AN: Made a few illustrations for fun... Bit of a pain to share a link here though.
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Second one's down there, so let's start!
Uzumaki Boruto's New Sensei: First Lessons
World #07 - Konohagakure.
"Are you a mob boss, Uncle…?" Boruto asked his new, unofficial "uncle." — Boruto wasn't dumb. The man had the same name as his father, looked almost exactly like him…
It was definitely his evil clone.
As to why his dad had left him alone with him… Boruto could read between the lines. His dad was testing his mettle, trying to see if he really was fit to become a shinobi. Boruto hid a smirk. Whatever test the two of them had prepared, he would pass easily.
Uncle blinked.
"A mob boss? …No, I'm not?" He said. "Why do you ask…?"
Boruto pointed at his tattoos.
"Oh, these." Uncle realized the issue. "I make them invisible, usually. Forgot."
(They did look like irezumi.)
"Yeah, these." Boruto nodded. That was clearly part of the test. Information gathering, then…?
Uncle chuckled and waved his fingers. A cloak shaped itself out of thin air around his heavy frame. Boruto blinked.
"Wha— How did you do this?!"
"The cloak?" Uncle tilted his head. It kinda looked like dad… and kinda didn't. "I made it."
"How?"
"Sorry, I don't think this is something you'll be able to do exactly like this — your dad's not going to be happy if I give you a Rinnegan." Uncle chuckled.
"What's a Rinnegan—"
"Forget about that. Adult stuff."
"Like sex…?" Boruto's face scrunched in disgust.
"Exactly like that." Uncle nodded wisely. "I see your father explained a few things about that, as well…?"
Boruto shuddered. He had had some misconceptions about that one, he could readily admit. As long as he didn't have to sit through his father's painful explanations. Gods, that was gross.
"That's a yes." Uncle smiled.
"…You know about it, too then?" Boruto scowled. "So you did… that with Yugito-san?"
Uncle chuckled. "I might have."
Boruto frowned again. "Dad told me it was something that you only did with your wife or husband — and that whichever you preferred didn't matter, as long as you were married."
"Ah, I see…" Uncle nodded sagely.
He put both his hands on Boruto's shoulders and crouched to meet his eyes.
The weight behind his hands felt so familiar; they were as strong as his own father's were. The ringed purple eyes stared deep into Boruto's soul, ready to impart some wisdom onto him.
Was there really no test… Was this truly just a lesson…?
His dad had chosen to have him meet his uncle. Boruto listened attentively.
"Boruto…" The man began.
"Yes." The soon-to-be-a-teenager nodded.
"Your dad's a hypocrite." Uncle said.
"What…? Really?" Boruto almost gasped.
He may have thought it a few times, but everybody told him his dad was so great that… he kinda had ended up believing he could do no wrong — and that maybe he himself was the one being childish for feeling a bit alone at home.
"Of course. Everyone is." Uncle nodded sagely.
"You too, then?"
"Especially me." Uncle laughed.
"But…?" Boruto wasn't sure what to make of it. You were not supposed to trust a hypocrite. But at the same time… the man admitted it, so…? "But why do you say dad is?"
Uncle shrugged.
"I just don't think your dad took his own advice, that's it."
Boruto understood immediately.
"There's no way he and mom did… did that." Boruto said hotly.
"I mean… you were born, weren't you…?" Uncle scratched his chin. "And you have a little sister, right?"
Boruto closed his eyes in pain.
"So that's at least… twice." Uncle said kindly.
"…Whatever." Boruto grumbled. "It proves nothing."
"…I don't know if I should do this." Uncle looked away. "When were you born…?"
"…In March. The 27th. Why…?"
"Do you know which year your parents married?"
"The year before that."
Uncle nodded patiently. "Do you know the date by any chance?"
Boruto shrugged uneasily. "No, but it was Spring of the year before that — we have pictures of it and there were blooming cherry trees there."
"Well… I don't know how to tell you this." Uncle mused. "A man named Yamato was apparently paid to make them bloom because it wasn't the season. Your dad told me this once he drank a beer of two — he also told me not to tell you about the beer—"
"I knew the beers in our fridge were not Old Man Shikamaru's!" Boruto shouted in realization. "That… that!"
