Naruto unnamed(Naruto/Negima crossover)

[KurokamiDG]

Well since I'm assuming this is beginning to mid training trip Naruto probably is like 5'1 or something right now

 

[thecuiy]

This is about five months after Naruto & Jiraiya left Konoha so Naruto is about 4'9. For this snippet I just expanded on the Naruto-Setsuna interaction after they leave the dean's office but I worry that I rushed it and that it might be better for me to stretch their 'conflict' out before their resolution. That being said, this was initially 600 words... then it... grew. Please forgive and point out any mistakes as I am suffering sleep deprivation via trying to fix my sleep schedule.

p.s: Gesshimayu-oji-san=rodent eyebrows old man

-0-0-

They walk through the streets of Mahora, back to their dorm room. Setsuna is silent. Naruto grum-bles about ‘perverted old bastards’ and ‘ridiculous rodent looking super eyebrows', at some point devolving into how he wouldn’t become a pervert like, apparently, just about every adult figure in his life.

“I don’t get it. How is living together even supposed to help us work together?!”

“It will allow us to get to know each other better.” He pauses, looking back as his new roommate speaks for the first time since they left the dean’s office.

“One of the most important aspects of teamwork is trust. After that it is simply reacting to each other’s queues and acting in tandem. The point of us living with each other is simply to build up trust."

"And the rest will follow.” Naruto sighs. Whether he likes it or not, it is true. Part of the reason he and Sasuke were able to work together so well was because they had already known each other for years from the academy.

Even if they hated each other's guts for a large part of that time.

She nods, moving past him and he silently watches her retreating back. Every step is rigid and pre-cise, her posture exuding formality.
Something he didn't notice before on account of being distract-ed by the situation at hand. Beginning to follow after the stoic girl, he murmurs under his breath.

“So oji-san wants us to get to know each other better huh..?"

The rest of the trip back to their dorm room is made in silence, Naruto following behind Setsuna. They come to a stop at their living quarters, Setsuna turning to face Naruto.

"If I may have a moment. I was expecting you later today and was in the process of cleaning up when you arrived."

"Uh, sure. Go ahead."

Setsuna disappears behind the door and Naruto leans back on the rail, placing his arms behind his head. Listing ways to get back at the dean and his depraved bastard of a sensei. A minute and a fairly sizable list later, a muffled voice sounds from behind the door.

"You can come in now."

Broken from his musings of vengeance, he pushes off, opening the door to his new place of resi-dence. Looking around the first thing that he notices is that it's fairly spartan. Organized. Much more so than his apartment or the living space he shared with Jiraiya for the last few months. Though that might just be because Setsuna had tidied up before his arrival.

There is a bunk bed in the corner, a table for eating and two desks for study. A few windows, a dresser, a storage space and a door near the back. All in all, the room is super clean and tidy.

The tall bag that Setsuna was carrying rests against one of the desks pilled with books and papers. "These rooms were designed for two students to share. However, due to extenuating circumstances, Konoemon-sama allowed me to have a room for myself."

"The top bunk is mine." she declares in a tone that brokers no argument. Then she motions to the door in the back. "That is the bathroom. There is a public bath for the dorms but I would ask that you exercise caution if you decide to use it."

His questioning look is ignored as she continues. "For dinner I can show you to where the cafeteria is. Our food is typically paid for in meal tickets. If the dean does not provide you any, I can lend you some of mine."

“Really? Thanks!” Maybe living with her wouldn’t be that bad. Dumping his scrolls on the empty desks, he stretches out on the bottom bunk. “So how long have you been working for Gesshimayu-oji-san?”

She frowns. “You shouldn’t call Konoemon-sama something so disrespectful, Uzumaki-san.”

“What? It’s true –ttebayo! Have you seen those things?!”

The corner of her lips twitch upward. “Be that as it may, you should not refer to him in such a way.”

“Fine, fine. I won’t call him that.” Naruto grumbles, sitting up on the bed. “So how long have you been working for the old guy? It sounds like you’ve known him for a while.”

“Indeed.” She says, taking a seat at the desk. “I have served the Konoe family since I was a child as Konoe Konoka-ojou-sama’s bodyguard.”

"Who?"

“Konoemon-sama’s granddaughter.”

“Oh...” Naruto’s mind conjures the image of what he believes the granddaughter of the elderly mage would look like. The elderly mage with a strangely shaped head, impossibly long ear lobes and eyebrows the size of rodents.

A shiver runs down his spine.

"S-so, what's in that package?" says Naruto, pointing to the tall, tube-like bag that rests against the pale girl's desk. Trying to take his mind off the horrendous image conjured by his twisted imagina-tion. "You always seem to be carrying it around..."

"My sword, Yuunagi." reaching over she unzips the top of the bag. Blue eyes widen as she pulls out a katana nearly as long as he is tall. "The blade passed down to me by Konoe Eishun-sama, Konoka-ojou-sama's father. I carry it in a bag as to be less conspicuous."

"Why don't you just keep it in a seal?"

"I was not aware you could use seals to store items." she says with a questioning look.

"I guess the kind of, uh, 'magic' me and my pervert of a sensei use are a little different from the typical Eastern and Western styles." he pulls back his sleeve to reveal the bandages on his wrist, shifting said bandages to reveal the ink design underneath. There a surge of ki, mixed with some other en-ergy she can't identify, followed by a muffled pop. A small black knife appears, Naruto grabbing it out of the air and twirling it into a reverse grip. "Ero-sennin taught me a bit about sealing to hide my weapons since we can't just walk around with weapon pouches like we could back home. The main thing our style of seals are used for are just summoning things placed something inside of them ahead of time, but if you get a little creative, you can get some pretty cool effects."

"Interesting..." the swordsmen says, having moved from her seat to get a closer look. ”I can under-stand the combat potential in such a technique. How does it work?"

"Well, the most important thing about sealing is having a strong 'base' to act as the gateway that maintains the conversion of mass to chakra. This particular base isn't very strong but I make up for it by having-"

The boy's eyes seem to sparkle as he explains how the pattern of ink on his wrist. It isn't very polite to ask her new coworker to explain his techniques without at least doing something in return for him. Maybe she could show him a few of her forms. Then again, her demon slaying sword techniques might not be compatible with his style of combat.

That is something they should address. She doesn't know very much about how the whiskered boy fights, and he probably doesn't know much about her style of combat either. A spar is in order, so that they can get a feel of each other's skill set. Though maybe in a few weeks, during a break. It wouldn't do to show up to class covered in cuts and or bruises, no matter how minor.

"-and poof! You don't even have to prepare your weapon or anything!"

She blinks. A moment passes and she realizes that she somehow tuned out her new roommate's en-tire lecture. A brilliant blush follows and she finds herself unable to meet his gaze, her embarrassment born from her own rudeness. Not from an inability to understand the most difficult of shinobi arts as Naruto believes.

The kunai is placed back on the seal, disappearing in a small plumb of smoke. Scratching the back of his head he chuckles at the blushing girl, attempting to ease her discomfort. "Don't worry about it if it’s too hard to understand. From what Ero-sennin told me Fuinjutsu is pretty difficult. I guess I have an affinity for it or something. If you want, I could just make a seal for you. So you don’t always have to carry your sword in that bag all the time.”

“That would be much appreciated.” She says, with a slight bow of her head, the flush on her cheeks receding. “If there is anything I can do to repay you, Uzumaki-san, please do not hesitate to ask.”

“Hmm… if you really want to do something for me then stop that.”

“Stop what, Uzumaki-san?”

“That!” arms cross over his chest, whiskered cheeks turning downwards in a scowl. “Just call me Naruto! Not Uzumaki-san! I hate stuffy honorifics like that! You don’t really need to since your letting me live with you and everything, but if you really want to repay me then don’t call me that!”

“Besides, the whole point of us living together is to get to know each other better, right? To become friends? We’re never going to get anywhere if you’re so uptight and formal.”

At first the girl is silent, her face molded into an unreadable, emotionless mask. A cold sweat breaks out on the back of his neck, the fear that he might have just burned the already shaky, unstable and rickety bridge that is their relationship gripping his heart. Then, like a sun rising over the horizon, a small smile pierces the veil of stoicism.

“Very well. That is acceptable… Naruto-san.”

He would swear that her smile grew just a little wider at the twitch in his eye.

-0-0-

P.S.S: have an awesome new years guys.

 

[Cosgrove]

Interesting story so far. I'm a bit curious as to how it will play out. About where are we in Negima's timeline right now? Good working on the character interaction, too.


As for the level of strength, even though I'm a bit late to the party, but by the time of the Valley of the End, Sasuke is at least as fast as Lee and Naruto is around the same speed gap. Honestly, if we take Naruto as several months into the training arc, he should be able to match most people in Negima right up until the magical world arc without Kurama's chakra with the exception of a few, who are established powerhouses. As is, I'm almost definite he should be able to be more than a match to anyone through the festival because from what I remember of Negima because for a good while it was more technique based over just pure strength in Negima, but it has been a while so maybe my knowledge is a little rusty.

And while I hate to use this analogy, Ku Fei would be to Naruto like Mr. Satan/Hercule compared to End of saiyan Saga goku- she's really good for a normal person, but he's literally superhuman.

 

[thecuiy]

I apologize to anyone that was actually interested in this story as mid-terms were, putting it lightly, a bitch. So much so that it more or less hard-wired my brain to the kind of absolute logic that is the bane of all writers. That being said, I am back and have, if everything looks good, what should more or less be the first chapter but I do worry that I made it too short.

As far as power levels go... well. That'll come as it will. Right now Naruto is a little bit weaker than Setsuna using ki. That being said, enjoy and please feel free to rip it apart.

-0-0-

'I always believed the true measure of a shinobi was not how he lives, but how he died…’

Muffled explosions rumble in the distance. The maddened roar of a beast sends tremors through his weakening body. Trees splinter like twigs. The ground trembles and the night sky weeps a crimson red. Three figures rampage in a forest near the borders of Hi no Kuni. Five tails rend the earth, malice overflowing from the mad beast. Yet even as the twisted effigy flails with enough power to reduce the land to ash, it finds itself nothing more than a mere distraction.

‘That it was not what they did in life, but what they did before dying that proved their worth.’

Blood and vile chakra, shaped into the mockery of claws, pass through them like they aren’t even there. Great stakes, made of wood and born of chakra pin it to the ground. A maddening roar, born of pure rage. The two figures brush it off as easily as one would dust off their shoulder, their attention focused solely on each other.

‘Thinking back on it, my story was one full of failures.’

A blur of motion. The form of one of the figures is thrown into and through a great tree, putting them in the reach of the mad beast. A paw raises and falls. The ground splinters with earth shattering force. Crushing nothing but soil and dirt. The cloaked figure already back on their feet, having seamlessly shifted position.

‘Tsunade turned me down every time... I couldn’t save my friend... I failed to protect my sensei and my student…’

Their movements defy rational thought. One slips through everything like a ghost, the other flickering like an image, appearing from one spot to another like a choppy video. Occasionally one will land a blow on the other and the beast will roar, fruitlessly lashing out. Stakes of wood soar through the air, beams of light meeting them midway. The resulting explosions are deafening and bubbles of black and white chakra saturate the air.

