OP1: Overwhelming Vivid Days by Nanami Yoshi
Hokage Residence
"Naruto, hey!" Turning around, Naruto sees Shikamaru and his father, Shikaku, approaching, greeting the two before his friend asked him if he just got back, nodding his head yes.
"Back from a mission?" he asked Shikamaru, who told him yes, and that he was going to file a report to Jo. "Oh, well starting today, the new Hokage's going to be in charge."
"New Hokage?"
"Yeah. We just came back from bringing her back to the village." Shikamaru look surprised when Naruto revealed that the village's new Hokage was a woman. "Right now, she should be coming down to go to the hospital. You know, to help Sasuke, Kakashi-sensei, and Lee."
"A female Hokage? I'm not keen on that."
"Don't let her catch you saying that. It'll make you sound sexist."
"What would?" asked Tsunade, having returned from talking with the Elders with Shizune and Jiraiya. Shikamaru paled as soon as Tsunade directed a curious look towards him that made Shikamaru unsure of what to say. Naruto tells her they should get going to the hospital to check on her patients, Shikamaru breathing a sigh of relief after his friend changed the subject for his sake. "I'm sure Sasuke and Kakashi-sensei are done with La La Land."
Hidden Leaf Hospital
After healing Sasuke, Tsunade told her he should wake up first thing in the morning tomorrow. This brought Sakura to tears as she hugged the sleeping Uchiha, Naruto watching in silence. With Sasuke in good hands, he quietly turned around to leave, Tsunade asking him where he was going.
"I'm hungry," he told her, adding how he was meeting with Iruka to have ramen.
"You don't want to say anything to them?" Tsunade asked Naruto, who tells her he didn't need or have a reason to. He was just here to be sure that his teammate was treated, nothing more. "You're quite cruel sometimes," Tsunade tells the blond in a casual tone.
"Don't forget Kakashi and Lee, Grandma Tsunade..."
"Of course, also, I'm not your grandma."
"Yes, you are. And since you're the new Hokage, you're also the village's grandma so...better take good care of everyone." Tsunade only smiled as she called the blond a smart ass.
Ramen Ichiraku
38 bowls later
"I feel pretty good after that near-death experience," Naruto finished, having told Iruka his overall mission finding Tsunade and bringing her to the village.
"Other than being relieved that you're okay and proud that you're shaping up to be a splendid ninja, I have some good news to tell you."
"Really?" Asking what the good news was, Naruto's eyes widened when Iruka told him he got promoted to Jonin. "You're...a Jonin?"
"Yeah."
"But you've always liked teaching the students at the Academy. What made you decide to take the promotion?" Naruto asked.
"The Third Hokage had always wanted to promote me to Jonin. I don't look like it now, but I've been working on myself ever since you left the village, and I gave it some thought after seeing you working so hard on changing yourself."
"Wow...That's...a lot to absorb," Naruto admits, adding how he'll need another bowl of ramen to handle the news. "I am happy for you. You deserve that promotion, especially when you had to put up with me for a while."
"Who knows, maybe we can go on a mission together."
"Maybe..."
Village Front Gate
After he finished eating with Iruka, Naruto met up with Kureha, who was seeing Jo and Ryu off, the latter two preparing to go back to their village.
"See you later Naruto. Continue to get stronger," Ryu told Naruto, the blond smiling as he nods yes to his master. Turning towards Kureha, Ryu told her to watch herself.
"Don't worry about me Ryu, I can handle myself very well. Naruto included."
"True, but I can't help but worry," Ryu told his friend. Kureha assures him once more that the two of them would be fine. "Alright."
"Ryu, let's go." Nodding to his father, he and Jo teleported back to the Hayabusa Clan Village.
"Have any plans tonight, Naruto?" Kureha asked the blond as they turned around and made their way to the latter's house.
"Don't know, but I'm sure something will come up," he responds. "...Kureha, you know I'll be leaving in a month, right?"
"Of course. You're going to go study in Japan for about three or four years."
"...Do you think you can...come with me and Jiraiya?" Kureha looked surprised as Naruto hid his bright red face.
"You really are a Momma's Boy," said a smiling Kureha. "...As much as I'd love to take up on that offer of yours, I cannot. I have responsibilities as a shrine maiden to my village. I can't always trust Momiji to handle things, not that I doubt her or anything. I CAN, however, try to make time to visit you often. At best I can manage once a month, maybe more during the holidays, and your birthday. Is that okay?"
"Yeah!" said a happy Naruto, surprising Kureha. Turning away in embarrassment once more, he told her, "Of course. I can pay for your tickets and pick you up at the airport, or you can just...you know...take a cab or taxi to the university..."
"You're expressing more emotions than usual. You tend to revert back to old habits, but I can see the difference between you from three months ago and now."
"Looks like I'm off to a good start...Before I forget, I got something for you while I was out looking for Grandma Tsunade..."
"For me?" Rummaging through his left jacket pocket, Naruto takes out a rectangular ruby and hands it to her. Looking at it, Kureha saw what seemed to be a laser-engraved photo of her and Naruto during one of their adventures in Japan inside it. The shrine maiden told the blond how beautiful it was, marveling at how detailed the engraving was.
"There was a shop that taught customers how to engrave photos into jewelry using chakra so...that was the result." When asked how much it was, Naruto told her it wasn't cheap, lessons included.
"Naruto!" The blond chunin and Kureha stopped in their tracks as they turn around to see Shikamaru and Choji approach them, telling him they were planning a guy's night, wanting the blond to come.
"Me, Choji, Kiba, Neji, and Lee are coming too."
"A guy's night huh. Sounds good," he told Shikamaru. Turning towards Kureha, he tells her he was going to hang with the other boys.
"Of course. Have fun." As Kureha left Naruto to go home, Shikamaru told Choji, "Kureha smells nice today," the Akimichi boy nodding his head in approval. Hearing this, Naruto, going full yandere, immediately turns his attention towards them, his head tilted to the right, and asked them, "Shikamaru, do you and Choji want to fight me?" This freaks the boys out.
"Where did this come from!?" they wondered.
Konoha Streets
"Sakura." Turning around, Sakura turns her attention towards Ino and Tenten as they approach her. "You have any plans right now?"
"No, not really. I was just going to go home. Why?"
"Let's go have ourselves a girl's night!" Ino responds.
"Now?"
"Yeah."
