AN Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Years!
"And so there I am! I finally found the bony bastard's grave, and I immediately just ram the guy into the ground," Naruto narrated to a punch of academy students. He was sitting on his hunches, taking down to them as they sat on top of the Hokage Monument, giving it his utmost attention. "Shut up, don't make it weird!" he yelled to someone in the village. "Anyway, I am attacking him, but no matter what happens he just keeps regrowing his bones!"
"What'd you do, Boss!?" Konohamaru asked excitedly at the front of the class.
"I kept fighting him," Naruto answered, chuckling at their unimpressed faces. "Remember, this guy is as big as me! And his weak spot is supposed to be a grave nearby. I figured if we tore the place up enough, we'd either destroy the grave or it'd become obvious where it was."
"Ohhhhh!" The kids said in understanding.
"I'll admit that I'm not the smartest tool in the scroll," Naruto said with a chuckle. "But sometimes, you just have to grit your teeth and endure through to win."
"Naruto's right," Iruka agreed with a smile as his students looked at him. "You should always use your head and look for any weakness or advantage you can, but that does you no good if you don't have the physical or mental tolerance to make use of it."
"And you also need to realize when something is off about the situation," Naruto cut back in again, turning slightly annoyed at the memories. "Like me, when I look upon miles of wreck land and realize 'there is no way we didn't roll over and trash that grave at some point.'"
"How much did you and the Haka-thing wreck the place, Boss?" Meogi asked curiously.
"You could fit Konoha in it at that point," Naruto said with a shrug. "So, I decided to put the Hakaju in time-out. And by timeout, I mean I made a giant hole open up under him! So big, he couldn't even try to jump out of."
"Ohhhh!" the students said in surprise.
Elsewhere, Sakura smiled as he overheard Naruto telling the story. While it was directed at the academy students, really the whole village could hear it. And while Naruto's storytelling wasn't the greatest by any stretch, it was far from boring.
"He can make a hole in the earth, pull up water, and use fire," Ino remarked absently. "If he was smaller, he could make an instant hot spring."
"You do realize you'd probably have to share it with him to make it work, right?" Sakura pointed out logically.
"There are some missions where I would make that trade," Ino said with a sigh. "Still, he seems to be in a good mood."
Naruto's laughter cut them off for a moment. "What?! No, Konohamaru, how w-would that even...pffft, I can't even say it with a straight face!"
Sakura giggled. "He definitely is," she said fondly as she watched the giant fox prattle on.
Ino hummed. "So. You want to talk about how protective you are of Naruto now?"
"Do you want my fist down your throat?" Sakura countered the offer with a fake smile.
"Come on, Sakura! You're practically acting like-" Ino started until Sakura quickly put a hand to Ino's mouth.
"Shut your mouth," Sakura muttered slowly, glaring at her. "Or do you want to ruin his good mood?"
Ino blinked and softly pulled the hand away. "Okay, okay. Sorry. I sometimes forget he can hear just about everything."
"Yeah, well, I don't," Sakura said pointedly before sighing. "Anyway, changing the subject, you have a new mission yet?"
"Yes, you both do," Naruto said, and they blinked as they realized he was looking at them specifically with mirth-filled eyes. "Nothing, Konohamaru. I just heard something I had to comment on."
"We have a mission together?" Ino muttered. "I guess they're mixing up the teams now that we've all been to the Chunnin Exams and some of us got promoted."
And some didn't have teammates for entirely other extreme reasons, but Sakura appreciated Ino not saying such out loud.
"Who do you think the third member and the Jonin is?" Sakura asked out loud.
"Maybe Hinata and Kurenai? They do send out all Kunoichi teams so a female Jonin can teach us some...female-exclusive things," Ino remarked vaguely.
Missions specifically involving sex were somewhat rare and optional in the current era. There was a point in the pre-village past, Ino and Sakura had grimly learned, where that was almost exclusively the kind of missions Kunoichi got. Officially to keep the identity of a Kunoichi secret, as more public missions or them obtaining fame would make such covert missions harder. But there was an understood assumption that it was also because, at the time, Kunoichi had been seen as weaker than male ninjas.
Still, with figures like Tsunade of the Sannin and other powerful women, this era of the Ninja Villages was far more egalitarian in that sense. But, the old wisdoms of those times were passed down, just in case they were needed. After all, when things went wrong and just fighting it out didn't work, a ninja had to consider every option if they wanted to accomplish their mission and survive.
"Maybe it's Shizune, Lady Tsunade's apprentice?" Sakura suggested thoughtfully. "I don't know much about her, now that I think about it."
"Yeah, is that pig her pet, or the Hokage's pet?" Ino wondered.
"Do you really trust the Old Hag to be responsible outside medicine and Hokage work?" Naruto retorted with a grin.
"Naruto! What the hell are you saying about me!?" Tsunade could be heard from the Hokage's tower.
"I said you used up all your luck having someone as nice as Shizune to cover your wrinkled ass!" Naruto answered cheekily.
There was a brief silence before Naruto's ears twitched.