"Yes, yes. That means the wedding actually took place later that year. And considering the fact that they wanted to make it look like Spring… — I know how stiff the Hyūga can be — They probably couldn't wait that long."
"I don't get your point." Boruto frowned.
"Do you know how long it takes for a pregnant woman to deliver a baby, Boruto? — I'm not talking about jinchūriki and all that, I mean a regular pregnancy."
"Of course." Boruto rolled his eyes. "Nine mo— Nine… Nine…?"
Cold horror settled in Boruto's gut. His dad was a liar. A dirty liar.
Uncle nodded. "I see you understand."
Boruto squeezed his eyes shut.
"I'm sorry, Boruto." Uncle squeezed his shoulder. "If it's any consolation, my biological parents also had to marry because of a pregnancy. And look, I turned out just fine!"
Nothing was fine.
Nothing would be fine anymore, Boruto thought.
"This world is nothing but pain. And lies, too. Why, Uncle? ...Why do we live, just to suffer…?"
Uncle put a hand on his shoulder, eyes full of understanding.
"I have wondered the same thing, when I was your age, Boruto." Uncle nodded slowly.
The man was a kindred spirit, then. Perhaps there was a way out.
"Have you ever found the answer, then…?"
Uncle smiled. "I have."
"Please. Teach me."
"It would be my pleasure to teach you my ways, Boruto."
They started by something that Boruto simply couldn't really wrap his head around.
"Is there really a point to this, Uncle?"
"Tailoring your clothes is very important." Uncle said evenly. "Not because of things like fashion… or whatever. Do you remember my Cloak?"
"The one that changes appearances?" Boruto asked excitedly.
"Yes, that one."
"Will you give me one?"
"No." Uncle shook his head. "I will teach you how to make it — as well as many other things."
"All right, all right." Boruto grinned.
"What do you know about the Sealing Arts?"
"You have no girl friends…?" Uncle asked him.
"I'm too young for that." Boruto shook his head.
"Not really, but I mean friends who are girls anyway."
"Ah." Boruto thought about it some more. "…Not really."
"Not even one…?"
"I guess Sarada's okay…" He mumbled. "We're not really close, though."
"Well, it's time to change that, then." Uncle nodded wisely.
"Why?"
"You want to expand your perspective of the world, young one. How can you do that if you're only hanging around boys…?"
"Are you sure…?" Boruto asked dubiously. "Most of the girls in my class aren't—"
"When I was your age…" Uncle began. "I had many friends who were girls — …Most of my friends were girls and women once I left Konoha, thinking of it—"
"You lived in Konoha…?" Boruto frowned.
"It's a long story, but I'll tell you another time." Uncle nodded.
"…So what do I do…?"
"Well, go make some friends." Uncle shrugged. "Find yourself a nice girl friend or two."
"You say this as though it's so easy." Boruto kicked at the ground awkwardly.
(Naruto tried to put himself in his shoes. Aside from Anko's help... Friendships and romances were something Naruto had figured out how to navigate mostly on his own — and many people would have a few things to say about his ways. Not that he would have had a lot of great help, with people like Sarutobi and Kakashi and Orochimaru around.)
(Madara's idea of courtship was to bring a woman a dead Senju's armband. Indra could seduce people, but… had had no particular interest in romance or sex after Yasu.)
(Most of the others really were not worth mentioning, when it came to intergender friendships — times had been a bit... different, back then.)
"Well… Here's what I would do if I were you." Uncle said. "You said you have a… semi-friend already?"
Uchiha Sarada was sitting alone in one of Konoha's parks.
She was reading; non-fiction of course, she wasn't a child anymore, thank you very much.
Somebody drew closer.
"Mind if I sit here?" The newcomer asked.
Sarada looked up. That was…
"Boruto…?" She tilted her head.
He shot her a lopsided grin. One that kinda looked… out of place on his face…? That was not how he smiled, usually.
Not that Sarada ever paid any attention to the way he smiled. It wasn't like she ever really looked at Boruto, despite what Chōchō might try to insinuate.
