AUTHOR NOTE: HOPE EVERYONE ELSE HAD A GOOD CHRISTMAS.
AS FOR ME, I GOT A "GIFT" I DID NOT LIKE: FOUND OUT SOME ASSHOLE, "DATSUZOKO", ON YOUTUBE STOLE THIS STORY AND POSTED IT ON THEIR CHANNEL WITHOUT MY KNOWLEDGE OR PERMISSION!
ht tps /m. youtube. com /watch?v=9ObTtfybi2Mt=2908s
At their leader's declaration of picking up the gauntlet that the robot had thrown down, the lady of the group made her way over to her race car.
"So...mind if I know who you guys are? Not your team name, but individually. Who are you all?" the Uzumaki asked her. Since she seemed the most reasonable of the bunch, st least so far, he felt she'd give him the clearest answers.
"My name is Dawn." she introduced, looking over her shoulder and smiling slightly at realizing what he wanted to know, "teammates are Hector and Paul. And of course, you already know our team leader, Sam "Speed King" Fair..."
"Naruto. Naruto Uzumaki." he introduced himself in return, "Although...this thing I'm currently in is called, and I kid you not, the Hyper Metal Sonic Model Mark Omega. Most just stick with calling it "Metal Sonic" or just "Metal"...less of a mouthful." Naruto said, flicking a steal claw against the side of the head of the body he was using, resulting in a slight metallic clang. Turning around, the woman, Dawn, stared at him. "Long story...and missing quite a few pages of it myself. Please, just roll with it for now." the former human told her. It dampened his mood how he had no clues about what had actually happened to him that lead to his being stuck in this steel coffin of a body.
She stared a moment longer, then winced. "...Right..." she nodded, then she got on her radio. "Hey. This is Dawn. Get the owner of Twinkle Park. Usual deal..." she said into it.
"Sam in one of his moods again, huh?" the person on the other end said, sounding exasperated.
"AGAIN?! Seems this clown you're paid to listen to is so speed obsessed, the G-forces from how fast he likes to go splattered what little brains he ever even had if you ask me..." Naruto said hearing that, wishing he could sigh. Dawn stopped and looked at the metallic ninja.
"You have no idea just how many people have said that. Still, he's good at his job as long as his competitive streak doesn't get in the way; that's what matters to the ones who make the decisions around here." she groaned.
"...Good to go, Dawn..." the person on the other end of the radio signal said. "But people are getting sick of their tax money going to sending Sam to an amusement park because of his Speed–lust..."
"Ten-Four..." Dawn winced. Well, that news was just peachy! She shot Naruto a despite, pleading look. They NEEDED to get back to work!
In response, Naruto nodded wordlessly to her. He got the message. If Sam's competitive streak was in the way (and, from what Naruto could figure this had happened before), then if he was going to do this, he had gotta go fast!
"Just lead the way." the former blonde said, as he turned to look at Sam's F1 car. The other three members of this squad were counting on him to more or less rescue them from their idiot leader! And with these guys involved in public safety, if they wasted time, people could possibly get hurt in the meantime.
Was it paranoia on his part to think that way? Perhaps. But as a shinobi, one always had to be prepared for the worst case scenario. Hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst as a just in case; as it were.
'So, Voice. Any input? What are we working with here against this speed junkie?' Naruto asked. It surprised him that he was already getting accustomed to the insight he got from the voice in his head. Long-winded technical terms aside, the other monotone, personality–deprived voice had done nothing but assist him and provided vital facts and otherwise means of supporting him.
Although, he supposed that was natural. Naruto still remembered how that scarred-up tokubetsu jōnin who was the commanding officer of the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force, Ibiki Morino, pointed out how reliable information was vital for the work of a ninja.
[Scanning...vehicle has acceleration from 0 – 60mph in just 2.6 seconds and clock up to 360kmph or 223.6mph. High speed achieved by carefully engineered aerodynamics. Scans also reveal modifications to permit high-performance acceleration chemical compound. Up to over 500 km/h to avoid excess heat buildup surpassing tensile limitations of component materials and resulting combustion of vehicle.]
'So...all in all, top speed of...860 or so? That's it unless he wants to blow himself up and die in a fireball?'
[Affirmative.]
'You almost sound disappointed that that's his top speed, Voice. This WAS your idea, after all.'
He didn't get an answer to that, but Naruto had the distinct impression Voice knew that.
