Just a heads up, I'm gonna be upping Creo's danger factor just a bit.

Having her take a go at Naruto and Rana is overkill beyond reason, so I'm upping her skill with Tempest Turn due to the fact that, outside of shockwaves, she and Ingrid aren't different. They can make the same amount, have similar weapons, and seemingly the same amount of skill with the High-End Skill.

I feel like she came up with the short end of the stick since Rana's skills are simply more impressive… so I'm coming up with a little technique for her to have that'll make it interesting to fight her.

Hint: Deep Fakes.

~NRK~

Naruto found himself, the next morning, speaking with Dr. Schmitz in her office.

"So, tell me, Naruto-kun, when did you get your stigmatic tissue?" Elize asked in her chair as Naruto sat on one of the plastic ones in her office. "Surely, you understand that I'm just curious."

"Well," Naruto hummed. "I've had it since I was born," Elize nodded. "I'm not sure how it happened but, one day, I was just able to use it… Though," Elize raised a brow at his consideration.

"?"

"The best way I can put this is that I could feel when I would be able to use it," Naruto said after a bit, shocking the former Numbers member. "Ever since I learned how to use Natural Energy from my dad," a fact that wasn't a full-on lie. "I enhanced my body and could tell I was 'close' to something," he said with air quotes.

Receiving Natural Energy in this world had been an odder task. At first, Minato had taught him how to absorb it into his very body itself, a sort of substitute for having chakra.

When he learned to do this, Naruto could feel the stigma in his body… maybe that was when the Seven Gates formed? Now that he put some thought into it, it had been around when his body established all seven spots in his body.

"This meditation skill of yours is teachable?" Elize balked in shock, awe, and excitement. "N-Naruto-kun! Are you saying you can teach your method of meditation?!"

"I mean, yeah," Naruto said with a nod at her excited grin. "But, like I said, it takes years to even feel it, much less use it."

"... Oh," Elize pouted as he chuckled.

"Sorry, Schmitz-hakase, it's just how it is."

"... Hmph, well, you win some, you lose some," Elize said after a bit and smiled. "That said, what is going to take place tonight?"

"We decided to mix things up," Naruto said with a grin. "We're gonna move it to Saturday and keep it to ourselves. Chiffon-senpai's already given us the go-ahead by Arnette-senpai, and Creo-senpai."

"How is Ingrid, by the way?" Elize asked nervously as Naruto chuckled in a similar manner.

"Oh, she's… surviving."

~NRK~

The air hurt. The dirt hurt. Her blood hurt!

Ingrid gasped for breath as she finished her third lap around the school, an act that took an hour.

'W-Whose idea was this again!?' Her irrational mind shouted as her 'coach' pressed down on the timer.

"Alright, get some rest," she said with a grin that Ingrid glared at. "Hey, next time, don't use your Pandora Suit."

"Arrrgggghhhhhh."

~NRK~

Elize sweatdropped as he chuckled nervously some more.

"I can tell she hates all forms of life right now," Naruto explained. "... I think I can slip on over and heal her a bit, though. Don't tell the headmaster."

"My lips are sealed," Elize said with a chuckle. "Well, I don't want to keep you for too long, you're going back to your classes today."

Naruto smiled nervously. "I'm worried about walking the halls at school."

"It's fine, you're just a little… popular, I guess?" Elize said before considering something with a nervous sweat. "Hey, Naruto-kun, you remember how this school mostly houses students of impressive birth?"

"... Yeah?"

"I'd say, let's just hope no one decided to gossip about the world's most odd Limiter."

"... Oh, dammit."

~NRK~

Naruto looked down the halls, having sensed for the time with the least amount of students.

'Alright, let's do this,' he thought as he scrambled down the way before ending up at his second class for the day. '... You've got this!' Naruto told himself as he knocked on the glass window.

The noise within stopped as a few soft steps came forward before the door opened to reveal his History teacher.

"... Naruto-kun?"

"He's here?!" Came the collective call from inside and Naruto groaned.

Dammit!

He peeked out from underneath a lunch table, looking around.

"I didn't think you'd be like this, Naruto-kun," came a voice from his side, the blonde smiling at who it was. "A little too much-de arimasu," said Rana Linchen as she put her food tray down.

"Hey, Rana-chan," Naruto said as he finally left the underside of the table. "How's it going?" He said as he looked at her food which consisted of meat buns, butter dumplings filled with goat cheese, milk, and mutton. "Talk about a balanced meal!"

Rana giggled a bit as she bit into the dumplings with a smile. "Mmmm!" She made happy noises that Naruto chuckled at. "... Here," she swallowed before handing him a butter dumpling. "Go on, try it!"

"Sure," Naruto said with a chuckle as he bit into the offering. "Hmmm, it tastes so creamy… And kind of sour and slightly sweet?" He blinked as she giggled. "Rana-chan, what the hell am I eating?"

"Goat cheese," Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. "It's a kind of cheese that I'm most familiar with… Do you like it?" Rana asked with a nervous smile.

"?!" Naruto swallowed. "Hold on, I never said it was bad, I'm just not used to it," he said with a shake of the head, chewing on her offering some more. "Hmmm, I think it'd work better on some toast."

"Toast?"

As they ate, Naruto went and came back with some toast, a small vial of goat cheese, and a butterknife.

"Let's try this," he said as he 'buttered' his toast and took a bite. "Hm… Hm… Hmm," the blonde swallowed before chuckling. "It's pretty good."

Rana was glad, Naruto seemed capable of telling her the truth in all things, a lovely trait.

She bit into her mutton and frowned. "Mmmm, hmph, I feel like I could make a better mutton-de arimasu."

"You like to cook?"

"Hmm, a little," Rana admitted with a chuckle. "My mom taught me all the recipes she knew during the extra year I took for training," she said as she ate the food begrudgingly. "Most women in the village knew how to cook, it's tradition."

"Hmph, cool," Naruto said before the cafeteria area began to flood with more students, many of whose eyes landed on him. "And, just like that, my time here sucks."

Rana chuckled before the two were approached by their friend group. "Hello, everyone."

"Hey, Rana-san," Kazuya regarded her before smiling a bit at Naruto's face-down position. "I take it things got worse when you went to your third period."

"It's like they don't stop," Naruto said as Genessa and Arthur chuckled while Satellizer and Kaho smiled. "I… I was trying to get away but I wasn't quick enough, they cut me off at the bend!"

"And now he's got 'war' flashbacks," Kaho said with a snort as they all sat down. "Honestly, you ever think it must be great to live in his world for even a moment?"

"Naruto-kun's mind does seem interesting," Rana said with a chuckle as Satellizer smiled. "It's a world full of justice-de arimasu!" She declared with a clenched fist as Naruto's head turned up to look at the group.

"Alright, what'd I miss?"

"Just about a conversation," Arthur said with a chuckle before grinning. "But I feel like we should have this question," Naruto's face twisted into confusion even as he and Rana blushed the slightest amount and he'd die on that hill. "Hm, hmmm, Naruto… you seem to forget that I live next door."

"Hm?" Satellizer raised a brow as Kaho blinked.

"Wait, what happened?" Kaho asked with confusion as Naruto and Rana blushed a bit more. '... Wait…'

Naruto lived next to Arthur, it'd been recorded that Rana went over to Naruto's place almost every night and left the next morning.

Arthur of all people was looking smug…?!

"Y-You became a set?!" She whispered in disbelief as the two in question blushed like tomatoes. "I'm so proud of you two!" Kaho said with a grin, voice still low.

She was not an idiot, saying all that kind of stuff out loud was only going to bring trouble down on their heads.

Didn't mean she couldn't squeal.

"T-That is…" Rana blushed as Naruto coughed into his fist with a hum. "... Thank you-de arimasu."

"Y-Yeah, we figured, why not, ya know?" He said with a bridge of red across his nose and a hand rubbing the back of his head. "It's not like we hate being around each other, it's kind of the opposite."

Satellizer wasn't as surprised as she thought she'd be, she'd considered the possibility and had accordingly expected this.

Her eyes still widened, though. "O-Oh, congratulations," she said as Rana's face grew hotter. 'It is cute, though.'

Satellizer wasn't against this union, it wasn't exactly her choice if she'd been anyway, so she had no issues here… It turned her thoughts inward, though.

Her eyes trailed to Kazuya who was chuckling at the two.

'... Naruto's right,' she realized with a hum. 'I-It's not like we hate each other, quite the opposite.'

With how Kazuya had helped her out this past week, it'd been odd to think that she'd been so… at ease around him that they chatted in secret like they'd been friends for a while.

