto, as well as Kakashi and Hiruzen, thought it to be an elaborately constructed facsimile.
The blonde wondered why, to which Bokomon replied, "The trunk itself is extremely soft, making it fragile. If only we had something to reach high enough, like with a pole or-"
"Or, somebody who can fly?" A voice behind them called, prompting them to glance over their shoulders. A few feet behind the duo, stood a figure that was about as tall as Bokomon. The simplest way that Naruto could describe the creature was a pink feathered bird, its plumage and tail feathers accented with blue, a red pointy beak, three red claws on its wings and feet, and what looked like a steel manacle clasped around its left ankle. A striped crest curled proudly atop its head. Its shining blue eyes were surveying them with a twinkle that Bokomon immediately recognized.
"Pyocomon?" Bokomon said, nonplussed. "You evolved! Again?!"
Naruto fully rounded on the newly evolved Pyocomon in no shortage of awe. "Whoa…! Pyocomon?"
"It's Piyomon now," the bipedal bird replied in elucidation, giggling. "Naru-chan!"
Piyomon rushed to embrace the boy, nuzzling him affectionately in the same manner as it did back in the cave, but now, instead of his pant leg, the now avian Digimon's height reached up to his stomach.
"Oof! Pi…yomon?" he tested the name between being breathless from how surprisingly strong his friend was now. "You're…a bird now?"
"Yep!" Piyomon looked up to him, smiling ear to ear in spite of the beak. "What do you think?"
Naruto dislodged from Piyomon's vice-like hug, checking if he had a slipped disk. "You…You look…"
"Yeah?" Piyomon clasped its wings eagerly, waiting for an answer. "I look cool, right?"
Naruto cleared his throat, arching back until he heard a distinct crack, to which Hiruzen winced sympathetically. "You look great!" He scanned his friend from top to bottom. "But, I gotta ask. Why a bird?"
"'Cuz that's what Pyocomon commonly evolve into," Bokomon explained, sidling up to them. "That should be obvious."
"A plant…to a bird?" Naruto puzzled over. "How…how does that work?"
Bokomon and Piyomon exchanged blank looks, shrugging when they responded simultaneously with, "It just does."
The human child, with the addition of the adult and elderly watching, sweatdropped, tilting their heads in sync. "Huh?"
"Maybe we can discuss this later," Bokomon proposed. "Piyomon, can you fly up and get us some leaves?"
"Sure!" Piyomon saluted, leaning on one leg. With ease, the plant-now-bird Digimon launched itself from the ground with a beat of its deceptively gangly wings. "What kind do you want?"
Bokomon, thumb and index claw cupping his chin, hummed in thought. "Ten pinks, ten whites, and you can go with whatever color you like."
"Got it!" Piyomon impressively flashed a thumbs-up, despite the recent acquisition of its avian features. As the bird got to work, Naruto voiced out his curiosity as he watched.
"What's with the leaves?" the boy rounded on the scholar. "In fact, what's the deal with this funky looking tree?"
"It's a sandwich tree," Bokomon answered like he was being asked for the time. "The bark is a naturally grown cake bread, while the leaves act as filling."
"First a meat fruit, now a sandwich tree?"
What's next? The ground he was standing on was made of chocolate?
"No, it's not," Bokomon refuted in a deadpan manner.
"I didn't say anything," Naruto denied unconvincingly. Although…"The rocks by the river are made of candy." Hey, if Bokomon's an actual mind reader, he'll eat his sandals.
"I would not recommend eating your sandals," Bokomon extended flatly.
"Aha! So you can read minds!" Naruto pointed at him triumphantly.
"No, I can't," Bokomon rebutted. "You're just that easy to read." Naruto took quick note that Piyomon was already standing next to the scholar, arms full of the leaves it gathered. "You also need to stop getting lost in your own thoughts. People will start to think you're crazy standing perfectly still and staring blankly at space like you just did."
Piyomon giggled at how silly the two were being. "Come on, let's eat!"
Bokomon sliced off a few more strips of the cake bread before they made a round trip to the riverbank for a picnic. True to how clear it was, the river water was not only safe to drink, but had a sweetness to it that Bokomon explained was because of the filtration it underwent from the natural sediment.
"If I had my instant ramen with me right now, I wonder how the broth would taste," Naruto imagined, languidly munching on his sandwich. He had to hand it to Bokomon. The bread had a texture akin to pillowy soft sponge cake, and paired with the crunchy leaf filling, it really did make for a great sandwich. The leaves themselves held flavors corresponding to their color. In Naruto's case, he opted for the pink leaves, which were strawberry flavored. Bokomon went with white, which was banana, and Piyomon chose for itself red raspberry.
"Most likely, not much of a difference," Bokomon speculated, eating his sandwich while dipping his feet into the water, wading them lazily.
"What's ramen?" Piyomon asked.
Naruto inwardly gasped. "You don't know what ramen is, Piyomon?" The avian Digimon shook its head no, causing the boy to nearly go apoplectic from such ignorance. "Why, only one of the best ever tasting foods of all time!"
"Really?" Piyomon bit into its own sandwich, a growing interest in what its friend was alluding to.
"Yep, it's that good," Naruto vouched. "Comes in a variety of flavors. With toppings of your choice, too. First, there's shoyu, then shio, miso, and my personal favorite, tonkotsu. You gotta actually try it to know for sure, man."
"Girl," Bokomon spoke up.
"Huh?" Naruto looked towards him.
"This Piyomon is female," Bokomon restated.
Naruto switched his gaze between the two Digimon sitting adjacent to him. "How can you tell?"
"I just can," Bokomon shrugged, biting into another sandwich after finishing his last one. "We Digimon can tell our genders apart. It's inherent based on our programming."
"Oh. Okay," Naruto followed with his own shrug. "Point being, if you want to know for yourself, you're gonna have to try some, Piyomon."
Piyomon dipped her head. "Well, if you say so."
"Trust me," Naruto beamed at her, earning himself a smile; or what she was capable of passing with her new beak. "I'll ask old man Teuchi to…"
Piyomon tilted her head to the other side in curiosity when the blonde suddenly went silent. "Uh, Naruto?"
Bokomon could see the conflict on the boy's face. Could it be linked to a desire to go home? Come to think of it, this was the first time since having met Naruto that any mention of what was part of said home invoked such a reaction.
In contrast to how he would talk about the village or the academy he went to in a well-nigh apathetic level of casual, this "Ichiraku Ramen" establishment tonally shifted to glowing praise, denoting the apparent fondness he held for it.
"Hey…Bokomon," Naruto started delicately, letting the arm holding his sandwich fall listlessly.
"Yeah?" Bokomon prompted.
