Senran Kagura: Uzumaki Chronicles Chapter 4: Scroll 4, a Naruto + Senran Kagura/閃乱カグラ Crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Senran Kagura belongs to Marvelous/Xseed

Scroll 4: Hanzō vs. Hebijo

Image Cover: The art is based on the original Senran Kagura: Burst box art, though with Naruto in the center, looking depressed that he doesn't have an official rival.

"I see that Naruto has been quite an inspiration to the girls these days."

"Indeed. Naruto's training method has helped them improve greatly. They're all growing stronger as the days pass."

Inside a hidden room in the old building, Kiriya sat crossed legs in front of Master Hanzō.

Several days passed since Hebijo made their appearance and the girls began their 'Uzumaki Style Training Course'. This kind of training was unlike anything they've ever done before and it made the girls, including Kiriya himself, wonder if Naruto was slightly sadistic for putting them through all that. He had them wear special weights that members of the Uzumaki Clan always wore for training, even during their battles. As they wore them, he had them do various exercises, made them run laps around the field and spar against him. He even had them do teamwork exercises. While they were curious about why he wanted them to do it, he told them that while they all had their unique skills and abilities, they still had weaknesses. And where one member of a group may have a weakness, the rest are there to do their part which can make them a well-coordinated unstoppable force.

The main focus of the team exercise is the fact that they all need each other and their special abilities to fight enemies, win battles, and even survive. Staying together is what keeps them strong.

Kiriya smiled. "Naruto is certainly proving that he is very experienced in the shinobi field."

Hanzō nodded his head in agreement to what he said. "Yes. Now that he's encountered the Hebijo girls and seen how they were more experienced, he's helping the girls gain the upper hand before they show up again."

"Sir, there's something else I should mention." Kiriya told him. "After hearing the name of the shinobi he encountered, Zabuza Momochi, I've done some research on him only to find nothing on him or this Haku person."

"Of course you wouldn't." Hanzō said obviously, getting the teacher to blink at him as he closed his eyes. "I won't say much since it's his story, but I will say this; Naruto is a special kind of lad. A shinobi so unlike many I've ever seen."

"Sir?"

"He grew up in a place so very far away where shinobi villages were constantly preparing themselves for war with each other, and they trained children like him to fight in the front lines. No matter the age, if you have the true makings of a shinobi, you are automatically declared a shinobi of that village. Their shinobi system is just that different from our current one, especially since there is no distinction between good and evil shinobi."

Kiriya's eyes widened in shock at hearing this but Master Hanzō continued.

"Naruto had no one there to help him all his life. No parents, no clan. He grew up all alone in a village where they hated him for a terrifying power his father sealed inside him. Once he graduated from his village's school at the age of 12, he got his first real look of the shinobi world as he continued to do missions with his team and fought many enemies along the way."

The retired shinobi clenched his fists tightly to the point where bones were heard cracking. "At age 13, after a successful retrieval mission, he abandoned his village once he learned that they planned on turning him into a weapon after he used that same power to bring his former teammate back to the village. So of course, he's been on his own for a long time, looking for a place to call home while avoiding those who were after him for his power. And then, four months later Sayuri found him after his encounter with Shin, badly injured."

"And the power that his father sealed inside him. I assume that's the reason why he got weaker?" Kiriya asked.

"That's right." Hanzō answered. "After his encounter with Shin, the power he had disappeared from him and because of that he's been in a coma for a whole month. Once he was fully healed, Sayuri helped him train for three months to try and make up for his missing power."

"...I see." Kiriya said, softly. Losing his family, having a power that he didn't want, being hated in a village because of said power, leaving his village to be on the run from many enemies and being forced to kill just to survive. Naruto truly lived a hard life, didn't he?

"Still, that chapter in his life is over." Hanzō smiled. "Naruto is here starting a new life with people who care for him."

Kiriya smiled as well. "Yes. That's right."

"Speaking of which, has he reported to you about any yōma sightings?" Hanzō asked.

"Thankfully, no." Kiriya replied before frowning as he recalled the secret conversation he had with him after the puppet incident. "And that's what I'm worried about. After he told me what happened during their fight against the puppets, I never would've imagined that they would go as far as to simply watch him."

"I'll admit, it has me worried too." Hanzō stroked his beard in thought, a glare present on his face. If Naruto hadn't noticed, the yōma would've definitely tried to attack him and the girls. But to think it would run away after being noticed by him proves that Naruto was indeed a threat to the yōma. "Still, we can trust Naruto to handle them if they do decide to appear and hopefully the girls won't encounter them."

Kiriya nodded. While the two continued on with their conversation, a black cat was sitting in the corner of the room, hiding in the shadows as she watched them.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" She still remembered the day he took his first step into the academy as she watched him like a hawk. When she heard of him facing not only the Yoma, but also meeting their leader Shin and surviving against it's attack, she thought it was some joke. But one look at him told her that he was quite the strong individual even without this mysterious power his father sealed in him. So, she kept watch on him as he trained, either by himself or with the others and she just kept getting impressed by what she saw. It made her now understand that what she heard about him was true. To think that Shin, the creator of Yoma, actually felt threatened by this one shinobi. She always figured that that should be reserved for the Yoma Slayer herself. With that, her interest in this man began to grow.

Perhaps it was time to meet this new student.

This was it.

This had to be the biggest challenge Naruto has ever done. He can do this. He fought shinobi, monsters and most recently demons. So of course he could handle this. He almost had it. Just a couple more hits and it was–

["GAME OVER! WINNER: PLAYER 1!"]

Naruto's jaw dropped in disbelief as he was frozen in place. He stared at the screen of his defeated character, a shirtless large feral yellow man with orange spiky hair, and the other character, a black haired dancing woman dressed in a pink qipao. He was so focused on the heath bar of Player 1's character that he didn't hear the happy cheering of Hibari as she cheered happily.

"YAY! I WON! I WON!"

"S…So close. I…I was right there." The frozen Naruto felt an arm sit on his shoulder with a pair of breasts resting on his arm. He didn't even turn his head to see the cheeky look on Katsuragi's face.

"Man, you really suck at playing video games, huh?"

His eyebrow twitched as he hung his head in shame. "So close…!"

Everyone was in the dorm house, sitting around in the living room as Naruto and Hibari were playing Fight on the Streets IV on the X-Station. It was late at night as they were all wearing their PJs. They already had dinner, took their baths and were spending as much free time as they could before they went to bed.

"Hibari is really good at video games." Asuka commented, looking at the defeated Naruto crying waterfall tears. "I don't even know how many times she won against him."

"58." Yagyū answered, munching on dried squid. "He's that bad at video games and technology in general."

"Please stop!" Naruto pleaded as he felt her answer stab him directly in the heart. "I'm not that bad and I almost had her!"

"...it took us two days to teach you how to work your cell phone." Ikaruga deadpanned at him, glancing up from the book she was reading.

He felt the words land on his head, bringing him to his knees as he dropped the controller in his hands, ignoring Katsuragi's laughter. Two days ago, Granny Sayuri sent him a small package as a gift for doing a great job at Hanzō Academy. The package was one of those smartphones.

From what he learned, these phones allowed for communication throughout the whole world. Not only that, but he can also use the internet to go on the web and even play video games. As soon as he showed the girls his new phone, Katsuragi wasted no time in giving him her number with the others following her lead, while Hibari downloaded fun games for him to play. After two days of them helping him figure out how to use it, he was more than grateful to them.

Still, he wasn't that bad with technology! Sure they had TVs, computers, cameras and VCR, but everything in this world was so freaking advanced it was all still mind blowing to him.

"Don't worry, Naruto." Hibari reassured him, patting his head to get him to look up at her. "You're getting better at video games, but you still have a long way to go in order to reach my level of mastery. Just keep going and you'll master the arts of video games in no time!"

A smile formed on his face as he grabbed Hibari's hands into his own. "Thank you Hibari-sensei! I won't let you down!"

"Of course you won't! You're my star pupil!" Hibari said happily.

Katsuragi and Asuka let out giggles too. Naruto always loved playing around so much. Ikaruga grabbed onto Yagyū's arm to keep her from summoning her umbrella to more than likely smack him upside the head. She closed her book and stood up. "Okay, everyone. Time for bed."

Hibari let out a sad moan that the fun was over, but she turned the game and TV off. The others got up and made their way to the rooms, the lights getting turned off.

Naruto laid down on the bed, thinking about the events that transpired after meeting the Hebijo girls. As promised, he trained the girls everyday, putting them through the same grueling training regime he put himself through along with other training methods members of his clan did in the past. He even did personal one-on-one training with them, of course with him using his Shadow Clones while in his Turnover.

Needless to say, he was proud of the results.

