A/N: Nothing much to say here. Though to clarify something… the girl at the end of the previous chapter is NOT Hinata. Thank you. Please leave lots of feedback and reviews. They're always a big help.
Big thanks to Kenchi Narukami as my Beta reader.
Chapter nine: Mayhem begins! Training start! (The Hanged Man arc. Part one.)
"Erm… is this okay?" Spoke the form of the Green Fairy Fauna as she and her two almost constant companions sat to the side observing the forms of Maleficent and the princess Aurora casually drinking tea while the three Keyblade wielders had gathered around the now empty Black Box and discussing what to do with it.
"What's not okay? Maleficent and Aurora are just having tea together." Merryweather grumbled feeling that her two companions were getting a little too worried about Aurora since it seemed that both the princess and the Mistress of Evil had made peace with one another. Though Flora the red Fairy still seemed unconvinced as she kept on fidgeting.
In the background Naruto spoke as he explained the events that transpired while Aqua was gone "... And once I came to challenge King Stefan, he touched the box and it absorbed his life essence and heart. Releasing that Halibel woman you saw earlier." Both Keyblade masters listened intently to his story and were utterly surprised.
His encounters with this fox masked person 'Ava' and the Organization XIII member Larxene. None of these things could possibly be coincidence. King Mickey made a thinking pose as he spoke "I see. That is a lot to digest. It seems to me there's much more going on than just Organization XIII. In fact, just recently Ansem the Wise was kidnapped which is why I called Aqua away. I am sorry for leaving you all alone to face the dangers you encountered."
The whiskered teen smiled as he replied "Well, nothing bad really happened and everything's okay now. So it's fine. Still… that Ava girl… I can't get a read on her. And that Larxene seemed to be the kind of person that marches to the beat of her own drum. As for Halibel… to be honest I don't think she's actually a bad person. She could have easily killed me without batting an eye, but she didn't. So why was she sealed in that box? And how did Ansem get kidnapped? Wasn't he with you when we saw him?" The blonde asked as he tilted his head to the side in confusion.
"Indeed. But shortly after you left, Ansem returned to his home in Radiant Garden to continue his research on the other Realms." The king explained causing both Aqua and Naruto to wonder why Ansem had been taken in the first place.
The bluenette then voiced their question "Any idea why Ansem was kidnapped? And what exactly was he researching?"
"Well… from what I understand, Ansem was doing research about Naruto's realm to discover what was so unique about it and why no Heartless appear there. He theorized that something of immense power was preventing then from manifesting. He hoped to find other realms that may share this power so he can replicate it and keep the realms safe forever." Mickey explained as best he could.
"Think it might have something to do with this box thing? The Heartless didn't start popping up around here until AFTER it was opened." The blonde pointed out as he gently kicked the box with his foot.
"It could be. Remember earlier when Ansem mentioned Organization XIII's movements seemed to be sporadic? Maybe it's because they're looking for something. Maybe this box has something to do with it?" Aqua pointed out making both her apprentice and the king hum quietly in thought.
"Maybe… right now we have a pile full of questions and no shovel to start digging. Guess our best bet is to stop by Ansem's place and work from there. Maybe we'll find some kind of clue or lead to point us in the right direction?" The Jinchuuriki suggested causing the Keyblade Masters to nod in agreement.
"That seems to be our only option. We should also probably consult my former teacher Yen Sid about this. He could provide some insight about this box." Mickey spoke up, hoping that his master could provide much needed answers. Any information whatsoever would be better than fumbling around in the dark.
The other Keyblade users nodded in agreement with the blonde turning towards the forms of Maleficent and his friend Rose… or was it Aurora now? "Mind if I say my goodbyes first?" He asked with both Mickey and his new mentor Aqua nodding in agreement since it was only right that the boy say goodbye to his new friends. The whiskered teen sighed as he approached them, with both the Dark Fairy and the princess turning towards him upon hearing his footsteps drawing near.
Maleficent gave a crooked smile as she stroked Diavel's backside who gave a soft caw as he flapped his wings a bit. "Leaving so soon my boy?" She asked him, making him chuckle a bit. He really wanted to stay a while longer, but he had other things to worry about at the moment.
"Not really by choice. That Halibel woman is still out there. Not to mention a bunch of other guys that are up to no good. But I promise to come back and visit every now and again. How's it feel to have your wings back Maleficent?" The blonde asked as he pointed towards the gigantic wings attached to her back, making the Dark Fairy beam a little bit at the mentioning of her glorious wings that had been graciously returned to her.
"It feels good. Like I am whole once more. Both myself and the princess were discussing our futures together now that Stefan is gone." The horned woman spoke as she gestured to her counterpart, with the blonde woman giggling a little bit.
"With the King gone, the throne is now empty, and without a ruler the kingdom will descend into anarchy. So… I have decided to take the throne and guide everyone to a new era of peace." Aurora explained making her fellow blonde nod in understanding at her decision, though he was a bit surprised that she had so readily agreed to it. Was it a sense of duty? Her caring nature? A combination of the two? Who knows?
"What about you Maleficent? What's going to happen with the Moors?" The whiskered teen asked out of curiosity since she was still the ruler of the fairies. He was aware that the two had buried the hatchet, but he still wondered how they would manage if there were any lingering grudges from their respective people.
"I've decided to step down and abdicate my throne to Aurora. She shall serve as Queen for two kingdoms to promote peace." The horned Fairy answered, surprising the Jinchuuriki since it was a bit unexpected.
