Summary: "Finally, I have my peace." Naruto was grateful he woke up in this new world where he wasn't hunted or hated just for existing. It was a peaceful life for him, and he did what he had always wanted: To stay away from trouble and live on the sidelines. But as always… Naruto Uzumaki would be dragged into something sooner or later. "Ah, come on!"

"Speech."

'Think.'

Technique/Magic

Events of the Past

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or any other Anime/Manga material used for this fanfiction.

Warning: English isn't my first language.

Naruto wore his school uniform while he walked toward the academy. He stopped on the way, seeing an injured bird on the ground. He could also be dead; Naruto didn't know. Naruto looked left and right before crossing the street. He walked to the tree where the injured bird lay on the ground. No one was looking at the bird. No one cared what happened to him.

Naruto placed his bag on the ground and crouched down. He gently picked the injured bird up with his left hand. He could feel the body of the bird still moving, which meant it was still alive.

'Let's see if I can really do what I saw in the memories of my other version,' thought Naruto. He placed his right hand with the sun-shaped symbol on the bird and closed his eyes. He concentrated, and when his eyes snapped open, he frowned when the body of the bird twitched once. Naruto breathed out heavily and raised his right hand to reveal the bird. He looked at the bird and saw how the bird didn't move before the eyes of the bird snapped open, and it jumped up on both of his feet.

'So it's true… I can now also heal someone. As long as the person isn't dead, I can guarantee that the person will survive when I use this new power,' thought Naruto. The bird chirped while jumping on Naruto's left palm around.

Naruto chuckled when he saw the display. He stood up slowly, but the bird didn't fly away immediately. The bird was rubbing its head on the inside of Naruto's thumb. Naruto stroked the bird a little before the bird chirped one last time, flying away but not before circling two times around Naruto. Naruto looked after the bird with a smile.

'This is a nice feeling,' thought Naruto. It felt really good helping the injured animal. Maybe he should go into nature and search for injured animals. With his new ability, he could help them without any trouble.

Naruto continued his walk and thought back to the memories he saw from his other version. The other version of him used two techniques that caught Naruto's eye. 'I think it was called Rasun…Raisengan? No, wait, that's not it,' thought Naruto. He closed one eye, thinking about it. Naruto saw the entire life from his other version; that was true, but it was all in a few seconds. He couldn't remember everything he saw in the memories from his other version.

Ashura focused on a few key moments that let Naruto understand what different was like the other version of himself, who graduated from the academy and became a genin. He made many friends and saved other people on his journey. He almost skipped most of the things in his memories until the great war Naruto saw in the memories. Naruto could remember that the other version of himself used some spinning sphere that had a destructive ability. It looked like it could drill through literally anything. He would have to try to recreate it. Having something like that at his disposal would be very effective. This way, he would always have a powerful close-combat technique that could kill most enemies with one hit. 'Now I remember! It's called the Rasengan!' thought Naruto.

Besides the Rasengan, he also noticed the ability to create solid clones. Being able to create solid clones was another very useful and handy ability to have. With Naruto's chakra reserves, he could create thousands of clones if he managed to recreate the clone technique that his other version used. 'I think he called it the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (Shadow Clone Technique),' thought Naruto.

Naruto hoped he could remember it more clearly when the school day came to an end in a few hours, and he went to training. His usual training was mostly physical exercises, chakra control training, and meditation. But with all the new knowledge he had, he had another priority. He would try to recreate the Rasengan and the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.

When Naruto entered the classroom 20 minutes later, he could see Takigawa looking at him. Naruto had the hunch that he was suspicious of him, or he knew of Naruto's abilities or his Sacred Gear. Whatever it may be, it wasn't pleasant. Naruto sat down in his chair and looked outside. While he waited, he tried to form a plan in his head, one that would be to approach his training in the most effective way.