"We've been fairly occupied with missions, we haven't had time to unwind," Tenten adds. "With Tsunade filling the role as the new Hokage, we can finally have a little break before we're sent on another mission."
"...We have been very busy lately...Hinata's not back from her mission?" Ino tells her she wasn't, adding they'll invite her for the next one.
Bar-B-Q
Night
"What kind of person orders swordfish and salmon at a barbecue place?" Choji asked Naruto.
"The kind of person who likes fish and has had to catch his own food to eat back then," Naruto tells him as the others look over the menu and the server waited for Naruto to finish ordering. "I like beef and chicken, but my favorite meats are fish, especially when they pair well with rice. Salmon, Catfish, Tuna, Yellowtail, Sardines, you get the picture." Directing his attention towards the server, the blond orders sliced onions, carrots, and button mushrooms.
"You're ordering veggies too!?" Choji shouts, Shikamaru telling him to calm down.
"It's not like you have to eat them," Shikamaru adds. "Besides, since Naruto and I are chunin, meaning we're your superiors, we're paying for all this, meaning Naruto can order all the veggies he wants."
"Thank you, Shikamaru," said Naruto, sounding grateful.
"Don't remind me that you two are Chunin," said Kiba, sounding annoyed, "Just you two wait! Once I'm Chunin, I'm paying for everyone for the next guys' night!" he vowed.
"Oh, cool, can't wait for that day to arrive so I can go all out and not pay a dime," Naruto responds, further annoying Kiba, Shikamaru adding on to it by saying, "Puts my wallet at ease. Be sure to remember those words once you become a Chunin," After ordering, Naruto decides to start a conversation with Lee, asking him, "While we wait, I want to know Lee, are you planning to take the surgery?"
"Oh, yes! I am!" he told Naruto. "Lady Tsunade told me I had a 50% chance of surviving, and it really scared me, even Guy-sensei. But, she managed to bump it up to 58%, easing our worries. I'm starting my surgery first thing tomorrow."
"That's good to hear, Lee," said Naruto. "Perhaps we can spar some time after you've had time to recover from the surgery."
"I would very much like that, Naruto! I've been meaning to fight you!"
"Likewise."
Hidden Leaf Hot Springs
"Awww, I can just melt away in these waters..." said Tenten, enjoying the warm water as it washed away her muscle fatigue, Sakura and Tenten watching her.
"Ino, have your breasts gotten bigger?" asked Sakura, Ino teasing her by asking if she was jealous.
"What!? No...Not at all!" says a blushing Sakura.
"I don't know, I mean, you sometimes look at other girls' breasts. Hinata's, Kurenai-sensei's, An-"
"Okay, let's talk about something else that's not about what I don't have!" Sakura interrupts Tenten. "How's it with Neji!?"
"Neji and I have never been better," she told the pink-haired girl. "Neji is a very sweet romantic. Every single one of our dates, he cooks something special for us at his place. He listens to me, likes the same movies I watch, and showers me with kisses, though only when no one's looking. He even gives me great back massages."
"He does those?" asked Ino, sounding a bit jealous that Tenten has someone who does all that for her.
Bar-B-Q
"Thanks for the dating tips, especially the one about stress-relieving massages."
"No problem Neji."
"Wait, Naruto gives you dating and relationship advice?" asked a surprised Choji, talking as he ate his food.
"You don't have a girlfriend, yet you give helpful tips?" said a confused Shikamaru. Naruto tells the boys he read a lot of books about dating and tips for healthy relationships.
"I had a lot of free time after training. Whenever I wasn't doing training on days of rest, Kujou-senpai would hand me books to read, some of them being about this particular subject."
"Who is this Kujou-senpai you're always talking about?" asked Kiba. "We've never even met the girl, and you mention her a lot."
"Do I really need to show you guys pictures?"
"...Yeah," they said in unison, Naruto letting out an annoyed sigh. Taking out his phone, he shows them the pictures he took with Rin. Seeing Rin's photo, Shikamaru, Choji, Kiba, and Lee all note how beautiful she was.
"That girl in the picture is the Rin Kujou you keep telling us about!?" yelled Kiba.
"She has the look of a warrior!" yelled Lee. "I think I may be in love with her!"
"Don't even think about it Lee," Naruto told him, a stern look on his face.
"Can we see more pictures?" asked Shikamaru, Naruto deciding to show them as he swiped through the pictures he took with Rin, informing them of the locations the pictures were taken at, accidentally showing them the picture where the two were at a Tenjouin Family-owned beach in Okinawa, Rin giving him a kiss on the cheek. This made the guys direct surprised looks towards Naruto, who sees what he's done and turns red, quickly putting away his phone.
"What was that picture?" asked Shikamaru, now knowing of a new way to tease his friend.
"That is none of your goddamn business or any of yours for that matter," said the madly blushing blond.
"No, we're not letting this go," Choji adds. "You've been holding out on some pretty juicy stories from us." Letting out a sigh, Naruto revealed that the picture was taken the morning before they left to go back to the Tenjouin Mansion. "The night before, I confessed to her, and she turned me down."
"...Wow," said Shikamaru. "Please tell us more."
"The morning following this, I decided to take a picture with her to remember the trip, and...she kissed me on the cheek as a reward for getting my feelings through to her."
"...Is she still single?" asked Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee having expected looks on their faces.
"How the hell am I supposed to know?" he asked them. Seeing the way they looked at him, he told them, "No."
"Naruto come on-"
"No, I am not calling her Shikamaru. I don't want to interrupt her while she's in the middle of something." Shikamaru tells his friend he only needed to ask one question and then hang up. "If you do this, I will pay for the rest of this meal. Otherwise, we will bug you for the rest of the night."
"...You guys are annoying as hell," Naruto told them as he took out his phone and called Rin.
"Make sure you put her on speaker," Shikamaru adds, further annoying the blond.
Hidden Leaf Hot Springs
"You're so lucky Tenten!" yelled Ino. "I really want a boyfriend right now! Ahhh! Why doesn't Sasuke notice me!?"
"He probably prefers girls with hair like mine who are gentle and kind and give off the need to be protected," Sakura tells her, referring to herself.
"Please, gentle and kind? You try to swing at Naruto whenever he insults either you or Sasuke. And if I recall correctly, you were having trouble with a relative of the Fire Daimyo, who was head over heels for Sasuke like you, and she was only 8. Naruto had to do most of the caring for that mission." Sakura had a tick mark on her head as she struggles to keep her composure. "Please don't bring that up..."