Kat is very strong, but she lacks both range and speed, leaving her easily open to get counterattacked just like what happened in her battle with Hikage. She definitely needed work on that, so he helped her out with her attack range and speed. She obviously took heavy inspiration from his wind jutsu to develop her own Secret Ninja Art techniques. He even showed her demonstrations of when he used wind chakra on his weapons to increase their sharpness and effective length. This allowed her to do the same thing using her ninja energy with her Dragon Rebellion. While it was tough at first, she managed to get it down. She even impressed him when she made modifications to the Strong Fist style he learned from Guy before the Retrieval Mission. The Dynamic Entry, Leaf Whirlwind, Leaf Gale, Shadows of the Leaf Dance, she modified and enhanced them to the point she added them to her fighting style. Funny enough, she called her new style the Strong Kick. (Though she did make fun of him after he changed his ninja outfit to the green outfit that Lee and Guy wore. She's never gonna live it down.)

Ika is incredibly fast and can close in on enemies in a heartbeat, but is fragile and can flinch to most attacks when she's not expecting it. So he had worked on increasing her endurance while also offering her tips for her fighting style. He seriously has to thank Master Mifune for teaching him Iaidō during his trip to the Land of Iron, because it was the same fighting style she uses though hers was a bit sloppy in some areas.

Just a bit.

Yagyū, like Ika, has low endurance, but great attack speed and range, no doubt thanks to her skills with her bladed oil paper umbrella. However, some of her attacks leave her wide open. So, he worked on her endurance and gave her tips on how to not leave herself open, especially when she's surrounded by enemies or when weapons are thrown at her from every direction.

Hibari was obvious enough. After learning that her family forced her into the shinobi life, which he assumes was some time ago during her early teens, she hasn't been taught how to fight, so she created her own taijutsu which she proudly calls the 'Odd Pummeling Martial Arts'. When she fights like this in her base form, her attacks are limited in range. But in Turnover, electricity will fly out and stun her enemies and she calls on Ninto to help her out during her combos, even going full on GIANT. He won't lie, he was dumbfounded when he saw Hibari turn into a giant that day when he transformed into Zabuza. With the giant form and her love for sweets, it's almost like she's part of the Akimichi Clan, with the difference being she wasn't fat. He had a sneaking suspicion that eating those sweets went to her chest. It was weird of him to think that, but it kinda made sense.

He wanted to help Hibari bring out that power she displayed while teaching her his fighting style so that she can incorporate it into her own and he had to help build her confidence up. In order to help with that, during their spars, he transformed into various enemies he faced in the past. Though she did run away in terror when he transformed into Gaara during his transformation into Shukaku…which resulted in him getting chased and whacked on the head by an angry Yagyū.

But it was her eyes that caught his attention. He knew that she had to have some form of dōjutsu. Because after she knocked him back and he looked into her glowing eyes, he felt something messing with his head. Like something was trying to take over his mind and it was very powerful. It literally took all of his willpower to resist it. It now made him understand why her family wanted her to be a ninja though he decided to put a pin on that subject in the future.

Asuka…there was definitely something about her that was different from the others. While the others were good at certain areas, she was the only one trying to catch up to them, which is why she trains every morning so that she can catch up to them. But he knew better than that. After all, he was the one of the dead-last at the academy. Nobody believed he would make it, not even bothering to know his potential. But look at him now. He wasn't a prodigy or a genius like Sasuke or Neji.

No, he got here by believing in hardwork. Through every blood, sweat and tears, he became strong in the years since he left Konoha. He didn't cheat, take a shortcut or anything like that.

Asuka was like him in that regard.

If she was in the academy back in his world, she would've been a dead last along with him. But due to her heritage, he knew that she had a lot of hidden potential deep down inside her. He's seen it on several occasions as she taps into it unconsciously. Kinda like how he first tapped into Kurama's power during his fight with Haku and when he met Orochimaru during the Chūnin Exams. With her two ninjatōs, she is quick and nimble on her feet which allows her to move about and catch her enemies off guard with her quick and sharp attacks. She's well-balanced for close-range combat, and she can take hits while she's at it. The only thing she's lacking in is range.

So he helped her channel her ninja energy to her blades so that way she can increase the range of her attacks.

During the training, he also had them work on their teamwork some more. Even though each of the girls are individually strong, him included, it would be better to work together to face an enemy (the yōma) that's even stronger than them put together. So it would be better to learn how to be well-coordinated. All in all, these have been tough days. But at the end, he was happy that the girls were getting stronger and he knew that they were just as happy as him.

"Haah…" Naruto let out a breath and closed his eyes, allowing sleep to consume him. But then, he heard his door open and close. He kept his eyes closed as he felt no killing intent. He felt the person crawl on his bed, being very careful to not touch him, until they directly above him.

"I know you're awake."

A small smirk formed on his face as he opened his eyes to see Kat hovering over him, a smirk on her face before it turned into a small smile. After nearly a month of starting school, he already got used to this kind of thing from Kat. Though when she first did this, it made him become a blushing mess. That's why he always tries to prepare himself in case she does something like this.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself, handsome."

"Everything good?"

"Yeah." Katsuragi answered before she pouted at him. "I won't lie, your Uzumaki Style Special Training Course was probably the most gruesome training you put us through."

"And…?" Naruto trailed off, getting her to roll her eyes at him playfully.

"And it works." Katsuragi smiled, though there was a hint of sadness in it. "You must've fought a lot of enemies to get this strong, huh?" She saw some of the transformations of some enemies he faced as one of his clones trained with Hibari to help build her confidence. Most of these guys fit the definition of an evil shinobi while others creeped her the hell out. Like that black haired, pale face snake creep who should be Hikage's dad or something.

Naruto shrugged in response. "I have a lot of stories to share if you want to listen. Frankly, I'm surprised I survived those battles."

"Good." Katsuragi said, getting him to blink at her. She blushed and turned away from him. "What I mean is, I'm happy that you survived through those battles…and that you're here."

Naruto blushed at that and smiled awkwardly at her as he scratched his cheek. "Well, I'm happy to be here too."

"I mean it." Katsuragi said, turning back to him with a serious expression which made him blink. "Ever since you came, things have changed. Like everything just became even brighter and more colorful. It's like whenever you're around, we get to have fun and goof around like ordinary students, even during class or when we're training. You completely changed our whole world Naru, and you don't even realize it."

"Kat…"

"I just…I just can't even imagine what our lives would be like if you weren't here." Katsuragi said softly, moving to sit on top of waist as she played with her hair and looked away from him, blushing slightly. "That's why, I'm happy that you're here."

…Unbelievable.

Naruto was definitely astonished to hear her say all those things. He wasn't expecting her to just sneak in here just so they could talk like this. It usually involves her teasing or harassing him. But to hear her say how much he's been a positive influence on not just her but the others lives, struck him right in the heart, but in a more positive way. "I…I don't know what to say." He admits, getting his fellow blond to turn to him. "You know, before I came to Japan, I've been living in this dark and cruel world by myself. No parents, no friends, nothing. In the village I grew up in, everyone, from the adults to kids…they all hated me for something that was beyond my control. They just ignored my whole existence and saw me as something else."

A gasp left her lips as he said that, which made him turn away but she could clearly see the sadness and pain in his eyes. She placed a hand on his cheek and rubbed it softly, causing him to lean into her touch. "For as long as I can remember, I've wanted them to accept me for who I am. To acknowledge my existence. But no matter what I did, or how much I tried, they would never acknowledge me and they made that perfectly clear. So I left and I never looked back."

Naruto closed his eyes and turned his head to face Katsuragi, smiling softly at her as he held the hand that was touching his cheek. "Being here in Japan, meeting Granny Sayuri and all of you, you brightened my world greatly. I can't remember the last time I had this much fun! That's why…I'm happy to be here. But most importantly, I'm happy that I met all of you."

He certainly knows where to touch her when it comes to feelings. While a part of her wanted to know more about his past after hearing that everyone in the village hated him for some reason, the other part squashed it down. That was his story to tell after all and she wouldn't press it. But to hear how much she and the others brightened his once lonely world made her feel happy. And despite the darkness in the room, she can still see that smile she always loved to see on his face.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that!" Katsuragi said, sharing his smile with an added blush. "So listen, as soon as I beat that snake bitch, I want a reward."

Say what? A reward?

"Once I win, I want you to take me out on a date."

…

"...eh?" Naruto blinked.

"A date, duh! And no, I'm not talking about just taking me out to some ramen joint, which is good, but not what I had in mind." Katsuragi told him, and she leaned forward to get in his face, giving him a stern look. "I want a real date. Like going out to the movies or walking through the park kinda date. You at least owe us after that hellish training you put us through."

Naruto blinked rapidly as his cheeks turned red. He couldn't look anywhere except for Kat's green eyes. Normally when they're going out for ramen, she would joke and say that it was like a date between them. But there was no playfulness in her eyes this time. She was serious about it.

Well, if that's what she wants then who was he to deny. After all, he did put all of them through hell with his training. It's only natural that they should get rewarded for their efforts, right?

"Okay. Sure, no problem."

Katsuragi leaned ever closer to his face, a narrowed look on her face. "Promise?"

Naruto smiled in reassurance, though he was blushing as the top of her nose touched his own. "Promise. Sides, you're right. You all worked really hard, so everyone deserves to have some kind of reward."

That answer delighted her greatly and she let out a silent cheer so as to not wake the others up. "It's a date then!" She stopped her cheering to let out a loud yawn.

"Better hurry and get some shut eyes." Naruto said with an amused smile on his face.