‘Compared with the great Hokage’s who came before me, my accomplishments were all petty and insignificant.’

They condense, swirling into an orb that draws the attention of both cloaked figures. One moves to strike. To put the beast down before it can do any more damage. The other moves to intercept, to stop the beast’s life from being ended before they can claim their prize.

‘I wanted to die like them.’

They clash and separate as several acres of Hi no Kuni disappear in a flash of light.

‘I had come to a “conclusion” about how my life would end a long time ago.’

With a mighty roar, the beast breaks free of its restraints. A sixth tail appears, wreathing the beast in a skeletal armor. Both figures appear once more, no worse for wear. One says some words. The other replies in a voice just as forceful and devoid of compromise. The beast falls upon them and is promptly blasted away by twin gouts of flame.

‘I lived believing my shortcomings were just amusing distractions! That my failures would build character! ‘

They decide they had enough of the mad beasts rampaging. A thunderous explosion strips it of its protection. They fall upon it like wolves on a wounded deer, beating it into submission. Flames burns, boiling the flesh and blood hidden beneath. Wood pierces, stripping the beast of its protection. Soon there is no longer a beast but a bloodied and unmoving boy.

‘And in return…’

Something breaks inside him. Breaking in such a way to perfectly snap into place. The image before him, his student, his godson, bloodied and broken, about to be killed right before his eyes. Still refusing to give up, even as he glares at his impending doom. A dying flame becomes a raging inferno. The abyss recedes and weakness fades. Gritting his teeth he achieves a perfect stillness, drinking greedily from the power of the world around him. The two figures exchange words once more for a final time, finding they are unable to reach a compromise.

‘After all those losses and mistakes, I would be granted one last final adventure… and die a death befitting of a true shinobi!'

They both lunge at the boy as he struggles, impotently on the ground. One to deliver the death blow. One to take the boy and extract the power within him. At the same time he makes his move, mixing the power of nature with his own and creating a miracle from sheer desperation. A perfect form, near unrecognizable with the blood that covers him like a second skin. It is just enough and his hand wraps around an ankle as the two cloaked figures activate their respective techniques. Space and time fold in on each other and a blinding light swallows their world.

‘I had thought that day was my end… the conclusion of the tale of a pitiful failure. But it was not an end… only a new beginning.’

-0-0-

It is a typical summer’s day in Mahora. The students that opted to not go home for break spend time with their friends, chatting as they tour the districts of the massive academy. The sun sits triumphantly at its apex, casts warm rays over the academy grounds. Clouds of cotton roll across the blue sky, aimlessly drifting where the wind happens takes them. Birds chirp, dancing along the sky in rhythm with their song. And a small army of identical, orange-wearing blonds pummel each other in a free for all.

All is right in Mahora.

Hands tucked into his pockets, Takahata T. Takamichi strolls through a heavily forested area on the outskirts of the school district, smoke drifting from the cigar hanging lazily between his lips. Beige suit. White hair and stubble. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reaches his ears and he steps into a large clearing.

“Take this!”

“Orah!”

“Stop ganging up on me!”

Had he not already seen it many times before, the bespectacled teacher might have been stunned. Hundreds of blond boy’s, all identical in every way, shape and form. All engaged in what appears to be a free-for-all slugfest. A single solid blow causes the clones to vanish in plumbs of smoke while the rest continue to battle without a care. It is almost impressive. A few weeks ago the sight in front of him appeared to be nothing more than a brawl, the copies haphazardly punching and kicking at each other. Now they had some semblance of form. Of technique. Their movements sharp, carrying the force of proper blows behind them.

“Yo, Takamichi.”

The mage never would have noticed him had the man not spoken up. A red vest, a leaf green male kimono, impossibly long white hair tied into a ponytail and an enormous frame paints the image of the man that sits cross-legged at the base of a tree.

“Jiraiya-san.” Takamichi greets in turn. "The dean says he has no problem with the way you plan on repaying the money he loaned you... even though he never asked you to repay it in the first place. I feel I must ask why you decided to repay your debts this way instead of just using the money from your books."

An indifferent shrug answers the man's disapproving frown.

“It’s the only way to get the kid to stay here while I go sniffing around for some answers. If I took him with me, everyone and everything would hear and see us from a mile away."

A snort. Takamichi wouldn’t doubt it. He liked the boy in a ‘bratty younger brother’ sort of way but Naruto has a way of getting on the nerves of anyone around him. Even him.

Especially with his stupid nicknames.

"This way is better." Jiraiya says, the two of them watching as the hoard of identical orange clad blonds dwindle down to a mere three. A covering of bruises marks the real one, as unlike the clones, the real body wouldn’t dispel from a single solid hit.

"Konoemon won’t work him too hard and I’ll be able to pay off the rest of our ‘debt’ once I find something that'll take us back. Besides, the boy needs to take a break. I've been pushing him hard these past two months. I expected him to drop from exhaustion weeks ago.“

A battle cry erupts across the clearing and the utterly battered orange clad boy and his two clone charge, fists cocked back. The resulting triple cross counter causes both adults to wince as the clones vanish into smoke and the blond boy falls to the ground with a dull thump.

They say nothing as silence echoes in the clearing. In the end, it is Takamichi who breaks the silence.

"So who’s going to tell him that you basically sold him to the dean as an indentured servant?"

"Tell him? I was planning on leaving a note after I left."

-0-0-

“Hey, brat, time to get up! And hurry your ass, we got things to take care of today!”

The booming voice seems to echo through the small, two bedroom apartment, forcibly rousing Naruto from his rest. Blue eyes warily blink open. A groan follow. Typically, a single night’s rest was enough for him to feel good as new the next day. Yet his entire body still aches like a sore muscle and his chakra circulatory system feels as though it’s had molten lava poured through it. The perverted Sannin really kicked his training up a notch after they ended up in this place.

After that four-way brawl that nearly killed the two of them and threw them so far away from home.

The memory of that night is enough to clear away the rest of the whiskered boy’s drowsiness. Never before had he felt so weak. So powerless. Even the limitless power of the Kyubi was lain low. He rolls out of bed onto his feet, shuffling across the room and out the door, making his way to the bathroom. If he didn’t, Jiraiya would soon be along to pluck him out from underneath his warm sheets and toss him into a freezing shower. It was tempting to just allow the man to do that, if only so that he wouldn’t have to move, but if he went to the shower himself he could at least give it a minute to warm up.

He turns the shower on, letting the water run and moving to brush his teeth. Steam begins to cloud the mirror and he spits, throws his pajamas to the side and steps into the shower. The hot water seems to drain the tension and exhaustion from his muscles and he lets out a sigh.

It’s been four months since he left Konoha. Two months since he and Jiraiya were ambushed by those mysterious cloaked figures and two months since they found themselves stranded in this brand new world.

Stranded with no way of getting home.

But that didn’t changed anything. He hadn’t changed and if there is one thing Uzumaki Naruto wouldn’t do, it’s give up. If there’s a way home he would find it. If there isn’t a way home then he would just make a way home. And he still needs to train. To get stronger. Strong enough to bring Sasuke back and kick Akatsuki’s ass. And in the last two months, with Jiraiya’s new sense of urgency, he’s gotten stronger, progressing by leaps and bounds.

He still couldn’t make a Rasengan with only one hand though…

He cuts off the water, grabbing a towel to dry himself off. Going to his room he gets dressed, putting on his typical orange outfit, frowning at the numerous rips and tears in the fabric. It would need to be replaced soon. Entering the living room he ties his headband on, perking an eyebrow at the sight of his sensei, the man’s typical attire exchanged for a pale green suit, his hair cut short and the tear marks gone from his face.

“What the hell?!”

The man rolls his eyes, fixing his red tie. “It’s just a genjutsu brat. Can’t walk around looking like I usually do today. Get a move on, I wanna get some training in before we meet with Konoemon. We can get something to eat along the way.”

“Gesshimaru-oji-san? What do we need to meet with him for?”

“Eh, don’t worry about it too much.” Jiraiya smirks at Naruto. He does not like that smirk. It is a scheming smirk with an undertone of perversion, something that sends shivers racing down the young Jinchuriki’s spine.

“Let’s just say your life is about to get a lot more interesting.”

-0-0-

"WHAT?! You no-good, perverted, shitty, old sack of-“

The cry of disbelief fills in the dean's office, followed by a string of curses that no boy Naruto's age has the right to know.
Takamichi looks away with a sweat drop, one arm holding the collar of the flailing Naruto. Stopping the boy from his attempts to inflict grievous bodily injury to his sensei.

"It's not that bad!" Jiraiya holds his hands up, a mocking grin playing across his lips. "Just think of it as a really long series of D-ranked missions where you don't get paid!"

"%@#$!!!!"

The boy stops, body going limp as his hair casts an ominous shadow over his eyes. The three adults in the room look at each other in worry. A ripping sound is followed by an animalistic roar, Naruto tackling Jiraiya through the wall, his eyes flashing red. Takamichi looks, slowly, from the torn piece of the back of Naruto’s orange jacket to the hole in the dean’s office before sighing and bringing his other hand out of his pocket to rest firmly on his face.

“Hohoho, quite energetic aren’t they?”

“Sometimes it’s like watching an older Jack mentoring a younger Nagi. Though, thankfully, less destructive.”

“Less destructive?”

“If a situation like that were to actually occur, Mahora wouldn’t still be here.”

Takamichi, without removing his palm, steps to the side, just in time for a green and white blur to clash into the book shelf. Snarling, Naruto appears, a spiraling orange orb of destruction held in his right hand. He lunges at Jiraiya only for the man to twist, grabbing Naruto’s wrist and forcing the orb into the wall. The sphere of death blasts through the reinforced wood like wet paper. Naruto claws at Jiraiya, and the man kicks his apprentice through the newly formed hole, quickly following after.

“Shouldn’t we… I don’t know… stop them before someone hears or sees them?”

“I figured Naruto-kun would have a reaction like this, Takamichi-kun. The buildings already been evacuate and seals placed.”

“UZUMAKI NARUTO RENDAN!”

The ceiling explodes inward, Jiraiya falling through and crashing onto the table. Eyes widen moments before an orange meteor crashes
into him, forcing both into the floors below. Takamichi looks down the hole for almost a minute as the sounds of Naruto and Jiraiya fighting shake the building. Another sigh.

“And Naruto wasn’t supposed to stress his body today. So much for relaxing.”

-0-0-

The last call for the train echoes over the platform. The dean could not be there, so Takamichi is there in his place. The tattered remnants of his trusty orange jacket have been discarded, replaced by a covering of bandages from head to toe and a fishnet t-shirt. Arms crossed over his chest, Naruto glares death at Jiraiya behind the windows, the man waving with a cheeky grin. Takamichi sweat drops. A whistle sounds and the train takes off, quickly disappearing into the distance.

A sigh. “Hey, Takamegane, could I room with you for a bit? The apartment I lived at with Ero-sennin was being paid for by the dean and I don’t really want to rack up anymore debt.”

A twitch. He puts on a rather tight smile at hearing the whiskered boy’s nickname for him. When they first met, Naruto couldn’t remember for the life of him, between Takamichi and Takahata, which was his surname and which his family name. In the end, the whiskered boy simply took the first part of both names and slapped on the slang term for one who wore glasses.