Sensing his surprise, Maleficent continued "The Moors doesn't need me as their leader anymore. They don't need someone in charge that is ready to charge into battle at a moment's notice. Right now, more than anything… I think the Fairies are in need of a leader who can promote kindness and healing."
After her explanation Aurora piped in "I'll be staying in the Moors to show that humans and fairies can indeed live in peace and harmony. Also… I don't fancy the idea of staying in Stefan's castle, so I'll be giving it to the people for them to live freely in."
"Somehow, I get the feeling that you two are gonna do just fine so long as you continue working together. If you ever need my help, I'll be there. That's a promise. I'll be sure to visit to see how you're all doing from time to time." the whiskered teen promised, though the princess gave a coy smile.
"Would you seal that promise with a kiss?" She asked, briefly flicking her eyes over in Aqua's direction for a split second. The Keyblade user blushed a bit, but a promise was a promise, and so he placed a chaste kiss on her lips and replied "There ya go. Sealed with a kiss… so… is it Rose or Aurora now?"
"Whichever you prefer. But I think it goes without saying… that I was Briar Rose before I was ever Princess Aurora when we met." She pointed out making him nod since that was true. To him… she'd always be his Rose… wait. 'His Rose'? Where did that come from?
He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head and said "Thanks Rose. For everything. You all take care of each other now. Mkay? Diaval? You keep an eye on them for me." The blonde spoke to the crow as he gave a two fingered salute causing the crow to bob his head in acknowledgement.
"Hey! What about us?" Shouted the form of Merryweather as she waved her wand a bit, spreading some pixie dust about or whatever it was that came from those wands. The whiskered teen chuckled a bit as he replied back "Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you three. Thanks for the help with that cage. You take care now!" the blonde boy shouted as he ran off towards the forms of Mickey and Aqua who were patiently waiting for him.
As his form departed, the princess smiled fondly as she began to sing goodbye…
"Of all the money that e'er I had
I spent it in good company
And all the harm I've ever done
Alas it was to none but me
And all I've done for want of wit
To mem'ry now I can't recall
So fill to me the parting glass
Good night and joy be to you all "
As she sang Naruto looked back once more and waved goodbye, prompting his newfound friends to wave back as well as all three Keyblade users vanished in a flash of light to parts unknown. As soon as he was gone from her sight, the princess felt a deep void in her heart. For she already began to miss him. But she knew he would be back. She knew he'd keep his promise. Now… there was one last thing that needed to be addressed.
"Maleficent? What of my curse? Would it be possible to dispel it?" The blonde girl asked out of concern, knowing that she couldn't rule if her curse were to take hold nor would she be able to see her Naruto again. So it would be very nice to get that situation out of the way. The Dark Fairy let out a small hum and waved her finger creating a small wisp of green smoke and then she smirked a little bit as she found something interesting.
"I don't believe there is any need for that." The Horned woman spoke with a crooked smirk making the princess raise an eyebrow… then she realized that it could only mean one thing… the curse had already been lifted! It must have been broken by Naruto's kiss. So it was true then… he really was her true love. The princess couldn't help but smile since she knew in her heart that he was the one for her. She looked forward to the day they would meet again. Maybe then… she could share her true feelings with him.
Elsewhere. Konoha.
In the humble and popular ramen stand known as Ichiraku's Ayame hummed a happy tune to herself as another customer had left, this one being Iruka Umino had been reading some kind of folder the whole time during his stay, with a rather nasty glint in his eye. She wasn't sure what that was about, but she hoped that it didn't have anything to do with Naruto since he hadn't shown up in recent days. She was actually a little bit worried about him to be honest.
He had better not be home gorging on nothing but cup ramen and watching the Princess Gale series again. Her musing was interrupted when the form of a female figure entered their stand and took a seat. The ramen waitress took notice that it was a woman with blonde hair with caramel colored skin that was seldom seen in Konoha, from her sword it was possible she was a Samurai or maybe a mercenary since she didn't have a ninja headband. "Hi there! Welcome to Ichiraku's! What can I get for you?" Ayame spoke cheerfully as she greeted the new customer.
"I'll take one of everything in the largest bowls you have" The woman spoke bluntly, her stomach growling loudly which showed she was obviously hungry. Ayame nodded and passed the order on to her father who immediately set to work on preparing their visitor's meal. All the while, Ayame was a little grateful her father couldn't see this woman given how reveal the stranger's outfit was, particularly showing her toned stomach and the underside of her breasts. Was that some kind of fashion statement or some kind of trick to distract the kinds of people that could only think with what's between their legs.
"So uhh… where are you from? Got a name Ms…?" Ayame asked to try and strike up a conversation to help pass the time, she also occasionally enjoyed speaking with the customers since they sometimes had interesting stories to share.
"Tia Halibel." The blonde woman curtly replied, making the waitress believe that this woman may be the strong and silent type.
"Anything for you to drink Tia-san?" Ayame politely offered with a smile, prompting her customer to nod in thanks and curtly reply that she'd like some tea. As the brown haired woman poured a cup of tea for her guest she asked "So what brings you to Konoha? Business? Pleasure? Just passing through?"
"I'm here seeking strong opponents." Halibel answered as she laced her fingers together as she patiently waited for her meal. The brown haired waitress served a fresh cup of tea and spoke "That so? No shortage of that around here. Are you here for training?"