"Speaking of preferences, what kind of girls interest Naruto?" asked Tenten, Sakura and Ino focusing their attention on her. "We've already talked about Kiba, Shikamaru, Choji, and Lee, so what sort of girls does Naruto like?"
"I'm not sure," Sakura responds. "I never considered asking him. I'm sure his preferences are girls he'd be willing to protect." Tenten suggests he may be interested in girls who are tough. "You mean, with a lot of muscle?" The three girls' eyes widen when they picture Naruto being interested in macho girls.
"I don't think that's his type, though now I can't get that image out of my head..." Ino told the girls.
Sainan Town, Japan
Kujou Residence
Bathroom
Taking off her clothes and grabbing a towel to take to the bath, Rin hears her smart flip phone ring. Heading over to and picking it up, she sees Naruto's name on the caller id, answering it as she turns on the warm water.
"Hello?"
Hidden Leaf Village
Bar-B-Q
"She has a very mature but cute voice," Shikamaru quietly comments, Naruto telling him to shut up.
"Is it you Naruto?"
"H-Hello Kujou-senpai. It's me...Did I call at a bad time?" Naruto and the boys turned red when she told him she was just about to go take a bath. "Oh! I guess I should call back-"
Sainan Town, Japan
Kujou Residence
Bathroom
"No, it's fine Naruto. I don't mind talking to you before I head in. It's not like you can see me right now. How have you been?" she asked, crossing her right leg over her left as she listened to Naruto's response, resting her back against the wall as she waits for the bath to fill with warm water.
"Peachy."
"You sound annoyed," she tells Naruto. "Something bothering you?"
"Just a bad night is all."
Hidden Leaf Village
Bar-B-Q
"I'm sorry to hear that." Naruto assures her he was fine, telling her he was trying to salvage what was left of his night. "I'm sure you can turn that bad night around and make it a good one. Is there a reason why you're calling me?"
"...Senpai...Are you..."
"Hmmm?"
"Swear to god I'm going to kill you guys...Are you seeing anyone?"
Sainan Town, Japan
Kujou Residence
Bathroom
Rin smiles to herself when Naruto asked the question, asking him if that was the reason why he called.
"Y-Yes." Rin assures Naruto she was still single, and that he didn't have to worry about any guy taking away his precious senpai any time soon.
Hidden Leaf Village
Bar-B-Q
The guys, minus Neji, snicker a bit as Naruto told them to pipe down.
"You didn't have to add all that after telling me you were still single," Naruto told her, sounding embarrassed that the guys heard how he considered Rin his precious senpai.
"Sorry, I couldn't pass it up," she told him. "Is that all you needed?"
"Yeah, that was why I called." Rin tells Naruto he should call her more instead of text. "I don't want to interrupt your daily life." Rin tells Naruto his answer was horrible.
Sainan Town, Japan
Kujou Residence
Bathroom
"I don't mind you calling," Rin admits. "I'm always happy to talk, just make sure you don't call by video, especially while I'm bathing."
"Of course."
"I have to hang up now," Rin tells him. "Though before I go, are we still on speaker?"
Hidden Leaf Village
Bar-B-Q
All the boys' eyes widened when Rin asked Naruto that question.
"I was right. You would've answered that question 2 seconds after I asked."
"You...could tell?" he asked, sounding nervous, even looking a bit pale.
"I can faintly hear other voices talking in the background, one of them saying how my voice was very mature but cute."
"Yes, we're still on speaker."
"Turn off the speaker and put your ear against it." Doing what she told him, Naruto's face flushed when the sound of Rin kissing her speaker reached his speaker. The guys looked at Naruto with curiosity, wondering why he was blushing, unaware that the blond's senpai sent him a "kissed him on the cheek" using their phones.
Sainan Town, Japan
Kujou Residence
Bathroom
"Must've been mortifying talking to me in front of your friends. That should be a good enough reward for you, my precious kouhai. Talk to you later, Naruto." Following this, Rin ended the call with the blond.
Hidden Leaf Village
Bar-B-Q
Done with the call, Naruto looked at the guys, who started asking the blond what happened when he turned off the speaker.
"Nothing any of you guys should know," he told them.
"You're red in the face! Was it something good!? Something embarrassing!?" asked Kiba, sounding very demanding.
"Who knows," Naruto said with a smile.
"Whatever it was, it seems to have put you in a good mood," said Shikamaru.
"You have no idea," he told them, just as everyone's orders arrived. Before Naruto could dig in, he and the boys notice a purple butterfly familiar flying into the room.
"What the..." Knowing the meaning behind its appearance, Naruto's eyes widened.
"I have to go," he told them, Shikamaru telling Naruto he hasn't eaten yet. Immediately, Naruto snapped his fingers, using flame magic to immediately cook the sliced vegetables and fish meat he ordered, to everyone's surprise.
"Naruto, what did..." The blond says nothing as he finished his order, moving his chopsticks with incredible speed before downing his glass of water, cleaning his lip with a napkin, and getting up from where he was sitting. Turning to face Shikamaru, he told him, "As promised, you're paying for everyone's meals," before leaving in a hurry.
Unnamed Forest
"Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven!" Hinata spins rapidly as she emits chakra from all of her body's tenketsu, repelling an all-directions shuriken attack before jumping back to avoid a sword swing from a four-armed Black Spider Ninja. Acting quick, Hinata struck three of the enemy ninja's tenketsu points on his sword-wielding hand, disarming him before striking the points around his heart, killing him. Following this, she gracefully moves her feet, along with her body in a way that allowed her to react to and avoid the shurikens flying at her, some of them cutting her jacket hoodie.
"I can keep this up for 10 more minutes before my chakra runs out from using my Byakugan and the Rotation...I need to finish the eight remaining and go help Ayane."
"You won't win," said one of the eight Black Spider Ninjas. "The moment you decided to help that Mugen Tenshin bitch, your fate was sealed. Once we kill you, we will take with us your clan's Byakugan and the secrets contained within them." The Hyuga girl cursed herself for thinking she could handle it. She had never expected the ninjas she was facing to mutate themselves after being injured up to a certain point, using dark magic granted to them by the clan's head, Obaba. They weren't like the ones that attacked the village, meaning her attackers were slightly above the rank of chunin.
