The Ultimate Ninja

by The Dark Hood

No chakra. No Kurama. Only school. And Ultimates. Now stuck in a new dimension, Naruto finds himself entangled in an intricate game between hope and despair. What role will the Uzumaki play in this destructive scheme? Only time will tell.

62. Confessions

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Danganronpa.

---

Chapter 60:
Confessions

It was hard for Mikan to not feel ticked off as she watched Junko chat excitedly with Naruto about her modeling career. She wasn't sure if Naruto was actually curious, or was just being nice and entertaining the blonde girl. Regardless, he was listening pretty attentively to the blonde, much to Mikan's displeasure.

Their serious conversation from earlier was seemingly forgotten, and everything had returned to normal. Mikan and the others were all still catching their breath from having performed for the first time and in front of such a huge audience. In all honesty, it had all gone better than expected. Even Peko's stage fright, which had been a massive problem during practice, had disappeared when she was performing for real.

Kotoko was on cloud nine because of their success. She was squealing nonstop while the other kids tried to stop her from causing more of a ruckus.

"We definitely have this in the bag!" she said through her squeals.

"We don't even know how the student council is grading the classes," Nagisa pointed out.

Kotoko ignored him, too excited to care about his objection.

Mikan would be right there with her, especially since Nagito had recuperated enough to stand thanks to her efforts. The Ultimate Lucky Student had thanked her for "saving him," not bothered by his momentary loss of consciousness because apparently he had been able to see his dead dog again while knocked out.

Mikan hadn't known what to say to that. It wasn't what people usually told her after she helped them, that's for sure.

The Ultimate Nurse just chalked it up to Nagito being weird again and didn't dwell on it.

No, her mind was more preoccupied with the fact that Junko had hugged Naruto. It had been….intimate, to say the least. On the surface, it looked like a mere hug, but there was more to it than that. She could feel it.

Mikan didn't like it. Not one bit. It was already grating enough that Sonia and Mahiru had feelings for Naruto. They were her friends, and Mikan was able to balance their friendship with her feelings. It helped keep her jealousy in line. But now this random…..bitch was getting chummy with him too? In front of her?

No, Mikan was not pleased. Not at all. Something in her wanted to hurt Junko for this. The blonde had overstepped her bounds, and Mikan didn't appreciate that.

Still, she did her best to hide her anger. She had to. She didn't want to ruin the moment. After working so hard, they had managed to come together and do something incredible again. Mikan didn't want to be the reason for the wonderful atmosphere to disappear.

Others, like Hiyoko and Kazuichi, had been more open with their displeasure. Kazuichi's was obvious. He had gone off on a rant about prophecies and harems while Teruteru tried to console him, but Mikan had tuned him out. Like Nagito, Kazuichi tended to ramble a lot about things she didn't understand.

Hiyoko was a more interesting case, but Mikan doubted that there was anything romantic there.

…right?

Could Hiyoko also be interested in Naruto?

Mikan glared at the floor in thought.

And she thought about it more.

And more.

And then some more again.

Hmm.

Oh yeah.

All of this was giving her a headache.

Perhaps Mikan was being a bit more snarky with her thoughts than usual. She wasn't one to anger quickly, but after Akane had interrupted her best chance thus far to be with the one she loved, she had been feeling rather tense and pent up. She had been doing her best to keep up appearances when everyone else was around, and it helped that for all these weeks they had been busy prepping for the school festival to keep her mind away from her….urges.

Seeing someone like Junko hug Naruto just made her frustrations bubble up to the surface, threatening to spill out. It also didn't help that during the play Mikan had spotted Sato seated front row watching them. Sato's face was now a constant reminder that Naruto's life had been in danger, possibly resulting in the loss of the person who mattered the most to her.

And Mikan wouldn't have been able to do anything about it.

"Forgiveness" was the last thing on Mikan's mind when she thought about Sato. She knew it wasn't what Naruto wanted of her, but that didn't stop Mikan from feeling spiteful toward Mahiru's best friend. Her anger wouldn't disappear just because Sato felt remorse.

Really, after all this, Mikan was just happy that her self control was holding. She had half a mind to inflict terrible amounts of pain to both Sato and Junko for getting in her way.

'Stop it.'

Mikan knew she shouldn't be thinking like this. Naruto wouldn't approve. Besides, she was just frustrated. She was going to have to blow off some steam later when she was finally alone.

"You're glaring."

Mikan squeaked as Fuyuhiko's voice suddenly rang out next to her.

The Ultimate Nurse felt her heart beat rapidly within her chest as she tried to calm herself.

Fuyuhiko smirked at her. Somehow, he had gotten next to her without her having noticed him.

"Lost in thought, huh."

"T-That's not funny….!" Mikan half-pouted half-exclaimed as she looked at the yakuza heir. "I didn't hear you coming at all."

Fuyuhiko shrugged. "That's probably cuz you were too busy glaring at Enoshima."

The blonde had introduced herself to the others earlier, before the play had started. Teruteru had been over the moon and thanked Naruto for bringing such a "goddess" to the school. It made Mikan scared that Naruto might see Junko as more attractive just because she was a model and Mikan wasn't.

So what if Junko had big boobs? Mikan had big boobs too!

"I can only imagine what you're thinking right now," Fuyuhiko said with a shake of his head, "but I'm not going to. I'm just going to take a random guess here and say that our resident idiot has something to do with it."

Mikan eyed Fuyuhiko, somewhat embarrassingly. "W-What do you know?"

The Ultimate Yakuza was not amused. "More than I care to, but at this point it's kind of obvious. You two are just a horny bunch, aren't you?"

Mikan's face lit up. Her worst fears had come true.

"N-Naruto-san told you?" Her voice was now hushed. She didn't want Kazuichi or Teruteru getting wind of this. That would be too much for her.

Mikan missed Ibuki's curious stare aimed their way.

"Somewhat." Fuyuhiko scowled, his eyes boring into her. "I was going to give you a lecture, but that would have been fucking awkward. Seeing you with a glare made me change my mind."

Oh.

How embarrassing!

Mikan wanted to crawl into a hole and bury herself alive. Akane was one thing. The Ultimate Gymnast was clueless about stuff like this, but now Fuyuhiko knew that she and Naruto had almost had sex? A part of Mikan hoped that this was just a dream.

She shouldn't be that surprised, though. Fuyuhiko and Naruto were probably the "bestest" friends in the class. Peko seemed to think so anyway. It wasn't out of the ordinary for them to share stuff with one another.

Embarrassment aside, Mikan was kind of curious to know what Naruto had said about their….moment together. Was it good? Did he regret it? He hadn't acted negatively toward her at all since then, so she doubted that. Although that small voice in the back of her head started creeping up again, reminding her that there was no way someone like Naruto would ever think that she was appealing enough to share an intimate moment with like that. She had no evidence to prove her voice right, but that's why they called it "insecurities."

There was something else that caught her attention.

"M-My glare changed your mind?"

Fuyuhiko nodded. "Yeah. Like I said, I have no idea what you're thinking right now, but don't let it get to you. The idiot isn't interested in Enoshima."

Mikan's eyes widened at this. "How can you say that….?"

She needed to know why Fuyuhiko was confident about that, but also how he was able to read her mind so easily.

"He's been thinking constantly about you and the idiot princess all this time. He's trying to understand his feelings before he crosses any lines, and he's being serious about it too. Probably the most serious I've seen him other than when he's talking about ramen. I swear, he's got an addiction."

Mikan ignored that last part. Her face brightened at the thought of Naruto putting in so much thought about her feelings.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. He doesn't want to hurt either of you." Fuyuhiko ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Of course, he's got other fucking problems too. Stupid ones in my opinion, but that's something he's going to have to tell you when he's ready. Point is, he feels something about you too. You can bet on that. A random broad like Enoshima isn't going to change that."

Wow. Mikan never suspected that Fuyuhiko of all people would be the one to comfort her like this.

It was….nice.

"W-Why are you telling me this?" Mikan mumbled, unsure of what to make of it.

Fuyuhiko rolled his eyes at the question. "Why not?"

That sounded like such a Naruto-response that Mikan almost giggled. At the very least it made her heart feel more at ease. If Fuyuhiko was telling her this, then it had to be true. Mikan had no reason to doubt him.

"Don't let Sonia beat you without a fight." Fuyuhiko started to walk off to where Peko was resting. The play had mentally drained her. "You'll regret it."

Mikan blushed while fidgeting in place. Was Fuyuhiko endorsing her? If Naruto's best friend was supporting her, then did she have a chance to win against someone as beautiful as Sonia? It's something she tried avoiding thinking about, and it wasn't easy. Sonia carried herself with the same confidence that Naruto had. It made sense that the two of them would make a great couple. It was similar with Mahiru. She was able to reign Naruto in and keep him grounded. They complimented each other well. Plus, she possessed her own beauty too which Mikan could not deny.

But no. Maybe it was due to her frustrations, but she had started to become more honest with herself. She didn't want to lose against either Sonia or Mahiru. Not in this.

Mikan once again missed Ibuki's eyes on her.

---

"Alright, everyone. I think we've stayed around here long enough."

Chisa clapped her hands to grab her kids', and Junko's, attention. The gym was practically empty now, save for them. The excitement from earlier had died down, and the rest of the school festival was still ongoing. There was no reason to hang around here anymore.

"We want to have some fun today too, don't we?"

They had a whole festival to explore.

"Man, I can't believe we have another show to do," Kazuichi grumbled with his shoulders slumped. "I already feel tired."

Chiaki rubbed her eyes. "Tell me about it. My legs feel weak. I'm not used to this much exercise."

This was exercising?

"It's show biz!" Ibuki declared with enthusiasm that no one else could match right now. "You guys have to build up those bodies if this is enough to make you weak."

Akane groaned, slumped against the wall like Naruto was. "I don't like feeling tired, you know? Working hard is such a pain."

Nekomaru grunted. "You shame other athletes when you talk like that, Owari. Exhaustion after accomplishing a worthy task is a reward. Something to look forward to. SHOW SOME WILLPOWER!"

Nekomaru's encouraging words were seemingly lost on the Ultimate Gymnast, but she was too tired to have any meaningful retort right now.

"We gotta show some guts, guys!" Naruto said as he stood back up, looking as determined as Nekomaru. "We can't let those guys in 77-A think that they have a chance to beat us!"

"It sounds like a fucking playground rivalry to me," Fuyuhiko said with a shake of his head.

"You know you want them to lose too!"

Fuyuhiko was a bit annoyed that he couldn't deny that.