"…What do you want?" She asked him.
Boruto seemed to hesitate. Whatever it was he was thinking about, he seemed to find his resolve again.
"I just want to sit here." He said.
"…It's a pretty big park." Sarada remarked. "Plenty of spots for you to sit."
Boruto hesitated again. "These other spots don't have you, though."
Sarada blinked.
"Uh… Me? I — I guess you can sit down here — if you want."
Boruto sat down quietly, keeping a comfortable distance between them.
"I heard you're great with shurikenjutsu." Boruto said with what he thought was a roguish smile.
"I — I dabble."
"No need to downplay it. Everybody knows you're the best."
Sarada blushed. "Oh, come on…"
"Care to show me a few tricks?" He grinned. "I'll show you a few jutsu my Uncle showed me in exchange."
Her eyes lit up.
"Sure!"
"I can't believe it worked!" Boruto told Naruto — not the Hokage — excitedly. "I think we're friends now. And she's not stuck up at all, I was so wrong about her."
Naruto just nodded wisely.
"I told you it would work." He said. "Everyone wants more friends when they're your age."
"I thought it was so much more complicated!"
"Well… She is Sasuke's daughter on top of it, no wonder she feels lonely."
Boruto snickered, without even knowing why. "Who's Sasuke, anyway?"
"No one very important here, really." Naruto waved off. "A boring friend of your dad's."
"Should I go out and make more friends, then?" Boruto asked him.
"Sure." Naruto nodded. "It's important for a boy your age to make plenty of friends — gods knew I should have done so myself." He laughed.
"Girls or boys?"
"Whatever you want, but since I assume you have more male friends… let's start with girls. This is going to be your assignment for the week, when we're not training."
"Yes, sensei."
"I'm not your sensei, Boruto."
"Yes, Uncle."
"That's better. We will continue with the lessons for today, then." Naruto said. "Where is your muscle tone…? You call this conditioning…? When I was your age, I was a dense ball of muscle — very short too, so "ball" is fitting."
The Hokage felt a shiver run down his spine.
He felt a great disturbance, as if fate had suddenly changed its course.
In less than fifteen years, he would be a grandfather. Several times over.
And his son would be this Konoha's first high-profile polygamist.
Grunkle Shisui and The Umi Space-Time Program
World #01 - Umigakure.
Uchiha Shisui didn't fear a great many things.
Of course, he had found out that he didn't deal with loss… so well, even now. And he had several people that he could lose. But considering who they were, he wasn't particularly worried about them, frankly.
Itachi and Sasuke could handle themselves, and so could Mikoto.
Anko… He almost barked a laugh. She was the most capable woman he knew. And such a temper on her, too. Shisui smiled.
Toru… Well… Toru had questionable friends — one in particular —, so maybe he was more at risk than the others.
Well, Uzumaki had said something about being able to pull him out of trouble, no matter what that was. In spite of his feelings about the man, Shisui knew him to be terrifyingly capable.
So yeah, there were only a few things that Shisui feared.
Baby-sitting was one.
Which meant that of course, Sasuke had to give his spawn — both of them — to him for the day.
Well, not exactly. He had offered himself.
"Thank you, grunkle Shisui!" Sasuke muttered to one of his children.
The burbling baby laughed and blew a spit bubble. Sasuke took it as assent.
"Sasuke… stop with the baby-talk." Shisui growled. "I'm not your great-uncle, Jiraiya."
"Uncle Toru said you are their great-uncle." Sasuke repeated.
The other infant smiled toothlessly.
"…I'm not your great-uncle, Hitoshi." Shisui glowered.
"But Uncle Toru—" Sasuke said.
Shisui closed his eyes and counted to five.
"…They're getting to you, aren't they…?" Shisui finally asked.
Sasuke looked close to a nervous breakdown. He gave his older cousin a twitchy look.
"Do you know…" Sasuke began. "How it feels to just hear inane babble… All day long?" He shook his head. "These hands were trained to… crush, kill, maim grown men. Not to to carry drooling little—"
"Monsters." Shisui nodded.
