A/N: I'd wanted to submit this for New Years, but a lot of things have stalled it.
Still, hopefully it is up to snuff, in spite of how quiet it is.
…
[Konoha Ninja Academy]
Quite a few things had happened in the village since the Suna-Oto Invasion, better known as the so-called "Konoha Crush."
In the aftermath of the conflict, it was revealed that Orochimaru was not responsible for the death of one, but two Kages…most people would've known that the traitor was responsible for the death of Sarutobi Hiruzen. But what those people didn't know was that not too long before the Chūnin Exams finals, Orochimaru had killed Rasa, the Yondaime Kazekage…that was two leaders he'd killed, and both Konoha and Suna were baying for his blood because of it. This is doubly the case for the latter, as not only did Orochimaru kill their Kazekage, but he'd impersonated Rasa for the duration of the exams, manipulating events to his benefit. This on top of the fact that he'd come to Suna with this plan to discredit Konoha as a military power, taking advantage of Sunagakure's desperation because of the hole their Daimyō put them in by diverting work to Konoha.
With a heartfelt apology, and a bit of understanding from the council, Suna and Konoha were able to avert a war. Some cried over the amount of damage done in the conflict…the number of lives lost - others were simply glad that things turned out for the better before they went too far. Everyone, however, was talking about the strange lion-man with strange powers who fought on the side of the defenders, even healing a number of Konoha Shinobi. From what Haku had told him, Ajani had the air of a truly mighty warrior…and a true leader - a thought that both inspired and terrified her to the core as he inspired the defenders to fight back more savagely than the invaders. To Naruto, it was more than a thought, having been on the business end of Ajani's double-axes when he was converted into a Phyrexian agent. To hear that his friend had truly been redeemed had raised his heart…though it saddened him that Ajani had chosen to leave in order to explore the rest of Shinobu before going back to his travels in the Multiverse.
However, one bit of news that everyone in Konoha was talking about was the fact that a dragon had been spotted in the skies, fighting off Shukaku, the sand-tanuki that was about to waltz into Konoha to deal the final blow. It was evidently quite the spectacle, though very few people were aware of what had truly transpired, and all of those people were part of the mission to intercept Temari, Gaara, and Kankurō. Naruto had no doubts that they would have reported to the higher-ups that he was more than capable of summoning dragons - they had to, it'd be against their duty as Shinobi if they didn't report truthfully what they saw. Whether the higher-ups would believe what they were told was a totally different matter.
Today, however, was the last day of Naruto's education in the chakra arts. He needed to prove he could perform the three basic Jutsu before he could pass…which meant a day or two before it would be made official. The only reason Naruto was allowed to take the final exam earlier than his colleagues was largely due to the fact that he was burning through the academic material, including his chakra theory lessons. Add to that, he was also practicing the three required Jutsu to pass whenever he wasn't in the middle of a weaponsmithing contract. Konohamaru and his friends being there also helped quite a bit, as they corrected his form and made sure he was able to perform the three Jutsu needed to pass. The only reason it was delayed was due to the Chūnin Exams.
He stood on the podium, waiting for Iruka's commands to perform the requisite Jutsu.
"Kawarimi no Jutsu!" Iruka commanded.
Naruto flew through hand-seals, before replacing himself with a nearby stool.
Iruka nodded in approval. "Good, now the Henge no Jutsu."
Another series of hand-seals, and Naruto vanished in a puff of smoke. When the smoke cleared, in his place was a young woman dressed in several layers of short-tailed kimono, the outermost layer being decorated with sakura petals against a black backdrop. Her legs were bare, showing off plenty of healthily tanned skin on lithe legs that drew gazes for miles, her feet bare as she wore a pair of geta. Her blonde hair was done up in twintails, that flowed with the breeze, as she held an umbrella in her hands. She would've been a geisha, but geisha dressed far more conservatively - the form Naruto took appeared to be a fairly young oiran dressed in an outlandish set of kimono.
Iruka's nose bled profusely at the form Naruto's henge took, before snapping at him. "Get serious!"
Once Naruto dispelled the Jutsu, Iruka collected his thoughts, and continued calmly. "Last one, do this right and you pass. Bunshin no Jutsu."
Flying through hand seals, Naruto clapped his hands together, covering him in smoke. As soon as the smoke cleared, a whole army of Naruto's stood all over the podium, all of them armed with Naruto's trademark swordspear, standing at attention. Every single one of them drilled with the polearm, tossing them in the air and catching them before forming ranks.
"Very good, you've passed," Iruka noted, before settling down in his seat, "And with that, class, you're dismissed."
Naruto nodded respectfully before walking towards his seat. "A moment, Naruto. I want to speak with you alone."
"What're you going to do, now that you've graduated?" Iruka asked, "Still have dreams of becoming Hokage?"
"Part of me still hopes that it could happen, but I think we both know that being lost in the Multiverse for seven years kinda kills that dream," Naruto stated, "No, at this point, it's better to let someone else have that chance…someone that's not an outsider."
Iruka leaned closer, wondering what Naruto was thinking. "If you're not interested in the Hokage hat anymore, then what?"
"I want to establish a school of magic on this Plane," Naruto replied, "I want to one day make a school where everyone from all over the world can come together, to learn how to explore the supernatural world from a different lens. I want it to be a place where it doesn't matter where you're from, whether you're from Konoha, or Kumo, or even Iwa, you're safe to study there so long as you promise to use what you learn responsibly. But above all, come what may, I want them to help prepare this Plane for the Multiverse…and to perhaps one day explore it and see it for themselves."
Iruka remained silent. "That sounds like a hopeful dream…one that, with the way the world is now, could get you and so many others killed."
Naruto sighed sadly. "And that, Iruka-sensei, is the real tragedy. Every nation's so focused on what their neighbors are gonna do, that they're never gonna realize that this Plane is just one out of many in the Multiverse. They're so busy pointing their weapons at each other, so busy getting ready to knife each other in the back, that they'll never know when a threat beyond their scope has come to this world. And as long as that is so, I fear for this Plane when the day comes that invaders from another reality come to our shores."
Looking out the window wistfully, Naruto thought back to his time as a resistance fighter against the Phyrexians. "You're right, this dream of mine for a magic school will probably never happen, not with the way the world is now. But until then, I'm just gonna have to work with the students that I do have."
"Yes, about that," Iruka drawled, getting Naruto's attention, "With the Hokage gone, I've decided to take up oversight over your moonlighting as a magic teacher until we settle on the arrangements - we'll know more as soon as we find someone to fill that seat. Though as I understand it, you've just taken on two more students on top of Konohamaru…it seems that Kazamatsuri Moegi and Ise Udon have just joined your little class."