"Hmm?" he blinked, right before Tsunade appeared on his head, slimming her foot down. "Ow! Dammit, Granny! If I yelled and broke any windows, you'd be paying for them!"
"Don't be such a baby. That was barely a finger flick to you," Tsuande retorted before vanishing.
Naruto glared at the Hokage's tower. "Your finger-flicks level buildings!"
Iruka sighed at the exchange and the impressionable minds who had soaked it up like a sponge. "Did you have to say that in front of the students?" he asked, rubbing the bridge between his eyes.
Dead silence greeted him.
He looked up and realized that Naruto and his students were giving him looks. Naruto was deadpanned, and the children were confused. "But...Iruka-Sensei, he has to say everything in front of everyone," Konohamaru pointed out.
"Right," Iruka said with a head shake. "I forgot that because I was focusing more on the fact that I know it's useless to ask you to just not say it at all and address the Hokage properly."
"Ha! You know me so well, Iruka-Sensei!" Naruto said with a grin. "Anyway, I gotta get going."
The class collectively groaned in disappointment.
"I know, I know. But I'm going to head north and give an official goodbye to the Daimyo and everyone. Then I'm heading down south to my beach, find someplace to lay down any way that I damn well want and may sleep for another entire day," Naruto said, grumbling to the end before waving to the village. "See you around everyone. I hope my next visit is for less crazy reasons."
With that, he turned around carefully and made his leave.
"Goodbye Boss!"
"Enjoy the beach, Naruto!"
"Have a good walk!"
Sakura smiled as she waved farewell to Naruto. There were certainly more people being polite or even nice towards Naruto now. She supposed fighting off a giant skeleton monster helped.
"You ever wonder how Naruto and his loud mouth managed to not cause an incident with the Daimyo?" Ino asked playfully.
"According to Kakashi-sensei? Naruto was supposedly the perfect guest. Polite, calm, everything," Sakura said skeptically.
"Naruto? The Naruto that just called Lady Tsunade "Old Hag" in front of everyone?" Ino asked dubiously;
"Hey, I'm in the same boat as you! It doesn't sound like Naruto at all when Sensei explained it," Sakura agreed. Protective of Naruto she might be, she knew he was the same tactless goofball in some ways. "Even if he was just being on his best behavior, it sounded a bit much to me."
"Maybe we should have hitched a ride with Naruto to see it for ourselves," Ino jokingly suggested.
Meanwhile
Before he could head south, Naruto had to venture north one last time. He retracted his path from here the last few times he made this journey, mindful of any traveler passing through the area. He heard more than a few of them fall over, gasping in shock as they gazed up at him through the trees. He'd apologize, but he was sure that would freak a lot of them out even more.
"Lord Kyuubi."
"Lord Naruto."
"Lord Kitsune."
"Lord Bijuu."
He heard dozens of tongues whispering various titles as he approached the daimyo's palace. Some were tinged with fear, others with gratitude, but none with hate. He'd take that.
He took care when he tread closer to the grounds, feeling the respectful silence growing over the area as he came to a stop.
"Ahh, Naruto, you've returned," the Fire Daimyo greeted welcomingly. "I have heard tale of your victory."
"Lord Daimyo. I'm just glad I actually did win and he didn't show back up again," Naruto answered as he stared down at the leader of the nation. "I plan to return to my beach soon, now that our bone-monster is finally put to rest."
"I understand. On behalf of myself, my court, and all of Fire Country? I offer you my gratitude for your aid in eliminating this threat," the daimyo gave, tipping his head in gratitude.
Naruto nodded back in return before glancing a bit higher. "I came to say goodbye to you as well, Naho."
The Fire Daimyo glanced up curiously, maybe even amused, knowing that his niece was a few floors up and being addressed by the Bijuu.
"Thank you for stopping the monster, Naruto! You were amazing! Really!" Naho called out with a wide smile. "I'll make sure no one ever forgets how you slew the Grave-Beast!"
Naruto was pretty sure the giant hole he made at the battlefield would do that plenty, but he grinned widely to show he appreciated the sentiment.
"Lord Daimyo, I hope you'll be happy to have me off your front lawn from now on," Naruto remarked before being a bit daring as he looked to the rest of the palace. "I know some of you are!"
Several servants, guards, officials, and other parts of the castle staff stayed very quiet at that and tried not to look nervous. A few manged to chuckle though. While Naruto hadn't been as talkative around the palace as he had been in Konoha, the castle occupants still took time to adjust to the little issues of having a Bijuu staying nearby. Like the little tremors from his movements, the sounds of his yawns or growl-like hums, and plenty more.
Naruto chuckled as he felt their sheepishness. "Still, it was nice to meet all of you. I'll see ya whenever I have reason to come this far north again."
"Farewell, Naruto," the Daimyo said with a wave as the Bijuu turned to leave.
Many others yelled their goodbyes, but none quite as loud as Naho. "Goodbye, Naruto!"
If one looked upon the towering Bijuu, they would not be mistaken if they thought they saw a small smile on his face.
Naruto began the journey south once more, straying only to return to the scene of his final battle with the Hakaju.