"No kidding." Katsuragi moved off of him and found her place right next to him, getting him to blush slightly as she hugged his arm and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"Kat?"

"I…" She started to say, going to her softened voice just like back then in the forest. "I keep having bad dreams lately and they keep waking me up. So I…I wanted to…"

"It's okay. I understand." Naruto said, smiling in understanding.

Katsuragi smiled back and closed her eyes, enjoying Naru's warmth once again. "Sorry if I snore too loudly." She said jokingly, getting a chuckle out of him She already decided this after Naru started his training course. After she beats Hikage, she and Naru will go on a date. And on that day, she'll tell him what happened to her family.

It wasn't long until Naruto joined her. Closing his eyes to let sleep consume him, all the while wondering what tomorrow will bring.

Next Day

"N…Naru. Mmm~! Naru…ah! Wake up, dummy!"

The following morning, Naruto woke to the sounds of Kat's soft muffled moaning before he got slapped upside the head which slightly woke him up. He could also feel his hands grabbing onto something very soft while his face was on some familiar softness. He could also smell a sunflower-like flavor. Pulling his face back, he blinked as he saw Kat's chest, the buttons of her PJs shirt unbutton, allowing her breasts to be fully displayed, but thankfully her buds were still covered. He also gave a gentle squeeze at what he was grabbing which only made her moan. Looking down, he saw her pajama short was slightly down and his hands were groping her panty clad bottom.

His whole body turned atomic red as he released his hold on her and was about to let out a surprised yell but Kat quickly got on top of him and covered his mouth.

"Be quiet you dork!" She hissed at him. "If you scream, you're gonna wake the others!" His voice was muffling in her hands as his eyes turned comical. But she already knew that he was apologizing to her, still she shushed him. "It's cool! Just calm down, will ya!?" She asked. He finally did once he finally noted how embarrassed she was. Seeing how calmed he was, she released her hands from his mouth as he stared up at her with a dumbfounded expression. "What's with that look?"

"Are you…embarrassed that I touched you?" Kat's face glowed red at what he said, causing her to look away from, not even bothering to answer her question. Hearing a snort, she glared at him and saw him covering his mouth. "Oh man! Katsuragi, the sexual harasser of our class, is a total girl when someone else touches her!" Naruto tried his hardest not to laugh, but it was just too funny to him.

Kat smacked his shoulder in response to that. "Shut up! I'm more prepared when I do it! But when someone else does it to me, it's embarrassing because my babies are sensitive." Her face darkened a little. "Besides, any guy who would even try to touch me ends up going to the hospital."

"I know. You send them flying there with your kicks." Naruto chuckles, remembering the times she would kick those pervs who got too close to her in a building or car.

"And I have my knight in shining armor breaking their noses." Katsuragi also chuckled, remembering the times Naru acted like a bodyguard to her and the others whenever they were together. She rubbed his cheeks softly, a shy smile on her face. "If anything, you're the only guy I'll allow to touch me..."

Naruto blushed heavily, both from hearing that and for rubbing his cheek. Yet, for some reason it made him feel really happy but he didn't know why. "Is that so~?" He asked, a fox-like smirk forming on his face, which made her look weary at him. "So then you wouldn't mind if I did this?"

She covered her mouth to stop the loud squeak that came out her mouth when Naru poked her side. Smacking his hand off it, she did it again when he poked her other side. Then he started to tickle her. She let out muffled laughs as she tried to move out of reach from his fingers but found it hard. So she settled with smacking both of his hands off her sides, getting him to laugh as quietly as he could at her reaction. She glared at him with a heated blush on her face but then smirked as he left himself open. She grabbed his cheeks, getting him to stop laughing and started to sensually stroke his whiskers. She felt him tense before he melted in her hands like butter.

"Aw~just look at you." Katsuragi said as she continued what she was doing. "You were being all cheeky, now you're like an adorable kitty when I touch your cute whiskers."

Naru wanted to argue against that but he could only let out a grumbled purr in response. It amuses her that Naru reacts like this whenever someone touches his birthmarks. She remembered when Hibari rubbed his whiskers one day to see what they felt like, but then to everyone's surprise he started purring like and was even leaning into her touch.

"Meep!" Katsuragi jumped off him when he poked her sides again. She glared at him as he sat up with his cheeks turned red but the playful smile on his face. She formed a smirk in return. "So how did my sexy ass feel?"

"Perfect."

Naruto instantly covered his mouth, looking shocked that she got him with that, resulting in her to grin at him. They then shared a laugh.

Later

"Haah…"

Asuka sighed as she stood by herself on the school campus ground. Today's training took a lot out of her again. But she can't complain. She has to get even stronger.

Every day the brunette beauty continued to strive towards her dream of becoming the greatest shinobi the world has ever known like her grandfather.

She would not let anything deter her from her goal, but at the same time she would not abandon her family and friends for the sake of her dream either. She would never forsaken them. Because without them, she's nothing. Regardless, she remained unwavering in her training to become an amazing shinobi.

And she can thank Naruto for the extra assistance. Ever since he came into their life, things have gotten much brighter than they ever did. He was kind, helpful, funny, hardworking and surprising enough, wise beyond his years. It was like he was a sage.

The training he put them through was practically intense. It was the most intensive training she was ever put through. Wearing those weights during the first day was quite hard to move around in until she got used to them. But then imagine her surprise when he took the weights off and her body felt lighter.

But that was just the beginning of the gruesome training.

Was it hard? Yes. Did she cry? Definitely. Was she bleeding? Obviously.

But that's what training was about and she is very much thankful to Naruto for having them go through it.

"When a person has something so precious to them that they want to protect, that's when they can become truly strong. For me, it's all of you, my friends."

Remembering what he told them days ago after meeting the Hebijo shinobi, she's been thinking long and hard about what was precious to her. Her family and friends were precious to her, so of course she wants to protect them, Naruto included.

Now that she thought about it, his words made her remember what her grandpa told her a long time ago.

"Your strength is a mere sword. And a sword is meaningless if not joined with a shield. In order to gain true power, you must use both the sword and shield."

She didn't have a clue what that meant. All she got was that a sword was powerful, but a shield? Even during her time in Hanzō Academy, she still hadn't figured it out.

That is…until now.

The sword and the shield…protecting something precious. To Naruto, they were precious to him and he wanted to protect them. He would do everything in his power to protect them…even sacrificing himself just like Haku did for Zabuza.

It made her understand what it meant to be a sword and shield. The love that Haku had for Zabuza, even going so far as to sacrifice his own life to protect him. The love Naruto has for his friends and his desire to protect them from any enemy they face.

"The sword and shield…" Asuka spoke up softly.

The sword to fight for your loved ones and the shield to protect them. That's what it meant to be a sword and shield. That's how Naruto was able to get so strong. His strong will and desire to protect his friends gives him the strength to keep on fighting no matter how strong his opponent is.

"And…my nindō…"

"A nindō is a personal rule that each shinobi lives by. It's their ninja way of life. Their motto, belief or even their dream. It can be anything you want. A true ninja must always have a nindō."

"No matter what challenges come my way, I'll never run away! I'll face them head on and never give up! I never go back on my word! That's my nindō, my ninja way!"

Hearing those words had fueled the fire within her. Because he was right.

In life, you'll face many hurdles and challenges, especially if you're a ninja. Her grandparents and parents faced those challenges and overcame them, now it was her turn to face them. To never give up, to never go back on her word, and to keep following her dream of mastering the path of the shinobi! She won't let anyone put her down, criticize her and mock her.

She'll keep working hard until she masters the path of a ninja and she'll never stop believing in herself.

"Because hard work is worthless for those that don't believe in themselves." Asuka repeated what Naruto told them during their training. She smirks and nods her head.

She found what she wanted her nindō to be and it was all thanks to Naruto.

Naruto…

Even though she knew him for nearly a month, he already found his way into her heart and he was too irreplaceable for her. He always managed to rekindle her resolve, either by showing her the positive qualities that she had or by inspiring her to work past her faults. Despite being an orphan, despite being alone all his life, he was always wearing a bright smile on his face. He never really mentioned anything about his life back in his old home, but she can understand. It probably must've been really painful for him. The pain of being all alone. And that's why…she doesn't want him to feel that way. They were a family now and just like how he wants to protect them, she wants to protect him too.

Doki~

Asuka placed her hand on her chest as she felt her heart skip a beat. "W-What was that?"

Why did her heart beat like that? This has never happened to her before. Why is it that everytime she thinks about Naruto her heart would always act that way? It didn't make sense to her at all!

"KYAAAA!" She suddenly screamed as she felt familiar hands grabbing her chest.

"And just what are you thinking about, Asuka~?"

"Katsu!?" Asuka cried out as she looked back at her senior. "Oh come on! How do you always do that!?"

"Hehehe! You can thank Naru's training for that!" Katsuragi said happily with a pervy smile on her face. But she lost it when a puff of smoke appeared and she found herself hugging a log. "Eh!? Damn it!" She tossed it aside and turned to Asuka, seeing her hiding behind Naruto as she put her tongue out at her. The others were also there too.

"If you're done with your antics, I believe we have something to discuss." Ikaruga said with Katsuragi pouting at her.