"I won't teach anyone who's not interested in learning," Naruto assured, "I also won't bother teaching anyone that I find doesn't have the aptitude for magic to begin with. Though so far, I'm seeing that many Shinobi can also make potential mages…that said, I wouldn't be surprised if I found some civilians that also have the potential to learn magic better than a Shinobi. Makes sense, because even when I was traveling the Multiverse, there were more regular people out there than mages. Whether someone wants to become a Shinobi and take up the chakra arts or to become a mage and study the arcane arts will ultimately be up to them. Both to me, are valid tools for exploring the supernatural world."
"If I were you, I'd focus more on what you want to do, instead of what you should do," Iruka suggested, "Even if it's impossible."
"And if that school I wanted never comes to pass?" Naruto asked.
"What you do is up to you, but just promise me that you won't do something you'll end up regretting, even if it seems like a good idea," Iruka cautioned, "If I'm being honest, Konoha has seen many times how good intentions can spill more blood than bad ones. Just like how I can see that your dreams of a magic school, however well-intentioned, will cause more suffering down the road."
Naruto remained silent, the look in his eyes asking Iruka to continue. "Introducing magic to a world as chaotic as this would give unregulated power to anyone who seeks it, beyond the jurisdiction of both the Hidden Villages and the five Daimyō. This could incite a rebellion or a power-grab, and the very threat of that possibility could easily lead to the Daimyō and the Hidden Villages to deem the school and its students as threats to the tenuous stability we're already experiencing, and to their power. After razing your school to the ground and scattering your students to the wind -and believe me, they will- the Daimyō may even deem it appropriate to request the samurai to purge entire civilian villages. Meanwhile the Hidden Villages would covet the knowledge of any surviving students they can get their hands on, trying to monopolize the power of magic for themselves."
There was no reason for Iruka to lie…as painful as it was to hear, he was right. And Naruto could only manage to sigh sadly. "So much harm over a dream I'd hoped would help the Plane. Almost makes me wish I never came home."
"Your heart is in the right place, you're just looking for solutions in the wrong avenue," Iruka assured emphatically, "If more power solved everything, there wouldn't be so many problems. How about this, why don't you try asking some of the teachers that took care of you all these years, ask for their perspective? Sometimes it takes a fresh pair of eyes to see something you never noticed before."
"What about the students I already have?" Naruto asked, "Konohamaru's already progressing quite well, and Moegi and Udon are just starting. I think I can trust all three of them with magic, but what's gonna happen to them going forward?"
Iruka took a moment to rub his chin in thought. "That's a tough question that I can't give a certain answer at this point, but if you ask me, they won't be catching attention from any of the other villages anytime soon. And I'm sure that as long as they also pursue their Shinobi studies, they won't draw too much attention."
"And if I meet another student that wants to learn?" Naruto asked.
"Again, that's difficult to say, but for now, if you find any prospective students that want to learn magic, you'll have to send them my way. Things'll be clearer once we get a new Hokage, but at the very least, I must ask that you do not teach anyone from outside the village."
Naruto huffed. "I won't teach anyone else for now...but since you've taken up the responsibility of overseeing my teaching of magic, at least until we get a new Hokage, I'll defer to you on whether Konohamaru and his friends are ready for more advanced lessons. And if I find another student that's eager to learn, I'll send them your way so you can vet them before I teach them anything. In the meantime, I'll think about what you've said, Iruka-sensei...I'll think about what I really want."
"That's all I ask…in the meantime, I'm expecting progress reports on your teachings," Iruka offered, "Take care of yourself out there, the world's situation is not as bad as that horrific war you fought in, but it's no less dangerous. And Naruto? Congratulations on your graduation."
Naruto nodded gratefully before walking towards the door.
He'd passed, and that was that.
"You finally did it," a voice from the threshold congratulated. "You graduated."
Naruto turned to find that Hyūga Hinata was standing by the doorway. A look off to the side, and he spotted her sister Hanabi flanking him on the other side. Both sisters were looking at him with their arms folded under their bust, Hinata looking more flirtatious while Hanabi seemed more reserved. Before the Chūnin Exams, Naruto was more likely to see each twin on a one-on-one basis…this time however, he saw both twins at the same time - it was a habit he'd attributed to twins after meeting his classmates Will and Ro Kenrith in Arcavios.
"Both twins?" he asked playfully, "Must've done something pretty bad."
"Does it really have to mean bad news?" Hinata asked, an amused lilt in her tone, "No, I told you we were gonna have a date to celebrate surviving the Chūnin Exams."
At this, Naruto huffed knowingly. "And now that you've found some free time, you're here to collect."
Hinata's grin had widened. "Naturally."
"Well, I understand Hinata being here, but why're you here, Hanabi?"
"Just making sure you're not backing out of your agreement," Hanabi replied, nonchalantly.
"Does tonight sound good?" Hinata offered.
"Yeah." Naruto answered honestly. He wasn't lying, as most of the things he had to do today were in the afternoon, leaving him time to honor his bet.
"I'll meet you at your forge then," Hinata replied, "You've been gone a long time, so you probably don't know all the best places to go."
"Point taken." Naruto replied, nodding in agreement, "Anyway, you have your date."
Hinata smiled, tapping him affectionately from the back before she left, leaving Naruto alone with Hanabi. "Something you wanted to tell me?"
"I wasn't kidding when I said I'll be waiting, Naruto-kun," Hanabi replied, her voice husky, "I've got my eyes on you."
As she left, Hanabi did the exact same thing as her sister, tapping him affectionately on the back…same spot, from the opposite direction.
Naruto looked at both sisters as they went down the road. "I've heard stories about the springtime of romance, but this seems really odd," he mused to himself.
…
[Unknown location]
"What do you have to report, Zetsu?" asked a ring-eyed shadow.
"I have located Uzumaki Naruto," replied Zetsu, "He has returned to Konoha."
"After seven years?" asked another voice, the low baritone belonging to a pair of bloodshot, seafoam eyes, "He should've been dead."
"And yet, he has clearly returned, Kakuzu," Zetsu countered, "I've seen him with my own eyes. And he was wielding powers that are unlike anything I've ever seen. He even summoned a dragon to do battle with Shukaku."
"Do we have any records of any such powers occurring in the past?" asked Ring-eyes.