'... I don't hate the idea,' she realized with a blush before shaking it away 'I'll talk to him… eventually.'

Way to go, Satellizer, a real go-getter.

Kazuya, in the meanwhile, found his eyes moving to his side where Satellizer's face went through a series of emotions before settling on a flustered one.

He sweatdropped. 'What is going on in her head?'

He really didn't get girls, he thinks.

~NRK~

Ingrid gasped for breath against the ground as her 'watch' kept an eye on her.

"Going to go get some food," the woman had said with a chuckle and a wave. "Relax while you can."

'This is… so bad!' She complained mentally as her head fell. 'My body hurts.'

Not just some parts, no, her entire being hurt like she was a bigger bruise than a crater on the moon.

"Ugh…" Dressed in her gym uniform, she grimaced at how sweaty she was. "... Haaa," she sighed with a grimace before slowly sitting up and stretching what parts of her body she could. "It's still better than never being a Pandora again."

The fact she got only a month's probation was still some kind of miracle… Seriously, she might need to thank that blonde some-

"Heyyy," she blinked as she heard a familiar voice from the side. "Ingrid-senpai, over here," Ingrid turned to see a familiar blonde in the bushes, peeking out. "Is your watcher gone?"

Ingrid raised a brow at him, looking around. "Yes, she is."

"Good," Naruto chuckled as he walked over before raising his hands. "Alright, let's make this quick."

Ingrid had only a second to process what he was doing before warmth filled every portion of her body. The 7th highest-ranked Pandora shivered something fierce before moaning as she felt every piece of pain float away and being left with a fuzzy feeling body.

"H-Hmm?"

"I figured I'd at least give you a better chance with this punishment," Naruto said before running back to his bush. "See ya."

Ingrid blinked as the bushed disappeared into the forest, slight disbelief on her face before she chuckled.

Damn Freshman.

~NRK~

An arduous amount of classes later, Naruto and co. found themselves in the reserved Simulation Room #9, the fact that it'd been reserved for him made things simple.

"So, Kazu and Arthur, you guys will try out more distance training," Naruto said with a nod. "Do it for only ten minutes before you go and do physical stuff with Satellizer-senpai, Kaho-chan, and Genessa-nee-chan," the blonde said as the said people nodded. "Abel-senpai, Eugene-senpai, you guys should focus on trying to freeze Chiffon-senpai and Ticy-senpai. You two, need to dodge them as quickly as you can without Volt Textures. The idea is to work on your base, you know?"

"I don't think we've ever thought about doing this," Eugene said curiously before looking at Chiffon with a nervous smile. "Ah… miss, please, don't hurt me."

"Mmmm, don't be such a killjoy, Eugene," Eugene felt like killing the joy was a good part of all this. "Hmmm, Naruto-kun, play with me!" Eugene felt his pride pierced as his eyebrow began to tick.

Okay, yeah, he knew how their situation was but, dammit, he had his dignity as a man!

"Bring it, Chiffon!" Came his call of triumph and he'd felt great about that for all of two seconds before her smiling visage turned to him. "... W-Wait, you know wh-"

"Let's do this, Eugene!"

'I might have made a fatal mistake,' he realized as she grinned at him.

Naruto chuckled before turning to his partner, his Pandora, Rana who grinned at him as she tapped her foot against the floor, her Volt Weapons coming into existence around her feet as she did.

"Alright, session… START!" The blonde male announced before chasing after Rana. "Bring it, Rana-chan!"

Rana chuckled as she jumped back towards the wall behind her before Naruto's eyes narrowed as she and a copy dashed apart.

'An illusion, kind of?' He grinned as he burst forward and destroyed Rana's copy before rebounding towards her, the young woman's eyes widening before she grinned.

He came in close before rotating around her.

"Keep up!" He teased as he was the one who jumped back with her giving chase.

Rana charged forward before sidestepping as Naruto tried to curl around her with a grin-

Her eyes went skyward as he flipped over her and dashed back with a cackle.

"Hahahahahaha!"

"Get back here!"

Genessa laughed as Satellizer huffed a bit. "Come on, we've done, what, squats, sit-ups, and a few push-ups! You've gotta be a bit more energetic than this!"

"Haa… Haaa…" Satellizer didn't speak, she knew the horrors of doing that while running. "Mmmm!" She tried to pull on ahead.

Genessa's grin grew sly.

As the two Pandora raced to the 'finish line', Arthur, Kaho, and Kazuya laughed at their backs.

"Hm, hm," Arthur hummed as he jogged before turning to Kazuya. "So… when are you going to… pop the question?"

"?!" Kazuya stumbled before gasping as he regained a running posture. "A-Arthur?!"

"... You know, what… I'll ask when we're finished," he said as Kaho hummed.

Kazuya blushed as they reached Genessa and Satellizer, the former sweating a bit while the latter gasped against the floor, before breathing out harsh breaths as they turned their eyes to Naruto and Rana's bout.

Naruto grinned as they brought this little game of theirs to a close, Rana's smile running on all cylinders as she reared her fist back.

"Kuga!" (Void Fang)

She swung out and he only had a second to realize what was heading his way.

He brought his own fist back before applying Freezing to it and unleashing it as he caused a rebound on the edge mid-swing, all in the time it took for her arm to swing out.'

The wind beneath them exploded, the winds pushing their hair back as they rode it out.

"Whoa, okay!" Naruto's hair fell over his eyes as it ended, Rana's own blowing out of her twin braids and over against her head. "That's kind of interesting," he said after lifting his bangs. "I wonder if we can't use that."

"Hm… Hahahaha," Rana started laughing at his intense concentration. "It's fun at least," she said with a giggle as he chuckled and the two walked over the 'resting' area. "Hmmm, we should practice some of the martial arts we saw on the… YooToobe?"

"I know you're spelling it wrong," Naruto said as the group met up by a large cooler they'd remembered to bring. "And it's 'You'," he pointed at her. "Tube, like a pipe."

"Oh…"

Arthur chuckled as he sat next to Kazuya before bumping his shoulder.

"So, my question," he whispered as Satellizer, along with Genessa, laid out on their backs. "Are you interested in Satellizer?"

Kazuya swallowed at his question, rubbing the back of his head.

"... Y-Yeah, I do," he admitted after a bit, Arthur's knowing smile plastered on. "Is this what Naruto-kun had to go through with you?" Kazuya asked with a sweatdrop as the Frenchmen chuckled.

"Yes."

"... So, I actually… b-brought it up… to her," he said, surprising Arthur. "I-I know it wasn't a serious serious thing but… Well, she didn't say no nor did I feel like I was joking all that much," the male brunette sighed. "I'm so bad at this."

"Hehe, it's fine, you know, we're all just teens," Arthur said as Naruto passed them some water before taking a seat. "So, surprise, surprise, Kazuya likes Satellizer."

"Dude, that's, like, the most obvious thing ever," Arthur would have howled was he not trying to keep this discrete. "Like, they're always hanging in the back together, she talks to him the most, Kazu's always hanging by her," Kazuya's cheeks glowed red. "Like, dude, I'm pretty sure you two like each other… Like I did with Rana, there's nothing wrong with trying."

"... Actually," Kazuya sweatdropped as the two blondes raised their brows. "I can't help but feel like we've mixed up b-being in a relationship and being part of a set."

"..."

"..."

"... Oh," Arthur had the decency to blush as Naruto began chuckling. "I mean… Yeah, that's… Whoa, how'd we miss this?"

"Considering we've not really been thinking about it like that?" Naruto said as he sipped some water, the girls were in a little corner as Abel and Eugene came over. "For me and you, it's different. We don't need to be in an Ereinbar Set to do our jobs and we basically chose to support them already, so…" He shrugged. "When you think about it, for us, it's kind of that simple."

"What are you all speaking about?" Abel asked as Naruto chuckled.

Filling their upperclassmen in, Abel hummed before nodding.

"Yeah, for you two, it's basically a 'relationship'," he said with a twitch of the hands as Kazuya blushed. "You don't need a Set so you're basically choosing on the basis of 'Who'd I wife up if given the chance?'," Abel said with a snicker as Eugene chuckled at the two boys' blushes.

"W-Well, I, uh… Never thought of it, like that," Naruto said with a mutter. "... But… Yeah, I… I guess I did," he admitted.

"That's the first step… Well, for you, it's asking her to be your personal Pandora," Arthur said. "Hmm, Kazuya, it really does depend on you, though. For example, what do you like about Satellizer? If it's just physical, we'll have you know, that's also fine."

"... I… I don't think it's just physical… O-Or, really, that came later," Kazuya admitted as Naruto hummed. "Satellizer reminds me of my older sister who passed four years back," he admitted to the group as everyone sans Naruto winced.