"Regardless of the outcome, I still think you guys should feel proud of yourselves." Chisa smiled while shooting them a thumbs up. "That was an amazing job. Everyone in the audience could sense what you wanted to get across. Your sensei almost teared up."

"What does that mean?" Hiyoko tapped her cheek in thought. "We wanted to tell them something?"

She hadn't thought about that at all!

"Someone's not being very honest right now," Kazuichi teased.

He then yelped when Hiyoko raised her arm, ready to throw one of the props at him.

"Easy, easy! I'm only joking!" The Ultimate Mechanic tried to hide being the smiling Nagito.

"Your jokes are never funny, you loser virgin!"

"You gotta stop bringing that up!" Kazuichi cried out, although not brave enough to show his face directly as he tried to use Nagito as a shield. Fortunately for him, the luckster didn't seem to mind.

"How do you guys have so much energy?" Peko wondered while massaging her forehead. "I'm ready to collapse."

"I guess some have more energy than others," Sonia said, trying to sound reassuring.

Mahiru sighed. She needed to bring some semblance of order around here.

"You gotta stop trying to provoke Saionji-san, Soda-san."

"Tell her that, not me!"

The redhead ignored Kazuichi's plea and addressed Hiyoko next. "I think what sensei is trying to say is that we were spreading a hopeful message through the play. Isn't that right?"

Chisa cheered. "Mhmm! I knew Koizumi-san would understand!"

"Ain't that, like, expected, though?" Junko chimed in here with a small grin. She pointed at Naruto. "This idiot wrote it, didn't he? I think it's pretty obvious that it was going to be sappy."

Teruteru let out a small whistle before chuckling. "I definitely felt Uzumaki-kun's emotions coursing through me as I acted out his vision. My lower buddy was getting ready to explode at any moment!"

Naruto became a little embarrassed while ignoring Teruteru's last comment. "It wasn't just me that wrote it, remember? Peko-chan and Fuyuhiko helped! Chiaki too!"

"Still your script," Fuyuhiko bit back.

Chiaki hummed. "I only added a few things."

Ibuki laughed. "Like my awesome role! Ibuki really got to shine thanks to Chiaki-chan!"

The Ultimate Gamer responded with a thumbs up of her own, which only made Ibuki laugh harder.

"It was still my master's script!" Naruto wasn't going to let them make him take the credit for it. It wouldn't feel right.

"You did say that you changed some things," Sonia hummed as well. "Like with the companions and how it ended."

"That is true," Peko nodded. "He struggled with the ending for some time."

"Like a bitch," Fuyuhiko added, smirking.

Mahiru was too tired to try and correct the yakuza right now.

Naruto pouted at Peko and Fuyuhiko. "Did you have to say that?"

Peko didn't look sorry. "You're acting like an idiot, so yes. I had to."

"Too true." Nekomaru pointed at Naruto. "Accept your role in creating those emotions! We were all able to feel them as we acted out your vision. It's no wonder the audience was able to as well."

"It was spectacular!" Nagito said with excitement. "Even those without talent were able to understand your message. To be able to reach such a big audience...it feels me with hope, Uzumaki-kun. The fact that my character was sacrificed to reach that conclusion brings me joy."

"Ugh." Kazuichi backed away from the luckster. "You just gotta go and make it all weird again, don't you?"

It was par for the course. Get with the program, Kazuichi.

"It was more of a group effort, alright?" Naruto said while crossing his arms. "That's all I'm trying to say."

His friends could only shake their heads at this while Junko merely raised an eyebrow in slight interest.

Chisa sighed softly but gave a resigned smile. "I suppose we'll leave it at that for now. We don't want to waste our precious break time arguing over something so petty."

"We must recharge our bodies." Teruteru winked. "Who wants to join me?"

"More food?" Akane perked up.

The Ultimate Cook paled. "O-Oh. Umm. B-But of course. T-That's a thing. R-Right. Hmm."

"Wow. I guess big sis Owari can instantly make him clam up, huh." Hiyoko snickered.

Teruteru was too busy stumbling over his words to have a proper reaction to Hiyoko's teasing.

"It's time for us to partay~" Ibuki swooned. "Who knows what the other classes are doing?"

"We must take this time to prepare," Gundham said with his arms crossed. "The enemy will be putting on their own bloody spectacle for all to see."

Kazuichi groaned. "What the heck does that even mean?"

"It means that we must scout out the enemy!" Sonia raised her arm. Combined with the fierce look of determination she had on, it made her look like a commander ready to instruct her soldiers. "They will soon host their own feast of destruction. Is that not so, Tanaka-san?"

Gundham smirked. "It seems the Dark Princess is the only clever one here. To be surrounded by such ignorance…..the path of the Dark Lord is a difficult one indeed."

Naruto deadpanned. "You two are just acting out your fantasies, aren't you?"

Sonia beamed. "I do not know what you mean, Naruto. We speak but the truth!"

"Look beyond the one-way mirror, mortal. Then you might comprehend this world's true meaning. Kekekeke."

There were several sweatdrops in response.

Oh yeah, Sonia and Gundham definitely had a weird friendship going on. Naruto couldn't deny that he thought it suited Sonia better than Gundham, but maybe he was just bias thinking that.

"Everyone is free to do as they please." Chisa's words got the Ultimates to focus back on the topic at hand. "Just remember that we will be meeting back here in a few hours. We have to make sure that we end the day with a bang! Hooray!"

Her cheerful hooray was met with several lackluster ones.

Truly, acting was not to be underestimated if it left several energetic teenagers feeling lethargic by the end of it.

Either way, it was time for them to relax!

---

Class 77-B began to split off for the time being. Unsurprisingly, the Li'l Ultimates decided that they wanted to tag along with Naruto. The blond had no issue with this, as other than Kurama he hadn't been planning on hanging out with anyone.

There was Junko, but after exchanging numbers with him the blonde fashionista had bid him farewell followed by another hug, although this one was much shorter than the previous one.

Naruto had felt awkward being on the receiving end of another hug from the girl, but he didn't think too much of it and quickly hugged her back. He thought he sensed some glares from behind him when she hugged him, but that was probably just his imagination.

Junko felt like something of a question mark for him. He didn't know why she had decided to tag along with him, nor did he understand why she made such a quick exit after only just arriving. He hadn't shown her around the school at all, and now was the perfect chance. She said that's why she was here.

Just weird.

While confused, Naruto had a feeling that this wouldn't be the last time that he and Junko would meet. They had exchanged numbers, so that was a clear sign that the girl wanted to keep in touch with him. Naruto would never turn down the possibility of having another friend, even if that person was also friends with Yasuke.

And so, Junko exited the scene, going her way. Teruteru and Kazuichi had been tearful by her departure, but everyone else ignored them.

There was one more person that decided to tag along with him.

That person was none other than Chisa.

"Man, we sure are unlucky," Jataro said as they exited the Main School building.

The many courtyards were filled to the brim with other high school students. Naruto was confident that there were probably more people here than there had been at their summer festival a couple of months ago.

'I guess that's Hope's Peak for you.'

The school carried that much sway over the many teenagers in the country.

It still made him sulk a little. Yes, technically Naruto and his class had helped organized both, but it still felt like they had lost this popularity contest. His competitive nature wept at the thought of defeat, even if it was in something that he didn't care about.

"We wanted to do some crazy stuff with big bro, but now we're being followed by a teacher," Jataro shook his head and sighed. "I guess it can't be helped. If we have to ditch her, then you guys can use me as bait. I don't mind."

Masaru was confused. "What are you talking about?"

Kotoko was massaging her forehead. "I think we can safely ignore him."

Nagisa shrugged. "I agree."

Monaca merely smiled.

"But guys!" Jataro turned to the other kids. "How can we do anything fun when there's a boring adult with us? Isn't that what Masaru always says?"

"Hey! Don't turn this on me!" Masaru had to defend himself here.

"Oh, Kemuri-kun~"

Chisa's cheerful voice was powerful enough to make the masked boy freeze in his tracks.

Naruto almost felt sympathy for the boy as Chisa stalked her way over to him.

Poor Jataro was too afraid to do anything as Chisa bent down to lock eyes with him. Her face was bright, but Jataro could sense barely retrained rage underneath all that brightness.

"Your sensei is still a young woman, don't you know? I only recently graduated high school~"

"O-Oh, is that true?" Jataro scratched the side of his mask while letting out an awkward laugh. "I must have been misremembering. I thought you had graduated school a long time ago! I'm always around chemicals and stuff, so my brain is probably already fried. I don't really now what I'm saying sometimes. Right, guys?"

"While I wouldn't say you're entirely wrong, I don't think that's going to be enough to save you," Kotoko answered with a shrug of her own.

"W-What? What does that-oof!"

"Sensei will show you her youth here and now!"

Naruto started to idly pet Kurama as Chisa began to drag the whimpering Jataro with her. The young woman was beaming with determination to prove that she was, in fact, still a delicate young maiden.

"Should we stop her?" Nagisa turned to Naruto with a raised eyebrow.

"….do you want to?"

Nagisa thought about it for a second.

"Not really."

"I didn't think so."

"So cruel, you two," Monaca said with a small shake of her head.

Probably, but Naruto wanted to stay alive, thank you very much.

Jataro's whimpering only grew stronger as he was carried off to his untimely fate with no one coming to his rescue.

Naruto, Nagisa, and Masaru sent him off with salutes while Kotoko and Monaca watched on with shared bewilderment.

Such a happy school festival!

---

Lunch time came quick.

Natsumi's nose was hit with many delicious smells as she traversed through the school festival. There were many food stalls scattered throughout. She had no idea why so many students had settled for boring food stalls of all things, but hey she wasn't going to complain about an easy victory. If you followed what everyone else was doing, then it was that much harder to stand out. Sure, she had chosen a café for her class, but her idea still had more flavored than some random food stall.

'But after what onii-chan did….'

Natsumi felt her mood darken again as she thought about the play. Thanks to Sato, she had gotten a good seat to see her brother act out what was essentially a wacky story about wanting to find the solution to world peace. It was the kind of story Natsumi expected to see at an elementary school. It wasn't the kind of story high school students would be interested in, least of all Ultimates.

The blonde yakuza heiress knew who was responsible for the play. Naruto. It had to be. He was the only idiot foolish enough to try and convince her brother to do something like that. "Tried" was the wrong word to use here, as Fuyuhiko had taken part in the play, but Natsumi didn't want to give Naruto any kind of credit. She refused. Doing so would be the same as saying that he was right and she was wrong.