"None, not even as far back as the time of the Rikudō Sennin," Zetsu answered. He wasn't lying…there was no record that the Ōtsusuki clan had any knowledge of such powers - to them, chakra was the ultimate power in the universe…the way to ascend into godhood. To think that there were alternative methods of harnessing power of the spiritual arts was mind-boggling. This so-called "magic" was as intriguing as it was dangerous…a powerful art at least on par with Jutsu. He needed to learn more - if only to help mother gain an upper-hand against the rest of the Ōtsusuki clan. The problem was that with the end of the so-called "Konoha Crush" came much higher vigilance - and with the death of Sarutobi Hiruzen, there was a very understandable need for heavier security. This meant that trying to tease the knowledge of magic out of Uzumaki Naruto would be very difficult.
On top of that, Zetsu did not want to test the patience of the lion-man that was currently exploring the world. The fact that he too could wield the powers that Naruto did, that did not bode well…that meant that there were others, which could trigger a war on a front that they were totally unprepared for. If he were to capture and interrogate Naruto, he would need to be apprised of how many of these interdimensional travelers there were.
"What'll we do?" asked a figure with pinprick eyes.
"There's nothing to do, except to delay our plans, Kisame," replied Ring-eyes, "Given that we know next to nothing about Uzumaki's capabilities, we have no choice but to observe him in action. The more we know about his new abilities, the better-armed we are for the future battle against him."
"That's good," Kisame replied, the bloodthirst clear in his enthusiastic tone, "Perhaps it's time to see for myself this kid that killed Zabuza…I want to see how he did it without using a single Jutsu."
"Do whatever you want," replied Ring-eyes, "But keep in mind, you'll be entering that fight blindly. We have no idea how powerful his new arts are…there is a chance that even Itachi might not be able to pull you out of this situation."
Kisame said nothing, but his bloodlust had not left judging by the obvious grin in his eyes. The shark-man was always up for a scrap with worthy opponents.
"What about the lion-man who appeared during the Konoha Crush, Pain?" asked a female shadow.
"Watch him for now," replied Ring-eyes, "Any conflicts he takes part in, anything he does, I want to know. Dismissed."
"Looks like the boss-man isn't happy about this new development," noted a figure in a one-eyed spiral mask. He wore a black overcoat with red clouds decorating the tail.
"Indeed," Zetsu replied.
"You really think we're ready for Uzumaki when the time comes?" he asked.
Zetsu sighed. "In this case, Tobi, Pain is correct. We cannot just waltz into a fight with Uzumaki without prior knowledge. We need to know more about the art he wields…to know more about what he has seen in the time he was missing."
"Nothing he does will change our course," Tobi replied, "Not even that art he has will stop us."
"Seven years is a long time to be seeing nothing," Zetsu countered, "We must learn of what he saw in those seven years…even the smallest details he knows might derail our plans in the future. Or, it could be of use to us if wielded correctly. In any case, we need to gather intel before we proceed."
"You do you. I'm going to keep making our preparations." Having said his piece, Tobi left, vanishing into a totally different dimension.
Zetsu snickered to himself. "Simpleton! Little do you know that your so-called 'mentor' caused the death of the one you so loved! You caused the death of your teacher and his wife, and orphaned his son for nothing - everything you do will be for nothing, while we reap the benefits of your hard work! This world devoid of lies and war you so wanted in your plan is only allowed, because we allowed it - you see yourself the savior of the world, but in reality, you are nothing but a traitorous fool. You and your master are just puppets for my machinations, just like the other fools, nothing more."
As his laughter died down, Zetsu was left to his thoughts.
He needed to learn more about Naruto's mysterious art…perhaps, it would enable him to awaken mother without going through so much trouble.
Until then, he may as well have his fun.
…
[Senju Park]
The greenery of the park remained untouched. That, to Naruto, was a good thing. That meant that his meeting place for his magic lessons with Konohamaru and his friends was undisturbed.
In any case, it was fortunate that the invaders didn't do anything to the surroundings. Being a hoplology major, Naruto's grasp of archaeomancy was limited, but he was considered a rather good student to call upon when artifacts like statues and weapons needed to be restored…not so much if buildings needed reconstruction. He was not at Professor Osgir's level at that task, but he was more than capable of making field repairs for his own gear if necessary, and could help fix some machines too. Had he not encountered the Kenrith Twins when he did, it was very likely he would've lived on Arcavios as a soldier, a smith, or perhaps even an adventurer.
"Sensei?" greeted a voice arriving on cue.
Naruto turned to regard Konohamaru and his friends, who walked towards him calmly. He was quick to notice the sadness in their step as they stood before him.
"You three sure you're still up to this?" Naruto asked, "Especially you, Konohamaru, your grandpa died not too long ago. I'd understand if you wanted to take a break for now."
"I'm fine," Konohamaru assured, "I learned the hard way that there's no easy way to become Hokage. All I can do now is press forward."
Looking into the gathering of students, he found that not one of them was downtrodden in the slightest. He saw in their eyes, a determination to keep growing, despite adversity…an admirable trait, considering the damage Konoha had been through during the Suna-Oto Invasion that interrupted the Chūnin exams. Naruto sighed, before settling down on his bench. "Then show me what you've got."
Konohamaru regarded his friends, each of them nodding in affirmation. Moegi and Udon reached out their hands for Naruto to see, each of their faces grimacing in exertion as they tried to gather mana…within seconds, both Moegi and Udon had glowing mana orbs hovering over their palms.
"Good, you two have unlocked your first mana colors," Naruto noted, nodding proudly, then turned to Konohamaru. "Now then, do you have something you wanna show me?"
Smiling in pride, Konohamaru's face grimaced with exertion as he gathered the mana he needed at the tip of his index finger. "Swift retribution! Shock!"
On command, a small bolt of lightning arced from Konohamaru's fingertip, blasting a flake off a nearby rock.
Naruto nodded in approval. "Good, you're all progressing well. Keep it up, and you won't have to try so hard to gather mana. So gather 'round and we can get this lesson started."
Each of Naruto's students sat in a semi-circle around Naruto, listening intently. "There are two common ways of gathering mana for your spells. The first way is the way I've taught you, which is the most basic way of doing things: drawing the mana from your inner-realm. It's not as fast, but it's a very reliable way to get mana - no matter where you go, the mana from your inner-realm is always there for you, ready on demand. Two problems with this method: first is that you're limited by how big your inner-realm is, meaning that a small inner-realm only lets you draw a little bit of mana. The other is that doing it this way can be very tiring, which is not good when you're in the middle of a fight, and especially if you're not exactly used to it - doubly so if you've been casting spells back-to-back. Which is why you want to try and go as deep as you can in your meditations in order to make your lands bigger and so that you don't run out of mana so easily. It also helps if you pace yourself so that you'll have fewer windows of vulnerability for your opponent to take advantage of while recovering mana.