"Wind Release: Violent Vortex!" In an instant, the Black Spider Ninjas were caught in and shred to pieces by a huge gust of razor wind above Hinata. Looking up, Hinata's face lit with joy as Naruto jumped down in front of her and asked if she was okay.
"I am now that you're here," said Hinata, turning red after realizing what she said. "How did you know I was-"
"Ayane sent me an SOS," he told her, Hinata looking surprised and a bit sad.
"So you came for her..."
"You hurt?" Naruto asked, Hinata nodding her head no. "I'm glad." Looking at the four mutated Black Spider Ninjas on the ground, he asked her if she killed them, who responds with a yes, her crush sounding impressed as he told her how amazed he was that she handled four of them. "Just one of those ninjas are hard to kill, for a Chunin, let alone a squad of them."
"They are?" Hinata asked.
"Yeah, to kill four of them is very impressive, and you're only a Genin." The Hyuga girl had steam coming out of her ears as she heard Naruto's praises.
"Th-Thank you...Why didn't the ones you kill mutate?"
"Why? These guys mutate once they're halfway to Death's Door. Can't really mutate if you're dead before it activates, simple as that," Naruto responds, Hinata sweat dropping as she said, "Is that right..."
"Tell me what happened, from the beginning." Hinata explains to Naruto how she was making her way back to the village when she heard a fight being waged. Using her Byakugan, she found Ayane fighting off an assassination squad that was en route to the Hidden Leaf, deciding to back her up. They were doing well until their leader, by the name of Yogenta, arrived, forcing the Hajinmon kunoichi to take their battle elsewhere.
"We should find her and-" Before he could finish, Naruto pushed Hinata down, landing on her as a purple fireball flies past them from above and hits a tree. Looking to their right, they see an angry Ayane approach them, her eyes giving off an intense purple glow.
"Found her," said Hinata, just before avoiding another blast from the kunoichi. Behind Ayane was a Black Spider Ninja in his thirties, dressed in red ninja garbs with gold trims and metal claws. His fingers were each connected to dark purple strings that connect to the back of Ayane's neck, arms, and legs.
"Can't...free myself..." Ayane said in a struggling tone.
"Not even the Mugen Tenshin Clan's best ninjas can hope to overcome my Puppet Technique. A shame she destroyed my puppets. I worked really hard on them. No matter, once I'm done with my mission, I'll remove her internal organs and make her into my newest model." Yogenta has Ayane rush towards Hinata, intent on plucking out her eyes with her left pointing and middle fingers. Naruto appears in between them and catches her by the wrist. When Ayane's forced to bring her left knee to Naruto's side, Hinata catches it. Yogenta pulls the kunoichi back when the Hyuga girl tries to strike one of her tenketsu.
"Naruto, what are our chances of beating Ayane?" asked Hinata.
"She's difficult to beat if we go at her 1-on-1, but together, I think we stand a chance." Ayane comes at them, performing several knife-hand strikes at them. Naruto managed to find an opening, knocking her back with a punch to her stomach, though not before telling Ayane, "Sorry about this."
"None...taken," Ayane responds, catching Hinata's right hand before she could strike her in the stomach, jumping up to wrap her legs around the Hyuga's neck and throw her to the ground. Hinata puts her arms in front of her to block the Hajinmon kunoichi's foot from hitting her face. Hinata notes how hard her kicks were as Ayane constantly hits at her arms with her left foot.
Before Ayane could bring her foot down on Hinata once more, Naruto knocks her away from the Hyuga girl with a burst of wind chakra and going after the Black Spider Ninja controlling her, kunai in hand. Recovering quickly, Ayane blocks Naruto's kunai with her own, headbutting him in the face and kneeing him in the chin, following it up a spin kick to his face, her back facing the blond as she throws her kunai at Hinata, who swiftly moves to the side to avoid it. Once she was close enough, Hinata executes the Eight Trigrams Thirty-Two Palms. To her surprise, Ayane parried all her strikes, preventing them from hitting their marks. When Hinata goes for a spin kick, Ayane falls backward, quickly performing a handstand and kicking her feet at Hinata, who blocks them as Naruto comes from behind for an attack. Noticing him, Ayane spins her body around to kick both Naruto and Hinata, knocking them to the ground.
"Yeah, Naruto, we're not standing a chance against her together," Hinata told her friend, the latter saying, "Never said we'd win against her together. I also said I think we stand a chance, not we stand a chance." Naruto constantly rolls out of the way to avoid Ayane's punches, each one leaving a small fist imprint on the ground. The blond sweeps her off her feet with his left hand before kicking her towards Hinata who wraps her arms around the kunoichi's waist. Ayane tries to shake her off, even smash Hinata against the tree, but the Hyuga maintains her hold on her as she sends her chakra through the chakra threads connecting Ayane to Yogenta, damaging the nerves in Black Spider Ninja's fingers and hands in the process, thus freeing the Hajinmon kunoichi. Yogenta falls to the ground in pain as Ayane regains control over her body.
"Where, when, and how did you learn that?" asked Ayane.
"I just thought about it on the fly. I figured I could send my chakra into you and through his chakra strings, allowing me to damage him.
"On the fly...Impressive nonetheless," Ayane told Hinata, who thanked her for the praise.
"My hands! I can't...I can't feel anything from them!" yelled Yogenta, who immediately gets knocked down to the ground by a punch to the face by Naruto. Before he could do more, Ayane stops him, telling him she was going to get some payback for stringing her up like Pinocchio.
"No...I will not be beaten by Mugen Tenshin and Hidden Leaf trash!" Yogenta forces a mutation, his physique growing larger and more monstrous as two extra arms grow from his back and his jaw splits in two, letting out a demonic screech.
"Round Two..." Yogenta spews acidic webbing at the three ninjas, who move away from it as it hits and melts part of a large rock behind them. Naruto runs towards Yogenta, zipping past the acidic webbing and performing a backflip kick. The Black Spider Ninja reeled back in pain for a seconds before swinging one of his two right fists down on the blond, who assumes a stance to absorb the power of the strike and repel Yogenta as Hinata follows it up by activating her twin lion fists and striking him in the chest, draining a small amount of chakra from his chakra network just as Ayane ran past the Hyuga girl and lunges forward, spinning in a corkscrew manner with her feet leading towards the Black Spider Ninja, kicking him hard in the throat, preventing him from spewing any acidic webs.