A small respite washed over Naruto, indecisiveness gnawing at him still. "Have you ever had…an assistant? Or, an apprentice?"
"Over the years? Lots," Bokomon admitted. "Why?" A long pause later, and the scholar understood. "You want to apply?"
Naruto didn't think he did so consciously, but a nod from him posed for Bokomon to press on. "Any particular reason why? Wouldn't you want to go home first?"
"...would you listen?" Naruto murmured a little too lowly after an extended moment of being quiet. A silent inclination for him to tell, and for the next half hour, the young man provided them a rough account of his actual life back in Konoha as opposed to the omitted version he first gave.
When he was done, both Bokomon and Piyomon were left speechless. The scholar, in the centuries he's lived, had dealt with cases of abuse before. More than he cared to count. Endemic of their societal norms was the particular incentive of weeding out the weak from the strong, with the former guaranteed the shorter end of the stick. Digimon took pride in, and placed a nearly rigid emphasis on strength, which only opened the door for those who did not meet such spartan standards prone to persecution. He himself was often on the receiving end of such systematic mistreatment for his lack of fighting spirit, nor a desire to evolve.
If he understood the insinuation, the circumstances surrounding Naruto's life sounded like it went beyond the boundaries of systematic.
"Naruto," Bokomon swallowed a lump that built up in his throat throughout the boy's recounting. "Are you…are you telling the truth?"
He wanted to be sure, but he wasn't sensing any dishonesty from the boy. If anything, he suspected Naruto was holding back quite a bit. He's honed a penchant to detect lies from a long history of Digimon who would deceive him into traps, exploit his trust, etc.
It was the very reason why he preferred the company of those who were more honest and blunt about their intentions. Which was how he was on speaking terms with one of the Three Gods of Destruction.
"You…" Bokomon proceeded carefully, not wanting to set the boy off. "You sure…it isn't just a misunderstanding?"
That word, "misunderstanding", would have indeed done what Bokomon was working to avoid, as if the direct and indirect torment that had plagued him was but a mere delusion. An ill assumption of being singled out, when; for all he knew, there could be others who were going through as much of the same hardship as he. Maybe even worse.
It was a weak attempt of sophistry to Naruto's ears, years of sneaking in on some of the villagers' choice "conversations" yielded more than sufficient evidence he needed; or wished for, to confirm that he was indeed the designated pariah.
He mentioned this much to Bokomon, as well. "That's…I don't even know what to say about that."
Naruto scoffed. "I wouldn't expect you to understand. I barely do."
"No," Bokomon went on, "what I mean is, why? That's so illogical. How could a large collective of people end up piling that much hate and resentment onto a child like you, and without there being a given reason?"
Hiruzen was mentally chastising himself, having heard loud and clear what Naruto detailed of the reprehensible things the villagers said; and did, about him behind closed doors, back alleys and the obscure corner.
And, away from his surveillance. That wasn't to say that he was incredibly ignorant or had no inkling that many in Konoha resented the container of the monster that once gravely terrorized their home. No, he had seen the way people would throw glances their way whenever they had their occasional rendezvous. His presence proved an ample deterrent for their bolder proclivities, it would seem.
The cruel truth, however, was that many had just as plenty of justification to harbor bereavement for the loss of loved ones, ruined homes and businesses. On the other hand, he had a pretty good idea that others were simply indifferent out of social pressure. Not everyone shared the same disdain for his surrogate grandson, but just as many were simply cruel enough to opportunistically take advantage of where the wind blew.
Guilt, weighed down by bountiful amounts of regret, belied the cold rage that surged throughout his old, wizened bones at that very moment for every insult, threat and disrespect his ward suffered through, and he was certain that those were just some Naruto cared enough to remember.
The worst of it, being the insults and curses lobbied at the boy's parents, and the assumption borne out of his abuse that they were wicked criminals whose child was being punished in their place.
"Kakashi." The ANBU Captain immediately signaled a nearby subordinate to hatch a meeting between the authority figures Hiruzen could count on to be trusted.
This was a problem that he should have rectified years ago, and no amount of excuses to either Minato, Kushina, and most of all, Naruto, could ever grant him the forgiveness he lacked the gall to ask for.
Kakashi, to his burgeoning slew of regrets in life, was equally outraged and disappointed in the villagers for failing his sensei's expectations, but a more realistic part of him always knew that it was a tall order from the beginning. Of all people, he witnessed how much the villagers' judgements destroyed his father, and neither was he blameless.
He still had his own demons haunting him, keeping him bound to his duties of his own volition, convincing himself that he was doing his part to keep the people left that truly mattered to him safe.
The actual reason, deep down, was just too painful as much as it was pathetic.
"Naru-chan," Piyomon called gently, bringing the boy's focus to her. "Are you…okay?"
Naruto cracked a small grin. "Honestly? After getting whisked away to this world and meeting you and Bokomon, it's been refreshing. You two…you guys don't care, right? That my parents might have done something really bad for the village to hate me?"
Hiruzen clenched his hand into an angry fist tightly, wanting to tell the boy then and there that his parents were two of the noblest heroes in the annals of Konohagakure's; albeit classified, history, and he intended to do so as soon as he was returned safely.
More so, that they sacrificed their lives so that he may live, with all the love they could impart to him during that fateful night.
Kakashi himself felt a vein throb from his forehead. He wasn't one to be angered so easily. He fancied himself a naturally cool headed guy. However, hearing what Naruto's tormentors instilled into the child admittedly caused no small amount of umbrage within him.
Nothing too drastic, of course. They may be a military dictatorship, but they weren't tyrannical in how they ran the village. No, they didn't need to indiscriminately punish the those who so much as looked at Naruto funny, but the ones who did actual harm and deprived him of his basic rights as both a citizen and the son of the Fourth Hokage, and from what they could glean from the child's confession and their surefire methods of investigating, they would be able to identify them all by the week's end.
Bokomon sighed heavily. "Naruto, I don't think we could bring ourselves to hate you even if we tried. You aren't to blame for whatever crimes your parents are responsible for. No child should be. It has nothing to do with us."
"Yeah, Naru-chan," Piyomon concurred happily. "You never did anything wrong. You're you! You're really nice, and, and, you helped take care of me. That means we're already friends."
Naruto felt tears spilling from his eyes hearing such words. Words that he only ever dreamed of hearing.
"Besides," Bokomon went on, "can't be any worse than what happens around here."
"Eh?" Naruto blinked, curious as he wiped at his eyes.
Bokomon ogled at his half eaten sandwich, before another sigh escaped him, heavier than the last. "Naruto, I'm gonna be frank with you here. The Digital World isn't a very nice place. Far from it. Way far."
"What do you mean?" he leaned in, joined by Piyomon. Their audience composed of the two men lent their undivided attention to the scholar.