"Morning, Uzumaki," said a female voice. Naruto's ear twitched when he heard the voice. It wasn't Yuki like usual. He directed his gaze toward the source of the feminine voice and raised an eyebrow when he saw Mio Naruse.

"Morning, Naruse," said Naruto. "Can I help you with something?"

"No. Everything is ok," said Mio while she smiled. Naruto's eyebrows sank a little, seeing the fake smile directly. He looked around and couldn't see either Yuki Nonaka or Basara Tōjō. Something was up, and he was sure it had something to do with her unusual behavior.

"I just never said hello personally. I wanted to do this since you helped me a few times with homework in the past," said Mio.

Naruto chuckled and said, "You don't need to thank me for that. We are classmates," said Naruto. Mio looked surprised at Naruto. She didn't even know why she was there and spoke to him. She thought he would ignore her and didn't even look.

After his reaction yesterday, she really thought that he wouldn't speak with her. But why he spoke to her wasn't what puzzled her. She didn't even have the intention to walk over to him to speak with him in the first place. She wanted to enjoy her last day in school before she would deal with Takigawa personally. Even when she knew she had little chance to win… but she would not let others get injured again because of her.

Last night, Yuki and Basara were injured in an intense battle. She didn't know who attacked them both, but it could only be Takigawa after she heard of Yuki. She told Basara and her not only about Naruto's Sacred Gear but also about Takigawa. Basara got a little beating afterward that he didn't inform both of them, but it could only be Takigawa who attacked them… right? There was no other way this could have been someone else.

Maria was home caring for both heroes, who always protected her. Mio lied to Maria, saying that she would try to get Naruto on their side even when this was a lie. She went to school with the intention of enjoying her last day at school. After school ends, she confronts Takigawa and either defeats him or goes with him. He already gave her a choice: Everything would be over if she went with him into the demon world.

But back on topic… why did she walk over to Naruto? She could only guess that it had something to do with the warmth he was radiating. It was like standing in the sunlight. It spread through her body without any form of resistance. She tried to ignore the feeling and walk to her chair and sit down… but her body didn't want to. She walked toward Naruto because it made her feel better than before. Her grief and sorrow were being washed away to some degree, and she felt better when she stood near him. This was the reason she was now here, greeting Naruto.

"Ok. But I still wanted to greet you at least once," said Mio.

"Well… good morning, Naruse," said Naruto. It was strange that first Yuki and now Mio were approaching him. It was like a bad dream. He smiled at Mio but was suspicious of this entire situation. He didn't want to raise suspicion from others. He greeted everyone with a smile and talked with them usually.

Was this some tactic to get him on their side, or why was Mio Naruse now alone in school and without her protector? Why was she talking to him? Why did she fake her smile like that? But most importantly… what was this feeling he didn't like? He had an uncertain feeling in his gut. It was like his gut was trying to tell him something, but he couldn't decipher the message.

'Why are you even talking to me after yesterday? I really thought I made it clear that I don't want to be dragged into your problems,' thought Naruto. 'I even warned you that you should not try to drag me into something. Just stay at Tōjō's side, and everything will be fine.'

"Good morning," said Mio with a smile.

…

'Do you want to fucking kidding me?' thought Naruto, desperate. Yet again, a beautiful woman he wanted to avoid surprised him and even talked to him. Was someone messing with his life? Like some higher being who watched his live through a TV and could interfere?

Naruto Uzumaki was so surprised because the smile she was using right now wasn't fake like the first one she used. The negative emotions in her voice and her fake smile weren't present anymore. She looked genuinely happy when she greeted him. Like this was a big achievement she made.

Naruto waited for a few seconds and got confused. Mio Naruse stood there… and nothing. She only smiled and didn't move at all. His classmates were also beginning to stare at both of them.

"Hey Naruse, was something else?" asked Naruto.

Mio seemed to snap out of some kind of trance. She flushed and turned around pretty quickly, walking to her seat and sitting down. Naruto raised an eyebrow but shrugged, but before he could look forward, he saw Takigawa's gaze. Naruto looked over his shoulder to the back, where the one guy he had managed to stay away from was.