Natsumi wouldn't be able to live with herself if she accepted that.

She had tried to forget about the play, being the first to leave from the makeshift trio. Natsumi didn't want to talk or see anybody right now. It's why she hadn't returned to her classroom. She wasn't in a position to command anyone with how clouded her mind was. After putting on airs for this past month, Natsumi knew that she was acting like an idiot. Why was a stupid play of all things rattling her like this? It didn't make any sense.

That's why she was out here, walking around aimlessly through the animated school festival. Natsumi kind of lost track of time. She probably would have kept walking around for a longer period of time if not for her phone going off.

For a moment, Natsumi considered ignoring it. However, there weren't many people that had her contact information. If someone was shooting her a message, then it had to be her parents, which meant that she was obligated to answer. Her mother's fury was not something Natsumi was willing to risk. There was also a possibility of it being Fuyuhiko….

Natsumi didn't dwell on that and dug for her phone in her back pocket. A few moments later, her eyes widened when she saw who the message was from.

Her heart started beating faster again.

She felt her legs start to take her to a different location, except now they had a clear destination. Her mind might have been a mess, but her legs seemed to know what to do without her even realizing it.

Natsumi didn't know how long it took her to reach the empty garden. She had known about the beautiful and expansive gardens situated on the opposite side of the Main School building away from all the courtyards, but this was the first time Natsumi was seeing them in person. She would have probably admired their beauty some were it not for the fact that Fuyuhiko was standing before her, his arms crossed. His eyes were closed, but Natsumi knew that he had heard her approach.

Peko was standing next to him, her sheathed sword in hand. As always, she was the obedient servant.

Natsumi almost glared at the glasses-wearing swordswoman. "You're here too."

Peko tilted her head toward Natsumi. "Natsumi-sama. While what is going to happen here doesn't pertain to me and you're probably not happy to see me, I decided to tag along to keep the peace. A friend asked me to do so."

A friend?

Natsumi pursed her lips. This was the first time she was hearing Peko say she had a "friend." Before, the Ultimate Swordswoman was always going on about how she was nothing but a tool meant to protect Fuyuhiko.

"What the hell are you talking about? What is all of this about?"

"Be fucking patient for once," Fuyuhiko said as he finally opened his eyes. "Also, let me warn you. Don't take out your frustrations on Peko. I know she's not the one you're really mad at."

"Huh!?" Natsumi glared at her brother. "Where did that come from? Aren't you the one who texted me to come here?"

Why was Fuyuhiko saying something like that? It was so unexpected that Natsumi felt defensive.

"I did, yeah." Fuyuhiko then smirked a little. "Of course, I was asked to do so."

"What?"

Natsumi suddenly felt like she was being setup.

"Yeah. I was going to relax with Peko for a bit, but then I was approached by a troublesome friend about something very interesting."

There was that word again. Friend. Fuyuhiko and Peko were throwing it around so casually that it made Natsumi feel like she was looking at strangers. Then again, when was the last time that the three of them had talked like this? Other than exchanging snide remarks with her brother here and there, Natsumi couldn't remember the last proper conversation that she had had with him.

Peko chuckled lightly. "I believe I was more tired than you, young master."

Fuyuhiko waved that detail off. "Whatever. Point is….I've heard you've been causing some problems, Natsumi. Not just recently either but for long fucking time. I always knew you were a pain in the ass, but I didn't think it would get this far."

What the heck? Why did Natsumi feel like she was being lectured of all a sudden?

She was incensed!

"What are you even talking about!?" Natsumi's glare got more heated. "You better start making some fucking sense right now!"

Her mood had already been bad. This was just going to send her over the edge.

"I think perhaps you are being too cryptic, young master," Peko advised softly.

"That's because someone is deciding to take their sweet fucking time. Did you two bastards chicken out or what?"

Fuyuhiko wasn't talking to either Natsumi or Peko. No, the Ultimate Yakuza was looking past Natsumi….at someone else.

Alarmed, Natsumi whipped her head around. Imagine, to her growing surprise, that she would see Mahiru and Sato now standing behind her. When did they get here!?

The two girls looked determined, although Mahiru also shot Fuyuhiko a deadpanned look.

"We had to wait until she got here. We didn't want to let her know that we were following her."

What!? So all of this was a setup, after all!?

Natsumi felt rage bubbling inside of her. There could only be one person responsible for all of this.

"You bitch." Her glare was locked on at Sato. "You talked to my brother, didn't you!?"

"Hmm." Sato pondered the question as she hummed. Her calm demeanor only served to piss Natsumi off even more. "If you mean if I went and tattled to your brother about your behavior…..then no. That wasn't me. That was Mahiru."

The Ultimate Photographer gaped at her friend. "W-What? I didn't tattle!"

"You kinda did, Mahiru."

"Yeah."

"I would think so. I was there."

Fuyuhiko and Peko quickly agreed with Sato, which only made Mahiru sulk as she pressed her fingers together.

"Sure, I told Fuyuhiko, but I wouldn't use a word like 'tattle.' I'm not a little girl….."

"It's okay, Mahiru." Sato patted her on the back. "I think tattling was the right thing to do. We have to set this problem child on the right path."

"Back the fuck up!" Natsumi cut in here, looking between Fuyuhiko and the two girls with bewilderment. She was trying to keep up with what was happening here. "You mean that you called me out here to talk about this loser photographer and her loser of a friend!?"

"Yeah."

"I think it would have been nice if you tried to deny the 'loser' part," Sato told Fuyuhiko with a wry smile.

"Don't bother with that," Mahiru said as she perked up. "This guy's manners are as bad as Naruto's."

Peko had to agree. "Unfortunately."

"Oh."

Fuyuhiko's eyebrow twitched, but he didn't say anything. He kind of deserved that one.

"Are you two serious right now?" Natsumi's glare bore right through Sato. "You're making jokes while trying to turn my brother against me? Do you want to die?"

Mahiru offered the blonde a resigned smile. "There was a time where that would have frightened me, but I think we're past empty threats at this point, don't you think?"

"Who said they're just threats?"

Natsumi paused when she heard Peko remove her blade from its sheath. Her real sword. She wasn't bothering to disguise it as a bamboo sword. While Natsumi might not be overly fond of the glasses wearer, she knew what this meant.

Peko was being serious.

"I'm not going to let this descend into violence." Peko's voice could cut through steel. Her face had lost any semblance of playfulness. "Natsumi-sama, I know you have your reservations toward Koizumi-san and Sato-san. However, we did not have you come here so that you could throw your threats around. We are here to resolve this matter once and for all."

"Who the fuck are you here to tell me to do anything, huh?" Natsumi scoffed. "Aren't you just a 'tool' or whatever? Why are you talking out of turn? Can't you see your betters are having a conversation right now?"

"I am no longer the same person that I was before coming to this school." If Natsumi's words hurt her, Peko didn't show it. Her resolve did not waver. "Right now, I am here to help my young master and friend settle this. Not because I was ordered to, but because I want to."

Peko did not raise her voice. She did not shout. She kept her composure, but her determination was clear as day. It was enough to make Natsumi look at her again, like she was staring at someone else entirely.

"….what happened to you?"

Peko allowed herself to smile a little. "We can talk about that later. Right now, we have something else to settle."

Natsumi kept her eyes on Peko for a few more moments before sighing. Placing a hand on her hips, she scratched her head with the other, clearly frustrated.

"So? Are you here to lecture me then? Are you gonna tell me I'm wrong? Someone like you who gets to stand next to my brother can't possibly understand what I'm feeling."

For once, Natsumi was deciding to be honest with Peko. She was already in a bad mood. She didn't have the mental fortitude to keep up appearances anymore.

"I see. So you resent me." Peko's demeanor was still calm. "I thought as much. I could always tell that you held some reservations about me."

No, that wasn't it. Natsumi could never hate Peko. Not truly. That wasn't what she wanted to get across, but Natsumi didn't try to correct her. She had her own stubborn pride. She wasn't going to let them walk all over her without a fight. She wasn't going to let them say that she was wrong.

"Goes to show your stupidity," Fuyuhiko said with a scowl.

Mahiru frowned. "You know that's not helping."

"I don't care. You brought me into this, so I'm going to do things my way."

"That sounds kinda violent," Sato noted with a hand under her chin. "I hope you're not planning on doing anything excessive."

Fuyuhiko smirked at this. "Heh, I could cut her till she opened her eyes, but that would take too long."

Definitely excessive then.

"You can't be serious!" Mahiru exclaimed.

Peko sighed, her face resigned. "I wish he wasn't."

The fights between the Kuzuryu could be….intense.

Natsumi wasn't scared by Fuyuhiko's threat. "Ha. A little pipsqueak like you? As if you could ever touch me."

"At least you still got a spine left in you." Fuyuhiko sounded happy. "I was going to be pretty pissed if you were still going to mope around like a bitch."

"T'ch, stop treating me like a damn kid."

"Then don't act like one."

"Do you even know what I want!?" Natsumi lost her patience all over again. "Do you even know why I want to get into the Main Course in the first place!? Do you not understand why I don't want to be left behind by you and Peko!?"

"And that's why you're acting like a damn kid." Fuyuhiko looked down. "I guess I shouldn't be talking so big. If it weren't for Koizumi and Peko, then I wouldn't have understood your feelings. I really have been blind to a lot of things."

"What!?" Natsumi's rage only continued to grow as she turned to Mahiru. "What could you possibly tell my brother about me!? What do you know about me in the first place!?"

"I know that you and your brother are very much alike," Mahiru answered instantly. It was just like before, when Natsumi had confronted her when she was passing out the flyers for their play. Mahiru wasn't scared of her anymore. It made Natsumi realize that a lot of things had been changing without her realizing it.

"You both use empty threats as a shield. Honestly, I know you come from a yakuza family, but behavior like that isn't gonna earn you any friends."

"Back off," Fuyuhiko said with a sour look. "I think I've done well enough."

"Only because another idiot got you to stop acting like less of an idiot. It doesn't count."

"Wow." Peko's eyes widened in realization. "That explains everything so well. I never saw it that way. Thank you for that."

Fuyuhiko started to blush. It didn't help that Sato was trying to hold back her laughter. "How am I supposed to knock some sense into her when you two keep getting in the way!?"

"Didn't I just say that violence isn't the answer? Sheesh. You boys cannot listen."

Fuyuhiko knew better than to rise to the bait. He wasn't going to give Mahiru more ammunition.