[Comparably: For sustained runs, Sonic clocks in at 767 mph. This Unit is capable of the Mach 5 speed of 3836.35 mph.] Voice said, moving on with answering Naruto's original question.
Naruto would have widened his eyes if his face could emote at that. DAMN! That wasn't even close! So that race car was only slightly faster than Maurice's casual, sustained pace; but if he went all out, Naruto could completely smoke this guy.'Got it.' the Uzumaki informed.
Sam smirked at that and got back in his car, "Follow me then, hedgehog. and try to keep up!" he said before peeling out and driving off.
As he did, everyone else sighed and went after him. Dawn on Naruto's right, Paul on his left, and Hector behind him as if they were some kind of honor guard or something.
In no time at all, the four arrived and Naruto looked at the place.
The amusement park know as Twinkle Park was truly a sight to behold for most people. One of if not the biggest one in the whole world, the place had just about everything that a person could want.
There were tons of rides ranging from the classic teacup spinners and tunnel of love to supercoasters that would make even the toughest scream their lungs out. Game stalls were everywhere, loaded with prizes just waiting to be won, with just as many food stands to match, serving hotdogs, corndogs, candy, desserts, all the good old stuff.
They even had a castle for crying out loud!
And then there were the people. Parents watching their children play, couples looking for romance, mascots trying to promote their brand, teenagers acting daring. All of this creating a festive air of fun which sucked you in before you knew what happened.
Looking around, Naruto made a mental note that Cream might have fun here. But spotting Sam waiting at one of the attractions, it was clearly a race course, so he put everything else on the back burner.
Twinkle Circuit was a large high tech race track, fully enclosed with padded safety barriers and arrays of lights that ensured the whole thing was shining bright even late into the night. There were many twists, turns, and even a few jumps and raised platforms that ensured that even the best drivers would find a challenge navigating the course.
"This is the place, huh? What are the rules?" Naruto asked, crouching down and leaning forward in a starting position, shuffling his legs with a quick jerk back and forth with the sound of a cocking shotgun.
Sam grinned from his car. "This place is three laps on the inside of this loop."
"Sure. Why not? We'll both be going fast enough to where those will pass by like nothing, anyways. But I won't be holding back; and if, at any point, you decide you don't want to race anymore, you lose. Of course...gas and tires are an issue for you, so if you want me to wait for ya during your pit stops..." Naruto said, letting himself trail off so Sam got the point.
Sam tensed at that. The idea that someone who could beat him and had to actually volunteer to wait for him to catch up was clearly something that he saw an insult. "In that case...No tires, just gas!" Sam declared, shocking everyone on his team present.
"All gas-and-go's, eh? Figures he's so fixated on speed that he'd go for short-term gain, but long-term loss." Naruto shook his head.
Sam would have retorted to that, but before he could, the starting lights started to flash.
"On your marks..."
Sam revved his engine while Naruto simply stood in his spot.
"Get set..."
Exhaust flew from the back of the racer cop's car, ready to take off at any second. Naruto simply crossed his arms with a shake of his head.
"GO!"
'I'm gonna beat him this time!' Sam thought with a manic grin, freeing the break and hitting the gas, his car zoomig down the track at top speed. "Eat my dust Hedge-"
"...Aaaaaaannnnd...done!" Naruto said, causing Sam to slam on the breaks of his car and jerk the wheel, if not for his skill and experience with the vehicle, he would have gone tumbling and wrecked. Sam gawked as Naruto was suddenly behind him, leaning against the railing, his metalic hide illuminated by the lights of the flashing checkered line that declared his victory.
"What in the?!" the man yelped.
"Like I said, Sammy: Not holding back. And if you want proof, well..." Naruto pointed at the track, causing Sam to jump out of his racer and look down. His eyes widened at what he saw.
"Wha–! Those are–!" Sam stared. Burnout skid marks...from acceleration. He knew them well, after all; they were left if a car engine provided more power than the tire could transmit. or in this case, as there was a single line, it was clear that Naruto's acceleration had made it!
"DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMN!" Sam swore at the top of his lungs, fists clenching the steering wheel so tightly that his grip was starting to warp the frame, "Dammit! How!? How is he so fast!?"
The race had been over almost as soon as it had started, with it taking Naruto not even half a minute to complete all three laps aroud the track.