"The other way is to borrow the mana from the area around you. It's faster and it won't tire you out so easily; and on top of that, no matter how big your inner-realm is, it can never generate as much mana as what the environment can generate all the time. There are, however, caveats to this: first off, you're limited to drawing mana in the colors of your inner-realm; if your inner-realm is all Green, then you can only draw Green mana from the environment. Secondly, the mana concentration of colors is different wherever you go - overall, the rules that define what lands you get your mana from in your inner-realm still apply here: forests generate Green, mountains Red, plains White, islands Blue, and swamps Black. However, different places will have their own concentrations of mana colors…like here in Konoha, because of its forests, mountains, and rivers, you won't be lacking in Green, Red, or Blue mana respectively, but you'll have trouble trying to get White and Black. And over in Nami no Kuni, there was an abundance of Blue and Black mana, with traces of Green due to it being an island with mangrove swamps, but little to no Red or White mana.
"Both are legit ways of getting mana. But if you wanna be more effective, I would recommend you borrow mana from your surroundings whenever you have the opportunity, and use the mana from your inner-realm when you're in an environment without it. For example, since I can use both Green and Red Mana, I can borrow most of the mana I need from the environment around us here in Konoha—but since I can also use White, I will have to source it from within. I'll tell you guys how and why later, after I see that the three of you have gotten better.
"But for now, homework," Naruto said, regarding Konohamaru, "Since Moegi and Udon have just unlocked their mana colors, it's time to teach them both their first spells to get them familiar with mana. Once all three of you are caught up, I'm gonna teach all three of you how to draw mana from your surroundings. In the meantime, Konohamaru, keep up your practice of the Shock spell." At this, Naruto turned his attention to Moegi and Udon. "Neither of you can learn Shock because that's a Red spell…you can only cast spells in the color of your inner-realm, which is Green for Moegi and Blue for Udon. That said, I do know some easy spells that are good starting points for the two of you."
"For Moegi, I have this really easy Green spell." At this, Naruto pointed his hand at a nearby daisy, focusing Green mana into his index finger. He was perfectly capable of shortening the spell to its name, he wanted Moegi to learn the proper magic words for her to cast the spell right. "The small become mighty! Giant Growth!"
On command, the daisy grew much larger in size, much to Moegi's amazement. "It's as you see, Moegi: Giant Growth is a spell that can make the target much bigger…temporarily of course. But by the time the spell wears off, the target will be bigger and stronger without sacrificing speed, after which, the target's gonna go back to its normal size." As if on cue, the daisy shrank back to its normal size, much to Moegi's disappointment. "And that, Moegi fits with Green's belief in the power of growth."
At this, he turned to regard Udon. "You're gonna be a challenge, because I only unlocked Blue fairly recently, and only started to really understand it thanks to my time in the Ninja Academy. That said, I have a very easy Blue spell for you, Udon." Once done, he turned to find a sparrow perched on a nearby branch. Channeling the Blue Mana from the environment, Naruto pointed an index finger at the bird, before reciting the spell. "Begone, my foe! Unsummon!"
On command, the sparrow vanished in a bluish-white light, much to Udon's befuddlement. "The thing with Blue is that it doesn't bother with brute-forcing a problem, it thinks circles around it. So you can relax, the sparrow's fine…I just put it somewhere else. Which pretty much defines Unsummon; it's a nonlethal spell that can save your friends by taking them out of danger then putting them somewhere safe, or it can punt your enemies somewhere else so you can deal with them later."
With the assignments handed out, Naruto settled down, looking at Moegi and Udon. "Anyway, it's like I've told Konohamaru: both ninjutsu and magic are like two different styles of music. Ninjutsu is a somatic art, so it's like playing an instrument, where you make hand seals to play the notes; magic is a verbal art, so it's more like singing, where you recite the magic words as lyrics. Both require ample time for rehearsal to do better at the recital, so rehearse the magic words and the names of the spells I've shown you until you know them by heart. Once you're able to recite them without mistakes, I want you to talk to Konohamaru about how to cast a spell; he's only got just a little more time in this than you two, but he's still responsible for getting you both caught up."
"I'll make sure they get their spells right, sensei," said Konohamaru.
As Konohamaru and his friends turned to leave, a thought occurred to Naruto. "Oh yeah, and one more thing before you guys go!"
Before Konohamaru and his friends could leave, they turned to face Naruto, who looked back at them with a serious expression. "A word of caution, which especially applies to you, Konohamaru, since you're the first to learn a spell. You can only cast a spell up to four times before you need to wait a few minutes so you can use it again; exceed that limit, and you'll be sorry the second you cast it that fifth time. At best, the spell will just fizzle out, there'll be smoking and sputtering, but nothing else happens - you'll still be alive, but it'd be so embarrassing that you'll wish you were dead, it's like farting loudly in a temple. At worst, you'll get a really nasty migraine at a really bad time like in a battle, and die looking really stupid - it'd be a death about as humiliating as getting killed in a bathroom stall while you're in the middle of using the toilet. Both the spell malfunctioning and the migraine are caused by triggering a reaction called 'magical feedback.'"
"Why four times, though?" asked Moegi.
At this, Naruto shrugged. "Nobody knows, but people have a lot of ideas about why. My guess is that it's just life's way of preventing you from overusing a spell and hurting yourself, kinda like the Eight Chakra Gates I've been reading about - but that's just my theory though. However, everyone accepts that magical feedback can hit anyone; it doesn't matter how good or experienced you are, if you go over the four-cast limit on a single spell, you're gonna have a very bad time. It's more forgivable if you're a newbie, but less so for a much more experienced mage - getting caught triggering magical feedback at that level means you were sloppy, clumsy, and careless. Lucky for me, all my magical feedback experiences happened early on in my time as a spellcaster, and I haven't gone over the four-cast limit since."
"Four casts before you have to give it a break?" Udon noted, "Sounds a bit strict, unlucky too…deadly unlucky."
"Bad omens aside, since 'four' is 'death', it should be all the easier to remember to cap out your spellcasting at four per spell," Naruto replied knowingly, "Hence why I try to learn as many spells as possible and weave them into my fighting combos - keeps my opponents guessing, and it helps spread out my spellcasting across my entire repertoire of spells. Or you can just make sure you're never alone, especially if you have a team that you can trust to back you up; you can either take turns casting, or you can have someone guarding you while you cast your bigger spells. Those are the best ways I can think of to help lower the chances of triggering magical feedback, thus saving you a lot of unnecessary embarrassment and maybe even your life. Remember, you each have only one spell, making it very easy for you to trigger magical feedback; so until all of you have at least ten spells in your repertoire, keep a very close eye out on how many times you cast each of your spells."