Natsumi could only stay silent, unable to comprehend how her brother and Mahiru were joking around like this.

Sato realized this and spoke up. "I told you before, didn't it? That your brother and Mahiru are friends. You didn't want to believe me then. Can you deny it now?"

"S-So what?" Natsumi did her best to keep her guard up. "Is this supposed to make me feel better? That just because my talented brother has friends now that everything is okay?"

"You always used to say that Mahiru's talent was fake," Sato pointed out. "If that's the case, then how could a fake get close to the original?"

For the first time, Natsumi wanted to genuinely inflict violence upon Sato.

"I've been guilty of the same thing," Sato continued, ignoring Natsumi's anger. "We've both been putting too much stock in talent. It was leading us to a dark path. I'm not sure where it would have ended, but I know that no one would have been truly happy."

Natsumi didn't know if she had ever felt this much anger in her life before. It was like her whole body was on fire.

"….when did you start acting so high and mighty? Do you think that you can lecture me? Don't insult me."

"It's not like that all," Sato said with a shake of her head. "I have my own things to make amends for. I want to make sure that you don't repeat my mistakes."

"Do you genuinely think that we're on the same level!?"

"No."

Sato's answer surprised Natsumi. For a moment, her anger vanished as she tried to understand this new piece of information.

"You're definitely more talented than I am. I think so anyway." Sato sounded like she was discussing the weather when she said that. She genuinely had no misgivings when saying that. "But so what? Do you think that a person's worth is solely defined by their talent? Who gets to decide that?"

"W-What kind of stupid question is that?" Natsumi couldn't maintain her anger. All of a sudden, she felt confused and afraid. Why was Sato talking like this? Natsumi didn't understand.

"Don't you know what happens when you get into this school? You can go anywhere! Your options are limitless. That's the kind of future that my brother has. He's the Ultimate Yakuza! The world has acknowledged him with that title! It makes him different from everyone else! It's obvious that he's special!"

"So because he has that title, he's special." Sato tilted her head. "And because you don't, you don't think you're worthy of being his sister. It makes you afraid, doesn't it? Afraid to lose him. Afraid that one day he's going to think that you're not worth keeping around. You're afraid of being alone, aren't you? That's why you desire talent. You want that recognition. If you have that, then you can feel confident that you will always be next to your brother. That's why someone like Pekoyama-san has been able to stay with him all this time, because she also has talent. That's how you feel, don't you?"

Natsumi's knees were shaking. "H-How-?"

Sato wore a bitter a smile. "You're not the only one who has those insecurities, Natsumi. If you opened your eyes, you would see that our class is full of people like that. We're not all that different when it comes down to it. I couldn't see that before because we were both stuck in our own heads."

Their communication had been nonexistent. It could have ended badly if that had continued.

Natsumi felt tired of all a sudden. She looked down, her shoulders sagging in defeat.

"I hate you. I hate you so much."

Did she mean that? Natsumi wasn't sure of anything anymore.

"Maybe you do, but honestly at this point I do not care anymore. I don't want to spend the rest of my life being weighed down by my own fears. If you let your emotions control you, you'll never be able to find happiness. It's taken all of my life to finally understand that."

"Sato." Mahiru looked at her friend with amazement. Right now, she was being more brave than Mahiru could ever hope to be.

"I spent an entire week getting my thoughts in order." Sato tucked her hair behind her ear. "A part of me didn't think that I would be able to share this with you, but I'm glad I could get this off my chest. I feel like I can finally put our silly fights behind me."

"T'ch." Natsumi found the strength to raise her head. She was glaring at Sato again, albeit this time with not as much force. "You're starting to sound like…."

She stopped herself.

Sato raised an eyebrow for a moment before shrugging it off. "I can tell you right now that you're the only one who thinks like this. Even though I've made a terrible mistake, Mahiru is still willing to call me a friend. It has nothing to do with talent. It might be harder and more painful. It might not even lead to the answer you thought, but you'll still be able to have accomplished something. Giving up before you try will change nothing. Or what? Do you doubt your brother so much that you think he'll abandon you just because you don't go to the same school as him? Do you think your bond with him is that weak? I would not underestimate the love between family."

Somehow, Sato had taken over the conversation, but Mahiru wasn't going to complain about that. Her friend had said everything that she had want to and then some.

"I know that Sato and I are not the ones to resolve all of this. To be honest with you, I didn't set this up because I wanted to make amends between us. I'm not sure if you'll ever want to talk to us again after today, but I did want you to understand that Fuyuhiko is not that shallow. You can be honest with him. I'm sure he'll do the same."

"You two." Fuyuhiko was finally able to get a word in as he readjusted his tie with another small blush on his cheeks. "You don't have to keep talking about me like I'm not even here."

Mahiru shrugged playfully. "It's not our fault that you decided to keep quiet all this time." She then shot Sato a sly look. "Of course, it's Sato who's been talking this entire time. I think your complaints should be aimed at her, not me."

"M-Mahiru! That's not fair!"

Peko chuckled. "I must admit, your speech did move me a little. I must commend you for it."

"Y-You don't have to say all of that." Sato felt a little self-conscious. "I just had a lot on my mind is all. I think your play inspired me a little too. I liked the idea behind it. Bonds. It's got a nice touch to it I think."

"Don't let Naruto hear you say that," Mahiru joked. "He's already got a big enough ego. We don't want him getting full of himself."

"Sometimes I think he needs it," Peko added, also jokingly.

Natsumi was left standing in the middle of all of this. She watched firsthand how Sato of all people was able to talk to Peko like they were equals. Like they were both just high school students. Even her back-and-forth with Mahiru was different from before. Sato was no longer treating Mahiru like she was the center of the universe.

How? How was Sato able to find that self-confidence? How could she interact with Peko and even Mahiru in such a manner? Natsumi always acted like Mahiru was beneath her, but that attitude was born out of an insecurity. Mahiru's talent was apparent to anyone, and Natsumi was no exception. She dabbled in photography. How could she not? She might have put on airs before, but right now, because of Sato, all of Natsumi's walls were crumbling down.

There were steps behind her. Natsumi turned to see Fuyuhiko walking up to her.

There was no anger in Fuyuhiko's eyes. No resentment. No judgement.

Fuyuhiko's eyes were filled with nothing but warmth. For the first time in her life, Natsumi felt smaller than her brother.

He stopped in front of her and held out his hand, a smirk tugging at his lips.

"I think we should have a one-on-one."

Natsumi looked at the offered hand. The last time someone had tried to reach to her, she had walked away. She had vowed that she would prove that person wrong. She had declared that person to be an idiot who didn't understand anything. And yet, that idiot had been branded with talent, the same talent that she had been desiring all this time. If she truly believed in what she said, then she should have automatically believed that she was in the wrong. Instead, she had clung to her beliefs because she felt like she had to. To protect herself from her fears.

Really, she had been full of contradictions, huh. A part of Natsumi couldn't believe that she had been so blind to that fact.

The final answer that she had been seeking had come from the most unlikeliest of sources, and yet Natsumi's heart felt lighter.

Her hand hesitated for a split second, as she thought that maybe this was a trick, but then she reached forward.

For the first time in a long time, Natsumi and Fuyuhiko were going to be honest with one another.

---

"Your sensei is going all out! Yay!"

"Yay!"

"Get 'em, sensei!"

"Take them all out!"

"I don't even know what I'm watching anymore….."

Naruto was muttering to himself as he watched Chisa play game after game with the kids cheering her on. It seemed like many Reserve Course classes had taken a more modest approach with their ideas and set up different stalls for games. There were also other people running stalls that weren't students. Probably Fuyuhiko's doing or something. They weren't causing problems, so he wasn't going to make a fuss about it.

Anyway, as it turned out, Chisa's way of proving that she was still young was to win every game the school festival had, ranging from guessing what the "secret ingredient" in food was to shooting games to knock the prizes over for victory. Basically, the kind of stuff that Chiaki was probably also doing somewhere else.

And the kids loved it.

'At least Jataro ain't scared anymore.'

Naruto was happy to see the kids having fun, especially Kotoko. In moments like this, it was like she was just a normal girl who was doing what every kid should be doing. It made him wonder if he would ever be able to fully heal the scars the girl now carried or if the pain caused by her so-called mother would always have a hold of her in some way.

It wasn't something he wanted to dwell on to be honest.

Sensing his sudden somber mood, Kurama started to lick his cheek as a way to comfort him.

Naruto welcomed it with a smile.

The blond allowed himself to relax for a bit.

"Hmm. How peculiar."

A soft and silky yet raspy voice reached Naruto's ear. Curious, the blond turned to face the voice and was met by tall, slim male student with rather pale skin and long green hair. The newcomer had narrowed yellow eyes and wore a black face mask. He was dressed in a pretty fancy looking dark suit, with a blazer and a grey knitted vest and a green tie.

For some reason, an image of a more human looking Orochimaru flashed in the blond's head when he took in the boy's appearance. He had to suppress a shudder at the thought. There was no way that Orochimaru could have been reincarnated into this world, right? Right!

Unaware of what he was thinking, the newcomer crossed his arms as he studied the blond.

"I did not think that I would be running into you so easily like this. My, my. Despite this being a simple school, my journey here has proved most insightful."

"Uh."

Naruto scratched his cheek. He had no idea what this guy was talking about.

"Not only do you pull such a fascinating stunt, but you even have a pet fox with you." He raised one of his hands up to cheek, almost like he was caressing himself. "Yes, yes. I suppose I misspoke. This is not a 'simple' school, is it?"

Was this guy trying to tell him something?

Naruto scratched his head this time as he squinted his eyes at the younger teen. "Uh. Nice to meet you?"

He wasn't sure if the boy was trying to greet him or not, but it was worth a shot.

"Hm? Oh yes, where are my manners?" The teen boy started to softly chuckle, but it sounded more like a cackle to the blond. Almost like a snakey laugh. Was that even a thing? Didn't snakes hiss?

Don't blame him. Sasuke was the snake expert, not Naruto.

"I let my excitement get the better of me. My name is Shinguji Korekiyo. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yeah, you too. I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

"Hmm, Uzumaki Naruto you say." The now named Korekiyo seemed to take interest in that. "You don't look Japanese at all, but you are named after a ramen topping. Very interesting. Although that is not all there is to it, is there? Your name can also translate to 'roaring gate' or 'maelstrom.' That is not even delving into your last name which I have never heard of before. Where do you come from?"