Thus, Taka-megane was born.

“Actually Jiraiya-san and the dean already worked something out for you.”

Blue eyes blink. Look up skeptically at the bespectacled teacher. “They did?”

“You’ll be living with another in the service of the Konoe family in the student dorms.” The smile grows, “Actually, I think the two of you might get along pretty well.”

“Really?” The two turn to leave, walking alongside each other. Naruto’s whisker marks, bright hair and bandages drawing stares left and right. Stares he ignores with a practiced indifference.

Takamichi nods. “I’ll show you to your new living arrangements but there are some things we need to take care of first.”

A small flame flickers to life with a click of the lighter, igniting the end of the cigar that hangs between his lips.

“First we need to get you acquainted with the area. More than likely Konoemon-sama will just have you run errands unless something important comes up. After that we need to go shopping. Towels, soap, a tooth brush and a new set of cloths.”

Naruto blinks. Looks down, noticing for the first time the ragged state of his cloths. His pants are covered in tears and even his fishnet shirt that he wore under his jacket has quite a few holes in it. He frowns. He really would need to get some new cloths. Preferably something with orange. There is a guttural rumbling and he grabs his stomach in embarrassment, chuckling sheepishly. Letting out a chuckle of his own, Takamichi smiles.

“Though I guess we can get something to eat first. Is there anything you want? My treat.”

-0-0-

Twelve bowls of ramen later find one satisfied Naruto and one slightly despairing Takamichi at a clothing store, the teacher giving the boy a small sum of money to buy himself some new cloths, if only to help the boy appear more inconspicuous. Orange seemed to be the color the whiskered boy favors most, choosing most of his clothing in such a fashion.

The rest of the afternoon goes by fairly quickly. The two make their rounds, stopping to buy whatever Naruto might need. They talked, Takamichi lecturing Naruto about magic and the things he needs to know about this world.

“So… the magic of you guys use is the energy of the world around us and ki is the physical energies of the body that any experienced fighter can learn to harness.”

The train is relatively empty, only the odd few running last minute errands the day before the start of school. The sun has just begun its fall from the sky, shining its light upon the whole of Mahora with not a cloud in sight.

His torn up shirt and pants have been replaced by an orange hoodie and black pants, orange strips running down the sides. His bandages have been discarded, the minor wounds from his scuffle with Jiraiya long healed. The headband bearing the symbol is his village rests in his pocket, a scroll containing his bags in his other pocket and the green gem of the Shodai's necklace hanging on his chest.

"That’s right." Takamichi nods. “But remember, it’s not uncommon for some mages to use ki nor for fighters who aren’t mages themselves to receive magic power from an outside source. I myself use magic and ki to empower myself.”

Naruto blinks. Once. Twice. And shoulders slump, his head dropping.

“Ok, you lost me.” He moans, not having the energy to explode like he usually would. “This stuff is way too complicated.”

The older man chuckles as the train begins to slow. “Don’t worry too much about it. I’ll show you what I mean later. From what Jiraiya-san told me, that’ll probably help you understand a lot better.”

The train jerks to a stop, the conductor announcing they have arrived. They stand, exit the train and continue on their way.
“This is where you’ll be living.” They approach a massive six story complex. “For the most part, the dormitory is meant to house students, but the dean was able to make an exception.”

Ascending the stairs, Takamichi stops at one of the doors. Curiously Naruto glances at the nameplate.

'Sakurazaki Setsuna'

"Setsuna-kun should have been notified by Konoemon-sama. If anything comes up-“ Takamichi pauses. Two months was enough time for him to get to know the orange wearing ninja quite well. And if there is one thing he knows about Uzumaki Naruto…

A hand comes to rest on Naruto’s shoulder. “On second thought, let me talk to Setsuna-kun first.”

Still holding onto the boy, he raps the door with his knuckles. There is muffled movements behind the door and it opens to reveal a feminine face, standing a few centimeters taller than him. Brown eyes, pale skin and black hair tied into a side ponytail, he idly notes the long, tube-like bag strapped to her back. A single black eyebrow perks.

“Takahata-sensei. How can I help you?”

Naruto blinks. Blue eyes to roam from the sharp brown eyes, to the school uniform, to the skirt and legs and back up. Not out of perversion but for an entirely different reason.

“Good afternoon Setsuna-kun. This is Uzumaki Naruto. I just wanted to introduce you to your new roommate and make sure there aren’t any complications.”

When Naruto was told he would be living with someone, he assumed it would be a boy for the simple reason that most would say that it’s inappropriate for boys and girls to be living together at his age. That belief was enforced when Takamichi referred to his roommate as ‘Setsuna-kun’. While Setsuna is a fairly gender ambiguous name, -kun is typically used to refer to males. So one could not blame Naruto for assuming his roommate to be a male.

“Ah, yes.” Brown eyes turn on him. A slight bow of the waist, hand extended in a gesture of civility. “Sakurazaki Setsuna. I believe we will be working together for the foreseeable future. It is nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san.”

The person standing in front of him, the person who most likely is the one Konoemon and Jiraiya arranged for him to live with, most definitely appears to be female. The gears in his head begin to turn on dilapidated, rust covered hinges, trying to consolidate the idea of his ‘male’ roommate with the image before him and failing miserably.

The memory of a certain far too feminine boy drifts to the forefront of his mind and the seeds of ruin begin to bloom.

A second passes in silence. And another. And another. Takamichi looks at Naruto, alarm bells blaring in his head at the wide, unthinking stare. A blink. Blue eyes squint, arms crossing over his chest and Naruto leans in with a frown.

“Uzumaki-san?”

If he hears Setsuna or how uncomfortable she is, he makes no indication of it. Another moment passes. And then with the tact of an out of control bulldozer plowing through a convenient store, he asks.

“Are you a boy?”

-0-0-

It is thanks to Jiraiya’s seals and just a touch of magic, the building is good as new. As though two super human ninja’s hadn’t spent the better half of the morning trying to inflict grievous bodily injury on one another. Seated comfortably behind his desk, Konoe Konoemon is in nirvana. The paperwork is done, both for the mundane and the magical, and he is enjoying the latest fruits of Jiraiya’s labor. There is a frantic banging on his door and Konoemon looks up from his Icha Icha. Of course he knows who his visitors are. He’s been expecting it since he first arranged it with Jiraiya. Slipping his precious book away he folds his hands over his desk, for all appearance looking to be the veritable old wizard that he is.

“Come in.”

The door slams open. Loudly. But what follows is even louder.

“Oi, what in the hell oji-san?! Why’d you arrange for me to live with a girl?!”

“Good afternoon to you as well, Naruto-kun.” Konoemon turns from the whiskered boy to the dark haired swordsman and teacher behind him, both following at a slightly more sedate pace. “I’m assuming you here for a similar reason Setsuna-chan?”

She nods, somehow managing to convey all her annoyance and frustration with the single motion. Turning, Konoemon perks a hairy, bushy eyebrow at the man whose palm is firmly affixed to his face.

“Long day?

“The first four words out his mouth after meeting her were, ‘Are you a boy’. Seriously. Just, 'Are you a boy'.”

“Hey!" A finger jabs at the teacher in protest. In accusation. "You're the one that made it sound like Setsuna was a guy when you called her Setsuna-kun! Even I know that -kun is normally used for boys! I'm not good with manly girls and girly men damn it!"

All those in the room give the fuming boy a judging look. “Don’t look at me like that! You don’t know what I know! You haven’t seen what I’ve seen!”

He knows what Naruto is talking about. Judging from his expression, Takamichi does too. It is only Setsuna who glances around curiously, probably wondering just what in the hell the whiskered boy is talking about. And for good reason.

“What's the issue Naruto-kun?" asks Konoemon, so obviously amused. "Most boy's your age would be more than glad for the chance to live with a cute girl."

“THAT’S NOT THE PROBLEM HERE!”

“Haah~” A sigh. Stippling his fingers, he turns to both of the young warriors in turn. “Naruto-kun. Setsuna-chan. Why do you think I arranged for the two of you to live together?”

“Cause you’re a perverted geezer.” Naruto deadpans. Setsuna coughs and looks to the side. A cough that more or less says, ‘I’m not rude enough to actually say it out loud but yes, basically what he said’.

“True, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Konoemon turns to the boy who looks about ten seconds from trying to shave off one of his eyebrows. Again. “The reason I put you to together is teamwork.”

“Teamwork.”

“Yes, teamwork.”

It is the utter flatness of Naruto’s stare that tells Konoemon just how much the whiskered boy believes him. Yet it is the pale skinned hanyou is the first to vocalize her thoughts. “With all due respect Konoemon-sama, I am more than capable of handling any situation involving Konoka-ojou-sama myself.”

Naruto leans towards Takamichi. “Konoka-ojou-sama? Who’s that?”

“The dean’s granddaughter. I think she’s about your age, actually. Setsuna-kun has been her bodyguard since they were little.”

“Gesshimayu-oji-san’s granddaughter..?” murmurs Naruto under his breath, his mind conjuring the image of what he thinks the granddaughter of the elderly mage looks like. The elderly mage with a misshapen head, impossibly long earlobes and eyebrows that
Naruto is quite certain are, in fact, furry, white rats that the dean took and glued to his forehead.

The orange clad ninja lets out a visible shiver. “Creepy.”

Setsuna turns and pins him with a glare. An actual glare instead of just irritably staring at him. Naruto blinks. “What? That pissed you off?! I ask you if you’re a guy and you just look at me like I’m an idiot but I say one word about this ‘Konoka’ and then you get angry? What in the hell?!”

She says nothing, instead turning back to Konoemon, the old mage appearing more entertained than anything. “There is no need for there to be any kind of trust between us. As you can see, this fool is obviously unfit to be anything except an errand boy.”

“Hey!”

“Now, now Setsuna-kun.” Takamichi says, stepping between the two enraged teenagers. “While Naruto-kun may not be the most… intelligent of individuals-“

“HEY!!”

“- he has a good heart and is more than capable of taking care of himself when and if the need arises.”

“That’s right! I could totally kick your ass in a fight!”

Slowly, almost like a statue, Setsuna turns on Naruto with narrowed eyes. “Is that so?”

"Damn it, Naruto." That’s Takamichi.

“Hohoho…” Interesting. It’s probably irresponsible of him to encourage this both as the dean and a(moderately) responsible adult. Very irresponsible. Still, this would probably be best for the two of them. “How about this. Naruto-kun. Setsuna-chan.”

Both turn to him whilst somehow simultaneously glaring at each other. Trapped between them, Takamichi sighs, something the teacher has been doing a lot recent.

“Setsuna-chan, you want an accurate gauge of Naruto-kun’s abilities. And Naruto-kun… well, I’m sure you’d love a chance to have a swing at Setsuna-chan.”

Two nods. “Then here is what I propose. A spar. However not today, not tomorrow but in one week at the Mahora Martial Arts Ring. Train, prepare, do whatever you wish until then, but be sure to be there in one week’s time at midday. You are free to decide the terms and conditions for yourself in the meantime as the two of you will be living together. This is not my word as the dean but as the head of the Konoe family.”

They grumble. They sulk. But neither make any move to protest. Setsuna because she is loyal to his family and Naruto because he knows that if he does, Konoemon would destroy him through superior brainpower.