"Something like that. Yes. I wish to test my strength." Halibel answered as she lifted the cup to her face, and slowly pulled down the high collar covering her face causing Ayame to wait with bated breath, wondering what the blonde woman's face looked like. She was distracted when her father Teuchi called that the first round was ready, causing her to turn in his direction to grab the first set of bowls. And when she turned back towards Halibel, she had already replaced her high collar again. Ayame frowned a bit since she wanted to see what she looked like, but that was okay… Halibel would have to lower her collar again in order to eat.
As the first set of bowls were placed in front of the caramel skinned woman. Tia broke apart a set of chopsticks and then glanced over at a picture that was hanging off the wall and saw a familiar figure in it "That picture… are you friends with the boy there? With Naruto?" The blonde woman asked as she pointed towards the picture which surprised the waitress as she turned towards it.
"Yeah this is his favorite place to eat, so he's a regular. You know Naruto-kun? Are you his friend or something?" She asked and faced Halibel once more… only to find that the four bowls she had just served were now empty. Had this woman devoured them in the span of the six seconds she had faced away? She must have an appetite similar to Naruto's.
"I wouldn't go so far as to say we're friends. I so happened to meet him and I sparred with him. In spite of his youth, he has some talent. Now then… who might I ask is the strongest fighter in your village?" Halibel asked, although inwardly she was genuinely surprised that she had so happened to stop by in Naruto's home realm. Of all the realms in all the multiverse she could have chosen to test her strength in… she happened to choose that boy's world? Was it truly coincidence? Or was it fate?
"Well, there's lots of strong ninjas in Konoha. But the one in charge of everything is the Sandaime Hokage. Our village leader. He's getting on up in years, but is still our undisputed leader." Ayame answered honestly as she served the second round of ramen for her guest. And this time she wouldn't take her eyes off the blonde woman.
"I see. Thank you for the information." Tia spoke gratefully and slowly lowered her high collar once more as Ayame waited to see what it was that the caramel skinned woman was hiding beneath her collar. Was she hiding some kind of deformity she was insecure of? Or was she hiding a gorgeous fate that could charm almost anyone?
Before she could get a glimpse of Tia's face, someone else had entered the ramen stand prompting Ayame to turn in their direction and politely greet them "Welcome to Ichiraku's! What can I get for you?" the newest customer to enter the ramen stand was none other than one of the Sannin, Jiraiya.
"Miso Ramen if you please." He requested as he took a seat on one of the stools. Ayame wrote down his order and glanced over towards Tia's direction… only to find she had once again finished her ramen with blinding speed causing her to miss her chance. "GODDAMNIT!" The waitress shouted in disappointment causing the toad Sannin to jump in his seat a little bit.
"Ummm… Are you out of Miso? I'll also take Salt Ramen if you're out." Jiraiya spoke as he blinked a few times, his words causing the waitress to blush profusely at her childish outburst. She muttered some kind of apology and then scurried back to her father and told him the Sannin's order.
As this went on, the Sannin glanced over to the other customer in the stand and saw that it was a woman with a rather tantalizing body and a great fashion sense. "Hey there babe. I'm Jiraiya. Toad mountain sage and Sannin. Maybe you've heard of me?" He greeted with a lecherous smile, his eyes staring down at her breasts.
"No. I haven't." She answered bluntly, making him almost fall off his seat since he was sure that there wasn't a single person who hadn't heard of the Sannin. Maybe she was pulling his leg? Playing the old 'hard to get' trick?
"Really? You really haven't heard of me? I'm one of the Sannin? I'm amongst the top ninjas in the Elemental Nations and survived against the legendary Hanzo the Salamander." He spoke, proudly flaunting his status and accomplishment.
"Survived? Not prevail?" Tia asked as she quirked up an eyebrow. The stunned silence from the so-called Sannin indicating that he didn't actually win against this Hanzo. She sensed his energy signature and found it to be fairly potent… but so far she didn't feel he was worthy to fight He didn't have that same kind of heart as that Naruto boy had. As their interaction went on, Ayame served the final round of ramen to the blonde woman, the large bowls filled to the brim as she began to lower her collar once more.
"That's… an awful lot of ramen you got there. What saaaaaay I pay your bill for ya? Then we can see about getting to know each other better." He offered as he wiggled his eyebrows a bit… and was then caught off guard when a pair of chopsticks were crammed up into his nostrils making him squeal in pain.
"I refuse to accept false altruism from someone with an ulterior motive, least of all a carnal motive." Tia spoke bitterly as she grabbed a fresh set of chopsticks and broke them apart. Ayame couldn't help but giggle a bit upon seeing the state the older pervert was now in as blood poured out of his nostrils as he clutched at his nose and tried to remove the chopsticks as quickly yet gently as possible. When Ayame turned towards the blonde woman… all of her ramen bowls were empty yet again.
How in the hell did she eat so fast?! Her appetite was definitely just like Naruto's if she could gobble it down with inhuman speed. "I apologize for any inconvenience. But I don't have any money to pay for my meal. Is there any other way I can pay my bill?" The caramel skinned woman offered with sincerity causing the waitress to blink a few times.
She then smiled and replied "Nah. Jiraiya-san did offer to foot your bill for you after all." At her response, Ayame could almost swear that she could see a smile beneath Tia's high collar which was further evidenced by a low chuckle.
"He did. Didn't he? Thank you for your time and generosity. Feel free to take a large tip from this 'Toad Sage'. Tia spoke and then waved goodbye, but before she left the ramen stand she stopped to ask "Where might I find your Hokage if I wished to speak with him?" At her question the waitress pointed towards a rather important looking tower that was in plain view which answered her question. Now that she had her destination… she was going to pay this Hokage a visit.