This guy. He picked up the fact that he wasn't from around here just from his name alone? Or was it his looks? Naruto still didn't understand what constituted a "Japanese" person other than the fact that they were born in Japan. He had done his best to read up on this world's history, but that was more from a warfare perspective rather than a humanistic one, if that made sense. So he had no idea how looks came into play when talking about nationalities.

"I'm from a small village deep in the forest. We're a small community. Not remotely close to here."

Small. Pfft, that was funny. Imagine thinking that the Hidden Leaf was small. Sure, they probably weren't as big as some of the big cities in the daimyo's domain, but they weren't tiny either! Naruto had to silently give his condolences to his former home for describing it like that.

"Oh, I see." Korekiyo folded his arms while raising one finger, almost looking like he was about to give a lecture. Naruto hoped not. "You truly are more fascinating than I first imagined. I don't think I've come across your village in any of my travels, and I have been to many remote villages in this country and abroad. You've piqued my interest, Uzumaki-kun."

"Erm. Do I know you….?"

Because this guy was making it out to seem like they were acquainted or something.

"No. Nor do I know you. I just happened to be nearby when the most infamous internet video to grace this country dropped. Sometimes I am ashamed of my lack of knowledge of current customs, but as part of my studies I must not neglect the modern world. As it stands, it is technology that defines this modern world of ours and as a result our generation. Don't you agree with that, Uzumaki-kun?"

Oh, so he saw that video then. It made sense.

"I guess." Naruto shrugged at Korekiyo's question. "Where I grew up we don't have the same technology as over here. I had to learn a lot of things from scratch. It was a pain in the ass."

"Hmm, how fascinating." Korekiyo's eyes twinkled. "That must have been quite an experience for you, Uzumaki-kun. It is not everyday that a teenager must learn the ways of the world. You must have experienced quite the culture shock then?"

Culture shock?

"What's that?"

"I see you're not a student of anthropology. That is quite a shame, but I know that not many of us like to pursue the past."

Anthropology? That was a word that he had never heard of before. His brain was constantly being tested with all of this new vocabulary.

"Regardless of your lack of knowledge in anthropology, I still find myself wanting to pick your brain," Korekiyo said with an even tone. "I suppose that there was a bigger reason for my coming here other than just mere coincidence. I wonder if this is what they call 'fate.' Very fascinating."

Right.

'This guy is a bit weird.'

That said, he was also the first person to outright approach him like this. Naruto had noticed the many stares the other teens were giving him as he walked through the school festival. They must have known who he was, and even if they didn't they recognized his school uniform. They knew he was an Ultimate. Regardless of the reason, no one spoke to him. Either they were too nervous to or they didn't want to bother him or something.

Korekiyo had neither of those reservations. It made Naruto respect the guy even if just a little.

"I mean, if you want to learn more about my village, then I guess I wouldn't mind telling you some stuff."

It might make him homesick, but there was no way Naruto was going to pass an opportunity to brag about how awesome his home village was. "Humble" was a rare word in his vocabulary, that's for sure.

"Hmm, yes. That would be most insightful." Korekiyo spread his arms out in gratitude. "That would more than just make this trip worth it. It will give me an opportunity to share more stories with Sister as well."

Sister? Oh, this guy had a sibling. How nice.

"She's not here?"

"Unfortunately, no. She is bed ridden, you see. She is constantly ill, so going outside is prohibited for her."

"Oh. My bad. I wasn't trying to bring up any bad memories."

"It's no trouble at all." Korekiyo's arms lowered to his side, his posture relaxed. "She still lives, and she is doing her very best to keep fighting. I'm sure the stories I bring to her will only aid with that."

The way he talked about his sister made Naruto smile a little. "You guys are close, huh."

"Of course. Sister is the one who put me in the path of anthropology. She encouraged me to pursue my interests. I owe her my gratitude and much more."

"That's nice. I never had any siblings, so it's hard for me to understand that feeling."

"Is that so?" There was something akin to amusement twinkling in Korekiyo's eyes. "Are you by any chance interested in sisters, Uzumaki-kun?"

"Hm?" Crossing his arms, Naruto thought about it. "Not sisters in particular. Just siblings in general. It would have been nice to have a big family I guess."

"I see. That does make sense. One always longs for what they do not have. That is true among every culture. It is human nature."

"That's true." Naruto scratched his head sheepishly. He had been jealous of Killer Bee's relationship with Eight-O, wishing to be friends with his tailed beast in a similar way. There were many other examples like that.

Korekiyo chuckled. "Kehehe. Fret not, if it's a big family you want, then you just have to create your own, right? Which brings me to my first question. Does your village promote polygamy?"

What in the world was polygamy?

And so began their conversation about the Leaf.

Naruto and Korekiyo spent nearly thirty minutes chatting with one another, resulting in Korekiyo asking for Naruto's number in order to have a means of contact in the future for further talks about the Leaf Village.

It was an unexpected event, and it resulted in an even weirder friendship of sorts.

---

Junko was like a human bobble-head. Her body was shaking in a very inhuman sort of way, to the point that everyone who stood in her path quickly ducked out of the way in order to make sure they did not catch her attention. They were too weirded out by her movements, to the point that none of them recognized her. Which was a good thing. Ugly rumors would hurt her public image, which would then hurt her career.

None of that mattered to Junko in the slightest bit. Typically, she cared very little for her fashionista status, but right now it mattered even less than usual.

Why was that?

Because Junko had found something far more exciting than a stupid modeling career.

'Puhuhuhu. And so, despair has found its match.'

Hmm, perhaps she should start narrating stuff? It could be fun.

At first, Junko had been planning on spending more time at the school, but she could no longer help herself. She had to get away. Otherwise, her mask was going to crack.

It wasn't difficult for her to find a secluded spot away from the main path where most of the crowds were.

When she was sure that no one else was around, Junko threw herself against one of the random trees nearby, her knees shaking. Her face was flushed, and she was breathing very heavily. She was sure that if anyone saw her right now they would think of her as a some kind of perverted creep. Perhaps they would be right. After all, would a normal person have become so aroused at the thought of destroying a whole group of people just because they were having the best days of their lives?

Definitely not, but who cared about that. The fact that someone like her had been born was proof that this world was longing for a change. Junko was going to bring that change no matter what.

But before she thought of the big picture, right now she was more focused on something small.

'I finally met him.'

Uzumaki Naruto. Junko could not believe that someone like him was actually real. His beliefs, his personality, his ideals. Everything about him screamed "hope" and "optimism." He was like one of those main characters you see in manga for kids that made her want to gag. Who in the world could stand to be happy 24/7!? Get more emotions, you morons!

Hmm, maybe she wasn't one to talk.

Whatever. Who cares about that! Screw you if you do.

Double screw you if you ask how she knows about manga. She wasn't a nerd.

'Ah, what a despairful moment this is~'

Junko had to bite down on her finger to stop herself from screaming out in bliss as she pressed herself up against the tree. It was uncomfortable, but that just increased the pleasure that she was feeling. She was still panting heavily as she tried to imagine Naruto in despair again.

On the surface, the blond was a fool. He thought of the world as black and white, and if you didn't think as he did then you were automatically wrong. He had that kind of worldview, the naivety that made Junko want to roll her eyes at.

And yet, it wasn't totally like that. He wasn't dismissing despair or its impact. He had a weird, warming presence about him that both comforted Junko but revolted her to no end. Even now, she could still remember how comfortable she had felt when he and Ryota had shared that moment before the play. That warm, pleasing feeling…..it was like something out of this world. Junko wanted to both embrace it and destroy it for making it her feel such emotions. It was polarizing, but that's what made it so exciting.

It was also dangerous.

There was also the despair that Junko had managed to sense within Naruto. No matter how much "control" he claimed he had, that dark and exhilarating emotion was still there, buried and possibly ready to be unleashed out into the world.

How would that look like she wondered? Was that another possibility for her to explore?

So many tempting options~

Thinking of the future made Junko want to writhe in even more pleasure as she bit down on her finger harder. She was sure she was going to draw blood at this point, but that wouldn't do. She couldn't injure her perfect body. Not right now.

Still, she had to find a way to let out all of these pent up emotions. Maybe she should go and blow something up? Nah, that wouldn't do. Nonsensical violence like that wouldn't be enough to satisfy her. Not after all this.

'Damn you.'

It took Junko some time before she managed to regain her bearings. Somehow, thanks to her willpower, she was able to suppress the urge to go and confront Naruto this instant. It wasn't just about the despair that she had sensed within him. That warm sensation…..the urge to be around it was also tempting that it made Junko want to kill him so that she could never feel like that ever again. That's what made it so dangerous.

But that just made her love Naruto even more.

A person filled with so many contradictions. It was perfect in oh so many ways.

'What am I going to do now, hmm~'

Junko was grinning again as she finally pushed herself away from the tree. Thankfully her clothes hadn't been messed up by all of her grinding. She still needed to walk out of here and head back to the airport.

As she took her first steps, Junko felt her phone vibrating in her pocket. It was probably Yasuke wanting to know where she was. While the thought of seeing the other man she loved was enticing, Junko decided against answering the call. Sure, while the despair she would feel at the guilt for falling another when she saw him face-to-face was alluring, Junko wasn't in the right state of mind to entertain Yasuke right now. Besides, leaving him hanging would make him feel more despair than if she went and saw him again.

Junko laughed to herself as she left the school grounds through the main gate, ignoring everything and everyone around her.

Hope's Peak Academy, huh. Maybe this place was going to be more entertaining than she previously thought.

This was just the first step. She had traded numbers with Naruto.

Soon, Junko would be seeing him again, as well as those friends of his.

That was a promise.

---

"You looked like you were having fun."

"Did I?"

"Mhmm. What were you two talking about?"

"Different things. Mostly about my home village. He seemed really interested since he has never been. Asked me some weird questions too. He's into anthro-something or the other."

"Anthropology."

"Yeah, that. It was fun to talk about where I came from I guess."

Chisa didn't try to hide her smile as she watched her student gain a wistful smile in turn. The kids were trailing behind them as they gushed over the many prizes that Chisa had won for them. It had been a successful mission to prove that she was still a young woman! After that, the two got some dango from one of the food stalls for their lunch. It was the kind of meal that they could eat on the go while they explored more of the school festival. Naruto said that he wanted to check out what class 76 was doing, and Chisa had no problem with that.

Besides, right now, she was more curious about what had put Naruto in such a good mood, and now that she learned the reason she understood why.

"You did say that you weren't from around here." Chisa's statement was more like an open ended question. She couldn't help but think back to her conversation with Juzo as she began to probe the student she felt she knew the least about.