"Damn, right, Kazuha Aoi, right?" Eugene asked with a grimace as Kazuya nodded. "... Sorry."

"... No, it's fine, Eugene-senpai, over the past two weeks, I think I've gotten around to not trying to worry about that so much," Kazuya said with a shake of the head. "And, well, Satellizer-senpai is so… strong, I guess? Despite her fear, she's here, isn't she? Even if she did have a bad reputation in the beginning."

"That, I guess, is just because of it being a sensitive subject," Naruto said as Abel nodded.

"Yes, like with Ticy… She's got some self-esteem issues," Abel said with a small smile. "I love her to death and want the best for her but, sometimes, it feels like I'm not doing enough."

"I think that you're at the point of needing to talk to her," Arthur said seriously. "I'll be honest, I know I can come off as a bit… stupid when it comes to Genessa," the group collectively sweatdropped. "T-Trust me on this, I know. The thing is… well, she's spoken to me about how she wanted our relationship to work. She wants us to be able to speak up, to talk, because her own parents have trouble communicating," the French man said.

"It sounds like the best way to handle things," Naruto said. "I know that, for whatever me and Rana-chan might have, I want her to be happy and to help her in her own goals," he shrugged. "I never really thought about relationships like that."

"And that's fine," Arthur said as Kazuya hummed in thought. "The fact remains that this is your first go-around," the boy said before turning to Abel. "And you just need to talk with Ms. Phenyl, I think. I'm not sure much else needs to be said."

The guys nodded to that, drinking their water bottles in unison.

Naruto nodded before standing up. "Alright, let's go through some summaries," he said to the groups at large, everyone turning to him in sat-up positions. "Kazu and Arty, how'd you guys feel about the room run?"

"It's hard near the end of one lap," Kazuya admitted as Satellizer nodded, much to Genessa's snickering. "W-We did it, though."

"Hmph, hmm," Naruto nodded. "Chiffon-senpai, Ticy-senpai, how were Abel and Eugene?"

"Hmmm," Naruto nervously chuckled at Chiffon's hum. "Well, Eugene's not fast enough, reflexively, to catch me. You take too long trying to throw your Freezing at me."

"I, well," Eugene rubbed the back of his head with a wince. "I can't just throw down a field so quickly, alright? It's not as simple for me as it is for Naruto."

"Hmm, Eugene-senpai, how do you normally go through applying your field?" Naruto asked as the dark blue-haired upperclassman hummed and crossed his arms.

"Well, for one, at first, I pick an area," Eugene said as Abel raised a brow. "After that, I think about how much force I'll need. Following those two steps, I throw down my fields."

"Isn't that too complicated?" Abel noted as the group turned on him. "Why are you thinking so much?"

"H-Huh?"

"He's got a point," Naruto said. "I don't really think about the second step, likely not even the first step," the spiky-haired blonde said. "For me, I just look at where I'm gonna throw my field and do it."

"W-What about measuring though?" Eugene asked with a wince. "How do you know if it's too much?"

"Uh, senpai, outside of, like, two circumstances, why in the world wouldn't I be going all-in?" Naruto asked with a sweatdrop as Eugene flinched back. "No offense but unless I'm using it on a comrade, there's no point. You need to let go."

"That sounds like the issue, though?" Satellizer spoke up. "He's using it on Chiffon, his comrade."

"... True," Naruto said before sweatdropping. "But does Chiffon-senpai really need you to hold back?"

The group sweatdropped as Chiffon giggled a bit.

"Besides, you do still think too much," Naruto continued. "Eugene-senpai, how often would you say you use Freezing a day?"

"... Well, before you came into our lives," the older boy blushed. "Only like an hour every workday?"

"Hmph, I think what you need to work on is using it more," Naruto said. "Like I said, I don't think about that part of using my fields, I just lay 'em down because I know, with my entire body, how much I'm pushing down. If anything, I think all the Limiters should have Freezing used on them to train them."

"... To get them used to Nova's Freezing?" Chiffon asked with some surprise. "If you think about it, that does make some sense."

"Not just that, either," Naruto said, confusing the group. "Did you know that if a field is used on you, a Limiter becomes more aware of how much force is being used?" He said as he raised his hand.

Underneath the group came his Freezing field, a circle of orange spreading out from beneath Rana as she was in the middle.

"This is a light field," Naruto said as Eugene frowned in thought. "How's it feel?"

"... Well," Eugene looked at the field with curiosity, pressing his hand down with the slight downward forces. "... It's… I feel like I'd use ten percent…?!" His eyes widened along with Kazuya's, the younger brunette male doing as he did.

"... five percent," he said, getting an interested hum from Naruto and Ticy. "That's different from Eugene-senpai, though."

"That's likely because your fields are simply stronger," Ticy explained as Eugene's head fell. "That said… I'm going to sound crazy," she turned to Naruto with a soft glare as Abel chuckled. "I'm blaming you."

"... guilty?"

"Yes," she rolled her eyes before focusing back on Kazuya. "But… With how things have gone these past two weeks… perhaps, like Pandora have two types, maybe Limiters do as well?"

"... Well," Arthur spoke up. "What types would you think we'd have?"

"Well, perhaps it's both reach and strength, yes?"

"So, Power-Type and Range-Type?" Naruto suggested as the group considered it. "The way I'm assuming this works… I'd like to change the name for the latter, then," he continued, confusing the group. "I think a better way of looking at it would be Power-Type and Linker-Type. Think about it. Kazuya can't really go past 70m and that's while pushing it. Meanwhile, Eugene can reach 80%, one of the few of the groups who could."

"Why Linker-Type?" Genessa asked with a raised brow as Rana nodded. "That seems… specific."

"Well, you all know how we can speak with one another with Freezing, right?" The group realized where he was going. "If people like Kazuya and Abel have stronger than normal fields then Arthur and Eugene's type would be people who can reach out to others and inform them of stuff. Like reconnaissance!"

"... Huh," Abel blinked at the idea, tilting his head with a hum. "That's actually not a bad idea. Though," he chuckled. "If Eugene's thoughts are as high as I think they are, we're going radio silent ASAP."

The group laughed at that while Eugene blushed like a tomato.

"T-That's not fair!"

Naruto finished his snickers with a grin. "Well, it's certainly a path for you to follow. Let's think about this, what's everything that Freezing can do?"

The group contributed in turns, Ticy writing down all the information on her phone.

When they finished, this was the list:

Can apply powerful downward forces

On average is a distance of 50 meters, for most, at least

Can be used without harm to comrades with training

Can communicate with others with training

Can increase a material's endurance if applied over

Can change field strength (Currently capable individuals: Naruto Uzumaki, Abel Rotomaster)

Can be 'broken' to cause rebounds, whether by a stronger field or personal ability, the latter relating to one Naruto Uzumaki

Technique: Isolated Frost, name pending, capable of using Freezing on an isolated object and move it (Current users: Naruto Uzumaki)

Fields can be 'Completed' and allow the users to move afterward with them losing their ability to use Freezing

Can be applied to specific body parts (Current Capable Individuals: Naruto Uzumaki, Arthur Crypton)

'Rebounds' are capable of powerful forces

"... Damn, that list is kind of long and complicated," Genessa realized as the others blinked along with her. "Geez, since when was Freezing this complicated?"

"... Guilty as charged," Naruto said with a shrug. "Ironically enough, only three of these were my doing… it's kind of weird, now that I think about it."

"... It is-de arimasu," Rana admitted after a moment of confusion. "H-How come no one ever thought about this?!"

"Being fair, most of the time when this is explained in class, it's mostly about Nova's fields. Limiters actually have their own specialized classes like we do when it comes to our High-End skills," Chiffon explained.

"I figured," Naruto said. "All I've seen of the Limiter courses is that we learn theory… it's super annoying."

"In the second-year courses, we practice on 10% power Novas," Abel added with a slight frown. "Since, god forbid, we don't see ourselves trying to stop a full-powered Type-S with ONE Limiter… The more I think about it… Ticy, let's add one more thing onto that list."

Ticy raised a brow as he spoke before putting it down.

Limiters can cooperate with their fields on one target.

"Wait, that's right," Kazuya said in shock. "I-I've seen the videos, many Limiters DO work together like that!"

"If I'm right," Arthur began. "It's like each of us are 'nodes' in an attempt to freeze a target… I wonder…" The French man began to consider it. "I wonder if, were we to actually work with specific Limiters if we couldn't make a sort of 'resonance'?"

"It's an idea," Rana said before turning to Eugene. "Eugene-senpai, have you ever done this?"