The contrast before him is so very extreme that it is amusing. Blond, messy hair, unbound and free, and black, straight hair, arranged into a tidy ponytail. Wide blue eyes and sharp brown eyes. Bright and cheerful, and serious and focused. Boy and girl. Ninja and samurai. Honestly, the elderly mage is unsure how they could be any more different. On the outside at least. Yet that is part of the old man’s plan. His hope and prayer that they will be able to work together and realize as for all their differences, they are remarkably similar. Past trauma’s and scars, buried but not forgotten.

The dean knows about the Kyubi. Of course, Jiraiya told them about it(as well as many other things) as such information wasn’t something you kept to yourself until it was too late. And from the knowledge that the beast inside the orange clad ninja’s belly is the very one that nearly destroyed the boy’s home village the day he was born, it wasn’t very hard to connect the dots. To understand why he acts out the way he does.

Both shunned because of something beyond their control. Both made outcasts from birth. It is enough to make the dean wonder, if Naruto had been cast out, if Setsuna had been too much of a military asset to let go, if the scene before him would have eventually come to pass once more in a completely different way.

Assuming Naruto still managed to find his way into their world again of course.

“Well then, that’s that.” Konoemon concludes with an air of finality and a happy smile. “Both of you make sure to get a good night’s rest! Tomorrow is the first day of school, Setsuna-chan and for you Naruto-kun, I already have some jobs lined up.”

Two groans. Naruto glares. Stomps out of the door, Setsuna and Takamichi following behind him. Konoemon leans back as the door closes behind them, retrieving his Icha Icha from its hiding place. Pointedly ignoring the cries and shouts coming from the hallway that are most certainly Naruto’s. For all they hate each other at the moment, the elderly mage is certain Naruto and Setsuna will become great friends. After all, opposites attract.

Right?

 

[KurokamiDG]

...Naruto's gonna be weaker using ki because he can't use it.

Unless he learned how to separate the two energies in the few months that he's been around Mahora, I honestly doubt that he would be using any kind of ki attack.

But still, in terms of a fight between Naruto and Setsuna right now, Naruto would win if only because he's tank and the fact that he has a lot more practical experience in fighting than Setsuna at this point.

Setsuna is definitely more skilled than Naruto, but Naruto has too much on Sestuna for her to actually pull a win out of her ass at this point.

 

[Cosgrove]

As far as power levels go... well. That'll come as it will. Right now Naruto is a little bit weaker than Setsuna using ki. That being said, enjoy and please feel free to rip it apart.

Do you mean Chakra? Because that's what Naruto, Jiraiya and all of them use in Naruto.

I'm sorry, and I hate to be that guy, but you're telling me Naruto who's around his training trip with Jiraiya is weaker than pre-magical world or even pre-series Setsuna? I really would like to know the justification for this if you don't mind. I know Setsuna is strong with her sword skills, but without doing some sort of outright balancing act outta nowhere, like 'for some reason chakra is loss potent in mahora' I don't buy it. And Naruto has beaten both Neji and matched Sasuke, the later being someone who can foresee his opponents moves and both are skilled fighters so the level of skill shouldn't even come into it and neither should Setsuna's ability to use Ki to bolster herself because that is the most basic standard option for chakra which also allows for different ways of attack thanks to the abilities to stand on roofs/walls/water which can add a new entire level of tactics into a fight.

And as a note- when Naruto used the Rasengan on Jiraiya- indoors- Jiraiya should have shut that down but moreover Naurto isn't stupid enough to have done that. Rasengan's powers- as the damage is more done to what's hit on the other side of the orb if you remember the watertower scene and Kakashi's warning of how dangerous the techniques were to use around comrades after they almost killed Sakura. He used it on Sasuke, yeah, but that was to counter Saskue's Chidori. It is a really, really destructive technique that isn't to be used around allies or things you don't want absolutely wrecked and I cannot emphasize that enough. So that's why that seems entirely out of place that Naruto would do that. Attempt to flat out hit Jiraiya? Sure. But not the rasengan.

Also, Naruto going full Kyuubi that easily was something that didn't even happen in series, so for him to go hair trigger Kyuubi chakra on Jiraiya, especially if the 4tails incident happened, doesn't make sense. Naruto post time skip is someone who makes sure he has a handle on the kyuubi's chakra because of it being so easy to surface after that event. So for him to go berserker like that and Jiraiya not to be concerned and it not being a bit deal is a really big issue because the easier naruto can be influenced by the nine-tails, the weaker the seal is. And Jiraiya is the only one who can fix the seal any, so if naruto's going off on that much of a hair trigger that's a really big issue and I don't see him leaving Naruto alone in such a risky situation.

 

[thecuiy]

Hmm, it looks like the way I said it really messed people up. To be more clear Setsuna with ki is stronger in terms of raw attack power than Naruto(not using Kyubi).

The reason I believe that Setsuna is stronger than Naruto is because when I look at a match up I tend to look at their tools and abilities rather than raw power(again I suck at transitioning power levels). Between her AOE ki attack and big-ass sword, Setsuna would be able to easily deal with Naruto's clones and keep him at a range where he couldn't hit her with a Rasengan. It's like Kuro said, while Setsuna is more skilled, Naruto would be able to outlast her and trick her into a win. But again I'm not very good at power levels and am currently going back through both manga's just to be sure.

Naruto going full Kyubi didn't happen all at once. What I put was the tail end of the fight where Naruto goes six-tails. The manga isn't very clear on when Jiraiya tried to loosen the seal and Naruto went four-tails, but in my mind it is after they are attacked in here. A brief summary that doesn't spoil too much: Naruto freaks out at Jiraiya getting taken down, goes one-tail and things escalate from there. Jiraiya more or less checked and made sure the seal was safe over the two months that they are in the Negima-verse.

That begin said, I am going back over it because I feel like Jiraiya's departure is too abrupt and makes things very vague. I'm writing a scene with Jiraiya that is more or less an info dump and am going to go over the chapter before I post it again, so hopefully I was/will be able to address your concerns.

 

[KurokamiDG]

That's the thing...Setsuna with ki can do much more with ki attacks than Naruto since at this point Naruto only knows two offensive jutsu.

But in raw power Naruto trumps Setsuna. He is really strong, but lacks the skill and variety of moves that Setsuna has.

That doesn't mean anything really, since Naruto still can beat her as long as he knows that 'long swords are bad' and to avoid any of her stronger attacks.

 

[Cosgrove]

I think maybe you mean Setsuna is more skilled or has more techniques than Naruto, which as Kurokami has said- well yeah. Two attacks. But again, Naruto is able to overcome unbeatable techniques of people with unfair advantages. He was able to beat up Gaara by sheer clone barrage and he's fast enough that he should be able to dodge Setsuna. Even with Ki, I'd still be giving the strength and speed to Naruto. Remember, Sasuke is after the chuunin exams as fast as weight-less Lee who is fast as shit and Naruto can match him on speed pretty much by VotE.

Also, Naruto only went 6-tails+ against Pain. When he was training with Jiraiya, the incident that caused him to go 4-tails was Jiraiya loosening the seal and the moment the 4th tail hit Naruto was out and a mindless beast.

But no, what I meant more was the scene where Naruto is being told Jiraiya is leaving and pulls on Kyuubi chakra and uses rasengan around other people. Firstly, Naruto should know better than to use it around carelessly and indoors and secondly Naruto was Kyuubi-chakra juiced in seconds at being upset. In canon, Yamato (and Kakashi with the seal Jiraiya made) is there to keep Naruto in check so he can do stuff he needs to, but if Naruto's been drawing on kyyubi chakra THAT easily to the point he's using deadly force on Jiraiya indoors and around other people when he's slightly pissed, the seal's even weaker than in canon and I can't see Jiraiya leaving Naruto with no other person able to suppress it if he gets mad enough and this is a school full of children. And nobody else can use chakra, so Jiraiya is literally the only one who can suppress the kyuubi here.

I'd either recommend changing it to there being no Kyuubi risk if naruto gets upset to justify Jiraiya not being there, or keep Jiraiya around because if the seal's weak there's no real way for you to justify him leaving Naruto at a school of innocent children when he's a literal ticking time bomb of absolute carnage without anyone to stop him. I don't really even understand why you ARE writing Jiraiya out of the story in a situation where he'd either stay with Naruto or take him with him considering the Kyuubi Risk- which if the 4tails situation has happened and he fucked up Jiraiya I can't see either of them risking it considering how stressed it was in Naruto post time skip that if Naruto's going Kyuubi that somebody shut him down post haste- with either the chakra seals Jiraiya made- which are made for chakra using shinobi use- or Yamato's wood release and if Jiraiya's not there, there's nothing to stop it.

Actually, him facing Setsuna if he's got such a hair trigger kyuubi chakra emergence would be absolutely stupid considering the risk he'd get upset, go kyuubi and lose his shit.

Edit: and if Jiraiya HASN'T loosened the seal, Naruto would not have gone multi-tailed. He literally pulled out one tail at death's door and he also wouldn't be going kyuubi-chakra filled so easily- being more animalistic with red eyes when in major emotional distress and in a fight? Sure. But Naruto only went Kyuubi-mode on the fly after the seal was loosened because... the seal was looser.

Also, Naruto wouldn't use rasengan on Setsuna. Its a killing technique, if you remember how Kakashi got on his and Sasuke's asses for using them on each other. He had to use it against Sasuke to match chidori at VotE-each time he uses it is when Sasuke pulls out the chidori, but he wouldn't use it on a comrade after that talk. Which brings up another point- if Jiraiya and Naruto are on their own and in a new world and Jiraiya's beeen working on really teaching Naruto, why wouldn't Naruto have more techniques? In canon it was upping his skills and working on the kyuubi chakra and he's be safe from akatsuki in konoha, but if they're in a literally different world why would Jiraiya not be teaching every thing he knows to keep himself alive to Naruto if there's seemingly no way for them to return to their world at the moment? Especially if he planned to leave Naruto alone- which again entirely is insane considering that it seems like the seal was loosened and Naruto's a, as I've said before, hair-trigger away from going on a rampage on a school campus with hundreds of innocent children.

 

[thecuiy]

I was more thinking Setsuna's skills and style of attack countered Naruto's pretty well. Her aoe(don't feel like typing the name out) would be able to one-shot all of his clones and she would have the advantage in one on one combat with her sword. Like you guys said, Naruto has more raw speed/power but Setsuna is that much more skilled than him as well.

The part in the dean's office has actually been toned down, ie confined to the room and no Kyubi chakra/Rasengan. Something I also added onto the revised version(I should be able to put it up soontm) was that Naruto is more or less forbidden to use the Kyubi's chakra unless its life or death which ties into why I toned down Naruto fighting Jiraiya in the dean's office. The reason Jiraiya is leaving is to set up some stuff for later in the fic but he'll be back soon. As far as the Negima-timeline goes, we are at the start of 2-A's school year, about half a year before Negi gets there(I'm going off the timeline on tvtropes since its the most accurate timeline I've seen). Jiraiya will be back in a few months for something but I won't spoil that yet.

But for the first part, you think it would be better for Naruto to just be completely taken out of the fight instead of being berserk?