Takigawa only chuckled and looked toward the door when Mr. Sakazaki entered the room. Naruto also concentrated on his Sensei since he began the first lesson. Naruto was writing something down twenty minutes after the first lesson started when he could see something from the corner of his eyes. He closed his eyes, tapped into his reverse sight ability for a second, and raised both eyebrows when he felt what Mio's intentions were.

Reverse sight made it possible for Naruto to perceive not only others' movements but also their intentions and the mental state of others. It was a convenient ability to have. What he could perceive of Mio was… he couldn't even explain what he perceived from her.

There was nothing he thought at first. He really thought she tried to get close to him because she wanted to drag him into her problems. But no… there was no such intention. She just wanted to stay near Naruto because it felt good when he interpreted it right. No interior motives were there—just a genuine intention to be near him. Then there was her mental state… it was a mess. There was no other way to describe it. She was in some kind of depression to hold it shortly. Sadness, anger, worry, and other kind of negative emotions were present. There were a few positives, but the negative emotions outweighed the positives by a mile.

He opened his eyes, remaining silent. He didn't know what to make out of this. He furrowed with his eyebrows when he realized that he began to worry about Mio Naruse. He concentrated on the lesson again, trying to forget what he just felt from Mio Naruse. It didn't concern him anyway since Basara would protect her when he was back. It was his job to protect his harem. Naruto was a side character in the harem story of Basara Tōjō and his harem.

Naruto only needed to stay away from them so that he could continue to live a peaceful life.

…

He glanced for a second toward Mio and could see that she was looking at him. When she saw his gaze, she flushed a little in embarrassment and looked away. Naruto looked forward again and listened to Mr. Sakazaki.

'What am I even doing? Stupid,' thought Naruto. Maybe it was better to leave the academy earlier, like yesterday, to start his training. It would help him forget about the mess he felt when he used his reverse sight ability.

When the break came, Naruto stood up and walked out of the classroom. He looked back before he left the classroom. He only wanted to make sure no one was following him. Especially Mio Naruse or Yahiro Takigawa. When he was sure no one was following him, he made his way toward the roof.

"Uzumaki," said Chisato when she met him in the corridor.

Naruto bowed before saying, "Hello, Ms. Hasegawa."

"You seem troubled," said Chisato.

"It's nothing I can't deal with," said Naruto.

Chisato remained silent and said, "Follow me."

Naruto simply did as he was told to. He knew he couldn't ignore Chisato Hasegawa. He didn't even know why he was so calm around her. It was just like the last time. The moment he saw her, he felt calmer and at ease. He followed her through the corridors toward the infirmary.

When both were inside the infirmary, he closed the sliding door and looked at Chisato. She was sitting at her desk like last time, but this time. "Why don't you take a seat?" asked Chisato. Naruto did precisely that and sat down on a chair beside her.

"You have obtained something," said Chisato, looking down at his right palm. Naruto looked where she was looking and raised his hand, showing his open palm to her. Naruto said, "Yes. It's one of the reasons why I changed."

Naruto lowered his hand and let it rest on his leg. "It seems like this isn't the reason you seemed troubled," said Chisato. "You are content and in balance with your inner energy."

Naruto remained silent and looked at his legs. Why was he so carefree around this woman? He couldn't understand it. He should normally have been extremely careful around her, but he wasn't. He even showed her the newly acquired power he got from Ashura.

Naruto got wide eyes when he felt a gentle touch on his cheek. He looked up and saw that Chisato Hasegawa had placed her soft hand on his whiskered cheek. He flushed at this entire situation.

"I only want to help you, Uzumaki," said Chisato.