When Yogenta tries to bite the purple-haired kunoichi, Naruto stops him by punching him in the mouth with a ki-enhanced fist, cracking the enemy ninja's teeth and breaking part of Yogenta's jaw. Yogenta recovers, just to receive a ki-enhanced punch from Ayane before Hinata jumps towards him, delivering a two-handed palm strike to his chest, and pushes herself backward with her feet from her opponent's chest, knocking the Black Spider Ninja to the ground.
"You have all that power granted to you by that witch of yours yet you get your butt handed to you by ninjas who have a few years to go before we're 16," Ayane say to the now-angered Yogenta as he gets back up to fight again, only to fall on his knees when he experiences intense internal pain, exiting his mutation in the process.
"This can't be...Obaba's magic was supposed to last longer..."
"Hate to break it to you, but the moment you faced a Hyuga and experienced the strikes of one, that time was going to run out quick," Ayane told her enemy. "Why do you think the Hyuga Clan is the strongest clan in the Hidden Leaf?"
"I will not die at the hands of inferior ninjas!" Yogenta throws down a flash bomb, stunning the three enough to grant him an escape.
"Even in that state, he has enough energy to run away. Talk about absurd..." Turning towards Hinata, Ayane properly thanks her for helping her out.
"I seem to be getting a lot of praises from the both of you," said a smiling Hinata, Ayane adding how it was due to being a huge help in the fight.
"I apologize for calling you all of a sudden, Naruto. Did I interrupt anything?" Naruto tells Ayane how he was in the middle of eating with the guys and had to finish his meal within ten seconds and haul ass over to help her and Hinata. He then assured the kunoichi that he didn't mind since she was in trouble and that he'd drop everything he was doing to come to her rescue.
"Should we go after Yogenta?"
"AHHHH!" Hearing the Black Spider Ninja's scream, the three run towards the location the scream was coming from. On the ground, Yogenta found himself pierced by three arrows that were made from a gold metallic substance.
"If you were as good as you were at prime form, you would've dodged those shots, Yogenta," said Kidomaru, who was wielding a bow, reading another arrow as it comes out of his own mouth.
"Ki-...Kidomaru...You deserter...You're supposed to be dead..."
"I would have been, but it wasn't my time. However, your time has come," said the ninja known as Kidomaru. Noticing the Sound Village symbol on the six-armed man's forehead protector, he told him, "Orochimaru, huh...So that's how you survived."
"Before I kill you, I have to confess, out of all the ninjas in the clan, I hated you the most." As he pulled the string of his bow back, Kidomaru asked Yogenta if he had any last words, wanting to at least let him say what he wanted to say before he killed him, as a former member of the Black Spider Ninjas.
"Yes...I'll see you...in Hell." With that, Yogenta met his end via an arrow to the head.
"Kidomaru, let's go. We have a mission," said Jirobo. Nodding to his teammate, Kidomaru leaves with him to meet up with the others before Naruto, Hinata, and Ayane arrived and found Yogenta's corpse.
"Looks like someone killed him before we could," said Ayane.
"We should report this to Grandma Tsunade," Naruto adds. "We may have a third party making their way to the Hidden Leaf."
"I'll do that with Hinata. You go back to your guys' night." Asking her if she was sure, Ayane told him she can submit the report for them.
Bar-B-Q
Returning to the barbecue restaurant, Naruto made it in time to see the guys come out the front entrance.
"Oh, Naruto, you're back," said Shikamaru, Naruto apologizing for leaving before explaining the reason why. "Shouldn't you report this to the Hokage?"
"Ayane and Hinata are handling it for me," Naruto adds before asking the guys what they were planning to do next. To his dismay, the guys made the decision to call it a night after eating. "Oh..."
"Maybe next time," said Choji, Lee telling Naruto to have a good night as he and the other guys went their separate ways.
"Just leave to help Ayane for a bit, only to come back and find guys' night over..." Naruto tells himself it was a sacrifice he had to make. Had he not dropped everything, Ayane would've been turned into a human puppet, and Hinata would have been an eyeless corpse.
Naruto's House
"I'm home..." Kureha welcomes Naruto back before asking him if he had dinner yet. "Yeah, I ate with the guys for about ten seconds."
"Would've thought you'd be with them longer."
"Something came up," Naruto told the shrine maiden, explaining what happened to her.
"The Black Spider Ninjas were planning to assassinate Tsunade? Just how vulnerable do they think the Hidden Leaf is?" Naruto tells her while he, Hinata, and Ayane stopped it, they found out another party was making their way to the village, their motives unknown, assuming they were planning to assassinate Tsunade as well. "Their motives aside, I'm glad Ayane and Hinata are okay."
"Yeah. I'm going to call it a night and head to bed now. Ayane may come over and stay." Kureha smiles as she said goodnight to him and that she'd see him in the morning.
The next day
Hidden Leaf Forest
"Are these all the apples you need?" asked Naruto as he and Sakura jumped down to the ground from the tree branch they were on, the girl who requested their help thanking them. Turning towards Naruto, the blushing girl hands him a pink lady apple, telling him it was the largest of the ones he and Sakura collected for her. Sakura took notice of this, looking surprised as her teammate thanked the girl, who hands Sakura a bag full of smaller pink ladies.
"It's for your teammate at the hospital."
"Oh, thank you so much. I'm sure he'll love them," Sakura told the girl, sounding grateful before leaving with Naruto.
"She was very nice to you..."
"I did save her pet from drowning several years back during my birthday," Naruto told his teammate.
"That explains it," said Sakura. "...Out of curiosity, how are we?"
"You still have a long way to go," Naruto quickly responds, Sakura yelling, "Still!?", in a surprised manner.
"Better believe it. You'll get there someday, just not today...You go on and see Sasuke. I'll report to Grandma Tsunade." Sakura looked surprised when Naruto told her she could visit Sasuke right away. After thanking him, she and the blond temporarily went their separate ways.
Hokage's Office
Naruto enters the office, chomping down on the pink lady apple the girl from the mission gave him as Ayane and Tsunade finished their talk regarding the need to up security around the village and the Hokage herself.
"Am I interrupting something?" he asked, Tsunade telling him she and the kunoichi had just finished talking. "Alright. I just got back from helping out one of the villagers in collecting apples with Sakura. She was kind enough to give us some." Following this, he took another bite from the juicy apple as he hands her his written report.