 

[Yorae Rasante]

I doubt she is that much more skilled, from what I remember (been a while since I read Negima), she is fast for a normal person, yes, but chunin-exam Neji is also, I believe even more, and not only Naruto defeated Neji, this is Naruto after VotE AND two months of exclusive Jiraiya training.
You may claim Naruto defeated Neji through outsmarting him rather than skill, but so would he Setsuna even if she really is more skilled. And I could still claim over four months of extra training after the Neji fight.

I personally didn't see the problem with Naruto going six tails, I mean, he was six tails against two Akatsuki members (I suppose, you made it seem like they were from different organizations) and losing, I took it as meaning he went desperate and sucked more and more fox chakra until he went berserk and kept drawing more as he needed more. You'd need to make it clearer if that is right though.

 

[KurokamiDG]

When I say skilled, I mean she has the formal training that Naruto never got. And she has a good variety of attacks compared to Naruto who only has two.

But that still doesn't mean shit since at this point, Naruto can kick her ass without too many difficulties.

 

[Yorae Rasante]

Naruto has two?
Are you counting Kage Bunshin? I ount it as support and can only think of Rasengan and good old taijutsu as actual attacks.

 

[TC_Hazard]

When I say skilled, I mean she has the formal training that Naruto never got. And she has a good variety of attacks compared to Naruto who only has two.

This one is kind of fanon.

In canon, taijutsu is the one thing Naruto was good at back at the Academy.

I think we even have a thread with everyone's Academy Grades around here.

 

[Yorae Rasante]

even if it was, he did spend two months training with Jiraiya in Mahora, plus however long they were training before the incident.

 

[KurokamiDG]

When I say skilled, I mean she has the formal training that Naruto never got. And she has a good variety of attacks compared to Naruto who only has two.

This one is kind of fanon.

In canon, taijutsu is the one thing Naruto was good at back at the Academy.

I think we even have a thread with everyone's Academy Grades around here.

I meant that Naruto was more of a brawler than anything else. Did not mean to invoke any fanon interpretations, honestly.

And imo, the main reason he was good at it was because he's a stamina monster.

 

[Cosgrove]

I still have to return to my question of: was the seal loosened? No, more than that even if it wasn't if Naruto went 6tails somehow the result would be it being as loose as in canon. Which comes bac to my point- telling Naruto not todraw on the Kyuubi consciously is all well and good but he really doesn't have control of that if he gets overly emotional-- it'll come out anyway without him even trying. Which brings back the point that if there's nobody who can shut Naruto and surpress the kyuubi chakra down other than him, becuse I'm pretty sure attacking him to knock him out will only make the transformation worse, unless Jiraiya managed to while training Naruto and getting used to the new world make a seal that works without chakra and with an entire different series of energy entirely, then it makes no sense that Jiraiya woud leave him alone, let alone at a school of innocent civilian children

 

[thecuiy]

I was going to try to finish going over the chapter by the end of this weekend and posting it about now but that's not going to happen so I'll put up some of my thoughts now.

Having gone back to the Naruto v Sasuke fight and considering the training I had in mind for what Jiraiya and Naruto did over the two months they were in the Negimaverse, yeah. Naruto would beat Setsuna easily. Naruto doesn't know himself but Jiraiya has been abusing the Kage Bunshin training method. ie he knows he's learning a bunch of stuff really fast but doesn't understand why.

What happened with Naruto was basically what Loki said. Naruto began to draw on more and more power from the Kyubi in desperation until it overwhelmed him. Hopefully that has been made more clear in the new chapter. And while Jiraiya can't summon toads, he still has the key to the seal. It's just a matter of using it to tighten the seal and making sure Naruto has control over himself(at least I think its that simple. Again, I am cutting out the part where Naruto attacks Jiraiya w/ the Kyubi's chakra in the dean's office)

Also, would it be that hard for Jiraiya to make seals that could work for people without chakra? I was just thinking he makes the seals that are the same kind he gave to Kakashi but pre-loaded with chakra and made to activate as soon as it comes in contact with the Kyubi's chakra/gets stuck on Naruto

 

[Cosgrove]

Mmm, there comes the dicy part of seals in Naruto. They aren't explained well, but it would likely be that chakra is required. And I'm prretty sure if Jiraiya could retighten the seal he would have. The only person we've seen fix the seal is The Yondaime and he was a chakra imprint designed to do that when the seal was about to break. The issue is that as more chakra is able to go through the seal, the weaker it gets so if he managed to go 6tail its pretty damn weak at the moment. It was alsowhythe moment Naruto got back to Konoha, he was with someone that could surpress the kyuubi. And while he could make some seals to shut Naruto down maybe it would depend on someone having them onhand amd being near him and MORE IMPORTANTLY being able to get them ON him. Which goes to asking why he wouldn't be having someone strong enough to stop him with him at all times.

And bringing in training, Naruto wouldn't be allowed to. Remember the rasenshuriken training and the fact they needed Yamato to shut Naruto down because the frustration and strain was making him lose control. Not to mention that Jiraiya has lost half his moveset and his biggest ace in the hole- Sae Mode.

That's before adding in the politics not mentioned. Konoka. who is uneasy ground between the Kanto and Kyoto magic groups. Negi's a well known factor but would the Kyoto group really let some unknown stronger than Kanoka's protector be in a position where he could disable jer and make off with Kanoka? And beforeEvamgeline is broight in, she's a contained factor and the number of people who knows who she really is is pretty low.

Edit: would Jiraiya still have the key? it was on a toad, iirc, so either the toad is still with him and unable to return, or was stuck back in Naruto's world. In any case, the point of the key was so that Naruto could get control of the Kyuubi's chakra when the time came. Minato and Kushina had it pretty planned out.

 

[Ashaman]

When I say skilled, I mean she has the formal training that Naruto never got. And she has a good variety of attacks compared to Naruto who only has two.

This one is kind of fanon.

In canon, taijutsu is the one thing Naruto was good at back at the Academy.

I think we even have a thread with everyone's Academy Grades around here.

I meant that Naruto was more of a brawler than anything else. Did not mean to invoke any fanon interpretations, honestly.

And imo, the main reason he was good at it was because he's a stamina monster.

You aren't making sense there.

Taijutsu is basically martial arts, right?

I can't say I've ever really practiced these things, but I don't think you are graded on how long you can fight but on how well you fight.

 

[KurokamiDG]

When I say skilled, I mean she has the formal training that Naruto never got. And she has a good variety of attacks compared to Naruto who only has two.

This one is kind of fanon.

In canon, taijutsu is the one thing Naruto was good at back at the Academy.

I think we even have a thread with everyone's Academy Grades around here.

I meant that Naruto was more of a brawler than anything else. Did not mean to invoke any fanon interpretations, honestly.

And imo, the main reason he was good at it was because he's a stamina monster.

You aren't making sense there.

Taijutsu is basically martial arts, right?

I can't say I've ever really practiced these things, but I don't think you are graded on how long you can fight but on how well you fight.

Fair enough. I admittedly wasn't looking at it from the perspective of the academy and basing it more off of how he fought early pre-timeskip.

And really, it's a bit of both. it doesn't really matter how well you can fight if you don't have the endurance to keep it up. Though that shouldn't be a problem for kids that were trained to become shinobi...

Meh, I'm just gonna say my brain had a dumb moment and leave it at that. :sisi:

 

[thecuiy]

Mmm. For the key/toad I'm not really sure. I mean when it first appears, Jiraiya spits it out so it looks like he's always had it on him and when Naruto 'eats' the frog guy(not going to look up his name) the key appears on his arm, so I'm guessing the same thing would happen with Jiraiya. But considering the whole deal with summoning...

I don't know. It'd be easier to just assume its something he would keep on his person at all times during the training trip and therefore, he has it now. As for the key being used to strengthen the seal, the scroll-frog guy(I should really look up his name. He pops up in chapter 370) says that it could be used to reinforce the seal so I'm just going off of that. I'm guessing the reason Jiraiya didn't tighten the seal is because he wanted Naruto to learn to control the Kyubi's chakra instead of just shuffling it away.

Going off that, Jiraiya could just use the key to tighten the seal/use his own chakra suppressing seals if Naruto ever began to lose control during their training. But again, in my new version I have Jiraiya forbidden Naruto from using the Kyubi's chakra unless its a life or death situation.

As far as Sage Mode goes(I think there might have been a post earlier about this. Not sure) its basically the same idea as Kanka but with chakra instead of ki. I'm thinking Sage Mode would actually be easier for Jiraiya to use to the point where he can do it on his own in the Negima-verse because of generations of humans harnessing it as opposed to the Naruto-verse where there aren't that many sages(supposedly).

For the political reasons, Konoemon explicitly trusts Jiraiya and Naruto(I guess I could elaborate more on this). Dream viewing spells are a thing so its not that much of a stretch that Jiraiya would have let Konoemon view his memories to confirm their story. As for why Konoemon would let Naruto be around Konoka... well, let's just say that he and Jiraiya have big plans. Part of the reason Jiraiya is leaving is also to take care of those politics.

 

[Cosgrove]

Honestly, if you want Jiraiya out of the story asmuch as you seem to want to have him gone, I'd just remove the 6tails part. It puts Naruto at the point where he went 1tail avainst Sasuke at VotE but no training with it yet, while at the same time moving back when they arrived in the Negima world to both give Jiraiya a reasonable amount of time tohave gotten around his handicap of lack of toads- which he heavily relies upon,andforthem to have settled and have people less wary about them because they've been longer established. It also means thatthe seal is mch stronger and there's no real arguments about Naruto beng a threat because theseal's still strong.

As forKanka, there's similarities but tscompletely different. Thefirstdifference is the sheer lethality of sage mode as if you fuck up you're a statue.The second thing is Jiraiya never perfected it so even if there were nature chakra in megima- which is possible there isn't becuse of the lac of naruto-verse chakra in the first place- he can't do it without ma and pa, who he lacks. Kanka is also different in that you ake two opposed elements- magic and ki- at the sam time then fuse them, while sage mode is an immediate mix.

As for the key, that's tricky because ofthe sheer ability of naruto to beoverwhelmed by kyuubi in part 2 its hard to say that tightening it is possible without being naruto- and even he only opened/closed it to take kurama's chakra and only closed it after he had sealed downthe fox before closing it and at that point he had control of the chakra for the most part. Its hard to judge because of retcons or otherwise, and irrelivent because naruto can't withstand the chakra of kurama without overcoming and accepting his own hatred

also mahora's leader can trust them all he wans. he's the leader of kanto magic iirc.and even if eishun's moderately accepting of it, the restof the organization might not be. remember that there's different factions in the kyoto magic group and if that's allowed it couldlead to what might be internalclashes or eventually civilwar. even though konoka's father wants her free and ignorant of magic, Konoka is still IMPORTANT to kyoto as awhole, so the rogue factions could possibly act early.

 

[thecuiy]

It's not that I want Jiraiya out of the story. I just want to develop some events and relationships before Jiraiya returns and super perverts over everything while at the same time, setting up for some events to come. That being said, how long do you think Jiraiya and Naruto should be there for them to 'settle'/confirm the seal is fine? I honestly thought two months was enough, though I could probably extend it by changing it to Jiraiya only leaving once he feels Naruto is sufficiently strong enough to fend for himself.