Konohamaru nodded gratefully; his tone nonchalant, but Naruto felt he'd gotten the message. "Respect the limitation or face humiliation, I get it sensei."
As Konohamaru and his friends departed, Naruto sighed in relief. At least he was able to get this message across.
And now he had only one more appointment before his date…
…
[Tenten's apartment]
Tenten sat at her apartment, enjoying a cup of tea and a few sweet buns, while admiring her collection of weapons that she'd gathered from around the world.
In one particular shelf, she had kunai of varying shapes and sizes, including a few from foreign lands like the single-edged kunai from Kirigakure. Shuriken of varying designs in another, including the very rare, very old bo-shuriken that would later be replaced by Senbon needles. Tantō and chokutō of varying sizes and designs dominated another shelf, all in varying stages of damage. There were even exotic weapons like broad axes, a rope-dart, an old-fashioned tachi, a kusarigama, even a kanabō.
But the crown jewel of her collection was of course, Ryūsei, which was mounted on a special stand, waiting to be sharpened after tea time. This was by far, the best purchase she'd ever made, and by far the best weapon she'd ever seen. If this was homework for Naruto in this "Lorehold College," then she couldn't wait to see what other weapons he had on hand that would catch her interest.
With Neji still recovering, Team Gai was still one person short, leaving her with not much to do beyond helping with the repairs. She still got paid for it though.
In any case, with the shorter day, Tenten was allowed to go home sooner.
The only downer was that according to Haku, Naruto was not in the forge…apparently, he was teaching some willing kids the art of magic. Speaking of which, she'd heard that Naruto performed the three requisite Jutsu flawlessly, enabling him to graduate…something about devouring every book in the library very fast, and getting grades higher than most other students. While she was glad that he'd graduated, he was very likely going to have to close the forge to work full-time as a Shinobi.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at her door.
Upon opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of Naruto, dressed up in the robes and clothes he'd come to Konoha in, minus his leather armor and a folder in his hands. "I hope I'm not intruding."
Tenten smiled, beckoning him towards the table. "Just having tea. Though why are you dressed in that?"
Naruto shrugged. "I've been busy, so I haven't had much time to go out and get something nicer."
"You still look nice, though…exotic, but still pretty nice. You're seeing someone?"
"Yeah, I'm seeing Hinata for my date."
Tenten looked at Naruto somewhat sagely as he sat next to her. "Hinata?"
A light 'hn' was Naruto's answer, telling Tenten all she needed to know as they settled down. "Well, if it's Hinata, then I don't think you had to worry so much about how you look," Tenten continued, "After being removed from her status as heiress of the Hyūga Clan, I think she's kinda reveling in the ability to loosen up. Though I guess her late mother kinda helped in that regard."
"Well, she's not the only one," Naruto added, "I don't know if I'm misinterpreting anything, but her sister seemed interested in me too."
At this, Tenten looked towards Naruto with no small modicum of shock on her features. "Hanabi too?"
"Something the matter?" Naruto asked.
"Nothing, it's just that I've heard rumor that Hyūga families can sometimes be a love-triangle when twins are involved," Tenten replied, "Emphasis on 'sometimes.'"
"That's just a story, right?" Naruto asked.
"Dunno, never got the chance to ask Neji, 'cause his dad and his uncle are twin brothers," Tenten admitted, "But I do know that even before her heiress status was revoked, Hinata and Hanabi were very close. Though to my understanding, they still love each other a lot even after she was taken away to be personally mentored by Kurenai, but they kinda fell off the grid with each other after they separated. Even more so after they started taking on missions."
"Anything I should expect?"
"From Hinata? Nothing…just be you," Tenten added, "Hanabi however, I dunno…I never saw her enough to know." It was at this point that Tenten decided to change the topic. "Are those the drawings for my new sword?"
"Yeah," Naruto admitted, "I came here to show them to you before I go on my date. I figured I may as well get this part done…maybe even finish this before I have to close down my forge and take on missions."
"What've you got for me?" Tenten asked.
Naruto opened the folder and showed three papers for Tenten to see. The first blade that caught her eye was an S-shaped design that started small from the pommel before flaring as it got closer to the tip like a wing. The second was a simpler affair, consisting of a J-shaped, straight blade that was narrow for both thrusting and slashing, with what appeared to be a disc-guard like a katana and its grip terminating in a large ball. The third was a weapon with a D-guard with a raised rear quillion for catching blades, its general shape a slight recurve with a heavy chopping tip.
"These are three designs I've come up with so far," Naruto explained, "Since you want it to be useful even indoors as an emergency weapon, it's gonna be short…probably just a little longer than your thigh in total. All three are inspired by designs I've seen in my travels in the multiverse, but I figured one of them might be the one you'd like."
"And you'd be right," Tenten replied, "Save the third one, I'm probably going to commission at a later date, but I really want that first one."
"Anything you wanna change about it?" Naruto asked, moving the drawing closer,
"Yeah, instead of being like a machete, I want it to have a more substantial guard," Tenten answered, indicating the junction where the grip met the blade, "Not too much that it gets in the way of fine movements or hinders its versatility, but just enough that I don't have to worry about someone sliding down the blade and chopping my fingers off."
"Fair enough," Naruto replied with a nod, "You want it in mono-steel or would you prefer pattern-welded?"
"Let's keep it simple and make it fresh mono-steel," Tenten replied, "You're not gonna make it special like you did Ryūsei, are you?"
"Can't do that," Naruto cautioned, closing his sketchbook, "Before he died, the Hokage said he wanted to set up a permit system for any magic weapons I sell, or at least the ones I'm making for myself. You only get to keep Ryūsei without one because you got it before this law was put into effect, though don't be surprised if you need to get it registered in the future. Besides, with the way I make my weapons, I don't think you'd even need it to be magical anyway.
"Anyway, from now on, if you want any more magic weapons, whether you're buying or commissioning one, or you want me to make a weapon magical, you're gonna need to get a permit first. And if you wanna sell Ryūsei to anyone but me, you gotta make sure they have that permit first before you make it official."
Tenten nodded in acceptance as she and Naruto stood up, and she escorted him to the door. It was a shame that she couldn't get any more magic weapons, but the law was the law. And without a Hokage present, there was no chance she was going to get any more.
"When can I expect my new blade?" asked Tenten.
"It's a pretty short blade, and I don't have any other projects at the moment, so I don't think you'll have to wait too long since you're my last client for now," noted Naruto, as he walked out the door.