"They're not monsters." Sasuke said weakly. Tiny Jiraiya pulled on his hair. Hard. Sasuke glared at his son. "…Well, Hitoshi isn't."
Shisui shook his head. He looked at Sasuke, and felt some compassion for him.
Toru had tried to tell him about hell — what little of it he remembered.
Idly, Shisui wondered if he himself had died while fighting Nagato. Because this felt like it.
"…I…" Shisui hesitated. "I'll take care of them for the day, if you want. Let's call it practice for when Anko… For when Anko…" He couldn't bring himself to say it.
The sheer gratitude in Sasuke's eyes almost made Shisui wonder if this was such a good idea, after all.
Almost .
Shisui stared at the two infants wiggling in his arms.
They were drooling on him again. Shisui stared into the heavens. He had chosen this. And he had brought them to Umi for one simple reason. Toru was better with kids than him.
After two hours of taking care of the little monst—… infants, his patience had been spent entirely.
Except he couldn't find Toru. And Anko herself was away, apparently.
There was one person that had the answers, likely. And he knew him well enough — they were working together pretty often, after all.
Now, if only he weren't so terrified of him.
Shisui stood in front of the tall black spire, considering his life choices.
The large doors opened for him.
Shisui stepped in and could instantly feel the pressure in the air. Something he sensed down to his marrow.
He didn't need to know how to actually sense chakra the way Karin did. He could feel the tremendous thing in the air, the flare of an almost visible aura.
The shimmer of something impossible to understand, sharp and clear.
The infants were blissfully unaware of the sleeping dragon that had chosen to build its nest in here.
Shisui looked down.
The child ignored him, perched on top of a floating stool — he didn't reach the table otherwise.
Had it been anyone else, it might have been cute.
"Ah, Shisui-kun." Orochimaru finally greeted him. And Shisui knew he had made him wait on purpose.
Of the things Shisui feared… Orochimaru was one of them.
He could still remember growing up and hearing the horror stories about one the strongest ninja Konoha had ever produced. And his gleaming, golden eyes.
And Shisui peered into them—
He blinked.
"…What happened to your eyes?" Shisui asked, by way of greeting.
"These…?" Orochimaru tilted his head. "My latest student sent me a shiny new pair, and it would feel rude not to use his gift, of course."
The child looked up, and the Rinnegan shone bright in his eyes. Shisui's sharingan could see right through the illusion he had woven over them to make them look like his former eyes.
Shisui felt a cold pang of fear inside his gut. The world was going to end soon, at this rate.
Orochimaru looked at him and Shisui didn't squirm. The older man — in a younger body, now — either partook in small talk in order to make someone sweat… or he didn't bother with it at all, usually.
Today, it was the latter.
"Do you require my help?" Orochimaru asked.
Shisui knew exactly what he thought of Orochimaru's help.
"…I was looking for my brother."
"Ah, young Toru, then…?" Orochimaru mused. "I was under the belief that you were searching for Anko."
Shisui wasn't about to hand his pregnant lover any children to take care of.
Orochimaru continued. "You missed Toru."
"Where did they go…?"
"To another realm." Orochimaru shrugged.
"When…?"
"What does it matter? Space and time travel means that an instant here could be months there. Or the opposite, depending on which point in time they decide to come back at." Orochimaru said, sounding almost disappointed. "You should know, since we are working on space—"
"I know this much." Shisui said hotly.
"So why would you care?"
"It's just that—" Shisui cut himself off. It was true. It didn't matter much.
"Now you see." Orochimaru nodded. "I do not know when they shall come back, either."
"…Thank you, then."
"They did send me these eyes three days ago in a sealed package, along with memories about their use. A fascinating topic, truly; even more so than the Sharingan itself — which seems to be part of it, so in theory I should be able to access it too." Orochimaru continued. Shisui felt like crying. "So I assume that whatever it is that they're doing… It must be pretty interesting. I have picked my students well, truly."
Orochimaru nodded smugly. Though perhaps he shouldn't have told him to find himself a nice girlfriend or two. Naruto had seemed to take this one quite literally. Which meant less time for science.
"So they're going through with it." Shisui said/asked.