Meanwhile. Radiant Garden.
"Golly what a mess." Spoke a feminine voice as she sat on the desk belonging to Ansem the wise as she looked about his office which looked as though a tornado had ripped the place to pieces, scattering about numerous pieces of furniture, lab equipment and research notes. It had been some time since the King had been taken, and she was sure that King Mickey would arrive at any time now to investigate, and he promised to bring Master Aqua and her new apprentice too.
"No kidding." Muttered the form of a Kunoichi named who stood in the doorway to maintain the integrity of the crime scene and to keep people away. If it was discovered that their king Ansem was kidnapped, it could cause a panic amongst the population. Fortunately, only a select and trusted few were aware of Ansem's disappearance.
"Good news. They're here." The Kunoichi announced as the forms of the Keyblade wielders entered the office with the young blonde boy letting out a loud whistle at the state of Ansem's office making the black haired girl giggle in response since she knew that the place was a mess. But she didn't want to clean it up and risk sweeping away potential evidence.
"Anyone up for some spring cleaning?" The whiskered teen casually joked, earning a few chuckles as they dragged along a large black box behind them and then left it out in the hallway. "A sense of humor is always a good thing, but don't forget we're still on a mission." King Mickey pointed out causing the boy to smile.
"Hey there. I'm Yuffie. I'm one of King Ansem's elite guard. And that's Gadget Hackwrench, she's Ansem's assistant and blew the whistle on his disappearance." The black haired Ninja spoke up and introduced herself, then she pointed towards the form of a small mouse girl wearing a lavender coveralls like a mechanic would wear.
"Oh my gosh! You have got to be one of the most adorable creatures I have ever met!" Naruto blurted out as he approached the mouse girl, his statement making her blush and giggle a bit.
"Smooth one romeo." Yuffie teased a bit and lightly smacked his shoulder with a cheeky grin, making the blonde sheepishly rubbed the back of his head a bit. It would seem that no matter the realm he entered, he would always be met with new sights and wonders. He would need to try and do a better job to hide his amazement in the future if he wanted to try and blend in more.
King Mickey let out his signature laugh and spoke "That's enough of that. Now Gadget, how about you tell us everything that happened?" The king asked his fellow mouse, prompting the blonde mouseling to nod in understanding.
"Well… I was here helping the King with his research, regarding worlds that display any lack of Heartless activity. When these people in black cloaks burst inside. Ansem distracted them long enough for me to hide away, and they demanded that he go with them. He initially refused… but the one called Zero threatened to obliterate Radiant Garden from all existence if Ansem didn't cooperate. So he reluctantly left with Zero while two others a guy with red hair, and another guy with pink hair ransacked the place as they looked through all of his research. When they finally left, and I was sure they were definitely gone, I called King Mickey to alert him of the situation and then called Yuffie and her friends. And now, here you are." Gadget spoke and explained the whole story.
"A guy with red hair huh? Sounds like that Axel fella we met in the Pridelands before. You have any idea what they were looking for specifically?" Naruto asked causing the mouse to think for a minute before nodding and then slid down the cable of a lamp to the floor and retreated into a nearby mousehole in the wall, after a few moments she came running back out with a large folder that had several sheets of paper inside. She offered it to the Keyblade wielders prompting Aqua to pick it up and lay it on the desk before opening it.
Inside, as expected was a series of research notes… but the writing seem almost illegible. Yuffie looked down at the writing and squinted a bit before muttered "Does anyone understand that chicken scratch? Cuz I can't make heads or tails of any of that." Her question causing the Keyblade wielders to shrug their shoulders since they couldn't understand any of it either.
"These research notes all pertain to realms that seem to be showing a lack of Heartless activity much like the realm of Ninjas. He wrote them all each in a different code to prevent the Nobodies of his former apprentices within Organization XIII from reading them, or at least buy some time." The blonde mouseling explained, making the Keyblade users nod since it seemed like a necessary precaution.
"Can you translate these Gadget?" Aqua asked since it was paramount that they were decoded, it could help them find some answers to the numerous questions that were currently gnawing at their minds. And most importantly help find and rescue Ansem.
"With enough time, yes. But as I mentioned, each one is in a different code, so I can only translate them piecemeal. Yet another precaution I guess." Gadget responded but she was definitely confident that she could translate the notes, of that she was sure.
"That'd be a big help. How long would it take you to decode them?" Mickey asked, causing Gadget to cross her arms and think for a moment.
"Hard to say. It depends on the complexity of each code and how fast I can crack it." She answered honestly, since she couldn't provide an accurate estimate. It could be anything from hours to days or even weeks. But she still needed to start somewhere.
"I think it best if you come with us Gadget, you can stay in my library. It might be the safest place for you while you translate those notes." Aqua offered as she closed the file and tucked it into her arm, causing the mouseling to nod since that seemed like a good idea for the time being. The bluenette took a deep breath and continued to speak "While Gadget works on decoding the notes, I shall work on training you Naruto."
The Jinchuuriki nodded as he spoke "Yeah. I need to get a lot stronger. I was utterly helpless against that Halibel woman. And she wasn't even using her full strength then. If I wanna protect the Multiverse and all of my friends, I need to get stronger. Way stronger. At my current level, I'm still just a greenhorn."
"I think that would be best. We can't aimlessly wander about the Multiverse. While you train with Aqua, I'll visit my master Yen Sid and see if he can help crack the mystery behind that box and its former occupant. I'll also see what I can find out about Ansem's disappearance when and where I can. I wish you all luck!" Mickey announced before grabbing the Black Box and vanishing in a flash of light with it.