"Thanks," Tenten replied, "And good luck on your date with Hinata."
Naruto nodded appreciatively before the door was shut behind him.
As much as Tenten wanted to make a move, she needed to wait…as much as she wanted to see what her true feelings for Naruto were, she needed to wait until Hinata was done with him. And on top of that, it seemed Hanabi was interested too. She would have to wait until things quieted down before she could afford to be bolder.
But until then, she had to contend with the image Naruto had unknowingly planted in her head of his desire to 'fall in love and make love with a pretty girl.'
For some reason in that image, she pictured herself the pretty girl in question, and the love they made was as raw and as pure as it was steaming hot.
…
Naruto walked down the street to his forge, and quickly found Hinata standing outside the door.
She was dressed in pretty simple attire…not too revealing, just enough to catch the eye and play with the fancy of the viewer. Though whatever modesty she had was reined in by the beige trench coat she wore over her blue and lavender short-cut dress, her legs donning a pair of fishnet stockings over her Shinobi sandals. Her hair tamed behind her back this time, which allowed Naruto to see more of her face.
"So I take it you've finished with Tenten," she noted.
"Yeah," Naruto noted, "I had some drawings I had to show her for her next blade."
"Nice to know she's doing well," Hinata replied, getting Naruto's attention as she beckoned him to follow.
"How do you know Tenten anyway?"
"Well, it's pretty easy to get to know people in a village," Hinata explained, as they left the industrial district. There was a lilt to her voice that told of a history between them…though the way Hinata spoke of Tenten was anything but hostile. Almost like an amicable split between boyfriend and girlfriend - not that Naruto minded if that were the case, of course, his friend Chandra Nalaar liked boys and girls, even ending up with Nissa Revane, who had evidently been cured of her corruption along with Ajani.
"Fair enough," Naruto acknowledged, "So where are we headed?"
"It's a place I used to go to with my family," Hinata answered.
"You think Hanabi's gonna be there?"
Hinata chortled. "Afraid of my little sister?"
"No. I mean, I might be reading it the wrong way, but she did seem as interested in me as you are."
"I'm not threatened by her," Hinata added, the confidence radiating from her tone, "Nor am I bothered by her having an interest in you."
Naruto allowed that matter to drop. Though he couldn't help but think that perhaps the story Tenten heard about how sometimes Hyūga twins shared lovers held water. The way Hanabi tapped him on the back seemed more intimate than playful, and the way Hinata admitted that she was okay with it lent credence to that story. As far as that was concerned, it was the sort of bridge that needed to be crossed when he got there.
The two of them came to a stop before a particular building, the sign above the round portal reading "Mokuran Sakan." From the outset, the teahouse seemed an upscale place where the richest of the rich would congregate, though it seemed aged given how browned the walls were…that in itself was an aesthetic choice. As the two of them crossed the threshold, Naruto noted that the building itself had shown signs that it had once been a temple complex, before being refurbished into a place where some of the upper-class could come in for a nice, quiet cup of tea. Overall, the whole place would not have looked out of place in a city in the Plane of Shenmeng. If this was anything like those restaurants in that Plane, then it was no surprise that the dimsum was absent—it was the hour for more serious fare for dinner like fried fish soaked in sweet and sour sauce, or braised pork loin on lettuce.
Most of the waiters were women, though some were also men. All of them were dressed in sharp suits with pinstripe pants, white shirts, and red vests.
"Ah, Hinata!" called out a waitress, "You've finally arrived! You have a table reserved for you, courtesy of Lady Hanabi!"
Looking amongst the tables, Naruto caught sight of Hanabi sitting at a table reserved for three, toasting at them with a cup of tea in hand, and a mischievous smile on her face. The dress she wore was exactly the same as Hinata's, but of an opposing color combination - an orange and straw yellow against Hinata's blue and lavender.
Hinata sighed in resignation. It was quite possible that Hanabi did things like this quite often. "Well, we might as well enjoy ourselves."
The two of them walked towards Hanabi's table, and settled down. The waitress was quick to fill the bone china teapot with more piping hot water as Hinata and Hanabi went through the menu.
"I'd figured you'd pick this place," Hanabi said, taking a swig of her tea, "The scenery, the service, pretty much good vibes all around."
"Only you would pull this stunt, Hanabi," Hinata muttered.
"Well, I gotta meet your new boyfriend eventually," Hanabi tittered, "Who knows, I might want to keep him."
Before Hinata could retort, their courses were brought to the table promptly. The appetizer was a mince of tofu and a green vegetable mixed together in a drizzle of sesame oil with a pinch of salt; the first course was pork slices on lettuce leaves braised in saké, soy sauce, and pickled mustard. The second course was a plate of egg whites mixed with bits of shrimp, scallop, and crab garnished with broccoli, topped with an egg yolk, and drizzled with red vinegar. A pretty simple dinner, all considering.
Throughout the dinner, Naruto watched Hinata interacting with her twin sister…there really wasn't much hostility between them, behaving more like two friends who had not seen each other in a long time. Justifiable, considering the lack of time they spent with each other, but seeing them interact brought him back to the times he'd met the Kenrith Twins. The few times he was allowed to jump in made him feel welcome between the three of them as Hinata and Hanabi caught up with each other.
Naruto could only hope that their relationship stayed just as strong…hence, he made a note to himself that as soon as he was given permission to go back to wandering the Multiverse, he was going to see how the Kenriths were doing. The last time he'd seen the Kenriths was after Arcavios was secured, and he'd had the ability to back them up in their home Plane of Eldraine.
"So, you've traveled the Multiverse," Hanabi noted, snapping Naruto out of his thoughts, "What's the most remarkable thing you've ever seen?" Hinata asked, excitedly.
Naruto glanced to the ceiling in thought, humming as he half-amusedly, and half-sincerely contemplating her question. "Now that's gonna be hard to answer. I've been to so many places and seen so many things, I really wouldn't know where to start."
"How about off the top of your head?" Hinata offered, "Whichever place you've been to, if you could pick one right now?"
That single suggestion was enough for Naruto to stop immediately on one particular memory. "There was this one city I visited once. You wouldn't believe how technologically advanced that place is - to be fair, we're doing just fine here, but even the crappiest tech I've seen over there would put what we have here to shame. They have mechanical horses that move on two wheels, living suits of armor, scrolls that can call for a chariot, even towers that reach for the sky. And that's just the daylife, the nightlife is when it gets really colorful; so many bright, neon colors in hard lines, contrasting against the dark of night, I mean even the streets glow in bright neon colors in the dark. Their tech is progressing so fast there that I wouldn't be surprised if the things I saw when I was last there became outdated within a week.