"Yes, what they call their "dimension-hopping" project. Although dimension is not the right word to call it and realm or world fits much better, frankly."
"…Are they going to bring down the fabric of space-time on us…?" Shisui hesitated.
"No." Orochimaru said. "A divergence means the creation of two new possibilities, not the shattering of either. Same thing goes for time-traveling — events in the past affected by people from the future will already have happened in the present. I care only about our world, anyway."
No big surprise here, either.
"Did they tell you how long they would be gone?"
"I assume they will take as long as it needs." Orochimaru said wryly. "Perhaps they have been in the other realms for days… months…? Years? I wouldn't know. And I do not concern myself with it. We have plenty of ways of bringing them back, should something happen. Realm anchors, for one, so that "
How Shisui hated dealing with the man when he was like this. Endless prodding was needed, when he was at his worst. Jiraiya tugged his hair and he held a wince back.
"Did they give you a date…?"
"Yes." Orochimaru finally admitted. "They are supposed to come back one month from now. Should they miss the leap again — these things are supposedly hard to manage; I personally blame it on Naruto and Toru's lack of patience —, I will start looking for them at the two-month cutoff."
…That man really spoke of the possibility of his younger brother losing himself in parallel worlds very casually.
"Oh, and he left a message for you." Orochimaru added.
Shisui read the scribbled three words and carefully kept them out of the infants grubby hands. Orochimaru looked at them very curiously. Which was never a good sign.
"Uchiha Sasuke's children…?" He asked.
"Yes."
Shisui frowned.
"It says… 'Careful around Itachi.'" Shisui read out loud. "…What does that mean…?"
Orochimaru looked amused. "It's a wide universe out there. So… who knows. Perhaps they stumbled upon one where your dear cousin is a madman who sacrifices innocent people for the sake of science."
"…Bold of you to say that." Shisui frowned. "And Itachi wouldn't, anyway."
"I wouldn't do it without a goal." Orochimaru shrugged. "A good one, at that."
Hitoshi drooled on Shisui's foot — he never had hated sandals as much as he did today. Orochimaru laughed.
"How… adorable." Orochimaru mocked. "Keep them away from my table, Shisui-kun."
Orochimaru's mocking laugh echoed in Shisui's head as he left.
Orochimaru wondered what he could do with the other Rinnegan eyes floating around.
(Two were more than enough power for a man, but mere power was not the reason this eye was so valuable. He could even create himself another vessel, should he decide to… but found that he did not mind this young - he had aged himself up somewhat — body, in the end.)
Naruto and his group had been very productive, apparently. They had sent back a full stash of Rinnegan.
They likely had a lot more themselves. Then there was their whole… back-up reserve, in case they were to… lose their eyes. How many were even needed to power a world-jump…?
Four eyes at a minimum, Orochimaru thought. And a large amount of chakra, presumably, since it had taken most of them, working together, for the first jump.
Well, they likely had refined the process by now.
…Probably?
No matter that. He trusted all-… most of them to handle themselves.
But the Rinnegan would make space exploration much simpler, really. Especially on the terraforming front.
Now, which would be the more realistic option…?
Sending a warping beacon to other planets…?
Sending people there right away…?
Ah, maybe something unrelated…? Establishing a barrier to prevent unwanted invaders from other worlds, realms and planets…? Who knew what sort of abomination might decide to come through the cracks…
Questions… questions…
Orochimaru loved the process.
Cat's Eye
World #07 - Konohagakure.
Nii Yugito was Kumo's strongest kunoichi.
(And she had been before Uzumaki Nagato came, which was an important distinction.)
And she intended to become its strongest leader, in time.
She had discipline.
She had drive.
She would never relent.
She was correct until proven wrong.
She wasn't pure brute force, like B could too often choose to be.
She always took note of the small details — a glint of light being reflected on steel in a place it shouldn't be, the lack of folds in an important letter that indicated that it was a fake or that it wasn't, the tune a bird was singing and what its behavior meant in terms of potential danger.
Nii Yugito was sharp. She was careful. She was patient—
"Damn it!" Nii Yugito raged.
Naruto appeared. "Something up?"