"Oh yeah? I guess I do bring up my old village from time to time." Naruto scratched his chin as Kurama let out a cute yawn from on top of his head. "Sonia asks me some questions sometimes. Gundham too."

"Is it a village full of ninjas?"

"Yeah, you can say that. There are regular people too with other jobs. It was built for ninjas, though. It kinda grew after that."

That's all Naruto could remember from his history lessons about the Leaf. Something about a military alliance. Who that alliance was between he couldn't remember anymore. Tsunade's grandfather, the First Hokage, had been behind it…..maybe. Madara was in the mix too, somehow.

'Hmm. Maybe I should have paid more attention to Iruka-sensei.'

Unaware of the blond's thoughts, Chisa started to digest this surface level information before asking another question.

"Why did you leave?" She hoped it sounded innocent enough. "It is not easy to leave behind everything that you know. I'm guessing you spent your entire life there before coming there."

Chisa noticed a hint of something in Naruto's eyes when she asked him her follow-up question, but it was gone quickly. How curious.

"The headmaster asked me the same thing when I first met him, ya know."

Oh yeah?

Naruto shrugged. "No particular reason, really. I just wanted to see what else was out there. I was already the strongest in my village, even stronger than my dad and mom. And the two of them were very strong. I thought it was about time to see new places and meet new people."

So he had strong parents. That made sense. Those with talent were more likely to give birth to talented people. Not that it was a perfect science. Talent was a fickle thing, after all.

"Where are your parents now? Do you think they might come visit?" Chisa would be lying if she said that she wasn't curious to meet other "ninjas."

Naruto laughed softly at her question. At first, it confused Chisa. Why would her question elicit laughter of all things?

Then, she only felt remorse when Naruto answered her.

"They're dead, sensei. They've been dead for almost 17 years now. I grew up an orphan."

Chisa stopped, her eyes full of regret.

Naruto didn't stop at first. He kept going for a few seconds until he realized that Chisa was no longer following him. Neither did the kids, not having heard her question. Rather, they took up the opportunity to run up to the blond to show him their gifted prices with Naruto patting each of their heads, which only seemed to make them happier.

Chisa was frozen for a few moments, unsure of what to say. She had to shake her head and give her cheeks some slaps before she was able to come out of it and run back to where Naruto and the kids were. She wasn't sure if her student was mad at her for asking such an insensitive question, but she still had to apologize for it.

Or she would have, if Naruto didn't stop her.

"You don't have to worry, sensei. It's okay. It's been a long time now. It's not something that bothers me anymore."

He said that, but Chisa wasn't sure she believed him. Regardless, she still bowed her head.

"Still, I'm sorry. I did not mean to bring up any bad memories."

Naruto waved her off. "Like I said, it's cool. I'm not mad or anything."

For that, Chisa was grateful.

"Hey, hey." Masaru tugged at Naruto's shirt. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Idiot." Nagisa shook his head. "Can't you tell that it's private?"

"But if it was private, don't you think that maybe they would have chosen a different place to talk about it?" Jataro wondered. "I mean, if you really think about it, now that we've heard this, is it really private anymore? It's like when people upload pictures of themselves online. Or when they're celebrities? Are they still private at that point?"

Kotoko's face soured. "As a celebrity, I want to punch you for saying that, Jataro."

"Oh! Is it because you hate me?"

"…..never mind."

"Jataro's defense is still too much for you, Kotoko~" Monaca teased.

Kotoko just rolled her eyes at the green haired girl.

"Nobody is hitting anybody right now." Naruto rested his hands on Kotoko's and Jataro's heads. "Come on, we gotta go check out a haunted house! I gotta see Sonosuke and Jun in cat suits!"

"Eh? Who the heck are those people?" Kotoko sure as heck didn't know.

"Pfft, a haunted house?" Masaru grinned and patted his chest with a smug look. "Something like that won't scare me."

"Really?" Jataro's eyes were full of innocence as he said, "Didn't you wet your bed until recently?"

"What-!? THAT IS NOT TRUE!"

"Oh boy." Nagisa groaned as a laughing Naruto had to stop Masaru from pouncing on Jataro who quickly hid behind a giggling Kotoko. "This is going to get messy, isn't it?"

Monaca hummed cutely. "Like Masaru's shorts, you mean?"

"MONACA! NOT YOU TOO!"

The kids' antics were enough to make Chisa get over her guilt, especially as she watched Naruto have fun with them. Her questioning may not have led her to where she had wanted to go, but she had still learned some important things about her student.

Maybe they were even a little closer now.

That was Chisa's hope anyway.

After, they spent some time messing with Ruruka, Izayoi, Seiko, and Jun at their haunted house.

---

"Hinata-kun, this is Tsumiki-san and Mioda-san. Guys, this is Hinata-kun."

"Hey there…."

"Eeeehhh~" Ibuki grumbled as she stepped closer to the embarrassed Hajime. "What's up with that low tune you got there? You gotta raise the roofs!"

Mikan was a lot more reserved as she poked her fingers together. "I-It's nice to meet you, Hinata-san."

Chiaki smiled as she watched Hajime try to keep up with the energy machine that was Ibuki, the girl rambling about something or the other. Sometimes it was hard for her to keep up with what the Ultimate Musician was thinking too, and she felt like she was a good listener.

"Are the two of you hanging out during the school festival?" Mikan asked shyly as she looked between Chiaki and Hajime.

The Ultimate Gamer looked at her. "Yeah. I saw Hinata-kun watching the play. Everyone else looked like they were busy with something else, so I thought it would be a good chance to hang out."

"I-I see." Mikan slowly nodded. "I thought you two were on a date…."

"Hmm." Chiaki tilted her head ever so slightly as she pondered Mikan's words. "What makes you say that?"

"W-Well, Enoshima-san was talking about going a date with Matsuda-san, so I thought that maybe this was similar."

"Oh, the Ultimate Neurologist. Speaking of which, I was going to ask Hinata-kun if he wanted to watch his play with me. Did you two want to come along?"

"C-Changing the subject like that….." Mikan looked teary-eyed at Chiaki's dismissal of her question.

On the other hand, Ibuki gave Hajime some breathing room as she heard Chiaki's invitation.

"Sure! Ibuki was planning on dragging Mikan-chan along with her anyway!"

"T-That wasn't fair, you know!" Mikan tried to protest Ibuki's actions as she switched her attention to the Ultimate Musician. "I was going to ask Naruto-san to hang out with me, then you dragged me away…."

"Now, now." Ibuki walked up to the Ultimate Nurse and threw her arms around her, wrapping her in a hug. Mikan squeaked and blushed at the action, much to Ibuki's amusement. "We need to have some bonding time too, Mikan-chan! It can't always be about the boys. Girlfriends need love too!"

Hajime made his way over to Chiaki with a puzzled look. "What is she talking about?"

Chiaki shook her head. "I wish I knew."

Ibuki's reasoning for her actions wasn't always clear.

"I couldn't agree with you more, my fellow woman lover! Girls need some loving too! Only that I have to be in the middle of it!"

Mikan's face turned white as Yūto's voice suddenly rang out next to her and Ibuki. When had the short boy gotten so close to them!?

"Eh?" Ibuki blinked a couple of times as she looked down at the short boy who was snacking on more bread from his bag. "When did you get here? Ibuki didn't hear you at all! And her ears are number one."

"Oh, big sis. You underestimate this student and his abilities. I couldn't call myself a….well, actually never mind that. It's bad enough that my class leader exposed me to my class. I can't have others knowing of my true identity just yet. You'd just forget later anyway."

Hajime deadpanned. "This is another Ultimate, isn't it?"

"Looks like it," Chiaki said next to him. "I don't recognize him, though."

Yūto looked at her with a cheery smile. "How could you, big sis! After I asked you to have sex with me too! I can't believe that you would forget about my proposition so quickly. I guess my rival must have gotten to you first, huh. He's so quick, that one. He's a fiend. If only I knew his identity!"

The more Yūto spoke the more crestfallen Mikan became.

"Say what!?" Hajime openly gaped at the shorter boy. "You asked Nanami-san for sex!?"

Just repeating that was enough to make the Reserve Course student turn redder than Christmas lights.

"Woah." Ibuki was just amazed.

Chiaki's face was blank. Had that happened? She honestly couldn't remember. Then again, sometimes she was quick to forget things that weren't worth remembering. She needed a lot of her brain power devoted to her games.

"This school festival is overrun with the depraved, isn't it?" Ibuki looked proud of herself for a moment. "Look at me, using a word like 'depraved.' Ibuki declares that her vocabulary skills have once again expanded!"

"Congrats!"

Yūto's enthusiasm at her "accomplishment" was enough to make Ibuki forgive his earlier statement…..for now.

"Anyway, who are you?" Ibuki asked. She still didn't know that.

"Hmm, has my comrade not introduced me yet? I am hurt!"

"Comrade?" Ibuki didn't get it.

"Who else? I'm talking about Tsumiki Mikan-chan! Ohohoho, I have called you 'Mikan-chan.' Clearly this means that our friendship has deepened further! Isn't that wonderful?"

"For realz!?" Ibuki hugged Mikan tighter. "Mikan-chan, has this depraved person done anything to you!? Ibuki must know the truth!"

"O-Of course not!" Despite the horror of having Yūto just show up like this, Mikan still had enough sense to deny whatever thoughts were crossing Ibuki's mind.

"Yeah, she turned me down." Yūto took another bite from his pastries, happily munching on it. "She already has someone she wants to conquer."

Hajime's face burned brighter at that while Chiaki's face became blank again.

Ibuki on the other hand looked at Mikan who blushed.

"D-Don't say it like that, Kamishiro-san! I-It's not like that at all!"

"It's not?" Yūto didn't look convinced. "I thought for sure you had made some progress. That's why I sneaked away from my class to see if I could get an update, but you're still at that stage? I guess your conquest must be too much of a herbivore, huh. We gotta bring out the big guns then! This is a school festival. There's bound to be sexual opportunities at every corner!"

"People usually say 'romantic opportunities,' you know," Hajime muttered, not believing what he was hearing. This was too much for someone like him who was inexperienced with girls. Just what kind of Ultimate was this!? And why was Chiaki acting like this was no big deal!?

Before their conversation could descend into more depravity, Yūto was suddenly struck on the back of his head by none other than a ticked off Hana, while a blushing Nomura Megumi, the Ultimate Innkeeper, stood next to her.

"Oi, Kamishiro! What the heck do you think you're doing!? Our play is about to start! Everyone is looking for you!"