"But only one thing remained consistent in that city, and that was the titanic cedar tree on top of one particular tower…it was, how to say it…it was 'ginormous!' I mean the thing had to be at least three thousand years old to get that big, so I wouldn't be surprised if it was the oldest thing alive in that city too. And apparently, I heard it was very much sapient, because every time the architects built one of these skyscrapers claiming to be the tallest in the land, the cedar grew taller just to beat the skyscraper that tried to tower over it. After a few more tries the architects just gave up - the tree made its message clear, and it became the tallest thing in the city. Apparently to remind the citizens of who was there on their land first - and to be honest, I can believe that; I touched a root of that tree myself, and I had a feeling that I'd just met it."
"Now that sounds like something I'd like to see." Hinata noted.
At this, Naruto's expression had taken on a saddened edge. "Indeed, it really was."
While he'd omitted the name of the city, he described the first time he'd ever visited the city of Towashi on the Plane of Kamigawa down to the last detail. Indeed, it was as he'd said; mechanical horses known as motorcycles prowling the streets, living suits of armor inhabited by kami spirits, and of course, the Boseiju was indeed as he said. What he didn't tell Hinata or Hanabi was that the Blue Phyrexian Praetor Jin Gitaxias had helped orchestrate all conflicts on the Plane, learning how to compleat a Planeswalker, weakening its defenses for when the Phyrexians came knocking.
The last time he'd been to Kamigawa was after the New Phyrexian Invasion - a conflict wherein he'd participated as a resistance fighter against the biomechanical horrors of the Phyrexians. The samurai were largely annihilated and compleated in a battle gone horribly wrong in the early stages of the invasion, which left the Shinobi of Kamigawa to defend the city of Towashi from their corrupted comrades, and the Plane as a whole. Probably the worst thing to happen was that Boseiju had been corrupted, then destroyed in the conflict to spread the Phyrexian oil and corrupt more souls. All this under the command of Tamiyo, a Planeswalker native to Kamigawa who would later be the first Planeswalker to be subjected to Phyresis and compleated by the Phyrexians, then compelled to lead the invasion of her home Plane in her corruption.
With the Phyrexians defeated, he revisited Kamigawa during the aftermath of the war. Even though the war was over, much of Towashi still burned, though work was ongoing to bring the city back to life. He wasn't there to witness this particular front of the war personally, having been busy fighting in defense of Arcavios at the time, but he saw the remains of Boseiju after its corruption by Tamiyo. The titanic tree looked as if a bomb had exploded from within, its corrupted splinters left behind in splotches of now-inert Phyrexian oil, staining surfaces like dried, pitch-black bloodstains. All that remained of mighty Boseiju was a massive tree stump with jagged scars from its sudden and violent death, still perched on the tower it resided on with roots still dangling to the floor.
It helped that even though the Wanderer lost her spark in the aftermath of the war, it didn't deter her from doing her job as the long-lost emperor of Kamigawa, trying to bring her people to a brighter future. In Naruto's eyes, her killing of Tamiyo had been a mercy - he remembered the Soratami Planeswalker before her corruption, remembered how she was a very curious, good-natured soul with a strong sense of right and wrong, and was a good mother to her adopted Nezumi son. He also understood that victims of Phyresis were rarely ever willing, having been tortured into submission through a cocktail of machines implanted painfully into their bodies, a good amount of corruption, and indoctrination. His friend Ajani was one of many victims of this insidious process, though he'd heard of some nasty people who had willingly undergone Phyresis like Tibalt and Lukka.
Since then, he'd reminded himself to think of Kamigawa when he first visited it at its prime, instead of licking the wounds of war when he last left it. It was a thought he'd applied to many of the Planes he'd revisited…to think not of the scars left upon them by the Invasion, but to think of them in their prime, and of the way they'd come back, rejuvenated from the fire and destruction. It is also through this that he reminded himself to think of his Planeswalker friends as they were before they were corrupted by the Phyrexians.
"So, Naruto-kun, what are you going to do now that you're back?" Hinata asked.
"I honestly don't know yet," Naruto admitted, "But I guess for now, I just want to make worthwhile memories to tie me here after being gone for so long."
"And your dreams of being Hokage were shot down because of your absence," Hanabi added, "Yeah, we were kinda eavesdropping on you and Iruka when we got to the school. I can't say that I disagree with him, but I still believe your dream of a school without borders was a nice one."
Naruto chuckled sadly. "I remember that being the one dream I ever had…to become Hokage so that everyone could respect me…to acknowledge that I exist. Then I got lost in the Multiverse, and my main dream went from 'become the Hokage' to simply 'go home.' That said, I was taught early on in my adventures to never take anything I ever saw for granted…to appreciate the memories I've made on my journey as I looked for the way back home. While my dreams have changed, I still want to help this Plane out…to open their eyes and see the spiritual world through a different lens. But with everyone's eyes narrowed to each other, that's never gonna happen."
"Then stop thinking like it's never gonna happen," Hinata assured, grabbing him by the hand, "And if that school is really what you want, then I will do what I can when I become Hokage, to help you to start teaching. I don't know when that'll be, but I will become Hokage one day…and that, Naruto-kun is my nindō."
In solidarity, Hanabi did the same as her sister. "But until then, think instead of the day that it might happen, where people can be trusted enough with your gifts from the multiverse that you can actually open up your school."
"And if I'm not mistaken, you've already got the foundations of your school going," Hinata continued, "Let the seeds of growth begin with Konohamaru-kun and his friends…but make sure they grow to use your lessons responsibly."
Naruto looked between the sisters, before gratefully nodding to them both.
With dinner done, the three of them walked the streets of Konoha, taking in the sights as they observed the nightlife…or rather, the lack of it in Konoha. It was very different from the upbeat thrum of Towashi, but that was a charm in itself - the deafening silence as the moonlight revealed all things. Very few things were still active at this hour, but that was to be expected in what was effectively a fortress…anyone still up at this hour would probably be seen as suspicious by law enforcement. But the Hyūga twins were determined to show him one particular sight as they approached the Hokage Monument.
Looking down from the face of one of the Hokage, Naruto was treated to a most wondrous sight as his feet dangled from the edge. Even in Kamigawa, he was not able to see the whole city…he didn't get much of a chance to do so, as the mess that Jin Gitaxias caused had put a damper on all sightseeing plans on the Plane. He still learned a number of things though, and found samples of Kamigawan weaponry that inspired a few of his blades.