"Well...Time for you guys to get back to work. But first...my compensation for the race?" the Uzumaki pointed out to the police force race team.
"I DEMAND A REMATCH!"
"Sam! Enough!" Paul snapped, "We shouldn't have even come here while on the clock. But you raced and you lost. Just move on and we need to cut out this nonsense! We all know you're a proud guy and that you're in love with speed, but you're putting that ahead of everything! AGAIN!"
" 'Good at his job as long as his competitive streak doesn't get in the way', huh. Surprised that this guy can keep a job if this is the case..." Naruto said. "Definitely classifying this guy as an idiot..." he shook his head. "So, that shop I need to get to? Not much more hours left in the day, after all."
Dawn and Paul looked relieved at that, while Hector gave Naruto an odd expression. One Naruto didn't like. But he put it on the back burner. He still had things to do.
"No problem. We did promise to compensate you for this." Paul nodded, moving to leave.
"Waut...compensation? What in? Where is that supposed to come from?!"
"Easy...coming out of your paycheck." Dawn said, causing Sam's jaw to drop. Then she turned to Naruto, "Follow us. You know what you need and where to take it?"
The Uzumaki nodded, he just needed to write it all-
[Statement: List of materials sent to subject Sam's personal message device.] Voice stated just as Sam checked his ringing cellphone.
'Thanks Voice, that makes things much easier'.
[Affirmation: It does.]
'I hear you.Take a break, Voice. I appreciate and value the input and insight you give, but I got this from here.'
[Affirmative. Gratitude acknowledged.] Voice said, then went quiet.
"Get all of that and meet me at the address when you're done." Naruto said to the pouting racer before zipping away.
"Ugh, great, this is just..." Sam muttered, then pulled out his phone and looked it over. "Huh? Wait a second- Wha–?! HEY! THAT'S MY SISTER'S PLACE!" Sam yelled.
SISTER?!
Naruto skid to a stop and backtracked all the way back to the group of high-speed police.
'...Oh boy...THIS has trouble all over it...'Naruto thought before Sam grabbed him by where his neck would be if he still had one. "What. happened?!"
"...Minor structural damage? Look, just get the stuff and meet me there so it can get fixed up, ok?"
Sam, teeth clenched, nodded and set the blue robot down before he got into his racer and sped off, Naruto and the others following.
After one quick shopping session at a home materials store, the five made there way to to place of residents that Sam's relatives called home.
And upon seeing it's state, the man was NOT happy at all!
"YOU CALL THAT MINOR!?"
Stopping in front of the Thorndyke Mansion and jumping out of his vehicle, Sam's expression was of panic and fury, then he reached into his car's glove compartment and pulled out...
Naruto stared. A duck call?! what in the heck was that for?!
Putting it to his mouth, the debunked "Speed King" blew into it as loud as possible.
A second later after the quack sound rang out, Chuck burst from the home, utterly livid. "I! AM! NOT! A! QUACK!"
"Chuck..." Sam said evenly, clearly this had happened before.
Panting through clenched and bared teeth, the old man turned to the racer and blinked in surprise. "Sam...? What are...?"
"Still hate duck calls, eh?" Sam said dryly, though the man was fighting a smirk. Then in an instant, he turned serious, "What happened here?!"
At that, Chuck calmed down and, from his expression, it was clear the old scientist was doing some quick thinking, "Take what happened here up with that Dr. Eggman character." Chuck said at last, "As you might imagine, those robots he builds aren't cheap, and Nelson is a big-wig CEO of a software company, so..."
"Money and parts, eh? So he attacked my family's house." Sam's fists clenched so hard Naruto was shocked he didn't punch a hole straight through his hands.
The older man nodded. "Everyone's unhurt, though."
At that news from his father-in-law, the leader of the Speed Team noticeably deflated in sheer relief. "...Thank God..." he sighed, then turned to Naruto, "So THAT'S what you meant when you said the place was busted up."
"And why I lacked a wallet for the stuff to fix it." The Uzumaki nodded.
"That fatass is lucky nobody's hurt. Mess with my family...! Don't care how damn outmatched I am, would've killed him if anything happened to anyone here...!" the Speed Team leader muttered, eyes blazing.
"What do you say to a few laps until you've burned off that aggression, then coming back to help with fixing the place up afterwards; and we keep all this our little secret? Doubtful the idea of some madman being after them would sit well with the rest of the family. No need to worry anyone, and I do have more than just speed on my side, even if my body's weapon systems are currently off." Naruto pointed out.