"I-Ito-san, maybe we shouldn't be so violent," Megumi tried to placate the Ultimate Koto Player.

Hana ignored her. "You've caused us enough problems this past week. Get your act together already!"

"Eh~" Yūto nursed the back of his head as let his pastry fall into his bag. "I don't mind the rough play, but didn't you already say that you didn't want to have sex with me? Even though you wear a thong-"

Yūto never finished that statement as Hana delivered a powerful punch to his gut that had the Ultimate Spy dropping to his knees with a blissful expression.

"So much pain…..worth it," he groaned out as he collapsed. He still held on to this bag of pastries somehow.

Commitment.

Hana's cheeks were burning as she glared down at the fallen boy. "Disgusting pervert. Why did we have to get stuck with you of all people?"

"Ibuki doesn't know who you are, but she totally understands what you mean!"

At Ibuki's words, Hana seemed to finally realize that Yūto hadn't been alone.

"Oh." Megumi realized the same thing as she bowed. "Our apologies! We did not mean to interrupt your conversation. We're kind of in a rush, you see. We need our classmate to return with us for our school play!"

"There's another school play?" Chiaki had mentioned it, but Hajime was a little surprised to hear that another class was putting on a play as well. What were the odds!

"So these are our rivals, huh." Ibuki got into a fighting stance, which really was just a random pose that she thought looked cool. "Ibuki's charms are too much for your class to overcome. Remember that!"

"Rivals?" Megumi sounded confused for a moment until it finally dawned on her. ""Oh! You must be from Class 77-B. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Ibuki narrowed her eyes at her while Megumi continued to smile beautifully.

There was a moment of silence.

"….Ibuki likes you."

"Huh!?"

"Don't act so friendly with these guys, Nomura. They're only trying to butter you up," Hana cut in with a scowl.

Chiaki placed a finger under her chin in thought. "Aren't you guys who are doing that? It was your Matsuda-kun that challenged our Uzumaki-kun. We didn't start this fight."

Calling it a "fight" might be making it more dramatic than it really was, but hey.

Hana rolled her eyes as she readjusted her glasses. "I don't know what that guy is thinking, and frankly it's got nothing to do with me. All I know is that you guys have Saionji with you, which makes you my enemies. I gotta teach that brat to stop looking down on me."

Ibuki chuckled weakly. "I think that might be impossible…."

Next to her, Mikan nodded fervently. She would know from firsthand experience.

"But you know Hiyoko-chan? Ibuki wants to hear funny stories about her!"

This was a good opportunity for blackmail material for later!

"I don't have any."

"Oh." Ibuki looked disappointed by the quick dismissal and pouted. This girl was no fun!

"Anyway, we have to go. We've wasted enough time as is. Just know that you guys are going to lose this."

With those parting words, Hana instructed the smiling Megumi to help her pick up the now unconscious Yūto. The boy was small, but Hana wasn't all that strong to begin with. Neither was Megumi for that matter. It took a combined effort to lift up the boy and carry him off.

"Ehehe." Ibuki stuck out her tongue playfully. "They might be the enemy, but Ibuki wants to tease them."

Hajime scratched his cheek, unsure of what just happened. "It looks like you guys have a lot on your plate."

"Something like that." Chiaki didn't fully get it either. "For some reason, they have a problem with us. Although it sounds like she had a problem with Saionji-san specifically."

"We must hear the details from Hiyoko-chan later!"

"It would be nice to know more about her," Mikan said softly while poking her fingers together.

"We can talk about that later," Chiaki said. "Right now, we have to go watch their play."

"Oh my~ Chiaki-chan is all fired up!"

Hajime sweatdropped a little. If there was one thing that he had come to know about Chiaki it was that she could be competitive when she wanted to be. It appeared like now was one of those times.

Natsumi might hate him for this later, but he was also curious to see what kind of play this other class of Ultimates had put together. Hopefully the rest of his class forgave him for being away for so long. He was going to have to make it up to them later.

The four teens set out together to watch class 77-A's play.

---

Nagito's eyes lit up when he spotted Naruto.

"Uzumaki-kun, I'm happy to see that you made it. There are almost no seats left."

The Ultimate Lucky Student was seated by the very back.

Unlike their setup, class 77-A were premiering their play outside. This meant that they had far more room to accommodate more people if they wanted. Attendance wasn't limited to where you could seat. You could also watch the play from the ground if you wanted to. The grass was pretty comfortable.

"Your sensei is here too, Komaeda-kun," Chisa said with a small pout as she followed after Naruto.

"Oh, sensei. My apologies. I didn't know that you were with Uzumaki-kun."

"I'll say~" Next to Nagito was Teruteru who was combing his hair. "That's a unique pair. Were you two doing anything exciting while we weren't looking, mhmm~"

"Hanamura-kun."

The Ultimate Cook suddenly found himself staring at the overly cheerful Chisa.

"Jokes are okay, but we are going to have to talk about how you take things too far sometimes."

"A private session? I'll gladly accept it!"

"This guy is hopeless." Naruto was confident that Teruteru's comments were going to lead the boy to his own death one day.

Ignoring the way Chisa was silently scheming about what to do with Teruteru later, Naruto took a seat next to Nagito. Soon after Chisa sat on his other side.

"Is no one else here?"

"Hmm, I'm not sure," Nagito replied. "I have been helping Hanamura-kun hide from Owari-san. We decided to come here to see what kind of hope Matsuda-kun has decided to display."

"Hope, huh." Naruto didn't think that was the right word to use here.

"What about the two of you?" Teruteru asked. "What have you been up to?"

"We went and ate. Hung out with Ruruka for a bit. That was fun."

Too bad the kids decided to stay over there rather than come watch the play with him and Chisa. As Kotoko had put it, they had no desire to see what their enemy was up to.

Naruto's curiosity got the better of him and so here he was. Besides, he wanted to see how Yasuke's play would go. The Ultimate Heroine had spoiled it somewhat, but Naruto wanted to see it with his own eyes. He felt like if he did then maybe he would come to understand Yasuke better.

"I can feel the excitement in the air!" Chisa was just enthusiastic about the whole thing. "Rivalries! This is what youth is all about!"

Her enthusiasm made Naruto grin a little. It was a bit contagious to be honest. And from the way Kurama's tail was wagging on top of his head he agreed with Chisa's sentiment.

Naruto wasn't sure if there were more people present here than at their play, but it was still a sizable crowd. It was hard to say really since there was more room out here so no one was cramped together. He had to give it to Yasuke and his class. They had set up a nice little space for themselves.

"I wonder how this is going to go…."

Nagito chuckled. "I wouldn't worry, Uzumaki-kun. I have the utmost confidence that you guys are going to win."

Naruto stopped himself from rolling his eyes. "Don't you mean 'we'?"

"Oh. Of course! That was my mistake."

Riiiiiight.

Naruto didn't respond as the curtain on the stage parted.

It was time to see what Yasuke wanted to show him.

---

The first day of the ultimate school festival had come with many surprises. It had started with a riot, but it ended rather peacefully all things considered. No one was forced to leave. All the enthusiastic "normal" students merely took their leave when it was time to go, knowing that they had four more days to enjoy what Hope's Peak Academy had to offer.

Naruto wasn't threatened with expulsion. Some might have wondered why that was, but Naruto didn't question it. Sure, it might be suspicious that the old farts who ran the school were allowing him to go against them directly like this, but he wasn't going to rock the boat more than he already had. Not for now anyway. Right now, he was more preoccupied with making sure that he and his friends enjoyed the school festival to the fullest. Oh, he also wanted to make sure that he won against Yasuke and his jerk of a class.

The first day had seen both classes put on their respective plays. As promised, Yasuke's had been in direct opposition to what Naruto had come up with. Instead of a wandering ninja, Yasuke's story centered around a traveling healer during the Sengoku jidai era of Japanese history. Naruto had read about that time period of Japanese history. It was basically one of the most infamous eras in this world's history if you could believe it.

Yasuke's play centered around a fictitious alternate history during this era, or so Sonia had later explained to him. Yasuke's character had traveled abroad to learn new medical techniques which he later brought to Japan when he returned. The main character traveled throughout the many courts of the divided country and performed miraculous healings that weren't thought to be possible during that time period. It wasn't due to magic. Just skill.

And talent.

These showings brought the main character much prestige and influence which he would later use to win territory for himself, usurping the authority of the many warlords that he had once served. This led the main character into the many wars that he had at first wanted to avoid, culminating in the conquering of Japan as more and more people flocked to his banner in order to be saved by his knowledge. He had some skillful generals under him as well as other characters of note, but the story was adamant in stressing that all of it was only possible because of the main character. Without his talent, then the rest of the characters were nothing.

In a way, the ending was more straightforward than Naruto's, as well as similar as both end on a hopeful note for the future. Naruto's stressed the importance of how the main character and his many friends could go out and continue to change the world while Yasuke's focused on how the future of Japan would forever be transformed thanks to the talent of the main character and the many innovations that he would bring.

So, the question needed to be asked: which was the true hopeful ending? That was something for their audiences to decide.

Regardless of the answer, Naruto and Yasuke had been able to communicate each other's feelings through their respective plays. Now, Naruto was confident that he knew the kind of person Yasuke was and what motivated him. The two of them were very different, but they also shared some distinct similarities, even if neither wanted to admit it.

Could there be understanding between them?

Naruto still thought Yasuke was an asshole, though.

---

Night came, and Sonia found her hotel suite full of activity again as Naruto made good on his earlier promise to Ryota.

They were going to be having an anime watch party!

The Ultimate Animator's enthusiasm was easy for the others to see, and they let him take the lead as to what shows they should watch.

It wasn't just class 77-B that came over, though.

Hajime looked out of place as he tried to not grip his plastic cup too tightly.

"Are you sure it's okay for me to be here?"

He thought that Nagito had glared at him when he first got here. Maybe he had just imagined it?

"What do you mean?" Chiaki didn't understand his question. "We're here to celebrate our first successful day, aren't we?"

"Yeah, but-"

"Stop being a pussy already and enjoy yourself." Hajime had to stop himself from flinching when he found Fuyuhiko glaring at him. The Ultimate Yakuza had a drink with him too. "I swear, kids these days."

Weren't they the same age!?

"Tell me about it." Next to him, Natsumi was looking exasperated. "I've had to keep this one in line for the past month. It's been a pain in the ass."

"H'mph. I can see it."

Hey now.

"You have to shape up, Hinata-kun."