"What's up?" Asuka asked, not moving from her spot behind Naruto as he was a shield to protect her from Katsu's hands.

"Homura came to me." Naruto said, causing her to look up at him in surprise. He held up a piece of paper and showed it to them. "It looks like we're having a one on one battle with them."

As the girls read the paper, he thought back to what happened earlier.

*Flashback*

Naruto was taking a quick nap on a tree branch. He just finished his training and now it was time for him to relax.

"You got a lot of guts relaxing like this when there's a war going on between our schools."

"I'm a pretty gutsy person." Naruto smiled. "I was wondering when you were gonna show up." He opened one eye slightly to look at the person who stood on the branch he was napping on. "Homura."

Homura smirked as she crossed her arms underneath her breasts. He wasn't tensing up or anything. He was still chill about seeing her. "Yeah. I can clearly see that."

"So, what's up?" Naruto asked, stretching his arms out.

"You already know 'what's up'." Homura said, her smirk vanishing. "I want the Super Secret Ninja Art Scroll. Give it to me or else."

"Or else what?" Naruto asked, sounding a bit curious.

"The entire student body will be slaughtered."

Naruto blinked. He blinked again. And again. Until he started laughing. Homura's eyes widened in confusion and anger as she narrowed her eyes.

"What the hell is so funny?"

"You're trying too hard playing the role of an evil shinobi." Naruto answered, stopping his laughing. "Seriously, what are they teaching you girls in that school?"

"You think I'm playing around?" Homura asked, grinding her teeth.

"Playing as a shinobi? No. But an evil one? Yes." Naruto replied. "I know that if you wanted to, you would've already killed everyone at the school, but that's not your mission." He looked her way, his tone shifting into a more serious voice. "I may be dumb, but I'm not that dumb. Your mission is the Super Scroll and I'm telling you now that what you're doing isn't worth it."

"What?" Homura asked.

"Asuka told me why you want the Super Scroll. To become so strong that you'll be unbeatable." Naruto said, his eyes narrowed slightly. "You're trying to take a shortcut, the easy way to get stronger and get the reward. And going that route will get you nowhere. You're just gonna get cut short before you even realize it."

"Tsk!" Homura turned away from him. "You're starting to sound like Asuka."

"Because she's right and you know it." Naruto said, getting her to glare darkly at him. "In life, you're going to face plenty of hardships and challenges. Does it suck? Yes. But that's life. There are no shortcuts in life, especially if you're a shinobi. If you want to be strong and reach to the top, you need to work harder than anyone else and never give up."

He didn't flinch when Homura grabbed him by the neck and slammed him into the tree, glaring directly into his eyes. "Don't you dare start preaching to me, bastard! In order to get stronger, you have to resort to any means necessary. Strength at all costs! That is how we at Hebijo do things!"

"And that's exactly why you're going to lose against Asuka the next time you face her. Same with the others." Naruto stated. Seeing her confusion, he elaborated. "Homura. Hikage. Haruka. Mirai. Yomi. I know all of you are strong. But the reason why you're strong is because of your hatred." He gave her a soft look that made her move back away from his face, completely off guard at seeing it. Even the aforementioned other girls who were below them were caught-off guard by what he said. "I don't know what happened to you in the past, but I can tell it must've been painful and I know it's why you chose to walk this path. That hate you have inside you, it'll only lead you to a life of loneliness. And being all alone with no friends or family…it's the most painful feeling in the world."

The honesty and sincerity in his eyes made Homura's eyes widened as she started to have memories of what happened to her before she went to Hebijo.

"Asuka and the others, they faced hardships as well. But their hearts aren't full of hate. It's filled with an even greater power because they endured and overcame them." Naruto smiled with confidence. "And that power…is what will beat you and prove you wrong."

Homura looked at him as though he said the stupidest, most idiotic thing she ever heard. She looked down at the branch, trembling all the while but not letting go of his neck and clenching her fist in her other hand. In fact, she just put more pressure on his neck, but he didn't react to it. She looked up at him with eyes full of anger and she punched him across the face, the force of it causing the tree to shake as leaves fell.

Blood started leaking from his mouth as Naruto continued to look at her, his eyes still showing nothing but determined confidence with that smile on his face. It made her want to punch him again but she stopped herself and harshly released him. "Fine then! If you're so damn confident in your friends and this so-called power of theirs, we'll see how strong they've gotten!" Homura said angrily. "One-on-one match between us. Hebijo versus Hanzō. Here!"

She held out a piece of paper for him to take, which he did. It showed who was fighting who and the location of where the fight will take place. Asuka against Homura. Kat against Hikage. Ika against Yomi. Yagyū against Mirai. Hibari against Haruka. And him against someone named Sōji.

Looking up at Homura, he saw that she was about to leave.

"Homura…" Thankfully she stopped at hearing his soft voice. "I've fought against a lot of shinobi in the past. Half of them did really horrible things, but that doesn't mean they were evil at heart. And the other half? They were truly evil scumbags who had to die. But you and the others aren't like that. Call me stupid if you want, but I can tell."

"..."

Naruto smiles at her softly as the wind starts to blow past them. "I know that deep down inside of that hate, is really a nice and caring person. No matter how much you try to deny it, I can see it in you. In all of you." He heard the soft gasp from one of the girls down below and he continued. "The shinobi world may see you as evil, but I don't. I don't judge others based on what I was told or taught. I judge them by their actions. You're not an evil shinobi and the others aren't good shinobi either. To me, all of us are just…shinobi. And after this whole mess between our schools is over with, I want all of us to be friends. Promise me you won't forget that, okay?"

"..."

Homura still remained silent. Not offering any kind of reply nor a glance back at him. As a leaf flew past his eyes, she vanished, resulting in the others to vanish as well, leaving him by himself.

*Flashback Ends*

"I guess we're really doing this."

Naruto turned to Asuka after hearing her speak. Though she looked serious, he could hear the nervousness in her voice. Not having any of that, he slapped her back, jolting her out of her funk. "Relax Asuka." He told her. "Don't start getting cold feet. We're fighting them, not killing them. We've been training for this moment and now it's time to show them what we're made of!"

"You're damn right!" Katsuragi grins in excitement, practically bouncing on her toes. "I'm pumped and ready to throw down!"

"Wait a moment. For all we know, it could be a trap." Ikaruga frowns.

"You're right. It is a trap." Naruto agreed with her, placing his hands in his pockets as the girls looked at him. "By splitting us up and taking us far away from the school, it'll give their allies the chance to search for the Super Scroll."

"But you already got things prepared just in case for that, huh?" Katsuragi asked knowingly, nudging him with her elbow. He gave her a fox-like grin. "You sly sexy fox."

Asuka looked down and nodded her head. "In that case, we'll go. Like Naruto said, we've been training and preparing for this and we're not gonna let it go to waste! After the fighting is over, we'll meet right back here and take care of the others."

"Right!" Naruto held his fist towards them. "Good luck in your fights! I'm rooting for ya, dattebayo!"

The others smiled as they gathered in a circle, all of them holding their fists out to him.

"You got it!" The girls said, bringing a happy smile on Naruto's face.

The group of six then transformed into their Turnovers and vanished in a burst of speed, heading into the location of where they will fight their rivals.

Mt. Orochi

Ikaruga appeared in the remote mountain region of Mt. Orochi. She looked around the peaceful area with her eyes narrowed.

"I know you're here. Come out now."

After she said that, she heard the sound of giggling and saw Yomi walking up to her. She wasn't in her Turnover as she wore the Hebijo uniform.

"Well, well. If it isn't the princess herself." Yomi said in a pleasant tone. "I apologize for the meager accommodations."

"I suppose you should." Ikaruga said, her expression and body tensing. "I already know that this is a trap to take us away from the school so your allies can take our scroll."

Yomi looked surprised and tilted her head to the side. "Oh my. Now what in the world would make you think that?"

Ikaruga gave her a smirk. "Naruto knew you would try and pull something like this. So he was already prepared."

Yomi's left eyebrow twitched slightly as memories of what happened early flashed in her mind. But she still returned to her smile and proper appearance. "Ah, of course. He has such high hopes for you, thinking that you can beat me. In fact, he even said that a princess like you has faced hardships before, but I seriously doubt it."

"What are you trying to say?" Ikaruga asked, glaring at her.

"I'm sure you grew up with no end of love and affection." Yomi said, her appearance not changing but the tone in her voice is. "All hugs and cuddles and kisses and so on. Never wanting for anything."

Ikaruga's glare became harsher with her tone matching. "Even if I had, what does it matter? Just make whatever point you're driving at."

"Why, you see. Your friend made me really angry when he said that someone like you faced hardships and overcame them. I just really can't believe it." Yomi said, opening her eyes as they darkened slightly with her smile doing the same. "I'm so sorry to inconvenience you, but you came here to die, Princess. It's a shame to meet your fate in such a–" She stopped talking as she felt a strong wind blow past her along with feeling something cut her left cheek. Slowly reaching up to touch her cheek, her eyes widened greatly as she felt a small cut and saw blood on her gloved hand. She looked over at Ikaruga with shock, seeing her eyes were closed and her sword not yet drawn.