"Wait...weapon systems?!" Sam yelped, "What do you mean by weapon systems?!"
"Like I TRIED telling you before: I'm NOT the hedgehog you're looking for." the Uzumaki informed, his exasperation evident even through his voice synthesizer, "Just look like him."
"So...High speed combat robot made to help serve as protection for Sam's family and the others here, eh? Guessing that the news showing that blue hedgehog that outran us was enemies with the guy when he took out that hulking, dome-headed, missile-handed robot was where Chuck got the idea for the design?" Paul nodded.
"That's not what you said before." Dawn muttered as she frowned at the Uzumaki.
"Hey, I know; but it's the guy's family. No reason to have him do something reckless when I could give him peace of mind, right?" Naruto pointed out to her, gesturing at Sam for extra emphasis. Good thing Sam had poor listening skills.
Dawn stared. Then she nodded. She got the point. As long as his family was safe, Sam wouldn't care WHAT the actual story was and it would also keep him from doing something that would get him killed. "...Thanks..."
"Hmmm...got one of those mountable, revolving lights? That, and the radio signal you guys use so I know what's up. Give me those and we can call this even. I might not know how I got in this body, but IDO know that it has a lot of potential for doing good. Wanna accomplish something positive with it." Naruto said and explained.
At that, she blinked, then Dawn smiled and shook her head at his reasoning. "I see...Well, consider yourself an unofficial Speed Team member, then, Naruto." Pulling out a pad of paper and a pen from her car, she wrote something down on it, then rummaged through her vehicle and pulled out the light before passing both to the primarily blue robot.
That done, the law enforcement group got back in their F1 cars and sped off.
"...How did you...?" Chuck asked, turning to Naruto once they were gone.
"Speedy wanted to race and is stubborn as a mule." The robotic blonde said, trying to place the light on top of his head between the facsimile ears of his body. Sheesh...he was going to need a mirror, then set it down. "Now, if you'll excuse me, got work to do. First the house, then the yard."
Turning to the materials, 'Hmmm, now how am I gonna get this all done?' Naruto wondered to himself as he began unloading everything. 'Should probably start with the outerwalling, get the support beams set up and-'
"Wow, where'd you get all this stuff?" Amy asked as she came up upon Naruto as he finished unloading and sorting all the various building materials he needed for fixing up the manor.
"I won a bet then went and did a little shopping, curtesy of Chris's uncle." The boy turned bot stated with a shrug while double checking a stack of bricks in case any of them had cracked during transport.
"Oh man, lucky you, I would love to go shopping," A sigh escaped the pink hedgehog's lips as she leaned agaisnt a pile of two by fours, careful not to bump her bandaged arm. She couldn't help but frown while picking at the hem of her dress with her good hand. "I've been stuck wearing the same clothes for days. I know I love Honey Brand Clothing and Accessories, especially the "Dream-Casters" outfit, but..."
"Can't just walk in a store around here because everyone starts freaking out." Naruto finished for Amy as she nodded with another sigh.
'So...how to do this?' he wondered.
[Inquiry: Suggestion: Activate Quick Assembly Mode?]
'Hey Voice. Enjoy the break?'
[Affirmative.]
'Glad to hear that...and you were saying? The name is pretty self explanatory, but please explain what that is and why I have it. Context being as important as it is.'
[Understood. Accessing: Displaying Data.] Several pop ups filled Naruto's vision, each displaying either various base layouts in a variety of different locations or robots in the process of constricting said bases. [Quick Assembly Mode is a setting programmed into all Units of the Eggman Empire: Primary Purpose: Effecient construction of required bases.]
'Okay, and that extends to fixing houses as well?' The former blonde asked, his head tilting to the side as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
[Confirmation: Correct: Reconstruction of local structures in programming: Reasoning: Potential need for subterfuge.]
'Ah, hiding in plain sight, that makes sense,' Naruto thought with a nod. 'Alright then, Voice, let's see what we can do with it. Turn on this Quick Assembly Mode.'