"What will you be doing Yuffie-san?" Naruto asked out of simple curiosity and he could sense that the girl was also pretty strong. He actually kinda wanted to spar with her a bit if he were honest.
"I gotta stay and help keep the peace. Things will go bad fast if people catch on that the king's been taken. But if you guys ever need a helping hand, I'll do what I can to help ya out." She promised with a large grin, causing the Keyblade wielders to nod since they appreciated the offer of help since they'd likely be needing all the help they could get in the not-so-distant future.
"Thanks. We'll be in touch." Aqua spoke and placed a hand on her apprentice's shoulder. It was now time to head back to the Kingdom Hearts Library and begin his training for real this time.
Meanwhile. Hokage office.
Hiruzen Sarutobi sighed as he signed and stamped yet another piece of a seemingly endless pile of paperwork. He could almost swear that the Civilian council were adding their own paperwork to the mix just to spite him. At this point, almost any kind of interruption or distraction from this paperwork would be a godsend. And as if one cue, the door opened revealing one Iruka Umino with a folder in hand as he approached the desk. Hopefully it wasn't yet another piece of paperwork.
"Hokage-sama. I think I found something you might be interested in regarding that librarian you assigned as Naruto's teacher." The scarred Chunin said and slammed the file down on the desk showing a picture of the blue haired woman herself. The Academy teacher cleared his throat and continued "I did some checking around and apparently this woman didn't legally immigrate or register citizenship after I discovered that she had no family and/or birth certificate in Konoha. And her library didn't even exist until five years ago, around the same time that she appeared. Almost as though she simply stepped out of thin air and into existence."
The Sandaime narrowed his eyes a bit, a large part of him wondering why Iruka was so obsessed to keep Naruto in his class, but at the same time, he couldn't ignore the unusual circumstances of Aqua's presence. If she were a spy, then he could have accidentally handed Naruto over to a potentially hostile nation since there were many people in Konoha with loose lips.
"I'll speak with her immediately and get to the bottom of this, and don't think you're off the hook just yet. I still question your performance in the Academy." Hiruzen warned the Chunin, since he still found it suspicious how a single student could struggle in the same class for three years and show no improvement. While he knew Naruto could sometimes be a crazy little rascal and a prankster, but he sincerely doubted that the boy was that bad a student. Perhaps in this instance, the fault was with the teacher?
Before their conversation could continue, a knock was heard at the door interrupting them. "Come in." The Hokage called out while maintaining a hard stare at Iruka, which was only broken when his new visitor entered inside and he found it to be a woman he'd never seen before. "Are you the Hokage?" She asked in a blunt manner, showing that she wasn't one to waste much time.
"I am. And who might you be? Is there something I can do for you?" he asked in a professional manner as he eyed this woman's posture. From the way she carried herself it was plain to see that she was a skilled fighter. She had no headband either, was it possible she was seeking work or to join the Shinobi corps?
"I am Tia Halibel, I represent the Arcana of the Hanged Man. And I wish to fight you." She stated as she placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, making the Sandaime tense up a little. Though he doubted she was a hired assassin since she had clearly announced her intentions.
"That is an… unusually straight-forward request. I'm actually a little surprised. Not many people just walk up to a Kage in their own village and say 'Fight me'." He spoke in a half-serious and half-joking tone, making a subtle gesture to his Anbu to stand down for the moment.
"Perhaps. But I think it is only proper manners to introduce oneself to your opponent before requesting a duel or a spar. I wish to test my strength and I was told you're the leader of this village, that makes you the strongest, does it not?" She asked as she narrowed her eyes a bit.
"I am indeed the leader of this village, and I did indeed earn the title of a Kage. Am I the strongest in the village? That's somewhat debatable, but I can still hold my own against the best of them." He replied in an honest tone since he was getting on in years now, but that didn't mean he still couldn't keep up with a potential enemy in a fight.
"That is acceptable." She responded and then her eyes flicked over to a set of pictures on his desk. One of which was the aged Hokage fishing with a younger Naruto which made Tia raise an eyebrow in surprise. "You know Naruto Uzumaki as well?" She asked out of curiosity, first, she had visited his favorite ramen stand, and now she found that he was close to this Hokage? In her experience, if enough coincidences lined up… they would form a pattern. This was indeed fate.
The Hokage was surprised by her question but replied back "I do. He has no living family, so I tried my best to take care of him and… well… I became something of a grandfather to him. Now… how do you know him?" He asked at the end, wondering what her connection to the boy was.
"I met him recently and I sparred with him. I firmly believe he is hiding latent power within him. I look forward to fighting him again when he's stronger. With a heart as strong as his, I imagine he'll go far." she replied back, her explanation satisfying the Sandaime since he believed very much the same. Her words earning a snort from Iruka making the Sandaime glare at him for his rudeness.
"Did you find something funny?" Tia asked the Chunin in a monotone voice, her eyes narrowed slightly in annoyance since this flea wasn't even worthy of her time.
"Naruto? Hiding latent power? I was his teacher for three years and he never showed any signs of talent of any kind. He's by far the worst student to ever be on record at the Academy." The Chunin spoke bitterly, making the Sandaime glare even harder at him for his disregard for the boy.
"Never showed any talent, eh? Then how come he can outrun numerous Chunin after a pranking spree even from a young age? That in itself should show a high degree of talent. You know… the more you talk, the less I like you Iruka. Now get out of my office." The Hokage half-yelled, almost tempted to call his Anbu to throw the man out, but the Scarred Chunin fled rather quickly since he didn't wish to incur the Sandaime's wrath.