Bokomon raised up two claws. "In the Digital World, there are two unwritten, but very well known rules that many here live and abide by."
"One," he curled down his middle claw, "the strong live, the weak die."
Naruto mentally gasped, the widening of his eyes betraying any emotion, followed by Piyomon, who herself was new to these rules for her young age.
"Two," the lines of the scholar's face turned somber for this one in particular, "the strong devour the weak."
A bead of sweat trailed down Naruto's temple hearing this. "Digimon…eat each other?"
Piyomon herself didn't seem to understand it, not at all finding Bokomon appetizing in the least as she focused on him, her features creased in mild perplexity.
Bokomon couldn't blame them for the partial misinterpretation, but he couldn't necessarily winnow out the "eating" part, since there existed Digimon sick enough to have torn into parts of who they deemed prey. He liked to think that it was uncommon.
"Not in the literal sense…mostly. You see, when Digimon die, or in most cases killed, their bodies scramble into data. This data contains everything there is about the Digimon down to their knowledge, memories, skills and abilities. Any living Digimon within close proximity of this data; most commonly the ones who killed them, get to absorb it into their system, adding to their own. This process…is how Digimon are able to become stronger."
Hiruzen and Kakashi immediately grew alarmed at this revelation. Information of such magnitude would not bode well in the scenarios they were hastily running through their heads.
The Hokage could think of two very dangerous ones that would surface if this process was somehow reverse engineered in their world. No matter how unlikely it was, if there was the tiniest percentage that arose, they would stop at nothing to acquire such means to obtain power.
They were the absolute last people he wanted to come to know of this.
Kakashi himself had signaled another one of his men on standby to double the security seals by halfway of Bokomon's explanation. No one; not a single breath of what was said within these living room walls, was to reach anyone who they could not trust.
"After that, if by choice, the living Digimon can evolve to an even higher level. Do you recall that I mentioned evolutionary cycles?" Naruto wordlessly nodded. "These cycles, also called stages, are Baby I, Baby II, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and finally, Mega."
He pointed to their avian companion for an example. "Piyomon here is now in her Rookie stage."
Piyomon scratched the back of her head, flushed at the acknowledgement. "Yep! Now all I need to do is to train hard, and I'll be able to reach Champion in no time."
Naruto gawked in astonishment. "Does that mean you're gonna get even bigger, Piyomon?"
"Not sure," Piyomon shrugged, and at Naruto's prolonged state of confusion, she went on. "I don't really know what I'll evolve into."
"That's because Digimon can branch out in how they evolve," Bokomon added. "For example, let's say, there's two Piyomon with us."
This drew a chortle from the avian. "One Piyomon, once they're ready, can evolve to their most common Champion form, Birdramon. The other Piyomon, on the other hand, can evolve into the less common Aquilamon. There are others besides those two, of course, but each and every Digimon have a set number of forms that they can take. How they achieve it depends on numerous factors, like lifestyle, training, environment, etc. Also, once they do get to reach another stage, that becomes their default for the rest of their lives, unless under certain exceptions."
"Incredible," more and more, Hiruzen was becoming fascinated with these otherworldly lifeforms. He now had some semblance of an idea of how Orochimaru felt, although being in the snake's shoes would no sooner drive him to take his own life than tread down the same dark path. "To think these creatures exist with such possibilities of growth open to them."
"If we remained ignorant of their nature, we would have just chalked them up as unique Summons," Kakashi commented. "Though, I doubt we'd be able to implement a contract system with them."
Hiruzen hummed to himself. "Without properly understanding these…Digimon and their world, we might find ourselves ill prepared in the event of our own intertwining."
"Hokage-sama, the-hm?" Kakashi stopped as he espied a slight change on the monitor. A green arrow blinked by the bottom right corner of the screen, directed below. He had fiddled enough with computers to know that this was instructing him to click to where the arrow was pointing.
Carefully, he cupped his hand over the mouse, dragging it ever so slightly. A yellow orange border emerged from the edges as soon as the cursor moved, surrounding the scene they were viewing. True to how the arrow was positioned, a small button icon with the blue character "menu" rested snugly on said border.
"Kakashi, what did you-?" Hiruzen snapped in panic, but a calming gesture from his subordinate cut his rebuke short.
"Useful," the ANBU said simply, clicking the menu. A series of additional instructions popped up alongside a widget lined with three smaller buttons. Hovering the cursor to each showed their respective functions.
Scan
Interface
Map
Kakashi clicked on the latter, and from the button immediately expanded a translucent stretch of a map. Hiruzen perked up and leaned in.
"This is…"
"It's likely the map of where Naruto and his friends are," Kakashi provided, observing a blinking red dot that likely represented the trio.
"More and more, this technology confounds me," Hiruzen grumbled. "Where, or who, could Naruto have gotten it from?"
"That's what has me equally stumped, Hokage-sama," Kakashi responded, busily looking through the other features. "No report has ever reached headquarters of Naruto purchasing one, much less moving components. Before your arrival, I had one of my men go through records of every establishment that deals in computers, and nowhere is this model even in the market yet, nor had Naruto conducted a transaction in any."
He threw a glance at the village leader. "The only clue I have is of Naruto mentioning an 'old man', who likely is the one that gave it to him."
"How?" Hiruzen needled. "The ANBU stationed here should have been able to catch wind of this man. Have you gone over the records on any recent arrivals?"
"Within this week, none out of the ordinary save for a spy that was apprehended shortly, and no, it was a young woman, and she was posing as one of the workers for a construction firm," Kakashi revealed. "Whoever this man is; if they even are, was able to not only evade our security, but cover their tracks well. No traces of hair, fingerprints, no eyewitness accounts - nothing."
Even the so-called company this computer supposedly hailed from was completely fictitious.
"Troubling," Hiruzen muttered thoughtfully. Who could they be? Some third party? The paranoid side of his consciousness was reaching for the usual suspects, but none of this reeked of their respective signatures. "It can be inferred, then, that this man is connected in some way to this Digital World. Could it be possible, Kakashi, that this is simply an elaborate genjutsu, or a mix between fūinjutsu?" It would be a remarkably advanced application of both if so.
Kakashi, as he was sifting through this "Digimon Frontier" per what was written in small letters on the topmost border, had his own hypothesis, but until he got to the actual bottom of it all, nothing of merit could be concluded.
That being said. "I have a hunch that this isn't anything but real, Hokage-sama, and forgive me for thinking that, but I've tried every known dispelling possible, and unless you're willing to call in our specialists here, be my guest."
"Speaking of, what are you doing, Kakashi?" Hiruzen needled.