"Thank you, Naruto," said Tsunade. "Do you plan on visiting Sasuke? He should be awake and ready for release by now."
"Yeah, I plan to go visit him at the hospital and have ramen at Ichiraku with him and Sakura. Old Man Teuchi came back today and said he had developed a new ramen recipe and that he'd let me be the first one to try it since he plans to serve it only at night."
"That sounds very delicious," said Tsunade, her interest in the ramen chef's recipe piquing. "I should try it out once my schedule allows me to."
"Ayane, want to come to the hospital with me?" Ayane tells the blond she had plans to meet with Kureha for some "important top-secret mission" she had from the Hayabusa Clan. "You need me to come?"
"Please, Kureha and I are more than capable of handling this mission," she told him, sounding a bit arrogant about it.
"Alright, just be careful okay?" With a smile, Ayane takes Naruto's apple, taking a bite out of it and telling him, "Of course..." before leaving.
"She took my apple..."
"...Is there something going on between the two of you?" Tsunade asked, a suspicious smirk on her face.
"Like what?" asked Naruto, Tsunade telling herself, "Kids these days..."
"The hell is that supposed to mean?"
Konoha Hospital
Sasuke's Room
Upon entering, Naruto noticed a broken plate, along with a few peeled apple slices on the floor before looking up at Sakura and a bed-ridden Sasuke. As Naruto wondered what was going on between them, Sasuke noticed the blond, meeting his gaze with a glare.
"What's with the cold welcome?" asked Naruto.
"Naruto...FIGHT ME!"
"Haaahhhh? You're still recovering. I don't think that's-"
"SHUT UP AND FIGHT ME!" Sasuke demands, startling Sakura. "You think you saved me? I don't care if she's the Fifth Hokage, you shouldn't have let her."
"If you want to be in another coma so bad, I'll gladly knock you out. It'll only take one punch." When asked if it was a threat, Naruto corrects him, saying, "No, it's a courtesy."
"Cut it out you two, please," Sakura told the boys in a calm but panicked manner.
"Perhaps you need another day or two here," said Naruto, turning around to leave. "I should ask the lady at the front desk if she can arrange a-" Naruto stops as he reached the door, catching the cutting knife Sasuke threw at him without even looking.
"...You do not want this fight," The blond warned his teammate, dropping the knife on the floor after. Sasuke tells him he has no say in it and that he'll damn well do what he requests of him. "And if I say no?"
"I'll force you to fight, by any means necessary." Wondering what he meant by the last three words, Naruto sighs before telling him, "Just know I didn't want this."
Roof
Sheets flowed with the wind as Naruto and Sasuke entered the roof, Sakura following them from behind. Stopping, the two faced each other, Naruto telling him once more they shouldn't fight and just go hang out instead until night time and have ramen, like he and Sakura planned.
"Sounds like something a scared person would say for sure," Sasuke said to Naruto, who informs him that the Uchiha didn't scare him at all. "Who are you fooling?"
"Who am I fooling? That's rich coming from the proud remaining member of the Uchiha. Oh, wait, that's not accurate, since your brother Itachi is still alive," Naruto said in a mocking manner, his response angering Sasuke. "Let's get this over with already. First, bring out your headband. I'll wait."
"I don't need it," Sasuke said, Naruto telling him to just put it on. "You won't even be able to put a scratch on my forehead!"
"Who do you think you're fooling?" asked Naruto.
"You never put yours on until not too long ago!"
"That's because I never felt part of the village. This time, it's different," Naruto countered. "Also, the headband is a symbol of two shinobis fighting as equals, no matter what."
"You're making me angry Naruto!"
"I hate to tell you this Sasuke, but you're a fool to think you can beat, let alone kill Itachi as you are now. You're acting too selfish, too arrogant, and too prideful, and it will lead to your death if you don't dial it down. You are NOT ready, and you're too weak to even start Round 2 with Itachi." This was the last straw from Sasuke, who runs at Naruto and throws a right punch at him, who catches it in his left hand, avoiding the Uchiha's cartwheel kick before kicking him to the gate behind him.
Recovering while falling backward, Sasuke plants his feet on the gate and propelled himself towards the blond, who moves to the side to avoid the Uchiha. Sasuke plants his feet on the ground to stop himself, turning counterclockwise and swinging his right foot at Naruto. The blond chunin raises his left arm up to block Sasuke's foot before moving to avoid the Uchiha's second kick. Naruto fights back, striking Sasuke in the throat with a karate chop with his left hand, followed by a right palm heel strike to the Uchiha's right shoulder.
When Sasuke throws a right punch at him, the blond grabs him by his punching arm, lifts him up and slams him onto the floor. The force of the slam makes the Uchiha cough in pain before feeling Naruto kick him with his right foot, his back hitting against the gated fence.
"There's nothing to prove in this fight Sasuke. I don't want to hurt your pride more than I already did," Naruto insists. Sasuke doesn't listen as he spews a fireball from his mouth. Naruto uses a ninpo that surrounds himself with a tornado of water that covers their surroundings with a mist caused by the fireball colliding with it.
Once it clears, Sasuke is met with fifty clones of the blond, the original telling Sasuke to cease fighting. This fell into deaf ears as Sasuke charged at the clones, dispatching 4 of them before being sent flying into the air when three Naruto clones kick him up, a fourth clone appearing above him and performing a spinning heel drop on him. Sasuke turns around to face the clone, blocking the kick in mid-air before kicking it down to the floor below them. Weaving hand signs, Sasuke fires a large fireball down at the clones below, destroying them while the original had up a barrier of chakra around himself, bursting it to destroy the flames before appearing near Sasuke and punching him in the forehead, knocking him down to the floor below. Getting up, Sasuke noticed a small cut on his forehead, small drops of his blood dripping on the stone flooring. Recalling what he told Naruto earlier, Sasuke's anger towards him grew as Naruto lands on the ground.
"Sasuke, just stop!" Sakura begged. "Naruto doesn't want to-"
"No...Not now!" yelled the Uchiha, who runs at Naruto and starts assaulting him with several punches and kicks. Naruto now had on an angry and annoyed expression on his face as he avoids the Uchiha's strikes. Naruto assumes his defensive stance as he absorbed the power of the last strike and struck Sasuke with double the force, knocking him down again.
"Sasuke..."
"I have to beat you...Only then will I hope to further my chances of killing him!"