It was just as ruined as when he left it. A mass stretch of forests and land uprooted and torn asunder. If this had been a village or city, the devastation would have been truly horrific, Naruto was grimly aware of.
But in the wake of destruction, life often started to creep back in.
He could see animals among the dirt and logs. Searching for food, hunting others, or even making homes in the devastated land. Like most animals, they didn't pay him much mind unless he was much closer or actively angry. It was something he learned both at the village and beach, that animals often knew when and where he was a hazard to be around and paid him only mild attention otherwise.
There was even a stream running through the upturned land. He idly wondered if that had been there before or had the changes to the landscape diverted it.
And finally, his eyes trailed to the hole he made to stop the Hakaju, with the edge having glass from his Hellfire Tsunami and...
People?
Naruto cocked his head as he realized that yes, there were people at the edge of the massive drop, about a dozen or so. Ordinary people by the looks of it, those that had made their way here to see the scene of the battle, if they even knew of what happened here.
They looked upon him in awe and no small amount of fear as his massive eyes found them. More than one fell backward in shock. They weren't ninjas or anything, and had no way to be prepared to be confronted by a Bijuu like him. At least, that's what his senses told him.
Deciding it was best to leave lest he frighten them more, he merely gave a slow nod of greeting to the group before turning to continue his trek south. No more delays came, even as he passed by Konoha with only a wave of greeting.
Naruto wasn't sure why, but the walk south felt slower than normal. He still remembered when this all started, and he had been rushing north on this path. He could still see the prints he made doing that, deeper and sharper in the front than his usual ones. That felt so long ago, longer than it actually was at any rate.
No matter his love of Konoha, he felt a sense of relief as he saw the giant rock pillars that stood beside his beach. If nothing else, coming back here meant that he could relax and that things were fine for now.
Maybe he will get a visit from Saiken soon. He could use that, honestly.
But not right now.
Right now, he needs to just relax by himself for a moment, and not be stressed about anything and everything, about having to watch his every move around people that got too close to him or watch what he said for many given reasons. That was the true joy of privacy, something that was hard to come by as a Bijuu.
The beach hadn't changed much since he left, and that was strangely comforting in a way. His collection of shipwrecks was still here. The tide must have risen heavily during a storm or something though, because some of them had partially been washed out to see again, sitting in the shallows. There was a whale carcass he never tossed back in the ocean, picked clean by various animals in his absence.
He could go for a whale. It was as good a celebratory meal as he'd get at any rate.
"Alright, let's see if I still have my sea legs," Naruto joked as he began to walk towards the waters.
He stopped as he saw a familiar figure poke out of the water, and it wasn't Saiken.
"Oh. Great. You," Naruto deadpanned as he saw his old foe, the giant octopus floating there, eyeing him. "Can we put this off for today? I'd rather not do this today."
The octopus raised up its mighty tentacles and revealed a...whale?
Naruto blinked as the cephalopod hurled the whale at him, the kitsune catching it in confusion. The Octopus stared for a moment before vanishing back beneath the waves.
"...Thank you? Did he miss me? Are we friends now? Frienemies?" Naruto wondered before shaking his head. Human or Bijuu, he wasn't going to turn down a free meal.
Ideally eating the whale raw, bit by bit, Naruto let his mind wander freely. A lot had happened with this Hakaju thing.
A lot of the places he visited trying to find the Hakaju had given him weird feelings, like that temple where he had spoken to that monk-guy. Then again, the Bijuu weren't the only "demons" that existed in the world, he was sure they had one or two nasty things sealed away in places like that.
The golden goose from his nose had, somehow, turned into a whole damn phoenix? How the hell did that work?
And what had even been the point of this Hakaju thing? Was it being used to target him? Or was there something else going on?
Oh, and he fought the leader of the Akatsuki. The guy that had tried to put Naruto into a mini-moon. What bullshit was that!? He didn't pay attention in class, but he was pretty sure he'd remember people casting jutsu that did stuff like that!
Still, the more practical issue there was that man had multiple bodies. And Naruto had no idea what to make of that. Could he...replace a body once it was destroyed? Because each one had their own abilities. Were the gravity-jutsus some kind of super powerful bloodline that was unique to that body, or could this Pain still use them and just need a new body to replace it?
He growled longingly to himself as his thoughts trailed off. He never thought ahead a lot before the Valley of the End, before he became...this. But napping on the Hokage Monument that first day had been the point where thinking ahead became a necessity. If he didn't, people got hurt.
He licked his fangs as he tasted the blood and meat.
He tore his mind from such dark thoughts. Here, the only thing that had to fear him was the occasional whale.
Because the octopus sure as hell didn't fear him!
End of Chapter
Well, Naruto had some nice down time at the village, said goodbye to the Daimyo and everyone there, and is finally back on his beach...and the Octopus and him might have some kind of tsundere-ish enemy-friendship thing going on. Naruto is confused by that.
Still, this was mainly just a relaxing chapter, everyone enjoying that the Hakaju-situation is dealt with.
Early viewing of chapters 33-34:
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