The ANBU captain clicked on "Scan" before he could answer, startling the Hokage when a stylized circle materialized on-screen. It resembled a white gear, but the teeth were spindly and uneven, rotating slowly in place. When Kakashi moved the mouse, the circle toggled to become the cursor.
If this is what he suspected it to be.
Hovering the circle on the image of Piyomon, the rotation accelerated and the circle contracted, the white blinking rapidly. He only needed to click.
Piyomon
Stage: Rookie
Type: Chick
Attribute: Vaccine
A Chick Digimon whose wings have developed to become like arms. It is able to dexterously operate its wings and use them to grip objects, but for that reason, it is poor at flying in the air. It usually lives on the ground, but when danger draws near, it escapes by flying away.
Attacks
Magical Fire - Shoots a spiraling blast of ethereal flames.
Piyorin Attack - Covers itself in flames and divebombs enemies with its beak.
Dash Tsuibami - Dashes at enemies to deliver a series of pecks.
Ostri-Kick - A strong flip kick.
Piyoccho Hurricane - Creates a large phantom tornado.
Spiral Wing - Briefly surrounds itself with a vortex of wind that knocks enemies away.
Double Fire - A stronger variant of 'Magical Fire'. Shoots two simultaneous spirals of ethereal flames.
Hiruzen read through the information that flashed on the screen in a separate, translucent window. "This is…could this be…"
"The information regarding this Piyomon creature," Kakashi affirmed. The tutorial pop-up designated it as the "Digimon Index". He read the list of attacks. "Could this be her jutsu?"
"None I've ever heard of," Hiruzen commented, fiddling with his goatee while flicking over the list. "Although, I can recognize some of the mechanics being similar to certain ninjutsu." Did Digimon even possess chakra?
Kakashi moved the cursor away from the avian, dispersing the window, and shifted it next to Bokomon.
Bokomon
Stage: Rookie
Type: Mutation
Attribute: Vaccine
A Mutant Digimon wrapped in a haramaki. A knowledgeable Digimon scholar, it carries the "Monoshiri Book", which has things about the Digital World written in detail, but barely ever shows it. As it is poor at fighting, it is usually boisterous and lively, but when push comes to shove, it becomes surprisingly reliable, instantly taking on a serious look.
Attacks
Nigeashimou Dash - Runs away at tremendous speed from threats it cannot hope to overcome.
"..."
"..."
Both men exchanged vacant looks, leaving their opinions unsaid.
As the two men were busy on their end, Piyomon had motioned to comfort Naruto, catching him in a hug, which was so sudden that the boy didn't refuse on time. Her feathers felt soft and warm against the crook of his neck, the soft thrums of her pulse reverberating through him.
She was alive, just as he was.
She broke away from the embrace, but held on to his shoulders.
"Naru-chan, can I tell you something?" A demure nod from him, and Piyomon started, "Did you know I was the very last of my group to evolve?"
Naruto blinked, his expression peaking in curiosity. "It was days ago. I can't really remember, but it can't have been that long…"
Bokomon watched in sympathy as Piyomon seemed to struggle with her memories, her time as a Baby I fleeting.
"All I can remember was that it was amazing. All of my other friends, one by one, evolved, changed. We were all so excited. Each and every one grew to Baby II, then to Rookie so quickly."
"Must have been Dust Packets," Bokomon guessed, to the other two's outward confusion. "Old discarded data. You can find them scattered all across the Digital World, drifting around aimlessly. They can be absorbed by Digimon looking for a pick me up or, in Piyomon's case with her group, to induce an abrupt growth spurt."
"Yeah," Piyomon pointed to Bokomon's explanation. "There were these funny balls of data that bounced into the clearing we were staying in. We were out of the ground doing our daily sunbathing when, all of a sudden, they bumped into some of us and blew up. Next thing we knew, it was raining so much code, we started to absorb as much as we could.
"The first to evolve were the ones who were first hit, then everyone else, and finally…and finally…"
At Piyomon's silence, Bokomon knew immediately. "You didn't get enough, did you?"
Piyomon's head fell, tears welling from her eyes. "Everyone…everyone left when I was the only one who didn't evolve. I tried to come with them, but…why? Why…did they leave me?"
Bokomon arched his brow. It was common for higher leveled Digimon in the wild within a group to assimilate those weaker around them, hence why life expectancy was notoriously low, save for the rare instance of a mass evolutionary event. Knowing this, he didn't have the heart to tell her that they likely thought she wouldn't be enough to give them an adequate boost, and the risks of fighting over her wasn't that worth it.
Then again, it was odd that she didn't know this. "Piyomon, did they happen to say anything to you? Do anything?"
She shook her head. "No," she sniffled, rubbing away some of her tears, voice heavy with emotion as those painful days came back to her. "They just…up and left. I tried to follow them, but they kept splitting up and I got tired afterwards. Then, it got dark, and I had to go back underground for safety. I was…all alone."
Naruto listened on in silence, his heart going out to his newly made friend.
"After that day, I wanted so much to evolve. Every morning, I'd sunbathe, and kept forcing it to happen. Day in and day out. I was so determined that I stopped going underground."
"That must be why you were dehydrated," Bokomon raised. "You didn't get your needed intake of nutrients and moisture from the loamy soil."
Piyomon ran her right wing across her eyes to brush at the remaining tears. "On that night I met you guys, I was so thirsty, but there wasn't any water nearby, and I couldn't go far without fainting. I didn't even have enough strength to dig deep into the ground. I was so tired I wasn't paying attention to where I was going, that I found myself in front of the cave, and, well, you know the rest."
"But, then, you still evolved," Bokomon brought up thoughtfully. "How? It couldn't have been the water we gave you. A little rest and you were right as rain, but none of those could have been what catalyzed your evolution."
To this, Naruto swallowed down the despondent lump that formed in his throat, his features hardening. "Who cares how it happened? What matters is Piyomon is Piyomon now, and screw those guys for leaving her." He rounded on his avian companion, "Whatever happens now, you're sticking with us, Piyomon. We're your friends now! Alright?"
Her eyes shined from hearing that, hugging Naruto again, which he returned without hesitation.
Bokomon looked at the scene warmly. Still, at the back of his mind, experience dictated that what happened with Piyomon was unusual. She didn't display any aggressive traits that were more atypical to young Digimon, since many were eager to get strong at as fast a rate as possible. Inappropriately, she also didn't see him as a target to load his data. Perhaps she was a deviant? Like him?
Maybe, and this was just a theory of his, but Naruto's presence could have had an influencing factor in her development. Evolution was pretty straightforward when Digimon got to killing each other for their data, and it took even longer for one who settled with accumulating the raw code in the atmosphere, Dust Packets, or methods that were pretty unethical even for such standards. Piyomon could have gone to the Machine Zone and partake in modifications to stimulate evolution into a Mutant variant. Or, her time simply came and their meeting was purely coincidental.