"Understood. In that case…" Her eyes snapped open as she glared at her opponent. "For justice's sake, I will not abide by you!"

"You…struck me?" Yomi's eyes widened greatly before she looked down and started to tremble in anger. "How dare you strike a maiden when she's speaking!?" She yells angrily with an added tone of hatred. "Disrespectful noble trash! I'll make you pay for that! Secret Ninja Art: Niflheim!" She fires several shots from her crossbow weapon and then finishes with a shot from her large bomber-type weapon. Ikaruga avoided the arrows and once she saw the shot from the bomber weapon she vanished, resulting in an explosion.

"What!?" Yomi asked. Sensing a presence behind her, she summoned her massive broadsword and swiped it back, only to see nothing. Before she could voice her confusion, she got hit by something hard that sent her flying in the air. Opening her widened eyes, she saw Ikaruga directly above her, her sword raised to no doubt strike her down. Grinding her teeth, she summoned Ragnarok and tried to swipe her, only for her greatsword to get knocked out of her hand and felt a strong kick that sent her crashing to the ground, ripping her dress slightly.

Ikaruga landed and turned to Yomi, watching as she got back up. "It is pointless to keep fighting."

"And what makes you say that!?" Her opponent asked.

"Because I've no desire to kill you." The beautiful heiress replied.

"Is that so?" Yomi smiled at her as she got up and dusted the dirt off her dress. "I greatly appreciate your concern. Unfortunately, I DO have to kill you."

"Why?" Ikaruga asked, frowning at her while also feeling confused by her attitude. "Why do you hate me so much when I don't even know you? What did I do to you to earn your ire?"

"If I have to say, it's because you're a princess." Yomi answered, her eyes showing a deep hated glare. "And princesses deserve death."

That comment angered Ikaruga greatly. "Don't play games with me! That's not a worthy enough reason!"

It made her think back to what Naruto told them during their training.

"It's human nature to hate something. When people get hurt, they learn to hate. When people hurt others, they become hated and have to deal with the guilt of it. But knowing that pain allows people to be kind to others. That's what makes us humans. To be a ninja is to confront hatred."

"You hate me because I'm a princess? I know that there's something much deeper than that!" Ikaruga told her. "Explain yourself!"

"Do you think you can take that tone just because you're wealthier than I am?" Yomi asked, losing her smile to glare at her. "Such arrogance! I'm going to enjoy killing you!"

She lifted her skirt as bombs flew out and were making their way towards Ikaruga, who took her sword out of her scabbard and charged at her with a yell.

Neon Life District

Katsuragi stood strong and proud. The moment she entered the district she felt the barrier get activated and she immediately went into her Turnover. Licking her lips, she couldn't contain her excitement. The rematch she's been waiting for is here! "HEY! How long are you going to keep me waiting!?" She yelled out.

"..." Hikage appeared, wearing the same blank expression and outfit she wore the day they came to their school.

"Thanks for coming, Hikage! You still look so sharp as always!" Katsuragi said, grinning happily. "I wanted to see you so bad, I couldn't stand it anymore!"

Hikage reached behind her to take out her throwing knives. Before she could throw them, Katsuragi instantly appeared in front of her, delivering an upward kick to her, getting Hikage to lean back and get some distance, her eyes widened slightly to show she was surprised by the sudden increase in speed. Once she landed, she threw her knives at her, resulting in Katsuragi to maneuver around using her hands to do a spinning kick that knocked the knives away.

"I won't lose to you again!" She exclaimed, stopping her spinning as her feet landed on the ground. "Ever since that day, I've been wanting to fight you!" She charged at Hikage jumping in the air to do that Dynamic Entry move that Naruto showed her. Hikage did the same thing, holding a knife in her hand. As they went past each other and landed on the ground, Katsuragi felt her outfit get cut while Hikage's cheek had a cut as well with blood trailing down her cheek, momentarily stunning her. She licked the blood and turned back to her opponent. "Naru helped me get stronger." She continued said, turning around to face her rival. "That sadistic bastard really trained me to the brink of death! But in the end, I'm happy! Because I was able to learn some new tricks thanks to him!" She turned to face her, smiling happily. "And once I beat you, he's gonna take me out on a date!"

Hikage tilted her head to the side, not understanding why she was saying all that stuff or why she was showing such emotions. But that name did give her pause. "Naruto…" She remembered hearing him talk to Homura when they found him sleeping on a tree. They decided to hang around while Homura talked to him. She, like the others, were stunned to learn that he knew that they were there. But they were more stunned by what he said.

"That guy…I seriously don't get him." The evil shinobi said, scratching her head. "His emotions…they jump all over the place. Anger, soft, cheerful, happy, serious. I don't get any of the emotions he shows. Because I don't have them."

"Seriously? You don't have emotions?" Katsuragi asked, seriously surprised. "Like, cutting up and laughing with your friends or enjoying some tasty food…?"

Hikage blinked. "I don't know what you're even talking about."

"You're kidding, right?" Now Katsuragi was getting worried. What in the world happened to her to make her have no emotions?

"Nope. That's why I don't get that guy." Hikage said, mentioning Naruto. "He's the most emotional guy I've met, yet he's so strong. But he did say something that caught my interest."

"Huh?" Katsuragi asked.

"Earlier, he said something about you having a power that can beat me."

"Yeah! He's talking about the power of the heart!" Katsuragi exclaimed. She didn't want to say love because it made her feel funny when she remembered what Naruto said about them being precious to him.

Hikage blinked again, this time tilting her head to the side. "Power of the heart?"

"That's right. Heart, soul and the guts to never give up. That's the reason why Naru is so strong!" Katsuragi replied, a blush on her face as she thought about him. "And now thanks to him, I got that power as well. Here, let me show you!"

She gave a determined yell as she charged at her rival.

Sensōji – Streets

Yagyū was alone on the streets. She was in her Turnover as she looked down, a worried look on her face as she thought about her best friend. "I hope Hibari is all right…" She knew she shouldn't be worried. After all, Naruto has been training Hibari to help build her confidence in her abilities. She won't lie, when she saw how rough he was with her at first, especially when he transformed into Zabuza Momochi and made her cry. She was about to go over there and stop but she was stopped by his clone.

"Don't interfere. She needs this." Was what the clone said.

Before she could argue, she was blown away when she saw how strong Hibari really was, especially when her flower shaped pupils glowed. She demonstrated an incredible power the likes of which she never saw before. She was also surprised when Naruto figured out that Hibari didn't want to be a ninja at first and was basically dragged into it by her family. It made her sad that Hibari didn't tell her this but she can understand it.

After all, she lost her little sister a long time ago and she hasn't told Hibari this.

But in the end, Naruto helped Hibari gain her confidence and was helping her get better at fighting. When he transformed into those enemies he fought during their spar, it took her willpower to not whack Naruto upside the head when she saw how most of them scared Hibari, like that weird shark man Kisame or that creepy snake person Orochimaru. But she pushed past her fear and fought against them. Though when Hibari ran away scared after Naruto transformed into that sand monster, she made sure he got what he deserved for scaring her like that. She knew that Hibari no doubt got stronger because of Naruto, but she was worried because she had no idea how strong that Haruka person was.

"HEY! ARE YOU SERIOUSLY IGNORING ME!?"

Yagyū's eyes closed as she turned to face Mirai, who was very upset and angry that she was being ignored. "I'm over here talking to you, yet you're ignoring me!" She exclaimed. She jumped back and let out a startled scream when Yagyū slammed her umbrella on the spot where she stood. "What the hell is up with you!?"

"I need to get to Hibari to make sure she's safe and you're in the way."

Mirai's eyes widened in shock. The way Yagyū was looking at her reminded her of her childhood days of when she was bullied. As the memories of those days continued to flash in her mind, it made her start to tremble in anger. "Don't mess with me!" She cried out, glaring at her in fury. "No one ignores me and gets away with it! I WILL SHRED YOU!"

"Say what you will. I have no interest in you." Yagyū said.

"Then I'll MAKE you look at me! Secret Ninja Arts: Valkyrie!" Mirai lifts up her long layered dress, where it bulges and later reveals a large gun. From there, Mirai waves her hand and gives the command for the gun to start shooting a row of large, purple energy bullets all at once.

Yagyū opened her umbrella up as a shield to block the bullets. Looks like it might take a while for her to get to Hibari.

She could only pray that she was okay.

Sensōji – Grounds

Hibari screamed as she was currently running away from the chemical vials that were being thrown at her, which were causing various explosions with different effects to occur. She didn't dare look back as she heard laughing coming from Haruka, who was currently riding her robot companion as it chased after her.

"Oh come now, sweetie. You can't keep running." Haruka told her, holding a vial in her hand. "You told me that you aren't a burden to your friends and that you were going to prove it. But how are you going to do that if you keep running away like this?"

While not turning around to acknowledge her, Hibari reached inside her jacket to take out the Explosive Tag Naruto gave her. He told her to use them just in case she was in a tight spot. It looked like this was it. Once she reached a dead end, she stopped and turned around to face Haruka, who was smiling down at her in amusement.