As this went on, Tia observed a second picture showing the Sandaime in his younger years with three teenagers, one of which she recognized as that so-called Sannin from the Ramen stand, and then she noticed that the four were gathered around… a Black Box. "Excuse me. That box. Where did you find that?" The caramel skinned woman asked.
The Hokage followed her gaze to the picture in question and replied back "Oh, that old thing? I'm afraid I can't tell you for the sake of security reasons. That box has been dubbed as a highly dangerous artifact, so for the safety of the village it has been locked up."
Tia gave the Sandaime a steely glare as she spoke as calmly "That box contains one of my brethren. I need it back. If you kindly return it to me, I shall grant you one wish."
The offer intrigued the Sandaime as he made a small thinking pose and responded "One of your brethren you say? Am I to guess that you too may have been sealed into one of those boxes?" He asked since he was sure it was one of the few ways she'd know about it… and he could now sense that her chakra signature was an almost exact match for the one he felt from the box all those years ago.
"Correct. It is imperative that it is unsealed." She spoke in an almost urgent tone, showing that she very much wanted it.
"My apologies, but I do not think it is wise to do that. I cannot help but question why it is you and whoever else was shut away in these boxes were sealed away to begin with." The Sandaime spoke as he got up from his seat, prepared to don his battle armor in case this woman attacked him out of spite.
Halibel sighed almost tiredly as she spoke "Very well. Then, I shall give you ten days to either change your mind and give me the box, or to prepare your best warriors. Good day." With that said, the caramel skinned woman exited the office without a word further. Ten days seemed like a fairly generous amount of time to reconsider or prepare. Was she that confident in her ability to win?
Well, at least he had a reprieve for the time being. Now then… there was still the matter of that Aqua woman to deal with. Now was the time to determine what her real intentions were.
Kingdom Hearts Library.
Deep within the vault, a flash of light appeared along with the forms of Aqua, Naruto and their newest ally Gadget. Naruto then turned towards his sensei as he glanced at the mouseling sitting in her open palm and then remembered something important. "Hey Sensei. I think you should put down Gadget for a sec. Remember what happened with Shenzi and Zira?" The whiskered teen suggested making the bluenette wonder what he was… oh. Wait a second. Now she remembered.
"Why? What happened with…" Gadget tried to ask out loud but her question was cut short when her tiny body suddenly began to grow in size in the span of a few seconds, the sudden change caught Aqua off guard as she tried to maintain her balance and not accidentally dump their newest friend on the floor. And then… the sound of fabric exploding could be heard followed by a shout of 'Golly!'
A few moments later, Gadget was now covered by a blanket, a deep blush of embarrassment on her face since her trademark coveralls had been obliterated when she became a human sized mouse that was now approximately Naruto's height. "Yeah…we forgot to mention. My realm does… weird things to animal like creatures like yourself." The Jinchuuriki explained with a sheepish grin.
"I'll see about making a charm that'll let you switch back and forth to your original and new size… and a new change of clothes too." Aqua promised since she wished to apologize and accommodate their newest guest.
"I'd appreciate that. Though this new size isn't all bad. There might be some advantages to being able to change size." Gadget pointed out since she could not only get into smaller spaces or work with precision that a human couldn't but she now could do things her tiny form couldn't handle. Fortunately it seemed she was handling her change better than Zira did on her arrival.
Speaking of which, Naruto couldn't help but wonder what the cranky Lioness was doing now. Might be a good time to check in on her, Shenzi and the Gullwings before they begin their training. "Come on Naruto, let's get our new guest settled then we can see about your training." Aqua spoke up causing her student to nod since he was looking forward to some training in a more formal setting.
The trio traveled upstairs to the main library and Aqua whistled a melodious tune which almost immediately summoned the form of Yuna who gave a polite bow "All's clear Aqua. No one's in the library right now and no incidents of note have occurred." The fairy reported making the bluenette nod in thanks as she made a hand-sign to dispel the blood clone working at the desk and then proceeded upstairs to assign a room to Gadget.
The blonde boy took the opportunity to check in on the others and found Zira sitting in a reclining chair as she watched a movie that showed a bat themed vigilante beat the snot out of some thugs while Shenzi seemed to be mimicking some of his movements. "Hey girls. You enjoying yourselves?" He asked, surprising them a bit with his presence… he then found himself being tackled to the floor by the Hyena who was now straddling him with her huge and squishy rear resting on his pelvis.
"Welcome back kid! You go on some awesome adventures? The next time you go, I wanna join up with ya! I've been practicing my kicks while you were away. Wanna see?" She asked excitedly as she got up and began bouncing on her feet for a few moments.
"I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to see you doing half-assed kicks with those thunder thighs." Zira commented as she stretched out her limbs, grateful that the collar around her neck allowed her to change into her normal form. Which had been made thanks to the Gullwings. Shenzi was also sporting one, but seemed rather content in her Anthro form.
"Worship da Thundah thighs!" Shenzi yelled angrily and flipped off the Lioness making the blonde chuckle. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad if he brought along some backup. Who knows? He could always use the help.
"Maybe later Shenzi. How are you doing Zira?" The whiskered teen asked making the lioness roll her eyes a bit but a thin smile formed on her face all the same.
