Hey guys! Sorry for the lack of updates on this one, I've been pretty busy on my other works.
That and Dual Destinies.
Before we proceed, I'd like to thank DrusstheLegend, SailorNova007, and 123 for their continued support.
And since I don't think I ever mentioned the timeline placement, for Naruto, he just rescued Gaara from the Akatsuki, and Phoenix just proved Max Galactica's innocence. However, Naruto just turned 18 rather than 16.
And as for Phoenix's voice, just imagine the Dual Destinies VA.
Also, for those who don't know, you can check my profile for updates on what I'm working on.
Anyway, here's Chapter 4!
- x - x - x -
(*CH-TNK*)
"Ah, you're finally awake."
The bed-ridden shinobi looked down to see his Hokage. He struggled to rise and face her, but the pain in his back stopped him.
"You shouldn't exert yourself , Naruto-kun!" said Shizune at Tsunade's side.
"She's right, you tore your back up pretty badly," said the woman, bringing up some images of his back on a small monitor, "We spent 3 hours alone picking that glass from your body."
She switched off the screen.
"How you manage to rough yourself up on a regular basis, I'll never know. But there's still the matter of next week's trial-"
"We can talk about that later," he cut in, managing to sit up, "Are the others alright?"
She smiled, "Yes, they're fine. The man in the blue suit pulled himself and the younger girl behind the fountain. She made it out with no injuries, but the man got a few scrapes and minor burns; nothing to be worried about."
He nodded, "What about her?" he asked, directing his question toward the sleeping girl.
"She's fine; she got out unharmed. She told us what you did back there. That was very brave…"
"Aw, thanks Baa-chan!" he said, before getting hit in the face with a clipboard.
"And also incredibly stupid," she finished.
"Hey!"
"Nngh…"
The muffled groan came from the girl in the purple kimono, still sleeping despite the commotion.
"Not too loud you two!" whispered the Hokage's assistant sharply, "You'll wake her!"
"What?"
Seeing his look of confusion, she explained.
"She was with you when you were admitted into the hospital. We had to have her leave the room for the surgery, but she came right back after it was done. That was 3 days ago. She hasn't left your side since."
At a loss for words, the blond merely stared at the unconscious girl in wonder.
- x - x - x -
Naruto flopped down on the bed, doing his best to ignore the mind-numbing pain of his back.
'That energy I released back there. That was Kyuubi, no doubt about it. But I can't say that! That just proves their point; that I can't control the bastard's chakra no matter how hard I tr-'
(*KNOCK KNOCK*)
The unmistakable sound of knuckles meeting wood, traveled through the air to the shinobi's ears.
"Come in!" he called.
And in walked the blue-suited man, the young brown-haired girl behind him. She was hiding behind his leg, seemingly afraid of what was about to happen.
He wiped the sweat off his oddly-shaped brow and placed the steaming package on the stand by the bed. He removed the lid to reveal two steaming bowls of-
"RAMEN!"
They both looked up in surprise as the (now awake) spirit medium grabbed some wooden chopsticks, said a quick prayer, and started digging in.
"Hey, don't eat it all! One of those is for our young blond friend over there."
"?"
The man knelt down, next to the bed.
"I hear you're in a bit of trouble," he said.
The nin smiled, "Nah, these wounds will heal in no ti-"
"That's not what I'm talking about."
…
"...I'm not sure what you mean."
"Naruto," he began, "Your Hokage informed us of your predicament. And we're here to help."
"Help? What can you do?" he asked incredulously.
"..Well, for one thing I'm a lawyer. And I'm pretty good at it, if I do say so myself."
"...So you're saying you'll defend me in the upcoming trial?"
"Yep. If you'll have me, that is."
…
…
"Alright. I'll answer any questions you may have."
"That's the spirit."
"What…"
- x - (Roughly 45 minutes later) - x -
"Well, that about wraps up my investigation," he said, standing up.
"Thank you," said Naruto, "Do you have any other questions?"
"No. Thank you for you time, Naruto-san," he said, nodding his head lightly at his client.
The blue-suited man got up to leave when...
"What….Just what…."
"Hm?"
"What on Earth are you?"
Phoenix's attention went to the young brown haired girl at his side.
"P-pearl?"
The blond's eyes were shadowed by his hair.
"...I'm not sure what you mean…"
"You saw what he did, there's no way he can be human!" she said, shivering, "You saw that power, it was demonic!"
She buried her eyes into Phoenix's pant leg, "What if next time we're not as lucky? What if we get caught in the blast?"
She clutched the fabric like it was her lifeline, "What if Mystic Maya gets hurt?..."
…
…
"Pearl-san."
At her name, the girl slowly peeked her eyes out.
"For what happened that day...I'm truly sorry. What you saw was something that I haven't even shown my closest friends, in fear of hurting them. If I could do anything to change that, I would. But…"
He put his fist over his heart, "If Kyuubi ever tries anything again, I'll put him down. No matter the cost."
…
The girl slowly and shakily nodded her head. She still treated him like he was some kind of ticking time-bomb, that might explode at the slightest provocation.
'That doesn't sound too good,' thought the young attorney, 'I hope he doesn't intend to sacrifice himself for our safety or something...'
The two left, leaving the Uzumaki to his thoughts.
His eyes were still shadowed by his hair, which had fallen in the absence of his hitai-ate. He'd been staring off into space for a few minutes before a familiar voice spoke up.
"Hmph. You? Stop me? Just try it."
'Don't get your hopes up you stupid fox,' he spoke back, his eyes shining a defiant cerulean.
- x - x - x -
Well, that certainly wasn't a direction I was expecting when I started out with the chapter.
In other news, the story is completely planned out. It's a wild ride, and I can't wait for you guys to join me.
Next update should be much quicker!
'Til then!
-Objection234 (Akane Sasu Sora on YouTube)