"Well, no… and honestly? I'm glad, obviously," Eugene said. "That said, I'm also curious if this is possible as well. "

"I've never done it, either," Abel said with a shake of his orange locks. "I know we all agree that that's a good thing."

"Agreed."

"But, where does that leave us?"

"Well, when in doubt, try it out, yes-de arimasu?" Rana asked with a smile as Naruto chuckled.

"She's got a point, no one gets anywhere without trying out new things. The thing is, we don't have a dummy Nova…" Naruto said with a smile as his gaze turned to Chiffon who made a confused sound before grinning.

The group chuckled a bit at that.

At least she was very willing.

~NRK~

"Hmm," Margaret raised a brow as Elize sat by her desk, writing down all the information on a clipboard. "What do you think of this?"

"Well," Elize tapped her lip with her pen. "If you think about it, it's not a bad form of thought. Though I question if it may just be that some people have limits no matter how their Freezing turns out?"

"Hmm, I'll have Yu-Mi-"

"I'm here!" Came the said teacher, Yu-Mi Kim, chuckling nervously. "I got caught up with a student. What'd I miss?"

"They think there are 'Types' for Limiters," Elize said simply, surprising the teacher for a moment before Yu-Mi cupped her chin.

"Ya know… that does sound pretty interesting, with some thought," she said. "If you think about it… wouldn't Pandora who are of a certain type give them 'Types', as well?"

Margaret blinked before writing down something. "Hmm, perhaps we can suggest this to the board," she said with a smile. "It may just be a dead-end but looking at the connection between Pandora and Limiters isn't a bad subject to delve into. It would be interesting to help our students apply themselves in more ways."

"It is," Elize said. "Also, they're going to try Coordinated Freezing on Chiffon Fairchild, Kim."

"That so?" Yu-Mi hummed as she crossed her arms and went around the headmistress's desk before leaning against the windowsill. "I'm actually curious about how much she can take. I don't think I've seen Chiffon against a dummy Nova before."

"She's never wanted to," Margaret said as she leaned back in her seat. "During every exercise, Ticy Phenyl would take orders from her and carry them out, Chiffon simply doesn't wish to participate."

"... But she's so willing here," Yu-Mi said with interest. "You're right, outside of gym, Chiffon doesn't really give off the vibe of being the number 1 at West Genetics save for these moments," she grinned along with the other women. "She's the wall they'll have to overcome to become stronger than they are."

~NRK~

Naruto nodded as he stood in front of Chiffon, the other Limiters at his back.

"So, senpai, how does this work?" Naruto asked Abel who nodded.

"You're going to focus on spreading your field forward at the target, mostly," the carrot top said. "As far as I know, that's all there is to it."

"Really?" Kazuya frowned. "But what about rebounds?"

"The idea is that you've given the 'order'," Eugene explained with air quotes. "To your Freezing fields to only focus on what you're freezing. When fields of similar thought meet, they simply overlay their effects."

"So it's like that, huh?" Naruto wondered as Arthur grinned.

"Let me guess, you want us to try the normal way first and then your idea next, am I right?" The French man said as Naruto chuckled.

"Maybe," he said before nodding to Chiffon. "Alright, let's try this out, gu-"

"Hold on!" Came Ticy's shout from the side as she came up to the group before dragging Naruto away. "Now, you try it."

"W-Wait, what?!" Kazuya balked before Arthur nervously chuckled as Chiffon pouted.

"T-Ticy-senpai, what's this all about?!" Naruto shouted.

"Think about it, you blonde stereotype," Genessa and Kaho snorted in unison as Rana and Satellizer giggled. "You've shown you can stop Chiffon before. It'd be too lopsided if you worked with the others."

"... I-I mean…" Naruto pouted as Rana walked over and giggled a bit. "Fine…"

"Good boy."

"I resent that."

"Good," Ticy said with a grin as Abel chuckled. "Now, you four, you have to try it on Chiffon."

The four Limiters nodded before focusing, the four spreading apart in a semi-circle that had them all directed at their upperclassman.

"Hmm, hmm," Chiffon grinned as she crossed her arms. "Come whenever!"

"FREEZING!" The four called out with their hands raised.

Chiffon grunted as the area around her grew intense, a widening grin on her face. "I-I see!" She said with a slight stammer as the four's fields slammed into her, cracking the floor. "But not enough!" Chiffon declared as she activated her Volt Texture.

The four flew back and onto their rears for four feet, the fields falling away leaving Chiffon smiling at them.

~NRK~

"Ticy is correct," Margaret said. "But Naruto has only ever used his higher-level Freezing on Chiffon for a little bit. She wasn't even using Volt Texture yet."

"It's true," Elize said. "That said, it seems that Chiffon still needed to use Volt Texture to stop those four and, considering how strong she is even without it, that's impressive."

"It is," Yu-Mi said as they watched the boys get back into position. "I guess they'll-"

"You guys!" Came Naruto's voice from off-screen. "I want Arthur and Eugene to try and 'link' with Kazuya and Abel!"

"Hmm? I wonder what his next idea is," Margaret wondered.

"I'm curious about something," Naruto said. "Hey, Abel-senpai, when you guys are all using Freezing on the Nova is that all you guys can do together?"

Elize leaned forward.

"Basically… why? What's your next crazy idea?" Abel asked with a chuckle.

"Remember what Arthur said, you guys are all nodes, right? So, like, can you all pass on your fields and stuff?"

"That's…" Margaret blinked at that idea. "That's certainly an interesting idea but, surely, that'd only get the same effect… Wait," her eyebrows furrowed at a thought as Naruto chuckled. "Does he-"

"I'm curious. Why not pass along the parts of Freezing to those who specialize? Like, say, if you connect Kazu and Arty, Kazuya gets all the power while Arthur handles the control. So, my thought is, if Arthur is the control center, all Kazu has to do is throw down the Freezing!"

~NRK~

"T-That's…" Abel considered the idea before wincing. "I like the idea, I seriously do, if we could have Limiters pass on power, it'd not only make recovery easier but, as you said, make it so we can make more precise moves… but I just don't think it's possible to pass on Freezing."

"... The idea is amazing, Uzumaki," Ticy spoke up with a considerable amount of respect. "That said, what you're basically asking for is a Limiter-wide Ereinbar Set, I'd guess," she shook her shoulders as Naruto cupped his chin. "That's as close as I can guess your idea would be like but it's not… Why are you grinning?" Ticy asked as her heart thumped at horrid speeds.

No… He couldn't possibly-

"Hey, guys, I wanna try something," Naruto said as Rana blinked before chuckling.

"Oh, you're going to form a Set using that method-de arimasu?" She asked, confusing the others. "... Well, Naruto-kun-"

~NRK~

"Can establish an Ereinbar Set without a Baptism."

The three women froze.

"What?" Elize looked over all her notes in confusion. "What?"

"That's not… that shouldn't be possible. That's not even a creativity thing! That's just not possible!" Yu-Mi said in disbelief as Naruto walked to the Limiter quartet who looked eager.

"Like Rana-chan said, I can make a Set with her without a Baptism," Naruto said as he beckoned them forward before raising a fist, a glowing hexagon above it. "Bump fists with me and we'll see if we can't make a little miracle."

"..." Margaret placed her pen on her notepad, eyes narrowed in anticipation.

"A fist bump?" Eugene asked with a hand at the back of his head but his eyes were wide with wonder. "A fist bump is going to make an Ereinbar Set?"

"When it comes to philosophy between me and my Freezing, I believe in one thing above all else. People reach understanding by connecting with one another, or Ninshu, as I call it, haha," Naruto said with a chuckle. "If I can pass on energy, if I can pass on thoughts, I should be able to pass on 'responsibility' to every person who I form a bond with."

~NRK~

Chiffon watched in anticipation.

Humans were such… sad but yet curious creatures. They always reached for things beyond themselves in the concept of 'dreams', they strove to push beyond their boundaries in the concept of 'pride', and they held onto a set of beliefs that shaped their minds and paths, their 'ideals'.

Yet, never before had Chiffon seen all three, physically, in a metaphorical state, held out in front of her.

Kazuya's eyes narrowed in determination as he walked up to Naruto and held his fist up.

They tapped knuckles and closed their eyes.

"This is going to be odd, Kazu," Naruto said.

"I'm ready."

Naruto grinned and, below the two, their Freezing fields spread out beneath their feet.

Dark blue and orange hexagons formed a perfect circle before golden lines sprung up along Naruto's offered arm down to Kazuya's own.

Then there was a crackle of electricity below the two, the circle shined before a 'locking' sound echoed in the room.