"Sasuke, if you don't stop, I'll be forced to extend your stay at the hospital. You need to let go. Killing Itachi won't solve anything. It'll only make you feel worse. You'll only end up suffering more than you are at the moment."
"You...You don't understand the feeling!" Sasuke exclaimed. "You never saw anyone you cared about killed! Your parents! Your relatives! You don't understand the pain! You don't understand what it feels like to be the only one left alive! You don't know anything! Until you lose someone you care deeply about, you will never understand!" yelled Sasuke. "Perhaps if I kill that woman you're always hanging with, you'll understand!" Naruto lets out a surge of killing intent when Sasuke threatened to harm Kureha.
"How...dare you..." Naruto said in a calm but furious manner. Through his anger, Naruto forms a Rasengan in his right hand, its color a mix of red and black instead of the usual light blue while Sasuke forms a Chidori in his left, both ninjas preparing to run at each other. As Sakura yells for them to stop, Kakashi appears and throws them at two opposing water towers, their techniques striking them.
"Naruto...That was the Rasengan." Kakashi thought to himself. "Though...why did it have such malicious energy in it? That's not the Nine-Tailed Fox's power, but something else..." As Sasuke lets out a smirk after seeing how much damage his Chidori did, compared to Naruto's Rasengan, the blond looked down in shame, though not because of the damage. He let his anger overcome him, feeling something evil envelop him at that moment. He was intent on killing Sasuke when he formed that Rasengan. Had Kakashi not stopped them...Without saying anything, Naruto disappears as Sasuke leaps off the roof. Landing on another building, upon closer examination, Sasuke, to his shock, found out the true strength of Naruto's technique as he saw the large gaping hole from the back of the water the blond's technique hit.
"...You taught him the Rasengan, huh Jiraiya..." As Kakashi sat on top of the water tower Sasuke's Chidori hit, Jiraiya rests his back against it, arms crossed. "He was intent on killing Sasuke. I could feel the dark power in it, but not the Nine-Tailed Fox's...That was Naruto's own killing intent in that Rasengan. Had that connected, he would've obliterated the left side of Sasuke's body."
"You taught Sasuke the Chidori, and he was intent on killing Naruto," Jiraiya countered. "Unlike the Uchiha, Naruto has his reasons for getting angry. He always does if it's for someone he cares about. Sasuke has no one to get angry for, no one but himself."
"While true, I understand Sasuke's reason for acting that way. He has seen the gap he needs to fill between him and Naruto," Kakashi told the toad sage. "It's one that is far and wide, and it scares him. It seems that meeting Itachi has made him even more anxious, desperate even, to close the gap between the many powers in front of him as soon as possible."
"Jealousy is always a bad sign," said Jiraiya. Kakashi tells him he'll talk to Sasuke. When he was asked if Naruto was going to get a talking to from the toad sage, Jiraiya told him he didn't need to give him a talking to, Naruto being aware of his own actions.
Nighttime
Hokage Rock
Naruto silently sat on top of the Fourth Hokage's stone face as he looked up at the sky, listening to "Burn My Dread -Last Battle- Future Arrange" on his earphones. At least he was. He was too occupied with his mind, replaying the rage he felt when he charged at Sasuke with that Rasengan. The feelings he felt when his own teammate threatened someone he cared about. As he shuts his eyes for a bit, wondering how to handle Sasuke, he sensed the Nine-Tailed Fox's presence inside him, telling him his rage made him stronger, using the fight as an example and agreeing with Sasuke's views. Abruptly opening his eyes, Naruto decides to head towards Ichiraku to try Old Man Teuchi's night-exclusive ramen. Perhaps food would help him clear his head.
Ramen Ichiraku
Entering the restaurant, Naruto is immediately welcomed by Old Man Teuchi and Ayame, who greets them back before noticing Ayane.
"Ayane!?" Turning around, the kunoichi's face turned red, having been caught by Naruto as she prepared to order the ramen Old Man Teuchi perfected, after returning from his "food journey", that he only served at night.
"So you're here to try his new ramen huh?" asked Naruto, Ayane telling him she didn't know what he was talking about. "Come on Ayane, you were there when I was reporting for Grandma Tsunade. You can't tell me that you don't know, or that you're not the least bit interested in what it tastes like."
"...Okay, I was going to order it. It sounded interesting when you said he only served it at night."
"It's strange, though. Old Man Teuchi said he was going to only serve it to me, yet here you are, being allowed to eat it." Ayane looked away when she told him the old man recognized her as the girl his daughter, Ayame, told him about. "That explains it. Mind if I sit with you?"
"Do whatever you want," she told him, sounding annoyed as the blond smiled at her and took a seat on her right. As Naruto sat down, Ayane's heart pounded fast.
"Ramen like the one we're about to have tastes better when you eat it with someone, especially during a time like this when I need to keep my spirits up." When Ayane asked what happened, he told her about his fight at the hospital between him and Sasuke, a fight that had Naruto completely dominating the Uchiha, hurting his teammate's pride.
"...If you don't mind...I can listen to what you have to say while we eat." Naruto thanked Ayane before she said, in a shy manner, "N-No problem..." As Teuchi and his daughter prepared it for them, Naruto gave Ayane the whole rundown of what happened, including the anger he felt towards Sasuke.
"I had every intention to kill him for what he said."
"But you didn't kill him, thanks to your sensei," said Ayane. "...Along with his brother giving him a whooping and the cursed mark on his neck, he's becoming more like me before I met you."
"Yeah...If he keeps this up, he might do something reckless. Like go to that snake Orochimaru for example...And then I'd have to eventually..."
"...I'm not good with advice, Naruto. I've never been, unlike you. I can't say anything that's going to help ease your worries. All I can say is...if he ever falls into darkness. If it's not too late...I know you can find a way to save him from being a bigger asshole than he usually is. After all..." Before she could continue, the kunoichi turns red. "After all..." She wanted to say it. She wanted to tell him he saved her from darkness, but the words never came out.
"What?"
"Sorry, I lost the words I was going to say. I told you I'm not good at this sort of stuff," she told the blond chunin.
"Yeah, you're pretty horrible at it. But I appreciate you trying your best," said a thankful Naruto, just as their ramen arrived. "So how was the important top-secret Hayabusa mission you had with Kureha?" Ayane turned even redder when the blond asked her the question.
"The mission was a lie. Something Kureha made up. She actually wanted to find me some...pretty clothes to wear. She even took pictures of me."