What he saw was not superior to Kamigawa, but it was still very beautiful nonetheless. Especially considering it was a view he had not seen in a long time.
He felt Hinata and Hanabi leaning against him as they too took in the sights. In return, he gratefully embraced them both.
They couldn't stay long, but the view was still so beautiful that they had to make the best of it.
"Thanks, you two," he said sincerely.
…
[Elsewhere]
Orochimaru glared at the state of his arms, rendered useless from his last battle with Sarutobi Hiruzen.
There was no limit to the contempt he felt at the injustice that was done to him, and by his withered old prune of a teacher too. And he would kill Jiraiya for this as well, for rendering his plans to destroy Konoha moot.
That said, some interesting things had happened during the Konoha Crush…namely, that large, flying creature that stalled Shukaku from completing its part of the plan. Whatever it was, it had a long, serpentine body like a snake, and was gliding through the air on golden, sail-like wings as it breathed fire upon the awakened Bijū. And according to witnesses, this was the doing of one Uzumaki Naruto, who had returned to Konoha a little while before the start of the Chūnin Exams, with a strange new power at his fingertips.
It was truly interesting…the ability to use ninjutsu without hand seals, commanding the elements without extensive training. He would have to learn of this power from Uzumaki, to see how it compared to traditional chakra arts.
But for now, he needed to heal.
He didn't want to have to use another body just to rid himself of this problem, as it simply took too long, and viable bodies were so hard to find. Sasuke was a stroke of luck, but he would need the boy to mature before he claimed his investment.
"It doesn't look like there's any way to heal this, Orochimaru-sama," Kabuto noted, "Your arms have well and truly been rendered useless by the Shinigami."
"So it seems," Orochimaru seethed, "Save your strength, there's only one person I can think of that can bring me out of this predicament…we're going to have to find Tsunade."
"Are you certain that's a wise move, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto asked, "What makes you certain she will aid you?"
Orochimaru grinned wickedly. "I know her very well…and I know what she wants. I'll ensure that she won't have a chance to say no to me."
…
[Streets of Konoha]
Naruto sighed in relief as he walked the streets of Konoha, enjoying the scenery as he took his break from making Tenten's blade.
Her short saber was an opportunity to make a blade strictly with magic…all the advanced skills he'd learned of the craft in order to shape the mass of tool steel to a point where he could just grind it clean. Not exactly traditional, but Tenten deserved his best work for her kindness, and for sending a few high-paying clients his way during the latter half of the Chūnin Exams, which squared away his tuition fees in one fell swoop. For that, she deserved a work that identified with her, and was only for her; a work that was strong and keen, its body a blank canvas so that she could tell stories with it.
With the blade done, the next item on the list were the fittings. As per Tenten's request, he kept it simple: the disc guard was simple, but the blade collar, handle collar, and butt-cap all had subtle cloud motifs. In order to make it stand out from the walnut that was going to be used for the handle, low-carbon steel reforged from scraps would be used for this in order to save on materials.
That said, he was still on the clock. Because Konoha was still lacking a Hokage, it was up to the elders as to whose team he was going to be put into, which meant that it was likely he was not going to be put in a team anytime soon. All the same, he promised himself that before he closed up the smithy, he was going to, at the very least, finish this project. Fortunately, the other blades he was commissioned to work on were already completed in a timely manner, which meant that he could give Tenten's saber his full attention so that she'd get quality work promptly. That, and it was good practice as it wouldn't have counted towards the four-cast limit if he was just manipulating mana at the basic level…if he were to cast a proper spell, or even a simple cantrip, then he needed to be more mindful.
As he took in the sights of daily life in Konoha, he could not help but wonder as to what Haku was going to do once he started working as a Shinobi. He would have to ask her as soon as he got back.
"Seems you've got a lot on your mind," noted a voice off to the side.
The person in question was an old man with spiky white hair in an iron-gray shozoku over a reinforced mesh, crouched and looking through a hole in the fence, a pen and notepad in his hands. He wore a red vest over his shozoku, and walked on a pair of red-lacquered geta - something was off about this man, as geta were normally only worn in rainy weather. He appeared to be in his fifties with chiseled, but streamlined features, and a wart on his nose, and the body under his shozoku belonged to a well-muscled and experienced fighter. He also wore a special horned hitai-ate with the character "油" inscribed upon it.
Whoever he was, Naruto knew not to trifle with him.
"I've enough on my plate," Naruto replied, carefully.
"So I guess you're not interested in taking a trip outside the village?"
It was this line that caught Naruto's attention. "I thought I can't officially travel outside the village without a team on a mission?"
"What if I tell you that I can get you outside the village now?" asked the old man.
"And I'd say, 'what's the catch?'"
"Smart boy," replied the old man, "The catch is that you and I would be going out on a special mission…and that if you wanna go, we're gonna leave as soon as you say 'yes.'"
Something was fishy about this old man. That he knew so much about how to get him out of the village to begin his path of seeing the world as odd to begin with. Still, he could not deny that he'd been itching to leave the village to see the world for quite some time now…and yet, his instincts were telling him that this man was a straight-shooter, not unlike the late Hokage. That, and his curiosity as to what the old man wanted of him in particular was niggling at his instincts.
For Naruto, there was only one answer.
"Well, let's go."
…
A/N: The opening dialogue between Iruka and Naruto was a collaboration by myself and ravenking64 via Discord…so give him a round of applause.
Anyway, yes, another quiet episode…expect more of them later before something exciting happens.
As to Naruto's fighting style so far, in keeping with his Jedi-style appearance in his robes, I'm basing his moves on the Seven Lightsaber Forms of the Jedi especially considering that Professor Cao is pretty much a take on Count Dooku. I'll leave it to you which of the seven Lightsaber Forms you've seen in his style so far.
…
Vocabulary/Translations/Notes:
Oiran—a high-class courtesan that was pretty dominant in pre-WWII Japan…in Naruto's case, you can think of his Oiroke No Jutsu form as dressed very much like a futuristic version of Setsuka from "Soul Calibur".
Mokuran Sakan—the name of the teahouse is literally "Mulan Tea House" (木蘭茶館), as "Mokuran" is the Japanese translation of Mulan.
Shozoku—the so-called "traditional ninja uniform," when this was a fictional device for the ninja; shozoku were worn by stage hands in traditional Japanese theater so that they could camouflage themselves on the stage to do their work.
Geta—these are clogs in the form of thong sandals; tengu are known to wear them, as was Samurai Jack.
…
Cards used:
Giant Growth (Green)—Instant
Target creature gets +3/+3 until end of turn.
Unsummon (Blue)—Instant
Return target creature to its owner's hand.