The two opened their eyes and Naruto grinned as he receded his fist as Kazuya looked down at the golden lines on his right arm.

"Chakra Set, complete," the blonde said mindlessly before blinking and putting a hand to his throat. "Wait, what?"

~NRK~

"What… what was that?" Margaret asked in confusion at the little… ritual, what had come out of Naruto's mouth, again?

Chakra?

A Chakra Set. An Ereinbar Set between Limiters? Was that what that name meant?

"Let's go," Elize said in an instant, opening the window behind the three of them as Margaret stood up from her chair. "This… I know we have to be there ourselves."

She left barely a second after saying that, Yu-Mi right behind her.

"He's really something else," she said to the headmistress before jumping out.

'Yes,' Margaret turned back to the screen one more time before following her employees. 'He is, isn't he?'

This might very well change the world as they knew it.

~NRK~

"How's it feel?" Naruto asked as the Pandora part of their group ran over. "I… I don't know what just left my mouth, just now, but… I might have an idea of what's going on?"

"Naruto-kun?" Rana spoke up, placing a hand on his shoulder and Naruto shrugged. "What… happened?"

"... I feel so… different," Kazuya said after a moment, Satellizer raising a brow as his eyes…?! "... Senpai?"

"Y-Your eyes," the blonde girl said and the group looked to see gold rings around blue eyes whose pupils were white. "... Kazuya?"

"?" Kazuya tilted his head to the side as Genessa materialized a chain head before buffing its surface.

"Here," she passed it to him and the Limiter transfer accepted it before looking into its depths. "Your eyes are freaky right now."

Kazuya blinked at the sight of golden rings around his iris and his pupil's new color.

"... Naruto?" Kazuya's head turned to the progenitor of all this newness, the blonde in question humming as raised a brow.

"... If what I'm feeling is right," Naruto began with one eye closed. "I've awakened-"

The door to the room opened as he made to speak, the familiar figures of their teacher, headmistress, and doctor interrupting the blonde.

"Yo-"

"Naruto-kun?!" Elize was over by his and Kazuya's sides in seconds, the doctor's eyes snapping to Kazuya's and her pen tore against her clipboard. "Kazuya-kun! Tell me! How do you feel?!"

"E-Eh!?" Kazuya jumped as she asked as Margaret and Yu-Mi were by the group's side in seconds. "U-Um…" He blinked as he looked at his glowing right arm. "... I feel like I'm full of energy."

"Naruto-kun?"

"Like I was trying to say," Naruto said with a chuckle. "I think what happened is that, well, I want to say I 'awakened' the seven gates in your body… I think?" The spiky-haired one said with a nervous chuckle. "This isn't exactly normal to me, either, but the way I can feel it in you, is that the mental limits on you, that stuff called the Seven Chakras, I unlocked them… maybe."

"... Huh?" Chiffon made a confused sound as she came around and 'looked' at Kazuya's eyes. '?!'

H-How had he… W-What had Naruto done?!

"... Naruto," the blonde turned to their headmistress who looked curious but confused. "I don't understand, what did you do?"

"... I don't really know," Naruto said with a shrug. "The way I can feel it is that I increased Kazuya's ability with Freezing by giving it 'more pathways', once again, I think."

"That's…" Margaret didn't know what to even say in such a situation. "Weren't you trying to just connect with him?"

"Yes, I did do that," Naruto said. "That said, it's obvious something different happened."

"... W-Well," Satellizer spoke up and swallowed at the group's attention. "I-I know that an Ereinbar Set gives most normal Limiters the ability to use Freezing, right?"

"So you believe that Naruto passed something onto Kazuya?" Kaho asked.

"W-Well, I mean, it's the same idea… right?"

"... Well, no time like the present, Kazu," Naruto said after some thought with a grin as his friend chuckled nervously. "If you're trying to figure out your own powers, ya just gotta test things out!"

"Hehe… Well, what should I do?" Kazuya asked as he looked at his arm before clenching and unclenching his fist. "I feel like I can help so many people like this."

"And you will," Naruto said with a grin before pointing to the far wall. "So let's start at the beginning, the basics."

Kazuya nodded before raising his 'golden' arm and his eyes narrowed as he activated his Freezing-

A space in the wall across from them, where they were two-thirds into the room, cratered in a circle, much to the group's shock.

"... Okay… So, you can do that now," Naruto said as he demonstrated, raising his hand and performing the same action. "It's the ability I'd call Flash-Freeze. It's like instant fields that don't require your field to crawl towards the location but it won't last long. I used this in my fight against Ingrid. It's a pretty decent attack," he demonstrated.

A series of craters found themselves around Kazuya's, surprising the group.

"This is a new one you never showed," Yu-Mi said with a hand at the side of her head. "It's basically a long-range technique."

"Well, I'd say mid-range," Naruto said before cocking his fist back and a crater appeared high on the wall, right where it neared the ceiling. "Adding a move to it makes it long-range. Otherwise, Flash-Freeze can only go as far as your Freezing can. So, say, if Mark could use it, he'd be a real long-range support."

"Hmm, what happens when you do it to me, though-de arimasu?" Rana asked as she crossed her arms with a small pout as Naruto chuckled before raising a fist to her.

"Come on, it'd probably be better that everyone here knows the difference," Naruto said as she grinned and bumped fists with him.

There'd been no light show, all that happened was that Rana's irises gained the golden ring while her arm also gained the golden lines.

"It's totally different," Genessa said with her arms crossed and head tilted to the side. "How's it feel, Rana?"

"It feels like the whole world is clearer-de arimasu!" Rana stated with a grin as Elize wrote down another note before flipping her pages. "I'm stronger, faster, and I think more durable."

"So it's nothing but a boost?" Abel asked as Ticy cupped her chin.

"... Rana," Ticy spoke up, gaining the group's attention. "Like Naruto said, the basics. Give us a speed test. Satellizer," the Bridgette perked up. "... Actually, Naruto," Satellizer slumped as Naruto perked up, the group chuckling at the two. "I want you to race Rana across the room. Your rebounds seem to make you as fast as a Pandora using Accel, let's see how Rana performs."

"Alright."

"Let's do this-de arimasu!"

Walking to the end of the wall ahead, both of them got into position.

Ticy, now wearing a stopwatch, pressed down on the timer button.

"Go!"

They exploded towards the other wall, Naruto in bursts of orange and yellow while Rana's form ran at blurring speeds.

The two slammed their feet into the wall before shooting back towards their starting position.

As they did, Ticy's eyes widened as they came to a skidding pair of halts, Rana ahead of Naruto by five meters.

"Whoa, okay, damn, Rana-chan," Naruto blinked at the difference as Rana giggled a bit. "Okay, didn't expect that kind of speed from you."

"Neither did I-de arimasu!"

"So, her speed is comparable to that of someone using a regular Accel. No, maybe even faster." Yu-Mi noted with a dropped mouth. "... Is it different depending on the type of Pandora?"

"We might have already learned that, Yu-Mi," Elize said, confusing the Headmistress. "Naruto used his Isolated Freezing on Yu-Mi's weapon," the Korean's eyes widened. "She said she'd felt energy coming into her body and had gone at speeds that she'd barely caught herself doing without Accel," Elize noted to the oldest Pandora in the room who balked. "Naruto's form of increasing a Pandora's stats, if you will, is incredible."

"It is," Yu-Mi said as the group became full once more. "... And you said you do this by absorbing this 'Natural Energy', right?"

"Yup," Naruto said with his arms folded behind his head with a whistle. "... Actually, Kazu. I'm curious if you can't try and pull in some yourself, with the way you currently are."

Kazuya blinked before wearing an expression of determination. "Tell me what I have to do."

"Well, for one," Naruto raised his arm and held a single glowing orange hexagon in its hand. "Can you feel this?"

Kazuya blinked as he crossed his arms and focused.

He grunted as he tried to focus further, frowning deeper as his eyebrows twitched before sighing.

"No."

"Hmm… Arthur, come on, I wonder if it's different depending on the 'type' of Limiter you are," Naruto said as Arthur smiled nervously, coming forth.

"How do we know it isn't different just because you two are?" The French man asked as Naruto grinned.

"Well, can't know without trying, yeah?"

"Can't argue with that logic, hm, hm."

Raising his fist, he and Naruto pressed the two together and the latter focused.

Arthur wasn't sure what was going to happen until a circle formed beneath him and Naruto, a familiar occurrence that'd only been seen moments before.

His eyes widened as gold traveled up his arm and his mind let out a 'click' as if something slid into place.