"It doesn't fit."
"…What?"
"The dress!"
Naruto blinked. "So…? Use the ones I created for you."
"You don't get it." She hissed.
"I really don't." He admitted.
"I look like a fucking Masamatsu Cow — It's your fault." Yugito pointed fingers.
Naruto blinked again. "How so…? I thought it took two people — at least two — to make a child."
She stared at him.
"Are you saying it's my fault…?" She asked slowly.
"Well…" Naruto chuckled. "I didn't say it…"
"Well…" She hissed. "Maybe if you took care of birth control on your side as well — and didn't remove my fucking seal—"
"Uzumaki sperm are much too virile to be stopped by a mere man-contraceptive." Naruto deadpanned. "Mine especially."
"How can you say something so dumb with such a straight face?!"
"…Have you met Toru…?" Naruto tilted his head.
She moaned pitifully before glaring at her stomach. "I look like I swallowed a ball."
Naruto chuckled. "And it's not over yet."
"Oh, why thank you." She hissed.
Naruto slid an arm around her and guided her to the sofa. The specialized anti-gravity seal he had placed on her belly helped her move around, but it still felt like he was steering a boat. Which he wasn't about to tell her, of course—
Naruto made a ship horn sound, despite himself. She glared at him, but a traitorous chuckle escaped her.
Before the last days, Yugito hadn't been with them for a while — well, a while on their side.
Being… well, pregnant… Yugito hadn't joined in most of their more… dangerous travels, opting to stay behind instead. It also meant that more time had passed for the others than it had for her.
Yugito wasn't entirely sure how long they had spent roaming through worlds, it had only been a few months for her.
"Why are you sitting me down, even…?" She asked. "We're supposed to go."
Why she had agreed to this, she couldn't remember. A date, really…? She was what…? Nine months pregnant…?
"Well, you obviously can't go out in something too small." Naruto laughed. With a flick of his fingers, the offending item was lifted off her shoulders.
"You're the worst." She moaned.
"Wear something comfortable, instead." He chuckled, throwing her one of his damnable Cloaks. Well… they were not so bad honestly, but right now…
Yugito glared at him and he smiled pleasantly in answer.
She put the cloak on. He touched it and it rippled, shifting into a facsimile of the dress she had tried to put on — except larger.
"You definitely did this to make me wear one of these." Yugito grunted. "Another of your power plays, I'm sure."
"The Cloaks are great." He said automatically. "Besides… There are power plays everywhere, if you decide everything is." Naruto said wisely.
"Bah." Matatabi, who had been silently waiting on the sofa — she took an entire one for herself, usually — rolled her eyes. "More… wisdom from the foolish, young one."
"Don't be rude to your last, youngest brother, Matatabi." Naruto laughed. He ignored the nekomata's angry rebuttal.
Yugito couldn't resist. "Don't be like Kurama, Matatabi."
The Bijū hissed and left again, jumping through the open window.
"So… Do I look like a beached whale or… do I just feel like one?" Yugito asked.
"I think you look beautiful." He smiled.
Yugito blinked, and touched her hair lightly.
"For real…?" She chuckled, as though the idea was ridiculous. "I can't even sleep on my stomach—"
"…That's normal, though." Naruto said. "You still are the same spirited woman I met, and the kind of person every young girl hopes to be someday."
She froze.
"You…" Yugito blinked. Where did this come from…? Her stomach felt knotted and she hoped she wasn't about to cry. "That's not — I'm not…"
Naruto nodded.
Sometimes, Yugito hated how much she knew him — and how much he knew her. Not for real, of course. But he knew exactly what made her tick. And how to make sure that she was comfortable, too.
So right now, she instantly knew he was about to destroy the moment.
"But sure… you're all belly…" He began. Yugito groaned.
"Okay, I think you can just stop here—"
"And soon to be the mother of my hellspawn, too." He grinned.
"…You really are the worst." She moaned again. She was smiling, though. "Help me up, then, since you feel like being helpful for once."
With a soft smile, he extended his hand to hair and pulled her up smoothly. He kissed her jaw and despite herself, she purred in contentment.