Chiaki too!?

Hajime looked to Sato for support, but the girl was too busy eating from the buffet that Teruteru had prepared to take notice of his plight.

'I'm all alone here!?'

Hajime almost cried as he found the two Kuzuryu siblings berating him for being such a "pussy." If someone had told him two months ago that he would be having this conversation, then he would have laughed at their faces. Funny how things quickly changed.

In a different part of the hotel suite, Ruruka was trying to chase down a fleeing Kurama who was being aided by the Four Dark Devas of Destruction.

"Come here, my fluffy fox! I haven't gotten to pet you yet!"

"I-I don't think that Kurama-san enjoys that too much!" A teary-eyed Mikan chased after her.

"I-I don't think this is going to end too well, R-Ruruka!" An equally teary-eyed Seiko was right next to the Ultimate Nurse.

"Fools!" Gundham cackled as he watched Ruruka try to catch Kurama. "My servant's summon might not be as potent as my own, but when aided by my dark arts, there is no room for defeat! Fuhahaha!"

The Ultimate Breeder was having more than just a little fun.

Byakuya raised an eyebrow at the sight. "Should you not stop that mistress of yours?"

Izayoi, who was mid-bite, paused and spared the laughing Ruruka a glance before returning to his plate.

"Nah."

Truly, he was a man of few words.

In a different part of the hotel suite still, Ryota was energetically giving Kazuichi, Nekomaru, and Jun instructions about what they needed to do when setting up Kazuichi's personalized TV.

"It's gotta have the right settings! We have to make sure this is the best anime experience in the world!"

Jun's eyebrow twitched as he helped Nekomaru set the giant TV in place. "Why the heck am I even here?"

He had experiments to conduct!

"D'oh! If you're a true man, then stop complaining already!" Nekomaru barked at him.

"I don't want to hear that stupid crap outta you anymore!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Gah! You're worse than Uzumaki!"

"Gahahaha! Thank you!"

"That's not a compliment, you overgrown gorilla!"

Kazuichi was snickering as he made sure all the wires were connected properly. It felt great not having to be the one who was frustrated all the time.

The others were all scattered about, all chatting among themselves and doing their own thing as they waited for the anime watch party to get started. This included Teruteru trying to get Akane to lick him while she consumed plate after plate of his delicious food, to Masaru needing the Heimlich maneuver from Jataro and Nagisa when he overate, to Ibuki playing her guitar to Sonia, Hiyoko, Peko, Kotoko, and Monaca, and finally to Nagito just enjoying a drink by his lonesome as he took in all the joy around him with a serene expression.

This only left Naruto and Mahiru to themselves.

---

The blond found himself on the same balcony that he had shared a kiss with Sonia during the sleepover. He hadn't come here to reminisce about that, mind you. No, his mind was plagued with thoughts about Yasuke's play and what would happen in the future. You could say that he was anxious, but that wasn't entirely true either. Perhaps he was just ensure of what would happen from this point on.

That fear wasn't able to take a hold of him for too long as he heard more laughter coming from the other rooms, instantly lifting up his spirit.

He cracked a small smile. It was always comfortable to know that he wasn't alone in this world. Even if he felt indecisive now, he could always turn to his friends for help.

A bright flash caught his attention. Turning, Naruto was met with Mahiru's camera, with the smiling redhead on the other side of it.

"There we go. It's always nice to capture a smile when no one is looking."

"I'm pretty sure Peko-chan hates it when you do that, ya know."

"She secretly collects all the photos that I give her, so I don't think so."

Seriously? Peko just had a lot of cute sides to her, huh.

"More importantly, what are you doing out here?" Mahiru asked as she walked out into the balcony to stand next to him. "The party is inside."

"Just thinking about stuff."

"That doesn't suit you."

"That's funny. I'm really laughing right now."

Naruto had to say, his sarcasm game was on point lately.

Mahiru smiled. "You make it real easy sometimes."

"Oh yeah?"

Naruto's voice sounded distant as he looked down at the street below. There were few people walking about at this hour, even if the hotel Sonia was staying at was closer to downtown. Probably because it was a Monday night.

Mahiru picked up on this but didn't comment on it.

"I wanted to thank you, for letting Sato join us tonight."

"It's not a big deal."

"I think it is. Some people would rather that she wasn't here…..and then there's also Komaeda."

"You don't gotta worry about that. I'm pretty sure he's not planning on doing anything tonight."

He looked like he was having a good time. The luckster hadn't even acknowledged Sato's presence from what Naruto remembered.

"I suppose you're right about that," Mahiru said after a pause. "He looked like he had fun today. Even someone like him must want to relax tonight."

Naruto glanced at her. "Are you angry with him?"

Mahiru looked unsure. "I….don't know. At first, I was. But after thinking about it, I don't think so. I still think of him as a friend, which would have been crazy for me before coming to this school. I guess I can't fully blame him when Sato made the choices that she did."

Hm. Naruto guessed she had a point there.

"After seeing Sato today, I don't think I can keep blaming Komaeda forever," Mahiru added after another small pause. "She doesn't seem to be scared of him anymore either."

That was also true.

"It's why I wanted to thank you again." Mahiru started to twiddle with her fingers. She was starting to feel embarrassed. "I saw Sato's growth with my own eyes today. She wouldn't have been able to have that chance if you hadn't forgiven her. Even though you have every right to hate her, you don't. And….that means a lot to me. So t-thank you."

Chuckling, Naruto gave her several exaggerated head pats, much to Mahiru's growing embarrassment.

"Don't let her take all the credit. From what I heard, you're the one who got the idea to meet with Natsumi in the first place."

"T-That's only because I wanted to take a step forward of my own." She tried slapping Naruto's hand away, but the blond was too fast for her. At least he wasn't patting her head anymore. "I was slow to react when Sato was in trouble, and it nearly cost me. I didn't want to make that same mistake again, so I took action."

"I think that's pretty cool."

"Are you making fun of me?" Mahiru pouted a little at the thought.

"Nah. I'm happy for you. And for Natsumi. She was able to find an answer that she can accept with Fuyuhiko. I think that's for the best."

Of course, she hadn't said a word to him all night. Naruto had no idea what Natsumi thought of him now. Another question for a different day.

"Besides, you give me too much credit, Mahiru." Naruto's eyes drifted upwards toward the night's sky. It was a peaceful night all things considered. "Sato's growth is her own accomplishment. She didn't change because of me."

He often failed to change others, after all. An image of Kotoko's mother flashed in his mind momentarily, but he quickly erased her from his thoughts.

"You have a bad habit of looking down on yourself." Naruto felt Mahiru reaching for his arm. He looked back down to see her giving him a disapproving stare. "Yes, Sato has changed because she wanted to, but you gave her that opportunity. That's an important fact, and it's not something that most people would consider. It's what makes you who you are."

All of a sudden, Naruto started to feel embarrassed too. It wasn't every day that Mahiru complimented him like this.

"M-Maybe….." He then shook his head. "But I'm not someone who can just forgive everyone. I have hated too, you know. I still do."

"There's someone you can't forgive?"

"I told you guys about it. About how my master was killed."

Understanding reached Mahiru. "Nagato."

She remembered the man's name. He had been a previous student under Naruto's master and ultimately the one to kill him too.

"Yeah. By the end of our fight, we came to an understanding. I understood his pain and where he was coming from. But you know, despite all that, I still couldn't forgive him. Even after everything, to this day, there is still a part of me that hates him for what he did to my friends and my village."

Hearing Naruto talk like this made Mahiru subconsciously step closer to him, even reaching out and grabbing him by the hand.

Naruto didn't mind it. "That's why I can't say that Mikan and Hiyoko are wrong for still resenting Sato, especially when they're doing it on my behalf. Understanding is one thing. Love is different and a lot harder."

Nagato had caused him a lot of pain, but his sibling disciple had taught him a lot as well.

"Peace." Mahiru tested the word as she studied Naruto's face. "You talk about that like it's simple, but then you doubt yourself like this over and over again. You're so dumb."

Naruto almost laughed at her words. She was right. Ultimately he might be just be pursuing a dead dream, but he still wouldn't give up. That's not who he was.

Mahiru sort of understood that too, which is why her words weren't harsh but more playful and compassionate. She had stuff she wanted to get off her chest too.

"I didn't really have the best of opinion of you when we first met. I thought you were just another dumb boy, and in many ways you are."

Naruto just looked at her, giving her his undivided attention.

"And yet, you're also different from anyone else I've met. I can confidently say that I've been able to grow because of you. We all have. I don't think you can deny that."

"Yeah, you're not the first one to tell me that."

"Then maybe you should start listening, you idiot."

"Hey, I know I'm awesome and everything, but I still think you guys are selling yourselves short here," Naruto defended himself. "What you did today was because of your own efforts, Mahiru. It's true for Sato and Natsumi too. You guys are all capable of great things. You just had to believe in yourselves first. That's got nothing to do with me."

Mahiru was finding herself staring deeper into Naruto's eyes. Was she blushing too? She couldn't tell anymore.

"You're still so cheesy. I guess you're going to be stubborn until the end."

Naruto grumbled to himself. He didn't have the best public speaking skills sometimes okay!

"But I don't hate it."

Naruto's grumbling ceased when he felt one of Mahiru's hands tenderly reach for his cheek. All of a sudden, under the night sky like this, he suddenly realized that Mahiru was looking more beautiful than ever before.

"I love you, Naruto."

Mahiru didn't wait for his answer.

Naruto's mind froze as Mahiru leaned forward and locked her lips with his. His widened as he felt her soft lips on his. Mahiru took her second bold step of the day, an action that she never would have taken before coming to Hope's Peak Academy. She was a changed person now, and she wanted to share that with the person she had come to care about the most.

And so, under the beautiful night sky, another confession had been made.

The future kept inching closer and closer.

---

Long chapter. These really just keep increasing. I might not be able to make it next time.

Nah, just kidding.

Anyway, I know some people probably wanted me to go into more details with the plays, but that would have made these long chapters even longer and would have probably interrupted the flow of the story. I think so anyway. There is a lot I wanted to do with the school festival, and I don't want to drag this out anymore than I already have. I still feel satisfied with the end product. I might be able to wrap this up by the next chapter, but if not then in two. We shall see.

In other news, this story is around 300 favorites shy of reaching 2k. Crazy. I didn't think something like that was possible. The Naruto/Danganronpa fan fiction scene is practically barren, so I was sure that I would be writing to a smaller audience. Glad this story has reached so many people.

That's all from me.

Till next time.