His eye gained the familiar gold ring but something different happened. The iris turned completely gold in color with the pupil remaining the same.

Naruto breathed out as their fists separated and Arthur blinked at the golden energy on his right arm.

"Whoa… H-Huh?" Arthur blinked as he looked at Naruto and his eyes widened. "N-Naruto… Y-You're just full-on gold right now."

"... So I was right," Naruto said as the group turned to him and Arthur blinked. "There might be a 'type' difference between Limiters. Arty, look at your back if I'm right-"

"T-There's a line leading to… Genessa?"

"Knew it," he said with a grin, confusing the others. "Remember what I said earlier? Kazuya's a Power-Type while Arthur is…"

"A Linker-Type," Elize realized as Arthur looked at her.

"Dr. Schmitz is kind of glowing," he said before turning to Naruto.

"What you're probably seeing is the energy in everyone," the spiky-haired blonde said with a grin as the group collectively froze. "Arthur can probably also sense energy in others… If I'm right, this is what I'm passing on, a few of my skills," Naruto said with twitching fingers. "Kazuya and Arthur couldn't do these things before, though I think Arthur's ability to see energy is something only his type can do because I know I can't do that."

"So Kazu-Kazu gets Flash Freeze and Arthur gets energy sensing," Genessa asked in disbelief. "Dude, you're so broken, I LOVE IT!"

"How big was that boost to Rana-chan?" Kaho asked as Rana chuckled a bit.

"I feel almost five times stronger-de arimasu!"

"He enhances the qualities in Types," Elize said before… frowning. '... Is this foreshadowing?'

She'd been keeping this particular thought in for a while but now that she was seeing it… Could Naruto's abilities be signs of what a Nova can do? Then again, Chevalier had made the 'Types' suffixes but, then, was this destined to happen? If Naruto was right about Limiters also having Types, which was seeming very possible right now, then that meant there were more types of Nova, right?

'Type R, F, Q, and S… And, notably… they're all capable of Freezing,' she hid her frown behind a smiling facade as she listed off the Nova 'species' they knew of. 'It is noted that Novas carry specific abilities… Perhaps this is all mindless worry? Or are there 'Pandora-esque' Nova out there we have to deal with?'

She wanted it to be just paranoia but the fact remained that they didn't really know anything about Novas. Pandoras and Limiters were connected to them, sure, but that well didn't exactly bleed water, if you will.

Naruto, though, was the closest thing to a 'docile Nova' they had… She wondered if this had exacerbated his changes more… No, stupid thought.

They definitely changed him more which meant she needed to do those tests on him soon.

"So is this permanent?" Came Chiffon's question and the group blinked as one. "When Naruto did this to Rana, there was no crazy light show," she waved her hands about. "But, with the Limiters, Naruto said he 'unlocks' something in them. So is this permanent?"

The group, as one, turned to Naruto who shrugged.

"I think it is," he said with a shrug. "That said, we'll have to just see. This is new to me as well, guys."

"An odd if not fortuitous situation," Margaret said with an unsure smile. "If nothing else, perhaps you all should actually get a check-up in the morning. If something vital has changed, Elize should be capable of catching it."

"I mean, I was gonna do a whole medical trial with Elize-hakase, why not then?" Naruto asked and Elize considered it before smiling.

"Sure, it's probably for the best."

"Alright! For now, though, let's test some stuff out!" Naruto said with a grin as he turned to Abel and Eugene who nervously smiled. "Let's do it to our senpais!"

"W-Why does that sound dangerous?" Eugene asked as Naruto stalked towards them. "This feels WAY more dangerous than I thought!"

"Come on, senpai~ It'll only be a little weird."

"Why are you saying that?!" Abel screamed as they ran from the chuckling Naruto.

"Come back, you wimps!"

Sweatdropping at the two Limiters being chased by their blonde miracle of a friend, Arthur chuckled nervously before blinking at a feeling far off.

"?" He frowned, head discretely turning to the distance towards the school. '?'

The feeling was so, so, faint that he'd almost felt like it was just his mind playing tricks on him… but the feeling was too familiar, too close.

Why the hell did it feel like Naruto was over in the school?

Abel shivered at the warmth in his arm. "I-It feels so weird," he whined a bit as Ticy grinned. "Ticy hold me!"

"S-Stop that, i-idio-!" She didn't get to say anymore as Abel enveloped her and her face went neon red. "Mm!" Ticy complained even as she hugged him back.

Soon enough, the smoldering human-shaped heap that was Ticy Phenyl went silent as steam left her ears.

"And that's how you disable Ticy-senpai," Naruto said jokingly as the others chuckled at Abel's soothed expression. "Now, I want to know how far Arthur and Eugene's abilities go. I have a feeling about Kazuya's and those two's new skills are a bit odder."

Abel wore a complacent smile as he held Ticy before turning to face the group.

Chiffon snickered.

Arthur and Eugene grinned as they walked in front of Naruto.

"Now… I've got no idea on what to do," Naruto said as the group, minus Abel and Ticy, facefaulted. "H-Hey, don't blame me! I can't have all the ideas in an instant!"

Rana giggled nervously as Satellizer's eyes went flat.

"Hmm, how about we try that idea you were thinking about?" Eugene asked as the others regained their composure. "Hm, hm, might as well. We can truly see if we can't link up."

Kazuya chuckled as he walked over only for the trio to turn to Abel.

"... I don't think I want to stop doing this."

"So we'll leave Abel to trap Ticy-senpai," Naruto said with a chuckle. "Maybe it's better to see how this works with one Power-Type, anyway. Come on, guys, let's see what you've got."

The three Limiters chuckled before nodding as Chiffon moved in front of them with a fun-loving smile.

"Alright, the first thing you all should do is try to see if you can't link up," Naruto directed. "Arthur and Eugene spread out your fields."

"Arthur," Eugene turned to the younger Limiter. "The way to connect your mind with others is by making your field omnidirectional," he instructed as Arthur wore a curious expression.

"Wait, is it really just because it's a different direction?" Arthur asked with a raised brow.

"You're basically 'letting go' in all directions, your mind, body, and emotions spread out to reach out to others," the older Limiter said as Arthur nodded, closing his eyes and focusing. "Don't go too far, remember that this is training."

"Understood."

The two focused and twin blue hexagon fields spread out from their feet before overlapping around Kazuya.

Kazuya's eyes widened at the field before feeling… feelings.

Emotions, the two other Limiters' presences, and then their thoughts.

"Kazuya?" Came Arthur's voice and Kazuya chuckled.

"I can hear you."

Arthur's mouth set in a grin as he spoke instead of thought. "This is so weird," he said to Eugene as the older Limiter chuckled. "It's feels like I'm sending a text, phone call, and video chat all at the same time."

"That's certainly one way it works," Naruto said before walking up to them and nodding. "Now, focus. What you need to do is pass on the 'responsibility' of your Freezing to Kazuya who will then use his own Freezing on Chiffon."

The three nodded before Arthur and Eugene closed their eyes once more.

Kazuya followed their example and 'saw' the two in an odd 'world' of a 'tube' that was blue and riddled with circuitry-like lines that went to both 'ends' of the tube world which led to white lights.

"Sup," came Arthur's call as he floated by Kazuya. "This is so crazy."

"It is," Kazuya said with a chuckle as Eugene floated down.

None of the three decided to focus on the fact they were 'naked'.

Less said, fewer worries.

"So, we should pass it here," Arthur said before sweatdropping. "How the hell do we do that?"

"Hmm," Eugene looked at his right hand before breathing in. "Focus on 'passing' your Freezing. Remember, the same way we can not freeze our allies, that Freezing can be adjusted by mental commands. Maybe this is the same."

Arthur and Kazuya hummed before the former nodded and raised his right hand.

The Linker-Types arms glowed gold before they raised them and laid their hands on Kazuya's shoulders.

The Aoi's eyes widened as his eyes became circled by two extra gold rings.

His eyes snapped open before Kazuya's eyes glowed and he raised his hand.

Chiffon, minding everything that'd happened to this point, activated her Volt Textures to their absolute limits.

Then the force that fell on her nearly took her breath away.

The floor beneath cratered deeply and her eyes opened at the fact that she was struggling to stand, knees trembling as she held her arms out.

'This force?!' This wasn't like earlier!

It was like they multiplied their fields!

She grinned behind her hair as an odd blonde's face came to mind.

Humans were so damn interesting!

Chiffon forced her body to a standing pose before activating her Volt Weapons and crossing her arms.

Kazuya's eyes began to wince as one of the rings fell away before he hit his own knees as Arthur fell to his rear, field receding. Eugene grimaced as Chiffon stood strong in their field.