Jiraiya, as of now, has basically completely sealed the Kyubi's chakra away via the key. He's not willing to risk Naruto going berserk while they're taking refuge in a crowded city where the supernatural is kept secret.

For Sage Mode I described it wrong. The natural energy of the Negima-verse is less harmful and volatile due to so many mages using it on a daily basis that Jiraiya is able to much more easily control it and enter Sage Mode(my headcanon). I compared it to Kanka because the Kanka and Sage Mode are(kinda) similar in that they combine Magic(natural energy) and chakra/ki.

For the rogue factions... I know. That's actually something I've planned to use for later in the story.

 

[thecuiy]

I don't like the idea of just posting the entire chapter up a second time, but I think I've changed enough stuff that its worth a second go through.

---
'I always believed the true measure of a shinobi was not how he lives, but how he dies.'

Muffled explosions rumble in the distance. The maddened roar of a beast sends tremors through his rapidly failing body. Three figures rampage in a forest near the borders of Hi no Kuni, splintering trees like twigs, rending the earth to shreds and painting the night sky a crimson red. While two battle with a deadly precision, the third rampages with a frenzied desperation.

'That it was not what they did in life, but what they do before dying that proves their worth.'

Blood and vile chakra, shaped into the mockery of claws and tails, phase through them like they aren’t even there. Great stakes, made of wood and born of chakra, rush to suppress the beast, piercing through its limbs, pinning it to the ground. It thrashes and its impotent attempts at freedom are ignored by the two figures, their attention focused solely on each other.

'Thinking back on it, my story was one full of failures.'

Their movements defy rational thought. One slips through everything like a ghost, the other flickering like an image, appearing from one spot to another like a choppy video, illuminating the night like a miniature sun. Occasionally one will land a blow on the other and the beast will roar, fruitlessly lashing out. Stakes of wood soar through the air, beams of light meeting them midway. The resulting explosions are deafening and bubbles of black and white chakra saturate the air.

'Tsunade turned me down every time…I couldn’t save my friend… I failed to protect my sensei and my student…'

They condense, swirling into an orb that draws the attention of both cloaked figures. One moves to strike. To put the beast down before it can do any more damage. The other moves to intercept, to stop the beast’s life from being ended before they can claim their prize.

'Compared with the great Hokage’s who came before me, my accomplishments were all petty and insignificant.'

They clash and separate as several acres of Hi no Kuni disappear in a flash of light.

'I wanted to die like them.'

Deep within the beast, within the very fragments of its subconscious, a remnant stirs. A remnant that lost itself, piece by piece, drawing upon a forbidden power out of sheer desperation to survive. More power it decides. It needs more power. And deep within the seal, the nine tailed demon is all too happy to comply.
'I had come to a “conclusion” about how my life would end a long time ago.'

With a mighty roar, the beast breaks free of its restraints. A sixth tail appears, wreathing the beast in a skeletal armor. Both figures appear once more, no worse for wear. One says some words. The other replies in a voice just as forceful and devoid of compromise. The beast lunges at them and is promptly blasted away by twin gouts of flame.

'I lived believing my shortcomings were just amusing distractions! That my failures would build character!'

A thunderous explosion strips it of its protection. They fall upon it like wolves on a wounded deer, beating it into submission. Flames burn, boiling the flesh and blood hidden beneath the cloak of chakra. Wood pierces, stripping the beast of the chakra that surrounds it. Soon there is not a beast, but a bloodied and unmoving boy.
'And in return…'

Something breaks inside him. Breaking in such a way to perfectly snap into place, his entire life flashing before his eyes. Before him is his apprentice, his godson about to be killed right in front of him and he is powerless to do anything about it. A dying flame becomes a raging inferno, and the abyss recedes. He would not fail him. No matter what, he would not fail Naruto like he’s failed everyone else. Gritting his teeth, he achieves a perfect stillness, drinking greedily from the power of the world around him. The two figures exchange words once more for a final time, finding they are unable to reach a compromise.
'After all those losses and mistakes, I would be granted one last final adventure… and die a death befitting of a true shinobi!'

They both lunge at the unconscious vessel of the Kyubi. One to deliver the death blow. One to take the boy and extract their prize from within. At the same time he makes his move, mixing the energies of nature with his own. Creating a miracle from sheer desperation. A perfect form, near unrecognizable with the blood that covers him like a second skin. It is just enough and his hand wraps around his godson’s ankle as the two cloaked figures activate their respective techniques. Space and time fold in on each other as a blinding light swallows their world.

'I thought that day was an end… the conclusion of the tail of a pitiful failure. But it was not an end… only a new beginning.'

-0-0-

It is a typical summer’s day in Mahora. The students that opted to not go home for break spend time with their friends, chatting away as they tour the districts of the massive academy. The sun sits triumphantly at its apex, casting warm rays over the school grounds. Clouds roll across the blue sky, aimlessly drifting wherever the wind may take them. Birds chirp, dancing through the sky in tune with their song. And a small army of identical, orange-wearing blonds pummel each other in a free for all.

All is right in Mahora.

Hands tucked into pockets, Takahata T. Takamichi strolls through a heavily forested area on the outskirts of the school district, smoke drifting from a cigar hanging between his lips. Beige suit. White hair and stubble. The sound of flesh hitting flesh reaches his ears and he steps into a large clearing.

“Take this!”

“Orah!”

“Stop ganging up on me!”

Had he not already seen it many times before, he might have been stunned. Hundreds of blond boys, all identical in every way, shape and form. All engaged in what appears to be a free-for-all slugfest. A single solid blow causes the clones to vanish in plumbs of smoke while the rest continue to battle without a care. It is almost impressive. A few weeks ago the sight in front of him appeared to be nothing more than a brawl, the copies haphazardly kicking and punching at one another. Now they have some semblance of form. Of technique. Their movements sharp, carrying the force of proper blows behind them.

“Yo, Takamichi.”

The bespectacled mage would have never noticed him had the man not spoken up. A rest vest, leaf green male kimono, impossibly long hair tied into a ponytail and an enormous frame paints the image of the man that sits cross-legged at the base of the tree just next to him.

“Jiraiya-san.” Takamichi greets in turn. “The dean agreed to your plan. He said also said that he’ll figure out somewhere for Naruto to live once you leave and not to worry about it.”

“Thanks Takamichi. Also, give the dean my thanks as well. I really appreciate everything you guys have done for us since we arrived here and I hate to impose on you any longer but I need to leave the kid here while I go sniffing around for some answers. If I took him with me, everyone and everything would hear and see us from a mile away.”

A scoff. Takamichi wouldn’t doubt it. He liked the boy like the bratty younger brother he never had, but the blond Jinchuriki has a way of getting on the nerves of anyone around him. Even Takamichi.

Especially with his stupid nicknames.

“Don’t mention it. We’re more than happy to help.” Takamichi says, the two of them watching as the hoard of blond clones dwindles down to a mere three. A covering of bruises marks the real one, as unlike his clones, he wouldn’t dispel from a single hit.

A triplicate of battle cries erupt across the clearing and the utterly battered blond boy and his two clones charge, fists cocked back. The resulting triple cross counter has both adults wincing, the clones vanishing into smoke and Naruto falling to the ground with a dull thump.

A silence echoes in the clearing. In the end, it is Takamichi who breaks the silence first.

“So who’s going to tell him that you basically sold him to the dean as an indentured servant?”

“Tell him? I was planning on leaving a note after I left.”

-0-0-

“Hey brat, time to get up! And hurry your ass, we got things to take care of today!”

The booming voice fills the small, two bedroom apartment, forcibly rousing Naruto from his rest. Blue eyes warily blink open. A groan follows. Typically, a single night’s rest is enough for him to feel as good as new the next day. Yet his entire body still aches like a sore muscle and his chakra circulatory system feels as through someone poured boiling hot water through it. That’s not even going into the massive headache he has for reasons he still can’t really understand.

The perverted Sannin really kicked his training up a notch after they ended up in this place. After that ambush that nearly cost the two of them their lives and threw them so far away from home.

The memory of that night is enough to clear away the rest of the blond Jinchuriki’s drowsiness. His recollection of the battle is a little spotty because of the Kyubi’s chakra, but never before had he felt so weak. So powerless. Even the might of the Kyubi was lain low.

He rolls out of the bed, shuffling across the room and out the door. Making his way to the bathroom. If he didn’t, Jiraiya would soon be along to pluck him out from under the warm sheets and toss him into a freezing shower. It was tempting to allow the man to do just that, if only so that he wouldn’t have to move, but if he went to the shower himself he could at least give it a minute to warm up.

He turns the shower on, letting the water run and moving to brush his teeth. Steam begins to cloud the mirror and he spits, throws his pajamas into a basket and steps into the shower. The hot water seems to wash away the tension and exhaustion from his muscles, and he lets out a sigh.

It’s been four months since he left Konoha. Two months since he and Jiraiya were ambushed and two months since they found themselves stranded in this brand new world.

But that didn’t change anything. He hadn’t changed and if there’s one thing Uzumaki Naruto wouldn’t do, it’s give up. If there’s a way
home he would find it and if there isn’t one, then he would just make a way home. He still needs to train. To get stronger. Strong enough to bring Sasuke back, kick Akatsuki’s ass and become Hokage. And in the last two months, with Jiraiya’s new sense of urgency, he’s gotten stronger by leaps and bounds.

“Still can’t make a Rasengan with only one hand through.” He mutters under his breath, cutting off the water and grabbing a towel to dry himself off. Going to his room he gets dressed, putting on his typical orange jacket and pants, frowning at the numerous rips and tears in the fabric. It will need to be replaced soon. Entering the living room he ties his headband on, perking an eyebrow at the sight of his sensei, the man’s typical attire exchanged for a pale green suit, his hair cut short and the tear marks gone from his face.

“The hell?!”

The sage rolls his eyes, fixing his red tie. “It’s just a genjutsu brat, like Tsunade-hime. We actually need to go out today so I can’t just go around looking like I usually go. Get a move on, I want to get some training in before we meet with Konoemon. We can get something to eat along the way.”

“Gesshimayu-oji-san? What are we meeting with him for?”

“Eh, don’t worry about it.” Jiraiya smirks at Naruto. He does not like that smirk. It is a scheming smirk with an undertone of perversion, something that sends shivers racing down the young Jinchuriki’s spine.

“Let’s just say your life is about to get a lot more interesting.”

-0-0-

“WHAT?! You no-good, perverted, shitty, old sack of-“

A cry of disbelief rings out in the dean’s office, followed by a string of curses. Takamichi looks away with a sweat drop, one arm holding the collar of the flailing Naruto. Stopping the boy from his attempts to inflect grievous bodily harm to his sensei.

“It’s not that bad!” Jiraiya holds his hands up, a mocking grin playing across his lips. “Just think of it as a really long series of D-rank missions where you don’t get paid!”

“%@#$!!!!!”

The blond Jinchuriki stops, body going limp as his hair casts an ominous shadow over his eyes. The three adults in the room, Takamichi, Jiraiya and Konoemon, look at each other in worry. Then, the sound of tearing cloth. And Naruto tackles Jiraiya into the wall with a roar.
Takamichi looks, slowly, from the torn piece of orange jacket to the grown man and child, the two superhuman ninjas throwing each other around the spacious office. He sighs, bringing his other hand out of his pocket to rest firmly on his face.