Naruto remained silent and listened to Chisato. "It's not good to hold emotions inside. It will accumulate, and someday, you will burst and drown in your own emotions. You don't need to talk to me about it, but I hope you can entrust yourself to someone. You don't need many friends or people you trust; only one or two are enough for you to be comfortable enough to be yourself."

She pulled her hand away gently and said, "I will always have an open ear for you."

"You are strong; I am sure you will succeed," said Chisato. Naruto's lips began to form into a smile. He didn't know why, but something inside him felt like it was lifted off his shoulders. How this woman managed to have such an effect on him was unknown, but he didn't care right now. It felt good, and he could clear his mind.

"Thank you, Ms. Hasegawa. You are right. I am indeed troubled by something… but this isn't something I can't deal with. If I feel like I need help, I will come back and ask for help," said Naruto.

"Do you promise?" asked Chisato.

Naruto had a hunch that Chisato Hasegawa knew what a promise meant for Naruto Uzumaki. He didn't know how she knew so much about him. It seemed like she knew everything about him. No matter what it was.

He was involved in the fight between Basara and Takigawa… his new powers… his mental state. She seemed to know everything, and yet… he wasn't concerned because of that. He didn't know why, but it was just like that.

"I promise," said Naruto.

Chisato smiled and said, "Then I will not take up your time any further. I am happy I could help."

Naruto chuckled and said, "Thank you, Ms. Hasegawa. I will leave then."

Chisato watched Naruto leave the infirmary. She closed her eyes and looked toward two beds when she opened her eyes again, where the curtains were pulled around. She stood up and pulled the curtains slightly to the side, revealing an unconscious Basara and Yuki.

Chisato closed the curtains behind her again, and a green light appeared behind the curtains.

Naruto still had a few minutes and walked through the corridors toward the stairs. He wanted to lay on the roof for the rest of the break to feel the sun on his face again. He lay on the roof a minute later, sunbathing a little.

He closed both eyes until his ears twitched. He opened one eye and was surprised to see a black cat with golden eyes. He rose into a sitting position and looked at the black cat. The cat stood a few meters away from Naruto. Her ears stood up, showing that she was either cautious or her attention was on something.

"Hey there," said Naruto. The cat didn't move, but her tail twitched when Naruto greeted the cat. "Didn't I say yesterday that you shouldn't follow me?" Naruto chuckled when he saw that the cat made a step back, bending her body slightly forward.

"Don't worry, I won't hurt you," said Naruto. He lay back down and closed his eyes. "I was in a bad mood yesterday. Don't mind me. Just do your thing." Naruto could tell that the cat was slowly coming closer to him. When the cat was directly beside him, she seemed to hesitate, but after a few seconds, she rubbed her head against his whiskered cheek.

"Is this your thanks for yesterday?" asked Naruto, opening his eyes to look the cat into her golden eyes. The cat meowed and jumped on his chest, curling up on it. Naruto took a hand from behind his head and began stroking the cat. The cat began to purr, and this was how Naruto remained for the rest of the break on the roof with his new companion. When the bell rang, the cat jumped from his chest. Naruto stood up and looked at the cat.

"I guess I will see you around, little kiddy," said Naruto before turning around and walking toward the door. The cat waited until Naruto went inside and closed the door behind him. The cat walked toward the edge of the roof before it simply jumped down. A black magic circle appeared around the black cat before the cat vanished.

When Naruto entered the classroom, he could see Takigawa talking with a classmate. Mio wasn't here yet, so he simply walked toward his seat and sat down. When Mio came into the classroom a minute later, she walked to her seat but yet again made a turn for Naruto.

Mio knew she was selfish, but it was probably her last day. She wanted to feel this warm feeling that radiated from Naruto just a little bit more before she would never come back. "Is something, Naruse?" asked Naruto.

"Would it be okay for you if I sit in Nonaka's seat? Only for today, of course," said Mio.