He had to stop overthinking things.
Fist raised in front of him, Naruto put on a determined mien as he faced Piyomon. "Let's make a promise!"
"A promise?" Piyomon echoed curiously.
"Yep!" Naruto grabbed her shoulders in the manner that reflected her own. "I already said that this is what we're gonna do, but now, to make it official, let's promise to become strong. Stronger than anyone! So strong that when people see us, we wow them with just how awesome we are! I swear this to you as my nindō!"
"Nindō?"
"It means 'way of ninja'," Naruto grinned brightly, "and where I'm from, it's a personal philosophy that shinobi live by, and mine is, when I make a promise, I won't break it or run away. I'll keep it no matter what. Through thick and thin. The same goes for friends, so I'll always have your back, Piyomon! Believe it!"
She twinged in happiness at his words, her feathers ruffling. "Naru-chan…"
An errant chortle snatched her attention. "If it's to get stronger, how are you going to go about it?"
Piyomon tilted her head. "What do you mean?"
"Are you going to train?" Bokomon touched on.
"Well, yeah," she shrugged. "What else could I do?"
Bokomon answered uneasily. "Like I told you, the quickest way for any Digimon to get stronger is to load others' data. Which means…"
Naruto gritted his teeth, knowing what Bokomon was hinting at. "No, she doesn't!"
"Eh?" Bokomon blinked, thrown off by the curt refute.
"Piyomon and I can get strong in our own way, doing our own thing. We don't need to kill other Digimon for that!"
Bokomon wanted to disagree, and he did, inwardly, but seeing how steadfast Naruto was in his declaration, he sighed, grinning. "It's crazy hard to get anywhere on training alone, but you wouldn't be the first to not approve of the normal method."
Naruto didn't like the way Bokomon worded it. He was a shinobi in training, and he wasn't blind or ignorant to the notion of killing in the profession. He just saw the taking of a life as wrong if it wasn't for a genuinely good reason, which was already scarce as it was to him, and that he wouldn't want it to happen to someone he cared about. Once again, he remembered that Konoha was long behind him. Besides, didn't he express a desire to become Bokomon's apprentice now? He couldn't see himself as being a scholar, and just because he was largely averse to killing, didn't mean he couldn't stand to kick someone's ass if they messed with them.
So, that was what he was going to be. A bodyguard. Get strong so that he and Piyomon could protect Bokomon and each other. It was the perfect setup. An added bonus would be for them to get an education on the side.
"It won't be easy," Bokomon repeated as a warning. "Lots of Digimon aren't picky when it comes to loading. Once they see us and they aren't friendly; which is often, we'll be in trouble."
"Don't sweat it, Bokomon," Naruto beamed, puffing his chest under folded arms. "I may be an academy student, but I think I can take on a couple of small fry."
Hiruzen could only lower his head in worry, with no shortage of disappointment. Overconfidence had no place in their line of work. A veteran of his caliber had seen many shinobi dead for being arrogant and allowing their pride to overrule their sense of self-preservation. Sacrificing yourself for the sake of the village was one thing. Dying aimlessly is most deserving of fools.
"Small fry?" Bokomon echoed with a choking guffaw, as if sharing Hiruzen's sentiment. "I think a Rookie even at Piyomon's level will be more than a match for you."
"Oh yeah?" Naruto's nostrils flared. He shot a challenging glare at his avian friend, pointing a dramatic finger at her, "Piyomon! I challenge you!"
"Uh…" Piyomon gulped mentally. "You sure?"
"Sure I'm sure," Naruto flicked her a cocky grin, thumbing his chest. "You're looking at the number one student at Konohagakure no Sato's Shinobi Academy."
Kakashi hung his own head in abject disappointment at Naruto's obvious lie, releasing a sigh. "This will not end well."
Bokomon must have caught on it as well, as he too was wincing in the pain that was to come. But, not for Piyomon.
Uzumaki Naruto vs Piyomon
The two scurried to a wider spot on the riverbank, getting ready. Well, Naruto was the one who was bustling to start. Piyomon was anything but ready, much less keen to actually go through with this travesty waiting to happen.
"Whenever you're ready, Piyomon," Naruto called a few feet away from his opponent.
Piyomon rubbed her forearm, or forewing, nervous as her eyes darted randomly anywhere but on Naruto. "Uh, yeah…whenever I'm…ready."
Naruto certainly looked ready to begin, but before he could assume a combat stance, he paused. To the Digimon's puzzlement, but not to the two men, he extended his right arm with index and middle finger raised.
"You do the same Piyomon, but with your other hand…wing…you know what, just do as I do," Naruto trailed off curtly, watching as Piyomon awkwardly mirrored him.
"What's this, Naru-chan?" Piyomon questioned, studying the gesture she was copying.
"This is the 'Seal of Confrontation'," Naruto answered. "Back in my village, when shinobi hold a sparring match, we traditionally make this sign as a formal challenge to face one another, and a means to show respect to your opponent."
"Oh," Piyomon grasped, straightening her execution of the seal.
Naruto smiled and nodded in acknowledgement, smoothly falling into the standard taijutsu stance Shikamaru grilled him on the previous day. Or was it the day before that? Come to think of it, didn't he arrive here in the afternoon when he left his apartment at night? He shook away that train of thought, not wanting to be distracted for this auspicious moment to test his mettle against an otherworldly being.
"Don't be nervous, Piyomon!" Naruto yelled encouragingly, tightening his stance, gaze becoming fixated on her. "Remember, you're gonna have to get used to this, because we'll be sparring partners from now on."
"O-Okay…" Piyomon reluctantly conceded, taking her own stance that was a more loose imitation of Naruto's.
Anticipation hung thickly in the air, as Bokomon was scarfing down the last of his sandwich to help calm his nerves.
The only sound that broke through the lone noise of the crickets, the gentle breeze caressing the tree leaves, and the running of river water, was Naruto letting out a battle cry. His second mistake, the first being the challenge he issued from the beginning, and the third, his haymaker which Piyomon saw coming with her keener senses. Combat instinct soon took over, and she dodged with a simplistic whip of her head back that Bokomon silently commended.
What he didn't expect was Naruto spinning his body dexterously to flow in an axe kick, cutting off the lack of reach. Rather than evade the blow, she sprang an arm up to block it, and was surprised by how…little it actually hurt.
For Naruto, however, it was the opposite. He felt his leg collide with raw fortified muscle as Piyomon aced her block, wincing from the impact. He threw his weight into a somersault to eke out some distance between them, and almost buckled from how his leg was still rattling upon touching ground.
"What the heck?!" Naruto hunkered down to feel for the affected leg, and winced again from the bruise that was forming. "It was like kicking a punching bag full of wet cement."