"I have plentiful food and entertainment and am currently wanting for nothing. So for the time being, I am happy. Though if you could do something about the little one inside of me, that would only make it better. She's been squirming around a lot." The Lioness answered as she pointed at her slowly swelling belly, though to Naruto it seemed a bit bigger than the last time. Was he imagining things?
"No can do. Sorry Zira. But don't worry, junior will be born before you know it. You're sure that it's a girl though?" He asked since the grumpy Lioness which made her give a small and dry laugh.
"Pretty sure, yes. Call it a gut feeling…no pun intended." Zira answered, and seemed almost ready to laugh at her unintended joke which only caused the boy and his Hyena to laugh a bit. Their moment was interrupted when the blonde heard a familiar voice call out from downstairs "Naruto-kun? Aqua-san?" It seemed like the Hokage had come to pay an unexpected visit for some reason. It would probably be wise to see what he wanted since he doubted it was a casual visit.
He headed downstairs and greeted the Sandaime "Hey Jiji! Nice to see you again." The Hokage smiled at the warm greeting, but his face shifted to a more stern and serious type which only puzzled the boy. He wasn't in trouble or anything right? He hadn't gone off on any pranking sprees of late. So what was the problem?
"Likewise Naruto-kun. Is Aqua-san here?" The Hokage asked which earned a nod from the Kyuubi container and he called out to the bluenette, alerting her of the Sandaime's presence to which she replied that she'd be right down. As they waited, the Hokage asked the blonde boy "So tell me Naruto-kun, how much do you know about Aqua-san?"
Naruto shrugged his shoulders and answered "Not that much to be honest since I haven't been with her for that long. And I didn't think it polite to ask any personal questions so soon." The Hokage sighed as he rubbed his temples, while he didn't wish to outright accuse the librarian of anything outright, it was still suspicious how she seemingly popped out of nowhere. But why wait for so long before suddenly taking an interest in Naruto? He still didn't have all the pieces of the puzzle, but hopefully she would be willing to provide some answers.
After a few more moments, the bluenette herself appeared with a small smile and greeted "Good afternoon Sandaime-sama. Is there something you need from me?" She asked politely, a part of her thinking that he was here to check on how Naruto was doing under her tutelage. But it seemed way too soon for that.
The aged Hokage cleared his throat and spoke "It has recently been brought to my attention that you seemingly appeared out of thin air five years ago, you have no birth certificate or any kind of citizenship either, and your library didn't exist either until your inexplicable arrival. Would you care to explain yourself?"
Aqua tensed up as she swallowed a bit, cursing herself for such a blunder. For five years this had gone unnoticed, and now that she was involved with Konoha's Jinchuuriki, of course she would be investigated. She couldn't lie to the Hokage, and any other possible alternative may yield even more disastrous results. Before she could even open her mouth, her student said "Aqua-sensei? I think we should tell him."
"Tell me what?" The Hokage asked out as he tilted his head slightly, since it seemed that the boy was privy to something that he himself wasn't. Aqua seemed reluctant to share, but gave a defeated sigh and nodded in consent. She supposed that it was best that the Hokage should know about it to help keep anyone else from finding out.
"I'll tell him. Okay Jiji. This is gonna be a lot for you to take in, so bear with me here. Now, you must promise, on your honor as a Ninja, on the mantle of Hokage, and on your headband that you will never, and I mean never tell anyone about what it is I'm going to reveal to you, not even the Daimyo, under pain of death. Do you promise?" Naruto questioned, making the Sandaime sweat a little since that was the most solemn vow a Hokage, much less any ninja could ever make. And to break such a promise meant certain death, if not physically, then certainly in the eyes of all other Ninja worth their salt.
"I promise upon my honor, my mantle as the Sandaime Hokage, and my Shinobi headband that I'll take whatever secrets you have to my grave." He promised, earning a nod of satisfaction from the boy.
"Okay, me and Aqua-sensei are warriors known as Keyblade wielders that travel around the Multiverse and protect it from entities of pure darkness known as the Heartless that seek to devour other worlds. With me so far?" Naruto briefly surmised causing the Hokage to blink dumbly a few times and mumble a confused 'Come again?'
The boy facepalmed himself for a second and then called out "Oi! Rikku! Yuna! Paine! Get out here for a sec!" At his call, a trio of fairy like creatures appeared and froze up as they tried to fly away and hide from the Hokage's view... Though it was too late for that since he'd already caught sight of them.
"Naruto-kun… were those fairies I just saw?" Hiruzen asked as he pointed up at the bookshelf the fairies were hiding behind as they poked their little heads out to peer from around the corner. At this, Aqua nodded and began her explanation about the collapse of the Barrier separating the realms, and how the realms were now sealed away into books for safekeeping so the worlds wouldn't collide together.
The Sandaime quietly listened and digested the information, finding it difficult to believe, but at the same time he did believe it. He remembered that long ago, when his sensei Tobirama Senju was developing the Hiraishin that he theorized that there may be other realms in existence beyond their own. Entire worlds that were waiting to be explored, many of them different or bearing certain similarities.
"I see… does this have anything to do with a woman called Halibel?" Hiruzen asked since he wondered if that strange woman had something to do with this 'Multiverse' business. All of a sudden, he found the boy pulling on his robes, yanking him down to eye level as he spoke "You met her too?! Where is she?"
The Hokage was caught off guard by the boy's reaction but still answered "Yes. She appeared just today and wanted to fight me. But then she took an interest in a Black Box that she saw in a picture with me and my team."
"A Black Box? Hokage-sama, it is important that we get to this box first. Where is it?" Aqua asked in a tone of urgency. Another box was here in the realm of Ninjas and she didn't even know about it? This could not be a coincidence.