"You know, that cute boy in your class told us that you and the others had a power that can beat us." Haruka said, tilting her head to the side curiously as she wondered why her future doll was holding that piece of paper. "I'm seriously having a hard time believing it. Maybe he was lying…or maybe you just don't have it?"

"No!" Hibari shook her head, glaring up at her. "Naruto helped train me to get stronger so that I won't be a burden!"

Haruka looked surprised to hear this. "Oh? He trained you?" She never would've thought that he was the one who trained her. That would explain why she didn't seem that nervous at first glance.

"It was really hard and I spared against people he fought in the past." Hibari remembered the transformations Naruto used to spar against her; Zabuza, Kisame, Orochimaru, Gaara and Pain. "Each of them were really scary, but I pulled through because he believed in me! Because all my friends did! Even now, Naruto's rooting for us! And I…I won't let him or any of my friends down!"

After strongly finishing her statement, she threw the Explosive Tag at Haruka, who blinked before her eyes widened as she saw it catch fire. She let out a scream as the paper then exploded, sending both her and her robot Amanō back. Hibari looked happy that she got her. "Yeah! I did it!" Before she could continue to cheer, she heard a chuckle coming from the cloud of smoke.

"My, my. A paper bomb? That's the first time I've ever seen such a thing. You must've gotten it from that cutie." As the cloud disappeared, Haruka stood standing, her clothes ripped in several places and her arms crossed underneath her breasts with her eyes closed. "I finally understand. He's the reason why you got this much bravado and courage. He must be the source of your strength." She started to hear the words he said to Homura earlier. Hearing that warm and gentle tone he used to speak to them near the end, along with seeing that smile on his face, made her place a hand on her cheek. "I never met a shinobi who spoke with such honest kindness, compassion and sincerity towards an evil shinobi. Even going so far as to say that we're not evil." She covered both of her cheeks and began to blush. "Oh my, I'm getting more and more interested in him by the second."

"Eh!?" Hibari didn't know why but she didn't like the sound of that and it made her feel worried.

"Oh, and by the way dear." Haruka finally opened her eyes to stare sharply at her as her smile darkened slightly. "That bomb you threw at me really hurts." Amanō rose up behind her, its eyes glowing as though it was glaring at Hibari. The third year evil shinobi then walked towards her future doll. "Naughty girls deserve to be punished. Wouldn't you say?"

Hibari looked really nervous but she grew determined and took a stance.

Training Grounds

Homura stood silently at one of Hanzō's usual training spots. The gentle sounds of waterfalls reached her ears along with the sound of birds flying through the air. All in all, this was a peaceful and quiet place, allowing anyone who was here to get lost in their thoughts. She was looking up at the sky, a blank look on her face as she kept recalling the conversation she had with Whiskers.

"Asuka told me why you want the Super Scroll. You're trying to take a shortcut and going that route will get you nowhere. You're just gonna get cut short before you even realize it."

What the hell does he know?

"I don't know what happened to you in the past, but I can tell it must've been painful and I know it's why you chose to walk this path. That hate you have inside you, it'll only lead you to a life of loneliness. And being all alone…it's the most painful thing in the whole world"

They only met one time and he's acting like he knows her. He acts like he knows what she's been through…what she suffered from after being betrayed by the one person whom she thought cared for her and being abandoned by her family.

"Asuka and the others, they faced hardships as well. But their hearts aren't full of hate. It's filled with an even greater power because they endured and overcame them. And that power…is what will beat you and prove you wrong."

"I'm here, Homura! Just like you asked!"

Homura's face turned into a darkened glare. She slowly turns around to face Asuka, seeing her give her a determined glare.

"Good. Then let's get started."

"What's the point in all of this?" Asuka asked with a frown. "What will any of this accomplish?"

"The point? You're from Hanzō and I'm from Hebijo. Isn't that enough?" Homura asked.

"No! That's not enough reason to put our lives on the line!" Asuka exclaimed, now glaring at her.

"Isn't it? Wars happen all over the world for less reasons than that."

"War is never the solution to any problem!" Asuka told her sternly. "All it does is bring nothing but death and cause more hatred between people! I don't hate you Homura and I know you don't hate me either! So why!? I don't understand any of this! Aren't we all shinobi?"

Homura's glare darkened. "Oh? Is that something your boyfriend told you?"

Asuka didn't say anything as she continued to glare at her.

"You know…that guy said a lot of crazy shit that's been messing with my head." Homura said, remembering his words and that soft look he gave her. "And to be frankly honest, he's pissed me the hell off!" She pulled out her swords and charged at Asuka, who dashed back to avoid her swiping and then used one of her swords to block the other three. The two glared into each other's eyes.

"We're done talking! Now it's time for the beauty of death!"

"Tch! Homura, you big idiot!" Asuka in a surprising show of strength pushed her back before spinning around and kicked her away, putting some distance between them. "Fine! If I win, you clear out of here. At least promise me that."

"If you win, huh?" Homura asked, smirking slightly as she actually felt that blow. "Fine then, you have my word. Whiskers told me you have a power that can beat me and it got me curious. Still, not like it'll give you the slightest chance anyway."

Asuka took a stance. "I've been training for this fight since last time. I'm going to win! I WILL win!"

Asakusa

"Man. No matter how many times I'm in this thing, I still can't believe ninjas of this world can do this without the need for barrier tags." Naruto said, looking around the empty streets of Asakusa. Before he got here, the streets were full of people but now they were gone as he entered this dimension. The only thing that sucks is that once a shinobi's blood is spilled inside this dimension, the yōma will come out. The camouflage barrier was really something else, wasn't it?

"Are you Naruto Uzumaki?"

Naruto looked behind him and blinked as he saw someone walking towards him with a confident grin and an extra sway of her hips. She is a tall, fair-skinned girl with blood red eyes and long strawberry blonde hair. She wears a white and teal-themed leotard with a gray band beneath her breasts. A line is cut from the top of the left breast and trails down to her hip. Red strings are variously placed around her body to match the red designs and accenting. A pale brown belt and black leg sleeves beneath her pale brown boots completes the outfit.

"That's me." Naruto answered, watching as she stopped and brushed some of her hair to the side while placing a hand on her hips, her confident grin still on her face. "Uh…are you Sōji?"

"Indeed I am." Sōji's grin grew bigger at seeing his stunned expression, automatically knowing that he was attracted to her beauty. "So you're the rumored new student at Hanzō Academy. I thought you would be just an average looking guy." Her eyes looked him up and down, liking what she was seeing. "But you're certainly quite attractive."

"Um…thanks." Naruto said, scratching his cheek. Wow, the second girl to give him a compliment to his looks.

Sōji lost her smile and pouted at him. "You know, this is also the part where you say something nice about me."

Naruto blinked, not expecting her to say that but figured it wasn't a problem. "Uh…you're very…beautiful?"

Sōji smiled happily as she hugged her arms underneath her large breasts, so that he could pay attention to them. He is a boy after all, and boys do love a girl with a nice body like hers, more specifically the breasts. "That's right! I'm probably the most beautiful girl you've ever met! In fact, it's because of this, I work in the modeling business."

"You're a model?"

"Not just a model, I'm the model. The best model in the world!" Sōji began to do a lot of various poses, some of which caused Naruto to blush as her breasts bounced whenever she moved. "Haven't you ever seen my pictures? I'm what every girl wants to be and what every boy wants in his bed. Who can blame them? My perfect body is too die for~"

Naruto sweat dropped at what she said and how she gestured her body to emphasize her point, allowing her breasts to jiggle. He had never seen her pictures before, so he couldn't quite answer that question. Plus, damn near every girl he met in this world should be models. If anything, the girls he knew from his previous world would be jealous at the large amount of cleavage the girls here have. "You sure are a confident one, huh?" He asked, scratching his cheek.

"But of course!" Sōji got into his personal space, allowing him to lean back in surprise. "This is all natural beauty that you're looking at here. The face, the body, everything. When you look at the other models in the pictures, you can clearly see that most of them faked using those photo-editing softwares on the computer. Really sad, huh?"

"Uh…guess so. So how come you're here and not modeling?" Naruto asked curiously.

Sōji clicked her tongue and turned away from him, getting out of his space. "I was on my way to do a modeling gig, but then one of the Hebijo Elite Five came up to me, saying that they needed an extra hand to take care of Hanzō's sixth student."

"Really?'

"Yes! Of course, I refused, mainly because that meathead Homura was part of it and because my gig was today. But then I was told that it was an order from Suzune-sensei!" She bit down on her thumb in irritation. "This really ruined my plans!"

Naruto sweat dropped again at the meathead comment towards Homura and at hearing her complain. "I assume you don't like Homura, huh?"

Sōji turned back to face him. "Like? I loathe that girl with my very being!" Just like that, she got back in his personal space. "She humiliated me not once but twice back when we were in middle school! I swore to myself that one day I will be strong enough to defeat her and only then I will have my rightful place as one of the Elites."

"I see." Naruto said with an awkward smile.