'Control tower!' He recited in his mind as his eyes shined gold. 'Kazuya's handling the power, right?! Then…!'

Chiffon had felt the power lessen and stood tall only to blink as the hexagons shrunk in on her location?

Her eyes widened as the force around her doubled as Eugene's eyes narrowed, their glow flickering.

The Monster of the West grinned, though, and pushed to her feet.

Kazuya's eyes clenched shut but he clawed his off-hand, the limb slowly rising, and Chiffon felt a second force slam down onto her back-

"Enough!"

All fields were overtaken in an instant as glowing orange hexagons spread about, Naruto at their epicenter of being between all three participants.

Kazuya winced before falling on his rear, letting out rapid, hot, breaths as sweat soaked his shirt.

What… What had that been? Where had that second force come from?

Eugene fell to his knees before going down onto his hands with similar breaths to his underclassmen, the sweat on his face falling quickly.

"Dammit," he slammed the side of his fist into the Freezing field before sighing. "We lost that one."

"... You did your best," Chiffon said after some thought with a smile as she disengaged her enhancements, sitting down and leaning back on her hands. "Phew! Naruto-kun, I'm sure that, had they known what to do from the offset, I would have lost that conflict."

The three Limiters blinked and looked up at the chuckling Chiffon as Naruto sighed in amusement.

"Yeah, I know they could handle you at this point had they been more aware of how this all worked, hell, I wish I had more tips to give," the blonde said as the others came over. "That said, Eugene's got some idea of how this works, Arthur, remember to get tips from your senpai."

"Hahaha," Arthur laughed a bit and Eugene chuckled. "I will. It'll be nice working with you, Mr. Alabastor."

"Likewise, Crypton."

Genessa crouched by Arthur who chuckled a bit as they looked at Naruto, the blonde in the middle of talking with the others.

"He's given me more power to help… I don't think I can thank him enough," Arthur said before getting a kiss to the head. "G-Genessa!"

"Hehehe~ Don't be an idiot, Naruto was glad to have you as a friend regardless of how little you thought you helped," the redhead said as she helped him to his feet. "Remember, Arty, we didn't become partners, or friends in Naruto's case, because we only wanted your usefulness."

Arthur blinked with a blush before grinning.

"I know!"

Satellizer, meanwhile, approached Kazuya who pouted as she sat down next to him.

"Is everything alright?" She asked and Kazuya groaned into his pulled-up knees. "Penny for your thoughts? Wait, no, is it Yen?" Satellizer wondered with wide eyes as she hummed aggressively. "W-Which ever one it is?"

Kazuya blinked at her before chuckling. "It's fine, Satellizer-senpai, and… well, I'm worried all I'm good for is power."

"T-That's not fair, having that kind of stopping power is probably really important," Satellizer said as he shot her a look. "B-Besides, Naruto hasn't gotten to even try and teach you the ropes about that much power. Y-You can do whatever you put your mind to, I know it!"

Kazuya's eyes widened before they softened and his hand found hers, getting a jump, and a blush, out of the 'Untouchable Queen' of the West. "Thanks, Satella-senpai," her eyes widened and he stuttered. "U-Um, w-well, you know how Naruto gives us all nicknames and I just… thought it was nice?"

"... I like it," she said with a smile that almost tore out his soul. "Thank you… Kazu," Satellizer said with a blush as his heart beat at a million bpm.

Ticy rolled her eyes in Abel's grip as he nuzzled her a bit.

"It really is a nice atmosphere," he said in thought and she held his arm in affection. "I… In a way, I've realized it's a little odd that we don't interact with our underclassmen a lot. I mean, we're in a fight to basically save the world, am I the only one who's realized that we should be helping lead them and not the other way around?"

Ticy frowned softly as she leaned into his embrace. "... no, you're right… As much trouble as he's brought, Naruto's presence has been good at imparting good examples for most of the student body, despite the fighting," the carrot top's chuckling got a lady-like snort out of his Pandora. "But, yes, despite that fact, Naruto's got a good head on his shoulders, not a super smart one, but a good head nonetheless."

"So I've been told."

Yu-Mi was simply left wondering how things would change after this.

"Naruto-kun, where are you going to go with this, from here?" She decided to ask outright, getting a look of contemplation from the blonde and Rana. "This is all good, trust me, I've got no problem with all this but, I'm curious, what are you going to do with this new information?"

"... I haven't really thought about it," the blonde said. "Being honest, I haven't really been thinking about the downsides to all this," Naruto explained as Rana tilted her head.

"Downsides-de arimasu?"

"Well, I know that, once this is out in the open, there's probably going to be tons of people who are going to want to know the how and, crazy feeling, I can tell some won't accept 'I do meditation' as a good answer."

"... Sadly, that's likely the truth," Margaret said with a sigh. "The way things are going, the Chevalier are doing all they can to improve our chances and attain the power to fend off the Novas… through any means," she said with a grimace as the others looked at her. "While they might become less overbearing if you show them the absolute truth, I get a feeling some might have different methods on how to check."

"Like how?" Kaho asked nervously.

"For now? I don't know but I'd say it's something to keep in mind."

"Gotcha," Naruto said with a frown and a nod as Rana laid a hand on his shoulder in support, a frown on her face. "We'll find a way, there's no other path, after all."

"That's a good mindset to have. For now, worrying about the immediate future is probably for the best. It's not like you're going to keep it secret for long, is it?"

"Saying it out loud? Yeah, you have a point," Naruto said before considering something. "I should probably call my parents before doing this, though. If only to get a plan of action."

"You don't think your parents won't agree?" Kaho asked as Rana hummed.

"Mmm, Naruto-kun was raised with lots of their values, most likely-de arimasu," the Tibetan girl said. "They might be on the same wavelength."

"Actually, Naruto-kun," Kazuya spoke up. "Didn't you say my grandfather was trying to become their first backer?" He asked nervously.

"Well, essentially. Dad's pretty good at picking out people so it's not like it's a bad thing, right?"

"W-Well, no, it's just… Maybe your parents have told my grandfather already?"

"Hmm, nope, I think he doesn't know yet," the blonde said. "My parents know the importance of secrets. It's not really like they'd go around telling everything about me, even then. That said, I'm gonna call 'em tonight and we'll see how things go."

"Alright. Tell me if anything went the way I thought."

"Gotcha."

~NRK~

Cleaned up and in bed, Rana, in a pair of dark blue short shorts and a familiar crop top, held her hands around her stomach as she laid next to her fated one.

Dressed in a white t-shirt and orange pajama bottoms, Naruto fiddled with his phone.

"I hope your parents won't mind me-de arimasu."

"They won't, I promise. If anything, my mom's gonna adore you… worryingly enough," Naruto said with red cheeks.

He'd seen Obito's memories and the way Kushina had gushed over Rin… Hoo boy! He was in for it!

Connecting to a Bluetooth speaker, that he'd purchased recently, on his windowsill, the two sat up with nervous energy about them.

Three loud rings came about before it was picked up.

-Naruto-kun?- Came a feminine voice over the line. -Narubaby?!-

Naruto's face was bright red as Rana giggled.

-Hold on… that's a girl?! Minato! Our baby's got a girl in his room!-

The sound of running came through the speaker and Naruto held his head in his hands as Rana laughed while patting his shoulder.

"It's so bad!"

"It's not that bad-de arimasu."

-K-Kushin-

-There's a girl!-

-I-I know but calm down! Menma's just went to bed!- Came a male voice that Rana recognized as Naruto's father… but Menma?

"Menma's my little bro," the blonde said with a chuckle even with his bright red face. "He's basically a mini-me of dad but he died his hair one day and hasn't let go."

"Mmm, younger siblings can be a little weird," Rana said with a sweatdrop. "I only knew of ones in the village but never had one, myself-de arimasu."

-Naruto?-

"Hey, dad."

-How's it going, son? Your mother has woken up Menma and I was in the study-

"Yeah, I get that."

-Naru-kun! Introduce us to your friend- Kushina's voice came out suggestively and the two teens blushed.

"I-I'm Rana Linchen from Nakartse, Tibet-de arimasu!" Rana introduced herself.

-A good introduction- Came Minato's voice.

-I like her already!- Kushina said enthusiastically.

"Hm, hm," Rana's cheeks reddened before she giggled a bit. "It's nice to meet you."

-Likewise- Minato said. -How are you two enjoying West Genetics?-

"It's fine so far… Kind of in the middle of a gauntlet of Pandoras, though?" Naruto said nervously?

-... What?-

-Naruto… Why are you in trouble already?- Kushina asked after Minato's disbelief. -Also, why Pandora?-

"He was doing the right thing, ma'am!" Rana said. "Doing the right thing is always something to push for!"