"You're lucky you're kinda cute." She muttered.
They walked through Konoha's streets, quite slowly.
"…Has Konoha always had this many tall buildings?" Yugito asked.
Naruto smiled. "Not in our world. At least not in our time, but since we're a few years ahead here…"
"Things changed, then."
"Apparently." Naruto nodded. "After the war, — which was not between the villages, here… some guy called Kabuto got his hands on a powerful jutsu and Obito stirred shit up — Konoha experienced a population boom. The village has grown in size since then and a series of skyscrapers have been built behind the Hokage Rock — yeah, their monument. What else…?" Naruto mused.
"Kinda noticed them, yes."
"Of course. Also… The village has experienced a technical revolution, with computers, cell phones becoming widely available. It's more a city than a village, really. Oh, they have electric trains, too, now."
"Trains? Like in the Land of Snow?"
"Former Land of Snow." Naruto corrected her with a laugh. "It's Kaisen, now."
"Oh, whatever." She grumbled good-naturedly.
"But yes, exactly like that." He thought about it. "We should probably set up something like it, too."
"What about the global Relay thing…?"
"Eh, we'll just…" He squinted. "Combine both in something more workable than trying to manage the entire world being able to warp around the place…?"
"You don't sound really convinced."
"Look, Yugito, I'm an ideas guy." He said in a mock haughty manner.
"And nobody likes that guy." She nodded sagely. "Especially the ones who have to make it work."
"Oh, Orochimaru, you mean?" Naruto laughed, slipping an arm around her shoulders. "Nah, he loves that part."
"Did you ever ask him?"
"Did he ever ask me if I wanted to mess around with my own soul…?"
"It's a no, then." She nodded. "So did you come here to steal ideas, then…?"
"This and eyes, dear."
"…I'd love to pretend this was just a joke."
"Don't pretend you don't enjoy the benefits of our… solutions." Naruto said.
"It's pretty nice, I'll admit." She smiled.
"Of course and — Ah, we're here."
Yugito blinked. It was a tower.
"A… tower…?"
"They call it a skyscraper." Naruto confirmed.
It was a fucking skyscraper, then.
Unlike most of the tall buildings in Konoha, there were no particular bells and whistles on this one. No signs, no lights or billboards. Still, each window was lit up with a brilliant glow.
"Well…?" Naruto grinned. "Shall we go?"
Yugito looked around once they were inside, trying to figure out where they were going.
The elevator carried them up. Its walls were mirrored and spotless.
Well… the size of her belly aside — nothing short of enormous… Yugito was feeling pretty good about herself tonight. And it was a cute dress, the fact that it was just yet another Cloak of Shifting notwithstanding.
She caught sight of Naruto watching her from behind. He was leaning back against the elevator's railing, a soft smile on his face. He looked… very nice in his slim black suit — local fashions, he had said. Toru had joked about it, saying that he looked like a bodyguard for a shady group. Yugito couldn't see it, frankly. His slacks were just as tailored as his waistcoat and his jacket. And they didn't leave much to the imagination. He caught her staring and winked at her.
Yugito was not entirely sure why she felt her face heat up a bit. Hormones.
He made a come hither motion with two fingers and she found herself pulled to him smoothly.
"…You know, I think this counts as a misuse of a legendary power." She began.
Naruto scoffed. "Who gets to decide that…? The Sage… or us?"
"I put my money on the dead man."
"How crass of you." He chuckled. "Speaking of my ex-father like this…" He pulled her closer, almost lazily. Yugito rested her head against his chest.
Mostly because it was convenient. Really.
There weren't a lot of people in the restaurant itself.
Yugito couldn't say whether that was because it was a slow evening, or… If Naruto pulled some ridiculous stunt again — the last time she had joined them on one of these little trips, he and Toru had crafted a pile of gold out of thin air, laughing maniacally the whole time; and she would rather not think too hard about the possible consequences this sort of thing might have on an economy, if repeated.
A man led them to a table right next to massive windows, overlooking the entire city.
It was beautiful.
Yugito gave Naruto a quizzical look, to which he shrugged. She stared out of the window. Down there, if she squinted hard enough, she could see people walking through the streets casually.