Sōji was about to say something else but then paused once she realized who it was she was talking to. And then she got a good look at his face. His lean, sharp features, the odd but also adorable birthmarks on his face, the beautiful clear blue eyes and the wild spiky blond hair. Now that she got a closer look at Hanzō's only male ninja student, she found herself surprised that such a fine young man like him even exists. She knew that he couldn't be born from Japan, so he had to have been from some foreign country.

"Er…" His face was turning red with his eyes looking away from her. It was then she noticed that her breasts were pressed against his chest. A seductive smirk appeared on her face as she looked back at him. She reached up to place a hand underneath his chin, gently turning his head to look at her.

"You know…coming here was probably a good thing." She used her other hand to trace a lone finger on his abs, making a shiver go up his spine. "I got to meet such a handsome looking boy with such unique features." She leaned closer to his face, her red eyes staring directly into his blue eyes. "And you know what else?"

"...What?"

Sōji leaned into his ear, her expression changing into a dark smirk. "I got you~"

Naruto's eyes widened as he felt something wrapped tightly around him. Looking down, he found his body wrapped in a red chain-like whip with various sized sickles attached to it.

"Hah! And those girls told me to not underestimate you!" Sōji looked quite happy with her accomplishment. "This is easy as…!" She stopped when she felt a tap on her shoulder. With a confused expression, she turned around and her face turned into shock when she saw Naruto standing next to her, eating dango and looking at her with slight amusement. She turned back to the other Naruto, who smiled sheepishly at her before he dispersed in a puff of smoke, causing her whip to fall. She immediately leaps away from the one next to her, pointing her finger at him and to where the one she caught disappeared.

"What the hell was that?!"

"A clone." Naruto answered, eating the last dango.

"C-Clone!?" Sōji was in disbelief. She saw clone techniques before but the only ones that she knew of were afterimages used to keep the enemy distracted!

"Yup. One of my many techniques." Naruto said, now picking his teeth with the stick.

Sōji glared at his nonchalant attitude, now feeling even more humiliated that she was talking to a clone the whole time. "Fine then! I was just trying to be nice and go easy on you, but now it's on!" She moved her arm, causing the whip to react and move in accordance to her movement. She let out a yell and sent the whip towards him. Naruto moved his body to the side to avoid the whip, watching as it cut the stick in his mouth in half. She smirked in confidence then began to pick up the speed as she struck him multiple times. But much to her irritation, he kept avoiding them, his expression more relaxed which further irritated her.

"Hey! Stop dodging and do something! Or are my skills so good that you can't do anything?" Her eyes widened when Naruto stopped dodging and caught the whip, not by the blade but by the line. She pulled to try and get the whip out of his hand but found his grip to be stronger than hers.

"Okay, you asked for it." Naruto pulled her towards him using the whip while she didn't let go. His other hand was then coated in light blue flames. "Secret Ninja Art: Fox Fire Fist!"

Once Sōji got close enough, he punched her stomach, sending her flying back as she got caught in flames, resulting in her clothes to get destroyed, leaving her naked as she cried out in pain. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the impact that was the ground, but she opened them when she felt someone catch her and was surprised to see it was Naruto. He was looking directly in her eyes and not at her body, showing great concern towards her that caught her off guard.

"You alright?" She wordlessly nodded, bringing a smile to his face. Her face flushed at seeing it. He sat her down on her. She covered her breasts with her arm and used her other hand to cover her downstairs region. She blinked when she saw an orange blanket in front of her face. Looking over at Naruto, she saw his head was turned away from her and his ears were bright red. "I always bring a blanket with me just in case something like this happens." He told her.

Sōji blushed at the gentlemen-like gesture. She took and wrapped the blanket around herself. "T…Thanks." She looked away from him, a sad look on her face. She can't believe she lost! Her parents have always taught her that strength comes above everything and it will lead her to the true path of Shinobi. She took those words to heart and she trained very hard to become the best, just like her family.

But then she met Homura in middle school where she lost the class president election to her and then she lost to her in a fight. Since then, Homura became her one and only rival. So she trained really hard so that she could be strong enough to beat her. But now that she lost to him, someone who recently transferred to Hanzō Academy within only a month, it made her wonder if she made any progress at all.

Will she really be able to beat Homura?

"You know you're pretty good."

Sōji blinked and looked at Naruto, who was looking at her with a smile. "Eh?"

Naruto held her whip up. "Your whip. I can tell you trained really hard to get that good."

"Eh!? Ah! I mean, of course I did!" Sōji exclaimed, placing her hands on her hips as she stood proudly. She was caught off guard by what he said for a moment but she hurriedly responded in kind. "I do come from a famous family of evil shinobi. So, of course I should be that good."

Naruto's brow furrows slightly at the mention of her family being evil shinobi. Still, he pats her on the shoulder and hands her whip to her. "There's always going to be someone out there stronger than you. Don't let this loss keep you down. Just keep working hard and don't give up. You'll definitely be strong enough to beat me and Homura someday."

Sōji gasped softly at what he said, looking up at him to see his happy grin. She felt her heart beat rapidly in her chest, making her face burn red. She wasn't lying when she said he was attractive…but looking at him now, he looked like a prince. "Why? Why would you say something like that to me?" She asked, getting him to blink and tilt his head. "We're from different schools! You're Hanzō and I'm Hebijo! I'm practically your enemy!"

"So?" Naruto asked. "Just because we're from different schools that have different affiliations, that doesn't mean we can't be friends, right?"

"F-Friends…?" Sōji asked, looking very confused at this good shinobi. "You want to be friends…with an evil shinobi?"

Naruto looked at her and then sighed. "Listen, don't believe in this crappy system and whatever you were taught. We may do missions for certain people, but we're still shinobi at the core." He smiled. "There's no such thing as good and evil amongst shinobi. There's only right and wrong." He turned around and walks away, leaving behind a stunned Sōji, who continued to look at him with her blush spread across her face.

"He's so strong…and so cool."

No man, civilian or shinobi, has ever caught her interest before. It was mainly because they were all filthy, dirty, rotten mongrels that lusted after her beautiful perfect body. But this man before her was different. While she did show off her body towards her, he was not once distracted by it. Even when he blew her clothes off, he didn't look at her with such lustful gaze like men would normally do, especially those old, fat and ugly men. Instead, he turned away from her, offered her a blanket to cover herself and even offered words of comfort/wisdom to her when she lost, going the extra mile to even say that he would want to be friends with her, desoite them being on opposite sides.

Doki~

Naruto Uzumaki...

She just met him, but somehow he made her heart skip a beat. Something like this has never happened to her before and it made her blush hotly as she realized what this meant. Was she...was she having her first love!?

"Oh yeah! I almost forgot." Sōji snapped out her funk after hearing his voice. Looking at him, she saw he had stopped walking and turned around to face her. "Hey Sōji. You said you met Homura from middle school right?"

"Yes?"

"Can you tell me about her?" Naruto asked. "What was she like before she went to Hebijo?"

Sōji looked confused by the sudden interest but still answered. "Well, as my rival, it's my job to always keep tabs on her. Before she went to Hebijo, she came from a family of good shinobi."

Naruto's eyes widened at hearing this, but Sōji wasn't done yet as she continued to tell him Homura's story.

Meanwhile

Yomi cried out in pain as she fell on the ground, her clothes gone, leaving her completely exposed. She looked up at Ikaruga with disbelief as she still had her clothes on, despite them being ripped in some areas. "How!? How did you get this strong!?" She demanded. "How could a snobby rich girl like you beat me?!"

"It's simple." Ikaruga said, calmly. "You let your blind hatred towards me cloud your mind. You don't know me, so you keep making wild assumptions."

"What do you mean?" Yomi asked, now feeling completely lost.

"Naruto was telling you the truth. I've experienced plenty of grief and misery, just as much as you have. But I refused to let it get the best of me." Ikaruga answered. "If I seem arrogant it's because I'm proud of what's been entrusted to me and because I have amazing friends to help push me forward, not because I'm wealthy!"

Yomi trembled in anger at hearing this. She now understood how she lost. It was him. It had to be! He must be the reason why that rich little brat beat her! This situation and what he said earlier is causing memories of her past to surface in her mind and she dug her fingers into the dirt. She glared up at Ikaruga.

"This isn't over! Enjoy this moment while you can because the next time we meet will be your last!" She vanished, causing the camouflage barrier to disappear.

"Urk." Ikaruga rubbed her arm softly. "I have to hurry back to the school."

Katsuragi was grinning happily as she and Hikage looked at each other. Both of their clothes were ripped but it was Hikage's outfit that was worse. "This is it! Time to finish it with this new move!" She charged at Hikage, who began to throw multiple knives at her. She avoids some while others manage to cut her, but she still keeps going. When she got close enough, energy started to gather in her boats. She leaps in the air and thrust her body forward while sticking her legs out in a spinning motion, turning herself into a mini tornado.

"Secret Ninja Art: Dragon Whirlwind!"

Hikage tried to avoid it but it was too fast for her and she took the attack full on, resulting in her clothes to get destroyed, leaving her naked. She looked up at Katsuragi, her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

"Hehe! How's that!? That's the power of the heart!" She exclaimed. As Hikage stood up, not even bothering to cover herself up, she held her hand out. "Thanks for the great match! Let's shake hands."