"Help yourself," said Naruto with a smile. Mio smiled, and again, it was a genuine smile and not a fake one. Naruto looked outside while Mio took her bag and sat down on the seat before Naruto. She smiled, feeling the warmth that radiated from Naruto the entire time. She would be selfish today and bathe in this warmth as much as possible before she would most likely never come back. The rest of the day was without any more interesting situations. Naruto was alone on the roof during the break, and when he was in the classroom, Mio didn't talk further with him. She seemed content sitting before him, and this was enough for her.

At the end of the school day, Naruto was putting everything in his bag and standing up. He took his bag and wanted to walk out of the classroom, but Mio said his name before he could do so.

"Uzumaki?" asked Mio.

"Mhm?" Naruto stood beside his table with his bag held over his shoulder. He looked into Mio's pink eyes. Mio was a beautiful young woman shorter than Naruto, with long crimson hair reaching her waist and pink eyes. For someone her age, she had been noted for having a distinctly slender yet curvy figure with bouncy breasts.

She was dressed in her school's uniform, which resembled a white sailor uniform with a black collar and black cuffs with white horizontal stripes. An orange-colored tie hung from the edges of her collar, and she wore a short black skirt with a single white stripe. She also wore long black socks with a red ribbon around her upper thighs and a pair of maroon-colored shoes.

"Could we walk together out of the building?" asked Mio.

Naruto raised an eyebrow at this question. Mio flushed a little in embarrassment when she saw his obvious confusion. "I wanted to ask you something on the way," said Mio.

"I don't have a problem with this," said Naruto with a smile, and they walked out of the classroom. Some boys looked after Naruto and Mio but weren't worried. They knew that Naruto had nothing to do with Mio.

"So, what did you want to ask me?" asked Naruto.

Mio hesitates until she remembers that this would be her only chance to speak with him before she confronts Takigawa. "I wanted to ask you why you talked with me like that. I thought you wouldn't even look at me after yesterday," said Mio.

Naruto looked forth and said nothing for a few steps before he opened his mouth. "I think you misunderstood the situation," said Naruto.

Mio got confused at this statement. "What do you mean?" asked Mio.

"What I said to Yuki was exactly how I meant it. She broke a promise, and I despise people who break a promise. It shows me they can't be trusted," said Naruto. "If Nonaka ever wants my trust back, she will have to earn it. But you and Tōjō didn't break a promise to me. Indeed, I won't want to be dragged into the problems of you, but I don't have anything personal against you two. Only Yuki was the person who broke the promise."

"As long as you don't try to drag me into your problems, I still see you and Tōjō as my normal classmates," said Naruto. "Well… I guess it's not completely like before since you two know my abilities, and this makes me cautious to some extent. If I think one of you tries to lure me into something, I will respond accordingly. But when I think you two want to talk to me like usual, I don't have any problem with that."

Mio couldn't say anything. She didn't know what it was, but hearing Naruto explain it made her happy. This meant that she could say goodbye to him with the knowledge that he didn't have anything against her. Also, the way he talked about his morals was kind of inspiring for her. He really was someone who could influence someone with just a few words. She felt it yesterday, especially when she heard what Naruto said to Yuki about how he, despite people who break a promise. It hits someone deep inside.

It makes someone question his own beliefs. What Naruto said only made sense, and if everyone had this mentality, then the world would be a better place for sure.

Naruto and Mio came out of the school building and walked a little over the school grounds before Naruto stopped. "I will see you tomorrow, Naruse," said Naruto with a smile.

"Goodbye, Naruto," said Mio with a smile. Naruto looked at her smile and remained silent. Naruto turned around and walked away, thinking, 'She faked her smile again.'

"You don't want to ask her what's wrong?" asked Narukami in his mind. Naruto said nothing while other students still surrounded him. When he was walking through Tokyo and no one was around him, he said, "No. Even if she didn't break a promise like Nonaka, I meant what I said. If I would ask her what was wrong, then I would go against my own words. I would drag myself into something I don't want to be a part of."