“Hohoho, quite energetic aren’t they?”

“Sometimes it’s like watching Jack mentoring a younger Nagi. Though, thankfully, less destructive.”

“Less destructive?”

“If a situation like that were to actually occur, Mahora wouldn’t still be here.”

Takamichi, without removing his palm, steps to the side. Just in time for a green and white blur to slam into the coffee table in the middle of the office. With a yell Naruto leaps into the air, heel poised to drive Jiraiya through the floor. He falls, only for Jiraiya to catch his attack with ease and toss him. Naruto lands, sticking to the wall and bringing his hands together in a cross shaped seal. Four clones phase into existence around the blond Jinchuriki and they leap at the Toad Sage.

“Shouldn’t we… I don’t know… stop them before someone hears or sees them?”

“We figured Naruto-kun would have a reaction like this, Takamichi-kun. The room’s already been reinforced and silencing seals placed.”

They turn to see Jiraiya swinging, what they assume to be the original Naruto, like a bat to fend off his clones. It works, until one of the clones transforms into a beautiful, blond bombshell. It distracts Jiraiya for just long enough for Naruto to twist in the man’s grip, kicking him in the face to free himself. The clone reverts to its original form in a cloud of smoke and it and its brethren charge, kicking Jiraiya into the air, Naruto himself jumping after the sage.

“UZUMAKI NARUTO RE- GAK!”

It is almost pathetic, how easily the sage rights himself, sticks to the ceiling and smacks Naruto out of the air. Takamichi watches as Naruto’s clones catch him and take to the ceiling, fighting against Jiraiya upside down and across the room. A sigh.

“And Naruto wasn’t supposed to stress his body today. So much for relaxing.”

-0-0-

“Still pissed over there brat?"

"YOU SOLD ME! YOU! SOLD! ME!!!"

It is only the kind and busty head nurse's grip that stops the blond Jinchuriki from jumping at him. Not that Jiraiya could blame him. If there were a pair of knockers that magnificent hanging just over his shoulder, he wouldn't want to move either.

There's also the fact that he totally kicked his apprentice's ass. No matter how much the brat's improved these past two months, he is still no match for the Holy Toad Sage of Mount Myoboku!

They sit in the infirmary in the aftermath of their short skirmish. Jiraiya sits in one of the chairs while Naruto gets taken care of by Shizuna. With the strength of a thousand men he tears his gaze away from the head nurse's neckline to look at his godson.

His godson... it’s hard to believe that he forgot he's the one that named the brat. If it wasn't for their brush with death, only two months ago, who knows when and if he would have remembered. In all honesty it’s not that surprising. He always has been one to more heavily dwell on his failures than his achievements. And having a child named after one of his books, no matter how much of the brat the kid could be at times, is definitely something he considers an achievement.

"Try not to work your body too hard for the next couple days, ok?"

"Mmmm~ fine."

The kind nurse finishes patching Naruto up, warning him against any strenuous activity for the next couple of days with a kind smile and a pat on the shoulder. The boy's response is a grumbled agreement.

Jiraiya stands, the weight of so many failures weighing him down. Tsunade, Orochimaru, Sarutobi-sensei and the boy's own father. But no more. Not this one. He would do right by his godson, no matter what.

And first things first. To find out who attacked them that day, almost two months ago, and why.

"Ready to get going brat? We can grab something to eat before I leave."

All he gets for his efforts are an upturned nose and crossed arms. Fine. Time for his trump card.

"Don't want to? Aw, that's too bad. And here I was thinking of trying out this new place that I heard has amazing ramen..."

Twenty minutes later finds Jiraiya and Naruto at the campus's famous Chao Bao Zi, Jiraiya enjoying a small plate of nikuman and Naruto devouring his third bowl of miso ramen.

"You know it’s for your own good right?" Jiraiya asks, giving thanks to their waiter. A strange girl with long green hair and strange attachments for ears.

The whiskered boy's response is a muffled snort, the noodles hanging from his chin giving a distasteful flap in his general direction. He glares, slurping the heavenly ramen into his stuffed cheeks and swallowing them in a mighty gulp. The blue eyed glare pins him for just another few seconds before apparently deciding that the food before him is more deserving of his attention.

Reaching over, he dips a nikuman into the ramen broth, earning him a searing glare. Biting into it, he savors the perfect blend of bread, meat and spices with a touch of miso. Hm. Not bad. "This isn't 'give up on your 'friend' that shoved a hand in your chest before you get yourself killed' serious. This is Akatsuki level serious. And unlike the Akatsuki, there's no safety buffer. No chance of saving you if you get caught off guard. Whoever it was that attacked us was playing for keeps and if that Akatsuki member hadn't stepped in at the last second, we would both be dead right now. Not only that but now we're on your mysterious assailant's home turf. I was able to confirm with Konoemon that the one that attacked us was a mage. Not only are we stuck with no way home, but we're alone."

A pause. The Toad Sage reconsiders his statement. "Well, not really alone. The village won't be able to help us but the dean's really stuck his neck out for us these past few months. Helping me publish my books, giving us a roof over our head and protecting us with his influence. Having you work for him as a retainer is not only a way to thank him but it’ll officially place you under his authority. Nobody would be able to openly attack you without risking the wrath of the Kanto Magic Association. I didn’t do it to ditch you. I did it to protect you.”

“Pft. Yeah right. I bet you’re just going to go perving around.” The words are accusing but there is a grudging acceptance behind them. A fourth bowl is placed before Naruto, the green haired waiter leaving once more with a polite bow. He notes how the girl’s gaze lingers on his godson for just a moment as she leaves.

He suppresses a perverted giggle. With how hard he’s been training to distract himself from the bleakness of their situation, some female company would probably do his godson some good.

“We need to find some way back to the Elemental Nations and Konoemon can’t just protect us forever. That’s why I need to head out to do some investigating. Not only that but if I play my cards right, we may be able to make a few more allies."

Naruto grunts. A begrudging agreement. He smirks, digging into his pocket to pay with a generous tip. "Don't be like that. Chin up. I'll teach you a new jutsu once I get back."

Blue eyes light up and the gloom and irritation disappear like mist. "Really?!"

It works like a charm. Ramen and new jutsu. All you’ll ever need when it comes to dealing with the blond Jinchuriki.

"Yep. But only if you don’t cause Konoemon or Takamichi any trouble! If you do, you’ll be editing my work for the rest of the training trip!”

“Keh!”

It is 10:40. Jiraiya’s train leaves at 11:00. The trip to the station is a relatively normal affair, Naruto pestering Jiraiya about what jutsu he planned to teach him and Jiraiya remaining stubbornly tight-lipped, much to Naruto’s displeasure. They arrive to find Takamichi waiting for them, a smoldering cigar hanging between his lips.

“Yo.”

“Takamegane!!”

He gives Takamichi a look dripping with sympathy as everyone in the station turns to the bespectacled teacher. Another victim of Naruto’s terrible naming sense. Takamichi ignores the twitch developing in his eye with a practiced professionalism and, gives Jiraiya an apologetic smile. “Sorry but the dean couldn’t make it. He sent me in his place.”

“Uhuh. Leme guess. Holed up in his office, enjoying the latest fruits of my labor?”

“Ahaha…” Takamichi sheepishly chuckles. Jiraiya shakes his head. It’s sad cause it’s true.

“Alright brat, I’m going to be heading out.” says Jiraiya, poking his godson to get his attention. “Remember. No Kyubi chakra and no experimenting with new seals! We’re not even going to risk messing with that demon in your gut in such a populated area.”

“Yeah, yeah Ero-sennin. That jutsu you’re teaching me when you get back better be suuuuper~ awesome!”

-0-0-

“Of course it’ll be super awesome! It’s one of my techniques after all!”

The large man makes a pose so ridiculous, so farcical that it would be impossible to take him seriously had Takamichi not already seen the might of the Toad Sage for himself. There is an undeniable air of nostalgia, watching the two. Terrifying power, hidden behind a mask of goofiness, and in the younger’s case, stupidity. Without a doubt, the two would have been right at home in the merry band of Ala Rubra.

He keenly notes, how the crowd that had been drawn by Naruto’s shouting disperses at Jiraiya’s over the top antics.

“O yeah. Here.”

Takamichi raises an eyebrow as the sage reaches into his pocket, depositing an inordinate sum of bills into his apprentice’s hand.

“That’s your monthly stipend and a little extra so you can get yourself some new cloths and other things you’ll need when you move. You don’t need a two bedroom apartment so I went ahead and asked Konoemon to terminate the lease.”

“Why?! Where am I going to live then Ero-sennin?!”

“Calm down. Konoemon’s already arranged something for you.”

“You’ll be living with another in the service of the Konoe family in the student dorms.” Takamichi helpfully interjects. “Actually, I think the two of you will get along pretty well.”

“… Really?”

“And there you have it. Now make sure you stay out of trouble!”

Jiraiya turns to him, extending a hand. “Sorry Takamichi but I’m going to have to ask you to look after the knucklehead while I’m gone. If he starts to annoy you too much feel free to kick his ass.”

“OI!”

“It’s no trouble at all. Have a safe trip Jiraiya-san.” Takamichi says, taking Jiraiya’s offered hand in a firm handshake. Pulling slightly he leans in. Just enough to make sure no passerby could overhear him and not stand out. “Give this letter to a man by the name of Rakan. He’ll charge you an arm and a leg for it but he’ll get you what you need.”

The letter slides seamlessly from the folds of his suit to Jiraiya’s. They break, the dwindling crowd around them none the wiser. With a nod, Jiraiya steps towards the doors, disappearing behind a sea of bodies as the last call for the train echoes over the platform. The doors close. A whistle sounds. And the train takes off, quickly disappearing into the distance.

“Ahhhh!!! I just remembered!”

Takamichi looks down at his shorter companion who looks about three seconds from running down the train just to get another swing at his sensei.

“The whole reason I left Konoha with Ero-sennin in the first place was because he would train me! I can’t just sit around doing nothing until he gets back! Who’s going to train me while he’s gone?!”

A hand pats the fuming boy on the shoulder. “I’m sure the dean can figure something out. But for now it’s a good idea to get some rest. It would be bad if you were to burn yourself out.”

“For now let’s focus on getting you acquainted with the area. More than likely Konoemon-sama will just have you run errands unless something important comes up. After that we can go shopping. Towels, soap, a tooth brush. Anything you need to live in the dorms and we can pick up a new set of cloths for you along the way.

Naruto blinks. Looks down, probably noticing for the first time his ragged state of dress. Tears cover his orange pants. Even the fishnet shirt he wears under his jacket has quite a few holes in it. Only a copious amount of strategically placed bandages, courtesy of Shizuna, protect the boy’s modesty.

"Huh. I was wondering why everyone kept staring at me."

Takamichi definitely does not face palm.

The rest of the afternoon goes fairly quickly after that. Shopping is a simple affair, Takamichi bringing Naruto to a popular shopping district in Mahora. Orange seemed to be the color the whiskered boy favors most, picking most of his clothing in such a fashion. The two make their rounds, stopping to buy whatever Naruto may need with the money Jiraiya gave him. They talk, Naruto telling Takamichi about his adventures back home and the teacher lecturing Naruto about magic and the things he’d need to know about the world.