Kids running around, some more angrily than others. A young couple glued to each other. Did they look like this, too…? There were two men, seemingly about to fight. An old woman, walking at such a slow pace that it was a wonder she was moving at all.
A warm hand grabbed her own.
Yugito glanced at Naruto again. He just smiled and said nothing. She felt herself smile as well.
"See anything you like?" He asked.
"You mean the company…?" She asked in return, amused.
"I meant outside." Naruto laughed.
"I just enjoy looking at people, sometimes."
"And the night sky, too. You tend to get distracted by it."
"Sometimes." She admitted.
"I just assumed it was a cat thing, really."
"…What?"
"That sort of thing. Like getting distracted by a very appetizing bird, 'yaknow."
"I'm not a cat."
"You do like high places, though."
"…Maybe."
"And fish."
The food came at the same time. And it was tekkadon.
"…You remembered it's my favorite?" She asked him, feeling a bit moved. Stupid pregnancy.
He laughed. "Either this, or I just assumed that as a catlike creature…"
She chuckled.
"Your milk will come in a second, too."
Yugito stopped laughing. She squinted her eyes.
"…Okay, this time, I really don't know if you're serious or not."
"What?" Naruto smiled. "You told me milk was your favorite. To each their own."
"So you do remember. You're doing something nice… and pretending it's an accident?"
"I wouldn't dare."
She just shook her head in disbelief. After having had the… pleasure of meeting Orochimaru, she understood where this strange sense of humor had likely come from in the first place.
Then the glass of milk actually came.
The waiter gave them a strange look; even more so when Yugito began to laugh.
The dinner went well and as they did most of the time, they talked about nothing and everything at the same time. Playful banter; silly reassurances that Yugito pretended she didn't need. And he could be pretty funny, she admitted.
"I would invite you to dance, but considering—" Naruto began.
"Indeed."
"Time to go home, then. I wouldn't want you to get too tired."
"I'm not made out of glass." She retorted. But she was feeling a bit tired.
Naruto rolled his eyes and grabbed her hand to help her up.
"Time to go back to the women you love, then." Yugito smiled.
Naruto chuckled. "But I am already with one of them."
Yugito stiffened.
"…What the fuck did you just say…?"
"…Huh?" Naruto blinked, as though she was the one being strange. "Of course I love you."
"Don't — Don't say strange things, now." She muttered. "Let's go home."
Naruto laughed and didn't press her. He brought them home soon after.
Well… not before warping them to the highest place in Konoha.
"Cats feel safer on high spots." Naruto just said. "Which means that here, on the high ground… you're basically invincible, right?"
She groaned in frustrated laughter.
"That goes for all of them." He nodded very seriously. "From the lions who observe the world from high up to get a better point of view… To the small, domesticated felines who do the same by house upper shelves and wardrobe tops… or bushes. It's in your DNA, Yugito. Just like I pretend I don't want to go hunting rabbits and live my life in solitude instead of a pack like a dog would."
"I think you're currently in the furthest place away from solitude." Yugito smiled.
"Because I'm trying to deny my nature. But… First step is admitting it, dear — and that I did already. Don't do what I do."
"I don't think there was any risk of it… dear."
"You never know." Naruto gave her a bright grin. "Didn't you know…? Cats and foxes have a lot in common."
"Oh…?" She asked amusedly. "Such as…?"
"We both like to sleep in trees."
"Incredible." She said dryly.
"Heard both made for decent parents, too — so I guess neither of us is going anywhere."
"Well… If you put it like that, I guess not." She laughed.
"I got some practice underway too — with my… nephew. Just in case — he's a fair bit older, though, not sure if it counts." He mused.
"It doesn't."
"Well, we'll figure it out together, then." Naruto grinned. "Kid's going to have a pretty big family, anyway. Not like either of us, back then."
She felt a rush of fondness for him; one that took her by surprise, still.
"Yeah. That… really doesn't sound too bad."
"Let's go back home, then." He nodded.
"Wait."
Naruto gave her a curious look.
She pulled him to her.
...Okay.
Maybe she was in love, too.
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