It soon dawned on Naruto how Piyomon had him beat in physicality. Despite it, he found himself grinning ear to ear from the challenge. He needed to up his game.
He dashed forward once more; sans battle cry, lunging to pounce on Piyomon to grapple her, but it was a feint, and he threw a small rock directly at her face in the gap he took vanishing from her line of sight. On instinct, Piyomon hardly blinked when she batted the projectile away when it was inches from her face. For her trouble, however, a punch connected with her left cheek.
Her footing scraped against the soil slightly as she was almost knocked over, but she held on firm and flicked a heated glance at the blonde's way, his embedded fist digging into her features. Guessing right, the bird Digimon was tough enough to take it.
He then launched a knee to her stomach, but what happened next blasted him off his feet before it could land. With the momentum, he rolled back and flipped into a crouch.
Briefly disoriented, a hand reached for his face. "What was that?!" he asked inadvertently out loud. It was like a rush of air or a hurricane that assaulted him out of the blue, the friction having gotten to his eyes.
Recollecting himself, he looked up to see Piyomon's feathers fluttering in a gust of wind that seemed to erupt from her, wings spread out.
'Spiral Wing'
"It's one of my moves that briefly acts as a shield," she explained to him, the air pressure surrounding her dying down. "You sure you still want to do this?"
Naruto grunted as he righted his form. "I won't learn anything if I don't try. Until one of us goes down, Piyomon, we keep going."
The stubbornness that he was exuding was starting to rub off on her as she smiled, resuming a loose stance.
Hiruzen hummed, "I must say, I expected this to be more one-sided, but Naruto is actually off to a good enough start," if this Piyomon creature were more skilled, however, "then again, in each their own way, they're still neophytes."
"This Piyomon can hardly be a match for an average genin, although that's likely owed to her having just achieved her status as a Rookie. She is, by all accounts, still a child." Although, Kakashi had to give her props for that defensive maneuver. A novice Fūton user with the instinct for a split second reaction at such an early phase was a sign of talent. Given enough of the right training, she'd go far. Admittedly, he hadn't seen much of these Digimon to make a conclusive assessment of them, but based on what Bokomon had revealed, they were not to be underestimated if they happened to be of the more experienced sort. If his word was to be believed, the mightiest of their kind were fully capable of doing incalculable damage that would put the Tailed Beasts to shame. Especially if his theory of the legends and mythology of their worlds being connected had a shred of credibility, then it could mean the existence of godly beings far above them.
That thought alone was making him break into a cold sweat as he observed how the son of his mentor was faring against one who was still quite young, but abnormally durable.
Naruto dove in for a rush of jabs, but Piyomon only needed to bring her arms up to block, which left her open for another knee to her stomach. She buckled, her defense crumbling that allowed a few punches to land directly on her left cheek, chin, and a kick squarely to her chest. This time, Naruto no longer held back, sliding a foot to throw her off balance.
Just as she was about to topple over, an urge inside her bubbled to the surface.
'Piyoccho Hurricane'
Flailing her wings, a large gale of wind sprang to life, kicking up waves of dust and debris, forcing Naruto to withdraw, but found it futile as he was launched back by a stronger force.
He tumbled over the dirt, but was able to claw at the grassy soil, his grip taut enough to have dug in. Not allowed enough time to catch his breath, Piyomon emerged from the cyclone she conjured, punching the air to release a spiraling stream of green flames right at him.
'Magical Fire'
Naruto's joints went wild as he rolled to the side and jumped high to evade the flames, flinging rocks he was able to snag while he did at her like shuriken, which she barely dodged as a few of them struck true.
This didn't in the least slow her down, flipping high at the same time as Naruto was swooping down for a kick.
'Ostri-Kick'
Foot with the manacle extended, a kick of her own clipped Naruto in his…
Bokomon, Kakashi and Hiruzen all looked away in shared pain as Naruto sank to the ground like an anchor, sputtering, mouth stretched wide in a silent scream as bile bubbled out, eyes a ghostly white, and his pelvic area twitching violently.
Piyomon tilted her head at the scene after she dropped back down. "What's wrong with Naru-chan?" she asked Bokomon, seeing him striding with hurried steps towards the downed youth. "I couldn't have hit him that hard, did I?"
Bokomon's lips pulled itself into a tensely awkward grin after he checked Naruto for his pulse, fearing that the massive shot of pain sent him into shock, and sure enough, the boy was too stunned to even move, let alone get out a coherent sound. Drool ran down the corner of Naruto's cheek, as if he was choking on his own saliva.
"Uh," Bokomon carefully began. "You, uh, you didn't, Piyomon. Naruto…Naruto's just tired." Sometimes he was thankful how naive children could be, giving him ample leeway in how he wanted to keep them from topics they were still too young for. "Yeah, that's it! Tired. Which means…you won. Co…Congratulations?"
At this, Piyomon let out a cheerful gasp, clapping her wings together. "Really?!" she gushed at her victory. When he nodded clunkily, she lunged to try and hug Naruto, but was prevented in a timely manner by the scholar, who told her that he had to rest.
Piyomon took it at face value, even giggling softly so as not to wake him. About half an hour later, Naruto had recovered just enough of his senses, and the pain had dulled for him enough to sit in a precarious position. To Piyomon's confusion, Bokomon asked him some odd questions, the wordings escaping her. She shrugged at this and approached her friend with a spring in her step.
"I won, Naru-chan!" she chirruped. "I won my first spar, and it was so much fun!"
Naruto, who was still trembling from the residual ache of his nether regions, flashed her a crooked smile that was plainly forced, much to her ignorance. "Y-Y-You s-sure did, Piyomon. W-Way to…go."
She was so happy from the praise that she could fly, or dance, to which Naruto paled upon hearing her wanting him to join. "Nonono!" He jetted both of his hands up in front of him. "A-After all of that, I-I think it's better to have a break. W-W-We can just relax and finish our sandwiches!"
Piyomon took in Naruto's contorted visage and the hurried tone he spoke, then shrugged and went back to eating the rest of her sandwiches. The sparring must have spurred her appetite, as she gobbled the rest down.
With their trip all but delayed, Bokomon started a fire, having brought along some Meat Fruits to prepare for dinner. He dutifully set to work on their camp, and while he did, Naruto mustered up some strength to genuinely congratulate her. "You were pretty awesome doing all of that crazy jutsu, Piyomon."
"Jutsu?"
"Yep! Really cool!" Naruto complimented her. "How did you even learn any of it? I didn't even see you do hand seals."
"Digimon don't 'learn' their moves or techniques," Bokomon answered for her. "They're pre programmed into us."
"Really?" Naruto adjusted his legs as the remainder of the pain steadily left him.