“So… magic is the energy of the world that mages use to power their spells and ki is the physical energies of the body that any experienced fighter can learn to harness.”

The train is relatively empty, only the odd few running last minute errands the day before the end of spring break. The mage and shinobi duo sits across from each other as they make their way to the student dorms.

An orange hoodie and black pants with orange strips running down the sides replace Naruto’s torn up shirt and pants. His bandages are gone, the minor wounds from his scuffle with Jiraiya long healed. The headband bearing the symbol of his village rests in his pocket, the scroll containing his bags in his other pocket and the green gem of the Shodai’s necklace hanging from his neck.

“That’s right.” Takamichi nods. “But remember, it’s not uncommon for some mages to use ki nor for fighters who aren’t mages themselves to receive magic power from an outside source. I, myself, use magic and ki to augment my physical abilities.”

Naruto makes a noise, his eyes squinted and his arms crossed. He then lets out a moan, burying his hands in his blond tresses.

“Ok, you lost me. This stuff is way too complicated!”

The older chuckles as the train begins to slow. “Don’t worry about it too much. I’ll show you what I mean later. From what Jiraiya-san told me, that’ll probably help you understand a lot better.”

The train jerks to a stop, the conductor announcing they have arrived. They stand, exit the train and continue on their way.

“This is where you’ll be living.” Takamichi says as they approach a massive, six story complex. “The dormitory is supposed to only house students, but the dean was able to make an exception.”

Ascending the stairs, Takamichi stops at one of the doors. Curiously Naruto glances at the nameplate.

‘Sakurazaki Setsuna’

“Setsuna-kun should have been notified by the dean. If anything comes up-“ Takamichi pauses. Two months was enough time for him to get to know the orange clad shinobi quite well. And if there’s one thing he knows about Uzumaki Naruto…

“On second thought, let me talk to Setsuna-kun first.”

-0-0-

Naruto perks a brow as Takamichi knocks on the door. There is muffled movement behind it before it opens to reveal a feminine face, standing a few centimeters taller than him. Pale skin and black hair tied into a ponytail, he idly notes the long, tube-like bag strapped to her back. Brown eyes glance at him dismissively before turning towards Takamichi.

“Takahata-sensei. How can I help you?”

Naruto blinks. Blue eyes roam from the sharp brown eyes, to the school uniform to the skirt and legs and back up. Not out of perversion but for an entirely different reason.

“Good afternoon Setsuna-kun. This is Uzumaki Naruto. I wanted to formally introduce you to your new roommate and make sure there aren’t any complication.”

When Naruto was told he would be living with someone, he assumed it would be a boy for the simple reason that most would say that it’s inappropriate for boys and girls to be living together at his age. That belief was enforced when Takamichi referred to his roommate as ‘Setsuna-kun’. While Setsuna is a fairly gender ambiguous name, -kun is typically used to refer to males. So one could not blame Naruto for assuming his roommate to be male.

“Ah, yes.” Brown eyes turn on him. A slight bow of the waist, a hand extended in a gesture of civility. “Sakurazaki Setsuna. I believe we will be working together for the foreseeable future. It is nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san.”

The person standing in front of him, the person who is most likely the one Konoemon arranged for him to live with, most definitely appears to be female. The gears in Naruto’s head begin to turn on rust covered hinges, trying to consolidate the idea of his ‘male’ roommate with the distinctly feminine image before him and failing miserably.

The memory of a certain far, far too feminine boy drifts to the forefront of his mind and the seeds of ruin begin to bloom.

A second passes in silence. And another. And another. Takamichi looks at Naruto, alarm bells blaring in his head at the wide unthinking stare. A blink. Blue eyes squint and Naruto leans in with a frown.

“Uzumaki-san?”

If he hears Setsuna or how uncomfortable she is, Naruto makes no indication of it. Another moment passes. Then, with the tact of an out of control bulldozer he asks,

“Are you a boy?”

-0-0-

It is thanks to Jiraiya’s seals and just a touch of magic that the dean’s office is good as new. Like two super human shinobi hadn’t spent the better half of the morning trying to inflict grievous bodily injury on one another. Seated comfortably behind his desk, Konoe Konoemon is in nirvana. The paperwork is done, both for the mundane and the magical, and he is enjoying the latest fruits of Jiraiya’s labor. There is a frantic banging on his door and Konoemon looks up from his signed, pre-release edition of Icha Icha. Of course he knows who his visitor is. He’s been expecting it since he first arranged it with Jiraiya. Slipping his precious book away he folds his hands over his desk, for all appearance looking to be the veritable old wizard that he is.

“Come in.”

The door slams open. Loudly. But what follows is even louder.

“Oi, what in the hell Gesshimayu-oji-san?! Why’d you arrange for me to live with a girl?!”

“Good afternoon to you as well, Naruto-kun.” Konoemon turns from the whiskered boy to the dark haired swordsman and teacher behind him, both following at a slightly more sedate pace. “I’m assuming you here for a similar reason Setsuna-chan?”

She nods, somehow managing to convey all her annoyance and frustration with the single motion. Looking slightly behind her, Konoemon perks a hairy, bushy eyebrow at the man whose palm is firmly affixed to his face.

“Long day?

“The first four words out his mouth after meeting her were, ‘Are you a boy’. Seriously. Just, 'Are you a boy'.”

“Hey!" A finger jabs at the teacher in protest. In accusation. "You're the one that made it sound like Setsuna was a guy when you called her Setsuna-kun! Even I know that -kun is normally used for boys! I'm not good with manly girls and girly men damn it!"

All those in the room give the boy a judging look. “Don’t look at me like that! You don’t know what I know! You haven’t seen what I’ve seen!”

He knows what Naruto is talking about. Judging from his expression, Takamichi does too. It is only Setsuna who glances around curiously, probably wondering just what in the hell the whiskered boy is talking about. And for good reason.

“What's the issue Naruto-kun?" asks Konoemon, so obviously amused. "Most boy's your age would be more than glad for the chance to live with a cute girl."

“THAT’S NOT THE PROBLEM HERE!”

“Haah~” A sigh. Stippling his fingers, he turns to both of the young warriors in turn. “Naruto-kun. Setsuna-chan. Why do you think I arranged for the two of you to live together?”

“Cause you’re a perverted geezer.” Naruto deadpans. Setsuna coughs and looks to the side. A cough that more or less says, ‘I’m not rude enough to actually say it out loud but yes, basically what he said’.

“True, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” Konoemon turns to the boy who looks about ten seconds from trying to shave off one of his eyebrows. Again. “The reason I put you to together is teamwork.”

“Teamwork.”

“Yes, teamwork.”

It is the utter flatness of Naruto’s stare that tells Konoemon just how much the whiskered boy believes him. Yet it is the pale skinned hanyou is the first to vocalize her thoughts. “With all due respect Konoemon-sama, I am more than capable of handling any situation involving Konoka-ojou-sama myself.”

Naruto steps back, leaning towards Takamichi. “Konoka-ojou-sama? Who’s that?”

“The dean’s granddaughter. I think she’s about your age, actually. Setsuna-kun has been her bodyguard since they were little.”

“Gesshimayu-oji-san’s granddaughter..?” murmurs Naruto under his breath, his mind conjuring the image of what he thinks the granddaughter of the elderly mage looks like. The elderly mage with a misshapen head, impossibly long earlobes and eyebrows that Naruto is quite certain are, in fact, furry, white rats that the dean took and glued to his forehead.

The orange clad shinobi lets out a visible shiver. “Creepy.”

Setsuna turns and pins him with a glare. An actual glare instead of just irritably staring at him. Naruto blinks. “What? That pissed you off?! I ask you if you’re a guy and you just look at me like I’m an idiot but I say one word about this ‘Konoka’ and then you get angry? What in the hell?!”

She says nothing, instead turning back to Konoemon, the old mage appearing more entertained than anything. “There is no need for there to be any kind of trust between us. As you can see, this fool is obviously unfit to be anything except an errand boy.”

“Hey!”

“Now, now Setsuna-kun.” Takamichi says, stepping between the two enraged teenagers. “While Naruto-kun may not be the most… intelligent of individuals-“

“HEY!!”

“- he has a good heart and is more than capable of taking care of himself when and if the need arises.”

“That’s right! I could totally kick your ass in a fight!”

Slowly, almost like a statue, Setsuna turns on Naruto with narrowed eyes. “Is that so?”

‘Damn it, Naruto.’ That’s Takamichi.

“Hohoho…” Interesting. It’s probably irresponsible of him to encourage this both as the dean and a(moderately) responsible adult. Very irresponsible. Still, he can at least run damage control. “How about this. Naruto-kun. Setsuna-chan.”

Both turn to him whilst somehow simultaneously glaring at each other. Trapped between them, Takamichi sighs, something the teacher has been doing a lot recent.

“Setsuna-chan, you want an accurate gauge of Naruto-kun’s abilities. And Naruto-kun… well, I’m sure you’d love a chance to have a swing at Setsuna-chan.”

Two nods. “Then here is what I propose. A spar. However not today, not tomorrow but in one week at the Mahora Martial Arts Ring. Train, prepare, do whatever you wish until then, but be sure to be there in one week’s time at midday. You are free to decide the terms and conditions for yourself in the meantime as the two of you will be living together. This is not my word as the dean but as the head of the Konoe family.”

They grumble. They sulk. But neither make any move to protest. Setsuna because she is loyal to his family and Naruto because he knows that if he does, Konoemon would destroy him through superior brainpower.

The contrast before him is so very extreme that it is amusing. Blond, messy hair, unbound and free, and black, straight hair, arranged into a tidy ponytail. Wide blue eyes and sharp brown eyes. Bright and cheerful, and serious and focused. Boy and girl. Ninja and samurai. Honestly, the elderly mage is unsure how they could be any more different. On the outside at least. Yet that is part of the old man’s plan. His hope and prayer that they will be able to work together and realize as for all their differences, they are remarkably similar. Past trauma’s and scars, buried but not forgotten.

The dean knows about the Kyubi. Of course, Jiraiya told them about it(as well as many other things) as such information wasn’t something you kept to yourself until it was too late. And from the knowledge that the beast inside the orange clad ninja’s belly is the very one that nearly destroyed the boy’s home village the day he was born, it wasn’t very hard to connect the dots. To understand why he acts out the way he does.

Both shunned because of something beyond their control. Both made outcasts from birth. It is enough to make the dean wonder, if Naruto had been cast out, if Setsuna had been too much of a military asset to let go, if the scene before him would have eventually come to pass once more in a completely different way.

Assuming Naruto still managed to find his way into their world again of course.

“Well then, that’s that.” Konoemon concludes with an air of finality and a happy smile. “Both of you make sure to get a good night’s rest! Tomorrow is the first day of school, Setsuna-chan and for you Naruto-kun, I already have some jobs lined up.”

Two groans. Naruto glares. Stomps out of the door, Setsuna and Takamichi following behind him. Konoemon leans back as the door closes behind them, retrieving his Icha Icha from its hiding place. Pointedly ignoring the cries and shouts coming from the hallway that are most certainly Naruto’s. For all they hate each other at the moment, the elderly mage is certain Naruto and Setsuna will become great friends. After all, opposites attract.

Right?