"I can't reveal that. Even if I wanted to, since I'm not the one that hid it. A detail I conveniently failed to mention to that Halibel woman. She has given me ten days to either procure the box, or to assemble my best ninjas to fight her. Our only choice now is to fend her off." Hiruzen replied as he finally released himself from the boy's grip.
"Ten days huh? That doesn't leave us much time to train then Aqua-sensei." the blonde pointed out much to the bluenette's shock. "You can't be serious. You really want to fight her again after last time? There's no possible way you will be ready in just ten days. It isn't physically possible." She protested while crossing her arms over her bust.
"You don't know what you can do until you try. That aside, I think the term 'impossible' can be thrown right out the window with this whole multiverse business." Naruto responded in a matter of fact tone, making Hiruzen chuckle a bit as he patted the boy's head.
"Brave of you Naruto-kun, but I think you should leave this to the pros." the Hokage pointed out, much to Aqua's relief. And then he continued to speak "Well, I'm glad to see that the reason behind Aqua's secret was for the right reasons. I just wish this could have been resolved sooner."
"Speaking of secrets… I wasn't ready before and I didn't want to say anything in front Iruka at that time… but I know the truth." Naruto spoke with a sigh, earning a confused look from Hiruzen… until he realized what the boy was talking about.
Before he could open his mouth, the Jinchuuriki continued to speak "I didn't just learn about the Kyuubi. I guess I had figured that bit out a long time ago. The fox told me about my clan, and my parents and my heritage. I just want to know… why did I have to hear it from the fox and not from you?" The boy demanded while pointing an accusatory finger towards the Hokage.
Hiruzen sighed deeply as he rubbed the back of his neck, knowing that this day would have come sooner or later. "I see. There was a lot I wished to tell you Naruto-kun. But I didn't have the heart to do so. I originally intended to keep your identity a secret so you wouldn't have to fear reprisal from anyone still bearing a grudge against the Kyuubi. But a certain idiot leaked the information with the vain and futile hope you'd be hailed as a hero.
On top of that, both of your parents made many enemies inside and outside of Konoha, so I kept your full heritage a secret to protect you. I had intended to tell you when I thought you were older and were a fairly experienced ninja capable of defending yourself but… well… in the end I have done nothing but fail you time and again. I am sorry Naruto-kun. If I could turn back the clock and do things differently, I would do a better job in keeping you safe… no… I would have sacrificed myself to the Shinigami if it meant you had a chance at being with your parents." The Hokage spoke with some tears building in his eyes.
Naruto's eyes softened as he spoke "I believe you Jiji. Not even you can control everything that happens in your village. Hokage or not. I guess you tried your best, even with the bad hand you were dealt. The past can't be changed, but that's not going to stop me from charging on ahead and forging my own future. Which is why I gotta start training.
If I know anything, the Multiverse is vast. And there's going to be a lot of strong people, and not all of them will be good guys. That's why, if I wanna protect my friends and everyone and everything that matters, I need to become way stronger. You just wait Old man, someday I'll be a Legendary warrior that'll protect the Multiverse." The blonde promised with a cheeky grin. And for a brief moment, the Sandaime could see the images of both Minato and Kushina standing behind the boy.
He knew, that deep down… Naruto would indeed become a powerful Ninja.
Meanwhile.
Anko sat in her apartment as she munched on her favorite Dango as she blankly stared at her television screen. She wasn't really paying attention to what was happening on the screen as she kept on thinking about Naruto-kun. She couldn't help but wonder what he was up to nowadays.
She'd probably go and ask the Hokage if he knew where the boy was. She would very much like to treat him to dinner and hang out with him again. Kami knows she loved being with him… because well… she cared very deeply for him. Why? Well… that was a story for another day.
Her musing was interrupted by a knock at her door. Was it Naruto coming to finally visit? Or was it that damned Jiraiya trying to make false promises about her curse mark to get into her panties? If the latter, she would be sure to finally castrate the pervy bastard once and for all, Ninja headband and Will of Fire be damned.
She opened her door and found a strange girl with a fox mask standing in the doorway with a strange smile the Snake Mistress found a little unsettling. "What do you want?" Anko asked in a grumpy manner since she didn't like salespeople or religious spiel at her doorstep.
"Anko Mitarashi… representative of the Chariot Arcana. Nice to meet you." The girl greeted with a small curtsy. Chariot? Arcana? Sounded like something from one of those tarot things.
"This a sales pitch or something? Unless you're selling Dango, I am not interested in…" Anko spoke dismissively but was cut off when the fox masked girl tackled her to the floor and placed a hand on the nape of her neck, right where her damned Curse Mark was. Before she could protest, the Snake user felt white hot pain burning into her flesh as she could only silently scream and thrashed around on the floor.
"Shhh. Shh. No fussing now. This Mark has been holding you back for some time Chariot-san. I look forward to what's going to happen when your full potential is realized. Don't worry… the pain is only going to get worse long before it gets better." Ava spoke with a small smile. But Anko couldn't hear a word she was saying.
The only thing she could hear was the sound of her heart thundering inside of her chest as she saw nothing but red. And quite mercifully… she finally passed out sparing herself from the agonizing pain.
End Chapter Nine.
Next time: Naruto's training is finally underway with only ten days to prepare before Halibel carries out her threat. Can he beat the odds? And what happened with Anko Mitarashi? What is the significance of the Arcana and the Black Boxes? All this and more will be revealed in the future!