"Oh...Must have been exhausting."
"Yeah...I'm going on a mission after eating. Your Hokage assigned it to me. Apparently a few dangerous ninja have escaped the village's correctional facility. How they managed to get across the volcanic area around it is beyond me." When asked if she could handle it, Ayane told him she could and that he didn't have to worry about her getting hurt. "If it helps to ease your worries, your sensei's helping me."
"Alright...Just as long as you have someone watching your back." Finally eating their ramen, Ayane notes how tasty the noodles were and how well it complemented the ginger chicken broth.
The next day
Naruto's House
4:58 am
"What...did you just say Shikamaru?"
"You heard me. Sasuke has left the village to seek Orochimaru. We need to head out now. I've already called Chouji, Kiba, and Neji. You're the last one." His eyes narrowing, Naruto told him he'd be out in 20 minutes and to wait for him at the gate. "Understood." After taking care of his hygiene and gathering his equipment, Naruto said goodbye to Kureha before leaving, hearing the shrine maiden tell him to be careful.
Village Gate
Arriving, Naruto lets the boys know he arrived before asking Shikamaru if anyone else was coming.
"No, it's just us. Lee would've came, but he's recovering from the surgery he had yesterday," Neji informed the blond.
"I see...Shikamaru, what's the game plan?" Naruto asked his fellow chunin.
"First off, we need a party formation that can instantly react to an assault," Shikamaru explained in a calm and collected manner. "It'll be single-file. For starters, Kiba and Akamaru will be the forward guard. He and his dog have spent all year wandering the Land of Fire, so if anyone knows the terrain, it's them. With their great sense of smell, we can track Sasuke's scent. He can even detect and disarm booby traps.
"Wow, I guess Kiba's taking the lead in something after all," Choji jokes, annoying Kiba.
"Guys, focus," said Naruto.
"I'll come second. Whatever the situation, I can respond by ordering Kiba directly from behind. I can also use hand signals to communicate with the rest of you. Next is Naruto. You're very well-rounded in combat, meaning you can support either the front or back as need be. Fourth is Choji. You can strike just as hard as Naruto. Once Naruto, Kiba, and I launch a surprise attack, Choji takes the stage and clobbers the enemy. Finally, there's Neji. The rearguard is the toughest job of all. His Byakugan can ensure that our squad has no blind spots. Any questions?" Everyone, except Naruto, smiles, in agreement, the blond nodding yes to agree with them.
"Okay, now before you go, let me tell you the most important thing. I don't like Sasuke a lot, seeing as how I don't consider him a friend and all. But, like us, he's a ninja of the Hidden Leaf. Our comrade. Thus, I will stake my life to rescue him. Beyond that, even I can't complain, when all your lives have been entrusted to me."
"Well said Shikamaru," said Naruto. "We should head out before-"
"WAIT!" Turning around, the boys find Sakura approaching them. Approaching her, Naruto stops in front of her, nodding his head no as he puts his right hand forward in a stopping manner, letting her know she couldn't come.
"Shikamaru told me what you did. How you tried to stop him from leaving. Your role has ended. Our only recourse is to persuade him by force," Naruto informed his teammate. This results in Sakura breaking down in tears.
"I...I couldn't do it! I couldn't stop him...Naruto...I understand you never liked having me and Sasuke as teammates. We've never been the best comrades for you...And I've never asked anything of you...But...Just this once...I beg of you, please bring Sasuke back...Only you can do it...Please...I can't ask anyone else..."
"Yeah, we've never been buddies...and even now, we're just managing to be buddies. But...regardless of how you saw and treated me before, I'm not willing to ignore you if you need help, regardless of how I feel..I can't promise you I can bring him back, but...no matter how long it takes, I'll try my damndest."
"Thank you, Naruto...Thank you..."
"Don't take this as me doing this out of friendship. I'm doing it because if he goes to Orochimaru and ends up becoming a bigger asshole, I'll have to kill him." Turning back to face the guys, he told them they should get a move on, unaware of the enemies they were going to face.
"He can never be honest, can he?" Shikamaru thought with a smile. "Can't you just say you'll do your best and let it be the end of it?" From atop a tall tree, the white-haired woman with the floating magical orb watched over them.
"Good luck, Naruto Uzumaki." Feeling her presence, Naruto turned his attention towards the tree, seeing no one.
"Naruto, you doing okay?" asked Choji.
"Yeah...I just had a strange feeling that someone was watching me...let's continue."
ED1: Self-Inflicted Achromatic (自傷無色)(Cover) by Raon Lee
Alright, next 2 to 3, maybe 4 chapters will focus on the Sasuke Retrieval Arc, followed by an epilogue which will have Naruto leaving Konoha, making him part of a bigger universe. From there, Part II will commence, closing the door on Part I.
As stated somewhere, Part II will be filler and main stories mixed into one. There'll be chapters involving Narut's allies, chapters where Naruto has some adventures at Tokyo U, and chapters where things get difficult, maybe even heartbreaking for Naruto, heading towards a dark path maybe.
Naruto's time in Japan and so on will be based on Persona 5 The Royal gameplay, with a certain vampire replacing Ayane as the female companion. A sword-wielding bluenette will also make an appearance in Part II, as well as make a short appearance in Part III. REMEMBER, alternate universes.
The power Naruto used for his Rasengan is something from a video game. By now you may already know it, given the hints and pieces.
Between Konoha and the Hidden Leaf, it's difficult to choose which to type. Usually, I do the Hidden Leaf, but should I type Konoha more?
Viola has made a second cameo. Regarding her, she's always watching Naruto, observing him out of curiosity for reasons only she knows. Her next appearance is unknown at the moment.
Yes, Kidomaru is a former member of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. The opportunity presented itself, and I took it.
Kureha being in Konoha means a lot to Naruto, and having her around is helping Naruto in a way, given her importance in the future.
About Naruto feeling hurt and angry over Sasuke's threat against Kureha, it's because deep down, Naruto considers him a friend, he just can't say it or admit that he sees the Uchiha as a friend. Plus, if you ever heard your friend say those things to you, it'd not only be a shock, but you'd feel betrayed and hurt by it, even angry.
If Naruto is angry as he is, he always does it for a reason, mainly because someone he cares about is being threatened, or because he feels hurt. There's more but I think we get the picture. Remember, if he's angry, he's angry for someone he cares about.