"Yeah," Bokomon stood up after weaving the last vestiges of a makeshift tent made from leaves, vines, sticks and twigs. The tent was big enough for the three of them, shaped like a dome, and had some mud casting the foundation to help hold it.
The two children goggled at the makeshift shelter. "What? I've done a lot of camping trips."
Still gawking at how fast it had been done, Naruto asked. "So, Digimon don't use jutsu?"
"If we did, I wouldn't have asked you about chakra in the first place."
Naruto conceded the point. "Oh, right. Does that mean you can't learn anything else?"
"Not necessarily, as Digimon can load the data of others to gain access to their moves, but much of the time, that knowledge fades after being assimilated long enough. Individual Digimon just prefer to stick to what they already know." Bokomon started to work on their dinner. "It's still very much possible for moves to get stronger overtime from frequent use, training and practice. It all depends on how dedicated a Digimon is to honing their skills."
"In other words, their abilities are just as alien to us as they are," Hiruzen surmised thoughtfully. Jutsu of all kinds to be proven effective centered around the need for chakra, with even taijutsu hardly exempted, and here were these Digimon with an arsenal of abilities at their disposal that couldn't be pinned down with their lack of chakra, and the barren need for it meant they were effectively immune to techniques where the recipient to be susceptible required their tenketsu points unlocked. The Hyūga's signature Gentle Fist would be of little concern to them.
That being said, could they also be immune to genjutsu?
"So, you guys don't have tenketsu points?"
When it came to Shikamaru cramming as much info to him as possible in one sitting, nothing was wasted. It honestly boggled the young Uzumaki the sheer breadth of how much of his lessons he didn't take to mind for the entire five years he's been in the Academy programme, and those were just the basics. To compensate, Shikamaru thought of a sick, yet fairly effective sparring method devised on the spot.
Naruto could not attack, but only defend or evade. For every answer he got wrong, he was rewarded with a punch, kick, jab, hook, throw, elbow, and knee; not necessarily in that order. The catch was that he had to answer within two seconds.
What he didn't know until the first session ended was that if he answered correctly, Shikamaru was still going to hit him. The pressure from the time limit was designed to keep him on the edge of his toes. The exercise was to help build his focus and reel in his poor attention span. Another benefit was that it was a way for him to get used to the Academy Traditional Taijutsu, which Shikamaru was only too generous to demonstrate.
Naruto was torn between blocking, dodging, and reciting the names of each Hokage in exact and inexact order. They did this until Shikamaru forced him to remember everything they reviewed that one morning alone.
After Naruto explained what a chakra circulatory system was as best he could, Bokomon delved into what Digimon anatomy was in the simplest way he could explain.
"We're basically inorganic, metaphysical beings that exist within a higher plane of existence that transcends the conventional reality of lower worlds. Our bodies are composed of a complex wireframe that acts as a shell that contains our 'DigiCore', which you can infer in layman's terms as the mind and soul rolled into one. Everything that we are or were is recorded within our core until structural damage to our wireframe induces a regenerative protocol that acts as a reset. In other words, even if our bodies die or decay overtime, what matters is the integrity of the core, allowing us to reconfigure and fall into an incubation period until nascency. Ergo, we do not possess conventional internal organs to the same extent as that of organisms in the same lower worlds, but what stands to simulate biological functions via intricately woven code.
"Does that cover it?" Bokomon finished helpfully.
"..."
A large billow of steam burst from Naruto's head, his eyes drained of luster, posture listless as he limply fell on his back.
"I think you broke him, Boko-chan," Piyomon said, hovering over the catatonic boy.
Bokomon sighed dismissively. "Of course."
"They're…Celestial Beings!" Hiruzen blanched in equal parts horror and awe. Forget genjutsu, he was starting to have serious doubts of any jutsu proving effective at all.
Kakashi squeezed the mouse still in his hand, his theory gradually gaining traction as a vague sense of dread slithered under his skin. "If by 'lower worlds', meaning ours, then we-"
"We're gonna be seeing some serious shit, gentlemen!"
Hiruzen glanced over his shoulder, before fully facing the newcomer standing behind them, hands buried in her coat pockets.
It was a fair skinned woman with a voluptuous figure under a tan colored overcoat over thin mesh armor that clung to her body sensuously, and an orange miniskirt that was held by a dark blue belt. Her shoulder length purple hair was done in a spiky ponytail, and around her forehead, the standard Konohagakure hitai-ate was worn proudly. A pendant in the shape of a snake fang dangled over her bust.
"Impeccable timing, Anko," Kakashi remarked without turning, already aware of her presence minutes ago. "What took you?"
Anko grinned snidely. "Dango."
"Ah," Kakashi accepted, sashaying aside to make room for her. "I believe this to be your field of expertise?"
"I didn't ask for you to pass the butter, Cyclops," the woman named Anko grumbled, taking her place in front of the computer. She onced it over, her fingers rapidly punching in the codes to check what she needed to know. "This thing was built from scratch, right down to the parts and components. The keyboard, the mouse, the body, all of it handmade. No other model of it exists yet. Even the OS is homebrewed."
"How much did you hear?" Kakashi jumped to the point.
"You tell me," Anko shot back. "Kushina's brat getting his coming of age nutshot, or Doughboy and the bombs he keeps dropping on our asses like it's going out of style?"
"Anko," Hiruzen called, "you were requested by Kakashi?"
"It was my day off, Hokage-sama," Anko groused, glowering internally at the ANBU.
"Can you bring Naruto-kun back?"
"One at a time, old man," at this moment, she could care less about formalities. "Interdimensional travel is a little beyond my skill set, and from what else I've gathered, whatever or whoever is keeping him there wants us to watch the rest of the show."
"Co-Come again?" Hiruzen's blood froze, while Kakashi inspected what Anko could have meant, when a small dot blinking atop the screen caught his eye.
"A camera?"
Anko smirked at the ANBU. "What? Your budget cuts couldn't crunch in some tape?"
Kakashi let out an exasperated breath at the oversight. "No reason to bother anymore. Can they be traced?"
"It's a wireless connection routed via an antenna that's built into the CPU," Anko clicked through the deceptively simple Digimon Frontier application, studying its functions. "Waste of effort, since they'll likely have safeguards to mask their location."
"They can't be that far," Hiruzen was about ready to call in a search squad, but a loud protest from Anko stopped him roughly halfway.
"Yo!" the kunoichi greeted emphatically with a cheeky grin, saluting two fingers at the camera. "Care to give us a wink from over yonder, mystery man?!"
Hiruzen had half a mind to reprimand the brazen young woman, when there was an abrupt change in the screen. Another tiny widget in the upper left corner of the app popped in.