-... I'm starting to like her more and… Well, Rana-chan isn't wrong. That said, what happened?-

The blonde explained how things got the way they were with all three others in the call gawking as he told them of the… starting gun, so to speak.

-Why in the world would they allow that?!- Minato sounded as horrified as much as Rana did. -Surely, being a militant organization only goes so far!-

-This is… that sounds horrible- Kushina added with a grimace. -And Margaret allowed this?-

"... I don't think she even knew until now, I'm willing to say," Naruto said. "Margaret-obaa-san has been fine with what I'm doing this entire time. I think this is a student body situation."

"S-Still, why?" Rana asked with anger. "I don't understand why they'd allow this to pass-de arimasu!"

"I actually spoke with the other top Pandora outside of Chiffon-chan. Elizabeth-senpai seems like she has a good head on her shoulders but she believes in this system a bit too much. In a way, I'm not just doing this for my friends but to also change this faulty system. There needs to be an understanding but most of them can't without me beating their asses."

-... Haaa, I love you, baby, but I fear we raised a violent child- Kushina explained her woe over the phone as Naruto, Minato, and Rana nervously chuckled. -... I'm considering coming over before golden week but I know you'd rather take care of it-

"I do, mom, and I know I can do this."

"I'm with him as well, ma'am!" Rana said with a grin as Naruto chuckled. "Naruto-kun will not lose while I'm around-de arimasu!"

-I'm glad my son could find such a supportive woman, Rana-san- Minato said with a chuckle as Rana glowed bright pink.

"I-I'm glad he chose me-de arimasu!"

Naruto blushed as Kushina's chuckles came over the phone.

-Hm, hm, I really need to meet this girl. Naruto! Don't go wasting opportunities like this!- The son of the two burned bright red as Rana chuckled, face reaching neon red levels. -Hmm, anything else new?-

"Yeah, actually… You know how my Sage Mode now works. Well, there's been a whole new thing coming from this."

Explaining, the two Genetics students did their best to give all the details they could. Naruto's meeting Rana, the reaction of Pandora to his energy, his information on rebounds, and, finally, the change with Limiters.

-I see- Minato's voice was contemplative. -Since you and I can use Natural Energy, I never thought about what'd happen with normal Limiters. Well, normal Limiters and Gengo's grandson. I'm assuming you're worried about the Chevalier?-

"Like I told you about the Doc, she's wondering if we should give these to them. I want to help the world, dad, but if even the grown woman who's been with them for a while like Margaret-obaa-san is worried, that says a lot," Naruto said with a frown. "I don't want to think badly about the guys up top but it is the military and we all know about how desperate people can get."

Orochimaru… Obito. Greed and loss were powerful motivators for many, especially those in this war. If his powers got out, despite how open he already was, people might want more just because they thought things might take too long.

-It's not untrue, many people who seek power to protect might forget that everything has a price- Kushina said. -I get it. As for the Limiter Suits display case, that's still going to happen during the break, we've got half of Chevalier interested in it with the other half uninterested since it doesn't directly affect Pandora-

-It's true, Gengo Aoi's one of the biggest reasons for most of the interest. If he's involved, many realize that a project might be of worth- Minato said. -... We haven't told him anything about our circumstances, Naruto-kun. Though he knows your mother is a special type like Rana-

"Wait, mom was also born with stigmata?" The blonde asked as he and Rana locked eyes. "Seriously, what is with that? Rana's the only other person I know who's like that."

-... I'm not sure but Gengo knows, somehow, what this is all about. He once spoke to us about Kushina's special circumstance and told us that it's a special case across the world. Pandora like Rana and Kushina are more powerful by product of being born with these powers instead of implanted with them-

"Hmm, that makes some sense-de arimasu," Rana said and Naruto crossed his legs in thought. "I only have six Tears of Kunlun but I'm more powerful than a lot of the members in the third years. A lot of them don't seem all that tough."

"They're not but I think that's mostly because they don't really train like us and the others do, now, anyway. I think those in the top ten aren't even those with that many stigmata but they've actually trained to reach the levels they're on. Ingrid, the 7th most powerful of the third-years, could fold like thirty Pandoras below the top ten by herself. She's strong for a reason."

"Hmm."

-He's right, training will always overcome talent, that's just how most things work. With both, one can become the most powerful of their eras. That aside, I think you're right in that we should reveal these skills to the world but I also think we should be prepared for backlash-

"I know but it's not like we can just stop people who don't care about ethics… right?" Naruto asked.

-... Gengo Aoi is the leading researcher, the HEAD researcher, of all things involved with the Pandora project. Limiters are considered a part of this and, if we're right, then he gets the last say in all this. Many don't like him, being honest, they don't like how he has all the chips on the table, so to speak. He's too smart, too knowledgeable in ways that make you realize he knows things that we don't-

"Kazuya-kun doesn't seem to know anything, though," Rana said. "He seems about as normal as all of us, he just has a stronger Freezing… Right?"

-... That might be it, isn't it?- Kushina spoke up. -There's a chance that Gengo keeps things to himself that even Kazuya doesn't know. The thing is, Rana-chan, as you two learn together, train together, become more powerful together… Whenever you two perform a Baptism, you two are going to become something different- Kushina said seriously, confusing the two.

"Mom?"

-Let me ask, are you two considering Baptism yet?- Kushina asked and the two blushed a bit before answering.

"No… not yet."

-... Hm, hm, hm, that's fine, you're right to hold on since you two are so special… When Minato and I did it, we waited a month. Who knew how much of an effect such an act would have on us? We wanted to know our love was still real before doing something as intimate as a Baptism. Hm, hm, I'm glad we did, our love as was real as it ever could be… So when we did the Baptism… we were assured that nothing would change between us and that wasn't untrue but it came with more… benefits, I guess, than we expected-

"How so?" Naruto asked.

-Well, for one, your mother and I became stronger than either of us ever imagined- Minato said. -We shared certain physical capabilities. Your mother got increased senses while I got a more sturdy body. It's one of the reasons why I can use our 'rebound mode' as easily, Naruto. Outside of that, can share emotions and information without an omnidirectional field, and, two of the most powerful skills we gained… was the Cross Textures Formula and the ability to use another texture, the plasma textures-

Both's eyes widened.

Kazuya's eyes narrowed at the information. 'Granddad… what are you hiding?' The information he'd been allowed to listen to… Kazuya wasn't sure how Naruto could trust them so much.

But, if he was trusted this much, he'd be damned if he didn't help in some way.

'Grandfather knows about the Type-Maria, for some reason. I mean, it makes sense, he is the head of all that is Nova,' Kazuya thought with a frown. 'But what does Naruto-kun's ability to use Natural Energy mean in all this?'

He didn't know, Naruto had been pretty much all-in on telling them how Natural Energy worked so Kazuya believed in his words but that left them in a weird place.

Why did using this additional power come with all these effects? Naruto pulled in energy, healed others, connected with them, increased their abilities, and more…?

Kazuya remembered what the blonde had said today.

His philosophy with his abilities was to connect with others because they all needed others. Because he believed that everyone could come to an understanding between one another.

It was a beautiful thing to witness in a just as beautiful, metaphorically, person.

Speaking of beautiful people, he'd not really brought up his p-proposal to Satella-senpai yet.

Kazuya groaned as he turned on his front to stuff his face into his pillow.

He'd talk to Naruto in the morning. All this new info was just going to go in one ear and out the other.

~NRK~

That's a wrap and a few interesting things.

I've read up to 70% of the manga that we've got, on chapter 159, but I decided to also read an in-depth synopsis on what the hell is going on in the manga on Reddit and it's a good thing I did because I now know how Naruto, and Minato, can finish this fic and actually end the fucking manga.

Im-Dal Young you SUCK, my dude, finish what you started!

So, yeah, I'm gonna make sure I 'fully' integrate Naruto into the 'nature' of the plot.

More on the side, I'm convinced, Chiffon will become a part of the pairing. After some thought, I don't hate the idea, Naruto does so much for her indirectly that many probably like that he does.

Add on that not only does it make sense that Rana is probably used to harems in her village, especially since it doesn't have that many men in the first place and she barely knows what most of casual civilization is about.

So the way I'm looking at it was: Naruto x Rana x Chiffon x Amelia. Naruto x Lucy (Platonic) (Another sort of Bro-Sis interaction that I like for the two)

Take it easy, I'm gonna go and replay the Pokemon Champion Cypher on rewind for the millionth time.

Kukui the best!

Words: 14k

~NRK Out~