"Besides, when she is home, Tōjō will take care of her like usual. He is strong and has a strong will to protect his precious people," said Naruto.

"You know yourself that the last sentence you spoke was stupid, right?" said Narukami. Naruto closed his eyes and remained silent.

"There has to be a reason why Mio Naruse came to school alone. If Basara Tōjō could take care of her, he would have been in school today. It's clear that something happened," said Narukami.

Naruto remained silent and crossed the street when the ample went green. "I see," said Narukami. "I won't bother you anymore," said Narukami and cut the mental link.

A few hours later, Naruto was training in the park again at the same place he had been practicing the hand signs for the first time. He was holding his hand before him and trying to create the Rasengan, but he had made no progress so far. He lowered his hand and took his water bottle off the ground.

He opened the bottle and drank something from it. He looked up at the sky and admired the orange rays of the sun. Naruto smiled when he took the bottle from his lips. It was a beautiful sight, like always.

His ears twitched. His head turned to the side in time to see something flying at Naruto. Naruto reacted quickly and spread his arms, catching the person who flew toward him. He slid a little over the ground until he stopped.

He managed to catch the person safely and now held her in his arms like a bride. He looked into the eyes of the person he just caught.

…

'ARE YOU SERIOUS?' thought Naruto.

"U-Uzumaki?" asked a startled Mio Naruse. Her pink eyes were wide. She was surprised, confused, happy, overwhelmed, and so much more. She already thought this was it when she was hit by the blast of the last attack of her enemy.

Naruto wanted to answer but looked forward to where steps could be heard. Mio followed his gaze, completely calm even when she was in his arms right now. Usually, she would be completely embarrassed, but right now, it was a different situation. She narrowed her eyes when the person she fought came into view.

"Well, look at that. I didn't think someone would be in the near environment," said a male voice. Out of the shadows of the trees appeared a man with long black hair, red eyes, and pointy ears. He wore a black robe and held two light swords in his hands.

"I thought I killed Mio Naruse with my last attack; it seemed like you not only caught her but also healed all her injuries in the process," said the man.

Mio just realized she didn't feel any pain. She looked at herself, and just like the man had said, she had no injuries whatsoever!

"Could I know your name?" asked the man. "My name is Kokabiel."

Naruto frowned when he saw how ten black feathered wings came out of the back of Kokabiel. The two light swords in his hands vanished in the process. "I would like to get to know you," said Kokabiel.

Mio looked at Kokabiel and could be called lucky she wasn't dead. She was on her way to confront Takigawa, but on her way to the spot, she knew he would wait, this fallen angel with ten wings appeared out of nowhere and introduced himself as he had just done to Naruto. She had no chance against him, but she could somehow manage to dodge some light-based attacks from him. It was clear he only played with her, but thanks to that, she was able to meet Naruto or, more precisely, be saved by him.

Even when it wasn't planned, she was happy that he was here. The moment she got caught, she was surrounded by this warmth again, and it made her feel safe.

Naruto let Mio down and stepped before her. It was only a natural reaction but she took cover behind Naruto… at least a little. Half of her body was behind Naruto.

Naruto was surrounded by lightning before the lightning flew toward his left hand, transforming into Narukami.

"Oh? Now, this is interesting," said Kokabiel. "I never thought I would see the sword of the thunder god again in my life. It was supposed to be lost, but I guess you got your hands on it," said Kokabiel. His voice seemed happy and full of excitement.

"Let's finish this quickly. I still have things to do," said Naruto while he held Narukami's sheath with his left hand and his right hand, touching Narukami's handle. He bends slightly forward, ready for battle.

Lightning sparkled around Naruto when Kokabiel held one arm up and summoned a light spear above him. "Let's see how you will deal with this!" said Kokabiel, thrusting his hand forward. The spear above his head flew toward Naruto and Mio, ready to kill both.

'How did it come to this?' thought Naruto, getting ready to deal with Kokabiel's attack.