4ngelf4c3: ;D
Hiruzen and Kakashi stared at the message in varying states of emotions. None positive.
"It's a chat room," Anko provided. She typed in a reply.
F1ref0x: lol
Anko cocked a brow at the username. Either the kid cooked it up himself, or this thing was specifically intended for him from the start.
"Ask them who they are," Hiruzen voiced softly. Anko obeyed the order, wanting to know who the anonymous figure was as well.
F1ref0x: Who are you?
4ngelf4c3: …
"No dice," Anko announced after about five minutes passed with no other reply.
"Ask them if they're a Digimon," Kakashi offered.
4ngelf4c3: Yes! XD
The air around the three went cold when they saw the response without Anko having typed. "They could hear us the entire time?" Hiruzen fretted, the daunting possibility of them being compromised gnawing on his climbing paranoia.
"Are you from the Digital World?" Kakashi verbalized.
4ngelf4c3: Yes.
"Where are you now?" He knew it wasn't the right kind of question to lead on, interrogation being Anko's department. The kunoichi slung him a silent admonition for the faux pas.
4ngelf4c3: …
The ANBU captain's shoulders slumped. Had to give it a shot.
4ngelf4c3: In Konoha.
All three gaped in shock.
4ngelf4c3: Or, Suna.
"Fucker's playing with us," Anko hissed.
4ngelf4c3: Inside the apartment with you.
F1ref0x: Fuck you.
"Anko!" Hiruzen chided her, which she shrugged off.
4ngelf4c3: If you want to find me, it'll be a waste of time. You'd have a better chance of stumbling upon the info on the Hyūga and Uchiha heirs hidden away by Mizuki in the abandoned Root labs.
Hiruzen's heart dropped below his waist.
How?! Those areas were sealed off and assigned to be condemned. For someone else to know of its existence barring all parties involved…
"Hokage-sama, we cannot place any confidence in this info." Kakashi warned, red flags going off in his mind. "For all we know, it might be another accomplice to Mizuki or Orochimaru."
4ngelf4c3: Orochimaru is the true leader of Otogakure.
Liquid nitrogen washed over the three shinobi, the back of Anko's neck throbbing with phantom pain.
"Why should we believe you, or take any of what you're giving us seriously?" Kakashi muttered dangerously after finding his voice, his tone leaving no doubt that he'd hunt whoever it was dangling this carrot at them for any falsehood.
4ngelf4c3 You have nothing else to lose. You of all people should know what that's like.
The ANBU captain's threatening aura sharply dissolved, words once again leaving him.
4ngelf4c3: I do not expect you to believe me. Still, even you must know that a crisis is always lurking around the corner, with your enemies biding their time until they can; and will, strike. This is for my own interests, as well, so take it as you will.
Anko scoffed, "Is that so? Got any more bombshells for us, bright eyes?" It was a test.
4ngelf4c3: …cut back on the dango.
The two men only had enough time to grab the belligerent woman from smashing the monitor with a kick, a tick mark on her forehead.
"Let me try," Hiruzen exhaled the breath he was holding in, leaving Kakashi to pacify Anko. "Who are you, truly?"
4ngelf4c3: …
"Were you the one who abducted Uzumaki Naruto?"
4ngelf4c3: No.
Hiruzen's brow hardened. "I saw with my own eyes how this…machine swallowed him whole. Do not deny your involvement."
4ngelf4c3: Sarutobi Hiruzen. It was Uzumaki Naruto's own choice to come.
"Do not lie," Hiruzen didn't muffle the threat behind his words, his patience razor thin. "All I implore is that he be returned safely."
4ngelf4c3: I am not lying. None of what I've revealed is false, nor fabricated. Believe me at your own risk, or not. If Naruto wishes to come back, he can do so at any time.
"Meaning?" Naruto could have come back on his own? Even with his limited knowledge of technology, something told him it wasn't that simple.
4ngelf4c3: Keep watching and you'll understand.
"That's not good enough," Kakashi spoke up brusquely. "You know full well that we cannot trust you."
4ngelf4c3: Trust is an exorbitant commodity. One that I care not for.
"Then, this conversation has just been a complete waste of time," Kakashi said as a dig to bait them.
4ngelf4c3: …not really.
"Oh? The way I see it, you've just been trying to psyche us out with baseless nonsense."
4ngelf4c3: XD No, I haven't.
"Really? Care to give us something else? Surely you can do better than make such claims without evidence to show for it."
For the next few minutes, nothing else happened, the lone background noise being Naruto and Piyomon talking. When they started to think that Kakashi may have cornered them, however.
4ngelf4c3: …Sarutobi Hiruzen, Mitarashi Anko…
Anko rolled her eyes; of course they'd know her full name.
4ngelf4c3: Please be prepared for whatever happens next.
A small window surfaced on the monitor next to the chat box, enclosing a pitch black background. The trio wondered what it could have been when they spied movement within the darkness; it was a video. Heavily blurred, by the looks of it.
"What is this supposed to be?" Kakashi murmured more to himself.
"Am…I dead?"
Both of the veteran ANBU's eyes blew wide open. Wider than they had ever been. His body dropped in temperature as it went deathly numb, jaw becoming undulated under his mask.
"Where…am I?"
Kakashi's vision warped, distorted. The room, the screen, his surroundings. He didn't know when he started to hyperventilate, his rapidly rising blood pressure from the meteoric palpitations of his heart against his ribcage ringing out of his ears.
That voice.
He knew that voice, and who it belonged to. He could recognize it anywhere. Beforehand, he would have waved it off as a genjutsu, but his body, seemingly reacting on its own, presumed otherwise.
How he had longed once upon a time to hear that voice again in his darkest hours alongside another.
"Those ey-"
What? What was he saying? What was the rest of that? No. No, don't! The darkness. The darkness was taking him away again. Once again, he was losing him.
Anko caught Kakashi before he completely hit the floor, letting out a grunt from how heavy he was with his gear still on him.
Hiruzen on his end remained outwardly composed, but inside, he was besieged by a slew of raw emotions that hadn't shaken his bones in decades.
He, too, recognized that voice.
"How?"
He could swear that the figure behind the camera was smiling at them, their point laid bare perfectly. Sadistically puerile it may have been.
4ngelf4c3: Keep watching, and you'll understand.
Author's Notes: Yes, Digimon should be immune to Genjutsu, mostly because they don't have the anatomy that would facilitate the use of what are visual and auditory hypnoses. Does this make them OP?
Here's a reminder. The Sharingan and Rinnegan exist. I don't think I can't get any characters short of Yggdrasil itself to be so OP that they'd break the entire story. Kishimoto did that first with Madara and every other fancy eye gimmick that came after. Even Boruto isn't exempted from this lack of quantification.