"Why would we do that?" Hikage asked.

"Fight's over. There aren't any sides now." Katsuragi answered.

"...You're not making any sense either." Hikage said, looking up at the sky. "Naruto Uzumaki. Power of the heart…" She scratched the back of her head, closing one eye as she turned around to walk away. "Well…I'll think about it…" She then vanished, getting Katsuragi to frown in confusion.

"What the hell is up with her…?"

"WAAAAHH!" Mirai screamed as she was sent flying away by a large tentacle, her dress ripped apart, leaving her in her underwear.

Yagyū merely watched as Mirai landed on the ground, already knowing that victory was hers. Turning her head to where she felt Hibari's presence, she immediately ran off to said direction, leaving Mirai alone, who stood up.

"STILL ignoring me. Fine. Fine. I get it." She shrugged her shoulders uncaringly before she shouted out. "I'll chase you wherever you go. And I'll make you look at me!"

Hibari pants as she looked at Haruka, whose clothes were almost non-existent. Her own clothes were almost gone as well. "See? I'm not a burden! I can do it if I try, dattebayo!" She said it so happily and proudly that she used Naruto's catchphrase. It was as if she knew that it was something he would say in this situation.

Haruka giggled at hearing the familiar phrase. "Well now, it seems like you certainly did get stronger. I can clearly see that cutie has been such an influence on you."

"That's right!" Hibari smiled in determination. "Naruto said that as long as we keep believing in ourselves and never give up, we can overcome anything."

Haruka crossed her arms underneath her breasts, contemplating what she said. Her plan was to originally use a doll version of herself to fight Hibari, but after listening carefully to Naruto's words, she decided to see for herself whether or not this cute little bunny had gained strength. But she was blown away by what she witnessed. The cute bunny had definitely gotten stronger than the last time she'd been observing her and her group. In such a short amount of time, that boy managed to transform her.

"Naruto Uzumaki…" Haruka said his name. This boy keeps getting more and more interesting. Perhaps she should meet this new anomaly herself and see what it is about him that makes him so special and gives her the strength to do what she did. The third year Hebijo student giggled. "Well, let's end it for today. We'll meet again soon, my little doll." She then vanished, resulting in the barrier to vanish as well.

Hibari hurriedly ran back to the school to happily tell the others what happened.

Asuka panted as she looked at Homura. Her outfit was nearly shredded, leaving her bra and underwear exposed. She could see that she left some scratches on her during their fight but other than that she seemed unfazed.

"Looks like Whiskers wasn't blowing hot air." Homura said, her tone and face expressionless. "Guess you did get a bit stronger." She tried her hardest not to flinch slightly as she felt a pain on her side. "Tell me; what do you plan on doing with that power?"

Asuka looked really serious at the question. "The power of a shinobi is to protect what's precious to them."

"...I see." Homura said. "Then tell me: would you kill someone to protect what's precious to you?"

"...!" Asuka's eyes widened, not believing that she would actually ask her such a thing.

"If you don't kill me, our battle will keep going on forever. Your friends, your family, your school, they'll be targeted over and over." Homura continued, waiting to hear her response. "If you don't want that, you will have to kill me."

"Listen, in the shinobi world, you're going to end up meeting a lot of shinobi and you're going to have to decide whether you should kill them or not. There are plenty of reasons to take a life...but hatred and revenge are not valid reasons. Personally, I'd rather solve things without violence and if that doesn't work, then I'll kick their butts and be done with it. A fight should end in peace, not the desire for more death."

After hearing Naruto's words inside her head, Asuka's wide eyed expression turned into a determined glare. "No. I won't kill you Homura and I won't let you or anyone else go after my loved ones. No matter how long it takes, I'll never give up. I'll keep on fighting you, but it won't be to the death." She smiled at her. "Because after the end of these battles, I want us to be friends."

Homura's eyes widened upon hearing this. She wasn't expecting her to say all of that. Seeing that smile and hearing about them wanting to be friends made her think about what Whiskers said to her. She felt her head was hurting her, causing her to grind her teeth. "Damn it! I swear, you two give me such a headache!" The evil shinobi pointed at her rival. "You won this round, but the next one will be the last." She vanished, leaving Asuka by herself.

"Homura…" She said sadly. She then gasped in realization. "Oh crap! The school!" She ran off to the school in a hurry.

Hanzō National Academy

…

Team Hanzō stood there dumbfounded as they looked at the mountain of unconscious defeated Hebijo students. The lone boy could feel the others gaze directed at him and he raised his hands up while shaking his head. "This was not me." He told them. He pointed at the other small pile of defeated students, only they were covered in various colored paint, confetti, feathers and different pies, showing that they were the ones who fell for the traps he placed. "That's me."

They stared at the smaller pile before looking at the mountain, each of them wondering who would do this.

Kiriya? Nah, he wouldn't get involved with them in their battles.

Master Hanzō? Nope, he's running his business.

So who else could have done this?

"Rest assured! I've already annihilated our enemies!"

The group jumped at the sudden loud and rough voice that spoke up. They looked up at the mountain of bodies and standing on top of it was a tall, muscular woman with long, flowing black hair and reddish-brown eyes. She wears a tattered gakuran with a cap and metal epaulets, a rope belt, and a pair of tengu-geta. She crossed her arms underneath her bosom, which is wrapped in a sarashi, and her wrists were wrapped in bandages.

Naruto's mind shut down as he looked at her with a comical flat expression. From being taller than him, the muscular body, her large boobs–AURA! Her large AURA, he can easily tell that this lady would destroy him, quick fast in a heartbeat. In other words, she was both scary, strong and freaking hot.

"Um…who is that?" he asked.

"My name is Daidōji, a ninja of Hanzō!" Daidōji introduced herself to her juniors.

While the girls exchanged glances, Naruto looked only more confused. Katsuragi went up to his ear. "Remember that legendary senior I told you about? You know, the same one Ika and I fought during our first year?"

Naruto looked at her, then went back to Daidōji, eyes widened. "Oh…" Now he remembers. Unfathomable speed and power, this legendary senior was ready to take the final exam as a freshman. But for some reason she never did and continues to be held back. In other words, she's currently the strongest active student in class, though nobody has seen her these past few years. What's more, she was the one who Granny told him about. The girl who managed to punch her way into Shin's dimension before she got kicked out by the thing's pinky of all things.

"Thank you very much!" Hibari pipes up. "You really helped us out!"

"Don't think for a moment I came here to help! I am not affiliated with you!" Daidōji told her with a glare on her face.

"Ehh~? Then why did you…?" Hibari trailed off, a confused look on her face.

"Once you have attained true strength will you then be able to understand." Daidōji said before turning to look at the only boy. "Naruto Uzumaki!"

Naruto flinched at being called out, causing him to go stiff and stand in formation. "Y-Yeah!?"

"Prepare yourself! For the next time we meet, I will be testing your strength!" With that said and done, she disappeared.

Naruto blinked several times and relaxed his stance. "So…where was she the whole time?"

Ikaruga shook her head. "We don't know. She comes and goes as she pleases."

Naruto hums softly before shrugging to himself. Whatever the legendary senior does is her business. "Oh Naru~" He tensed him as he felt a familiar pair of softness rubbing up against his arm. He looked over at Katsuragi and saw her delighted expression. "I won my fight! I hope you don't forget my reward~"

That caught the girls' attention as they looked over at the two.

"Reward?" Ikaruga asked with a narrowed expression.

"That's right!" Katsuragi said happily. "Last night, Naru told me that since we all worked really hard during our training, he'll give us a reward of our choosing!"

The girls were surprised to hear this and they looked to Naruto for confirmation. He nodded in response.

"Yay! Not only are we getting rewarded, we get to choose what we want!" Hibari cheered happily.

"And what's your reward Katsu?" Asuka asked, a suspicious look on her face at hoa flirty she was getting to Naruto.

"My reward is that the two of us go on a date tomorrow!" Katsuragi cheered, rubbing her head against his shoulder

"EH!?/WHAT!?"

Naruto chuckled awkwardly at their reaction as he glanced at Katsuragi. Tomorrow is going to be very interesting, especially since it's their day off.

Author's Note: Team Hanzō have won against Team Hebijo. But as a result, all of their interest in Naruto started to grow with Homura having a lot to think about. In the original canon, not counting Yagyū, the girls barely did any damage to their rivals with Hibari actually fighting a puppet version of Haruka the whole time but of course with Naruto's presence, things have changed.

Sōji, a character from New Wave makes her appearance. I didn't want Naruto to be left out in the fight and I was choosing on whom he should fight against, despite it being an easy fight for him. Still, thanks to Naruto being Naruto, he now got her crushing on him. I originally wanted Murasaki to fight against Naruto but knowing her character, she would still be in her room.

Naruto finally meets Daidōji face to face and even he could easily tell how dangerous she is. I originally wanted him to meet her while she was a cat in the last chapter but I decided not to. I might do it in the next chapter so that he'll be surprised when he sees she can do a type of transformation.

The next chapter will be a more relaxing slice of life kind of thing. No ninja training. Katsuragi goes on a date with Naruto along with doing other various activities with the girls as they decide what they want their rewards to be.