[Processing: Action Confirmed: Initiating Protocal QAM 2.0.52]
Barely a second after these words were spoken did several tendrils of what looked like liquid metal shoot from the robotic hedgehog's arms. Spreading across the area, they quickly made their way to the pile of building stuff, swooping it all up at once.Then, in just a few moments, the tendrils had moved over to the collapsed part of the mansion. Some moved rubble, others lifted the still intact sections back into alignment, and the rest were setting up all the needed parts in place."Well, definitely lives up to the name." Naruto couldnt help but say with an impressed whistle, or the best he could manage considering his lack of mouth, as he watched hours of work getting done in just a few seconds.
'Impressive, Voice. Even if he did it,Ogilvie Maurice would have needed to constantly stop and go. So safe to say, we're the more efficient ones.' Naruto praised.
[Afermitive.] Voice gave Naruto the impression of sounded pleased again at that.
'And you know? Between the both of us, Voice; I say we keep this momentum going.' the Uzumaki stated.
[Elaborate?]
'Well, like I told Dawn: this body has a lot of untapped potential for doing good. I mean, it has all of Maurice's power and abilities, not to mention things he CAN'T do. All the other Metal Sonics whose data I'm loaded with were made to focus on killing Maurice because that doctor wouldn't let them think of anything else because of the doc's OWN tunnel vision obsession with wanting the hedgehog dead. That tunnel vision was what made them fail. If a straight up fight never works, then beat him another way and OUTDO HIM.'
[...Processing...] Voice said, then went quiet again. doubtlessly mulling over Naruto's point.
As that happened, Naruto looked over the restored building. All that work done in seconds and completely flawless. All that was left was the paint.
Noting that, he picked up a brush and a few paint cans and got ready to get to work.
"Hello, mister Naruto," But as he started, he heard Cream and glanced over his shoulder to find her standing next to him with a brush in hand. "Do you need any help?"
"Not really, I got this covered," The robotic teen said with a shrug.
"Oh..." Rather than being happy to get out of work though, the bunny girl pouted, her face drooping as she turned to leave.
"...But I guess an extra hand wouldn't hurt either." At least until Naruto said that anyway. In the blink of an eye, Cream perked right back up and gave the former blonde a hug before eagery dipping her brush in paint. 'Odd girl. But nice. Must just like helping.' he decided.
"So, where are you from, Mister Naruto?" the rabbit asked.
"Oh, Konoha. But guess you never heard of it."
Cream shook her head, "I'm sorry I haven't. What's it like there?"
At the question, he would have smiled if he had lips. "Well, if you want to hear it, I'll be happy to tell you." he said as the two painted, Naruto telling her everything about his home as they worked.
"...And then there was the Hokage Monument, where the village leaders were-"
"Uh... hey Naruto," Naruto was broken out of his musing by the familiar voice of a certain princess, making him frown internally as he snapped his gaze to the side. Sure enough, Sally was standing beside him, a surprised and curious look on her face as she stared at the wall he'd been repainting. "What is that?"
"A wall, obviously." He stated dryly, shaking his head as he went back to his work... only to drop his brush in shock when he saw a near perfect mural of Konoha painted onto the once plain white wall.'Wh...wh...What the...?! Voice, did... did I do this?!'
[Affirmative]
'But how?! I wasn't even paying attention...!'
[Inquiry: Conscioness was otherwise preoccupied: Autopilot engaged: Reference image drawn from recently accessed memory files.]
Naruto stared at the mural of Konoha that he had inadvertently made for a moment, then reached down and picked up the paint bucket. However, before he could move to rise as he prepared to put paint over the image of how his home had looked prior to the assault by Pein, a hand grasped his arm just under the wrist joint.
He looked up to see Sally with a clear look of concern aimed at him on her face as she held the limb, "...Naruto...? You ok...?" she asked. Was it her imagination, or was he trembling? As much as she knew he was still upset with her, it was obvious that he was bothered by this.
"Fine. Just...just need to remember not to let my mind wander..." the mechanized Uzumaki said.
Looking at the image he had crafted, Sally fought a wince, "Wander, eh? I can tell where to..." she took a deep breath and let it out after a moment to steady herself. "Put the paint down, you're coming with me...need to talk..."
"And why should I do anything like that with you?" he snapped at her, his voice cold and distrustful.
"...Because I know what it's like to love and miss my home, too. Especially the ones from there." the red-haired chipmunk said, causing Naruto to go still. After a few tense moments, he slowly let go of the handle of the paint can he had intended to use to splash over and cover the image he had made.
"...Ok..."
