Chapter 98:
– Haru –
I stood casually in the forest clearing, a few kilometers outside of Konoha. Naruto was across from me with his nine yellow fox tails waving aggressively behind him. My own ten golden tails swayed gently, showing my more relaxed attitude. I even flashed Naruto a little grin and made a casual 'come get me' gesture with one hand.
The situation had spiraled a bit out of control, honestly. When our little group left The Fox Hole and walked through the village toward our battleground, we'd accidentally picked up quite an audience.
Word spread quickly around Konoha that Naruto and I were about to throw down, and before we knew it, a small crowd had turned into a miniature festival.
Now we had dozens of excited shinobi gathered around, including the Hokage herself. Tsunade stood off to one side, enthusiastically chugging a bottle of sake, with Shizune hovering anxiously behind her.
All the familiar faces were here—Shikamaru, Choji, Rock Lee, Neji, Tenten, Ino, Naruko, Sakura, Kakashi—you name it, they showed up.
"You got this, Haru! Kick his butt!" Sakura yelled suddenly, drawing a betrayed glare from her own teammate Naruto.
Ino quickly joined in, cupping her hands around her mouth and shouting even louder, "Haru's the best! The sexiest fox guy in all of Konoha!"
Shikamaru sighed deeply from nearby. "Troublesome. It's weird that you even need to specify 'sexiest fox guy' now."
Naruko hissed sharply, baring her fangs at her two friends. "Quit cheering for my boyfriend, you sluts!"
Sakura and Ino both turned to glare right back at her, hands defiantly planted on their hips.
"I'm not a slut!" Sakura protested, her cheeks turning bright pink. "I've never even had a boyfriend!"
"And I'm not a slut either!" Ino added proudly, puffing out her chest a bit. "I just dress this way because it distracts enemy shinobi, making it easier for me to slit their throats!"
Naruko scowled, her fluffy tails twitching irritably behind her. "Yeah, sure," she grumbled under her breath, clearly unconvinced.
Nearby, Tsunade wiped her mouth after a particularly large gulp of sake and glared impatiently toward us. "Hey, are you two gonna fight already or what? I put a hell of a lot of money on Haru. For once, I actually feel like I'm gonna win some money!"
Rias grinned from near her peerage. "The Gremory family is known for our supernatural good luck. Since you're my rook now, that luck extends to you, effectively canceling out your famously shitty gambling luck."
Tsunade stared at Rias, blinking slowly in surprise. "You really are full of surprises, aren't you?"
"What's a rook?"
"Cancel out her bad luck? That's impossible!"
What's she talking about, Lady Hokage?"
Several shinobi around them started whispering curiously, clearly intrigued by their Hokage's strange conversation with Rias.
"That's classified," Tsunade growled loudly, silencing everyone instantly. No one was eager to anger their notoriously temperamental leader, especially when she was clearly drinking.
I couldn't exactly blame Tsunade for keeping it quiet. It probably wasn't the best for morale if the entire village found out their mighty Hokage had essentially sold herself into eternal service to a devil princess from another world just to get eternal youth and beauty.
Well… that was exactly what happened, anyway.
Across the clearing, Naruto took a deep breath and adjusted his stance again, refocusing his attention completely on me. He clenched his fists tightly, determination clear in his eyes. "All right, Haru. I'm gonna wipe that smug grin right off your face! You're gonna stay away from my mom!"
I chuckled softly, feeling genuinely amused. "Feel free to try, Naruto."
Vicky Dallon hovered excitedly above the crowd, hands cupped around her mouth. "Woo! Kaiju fight! Kick some ass, Haru! I've got money riding on you!"
"You and literally everyone else here," Harry called back dryly, leaning against a tree with Hermione beside him.
Gasper nervously peeked out from behind Koneko, still red-faced from Naruto's accidental flirting earlier. He raised his hand hesitantly. "I-I'm still betting on Naruto-san!"
Naruto beamed, glancing back toward Gasper with a grateful grin. "Thanks, buddy!"
"Stop flirting with Gasper and start fighting already!" Koneko shouted.
"I wasn't flirting with him!" Naruto whined loudly, his face blazing red with embarrassment.
Chuckles spread quickly through the watching crowd, and I couldn't help smirking. "Sure looked like it from where I was standing," I teased.
Naruto growled sharply, his embarrassed look fading as determination filled his eyes again. He shifted into an aggressive fighting stance, turning his full attention back toward me.
Suddenly, the ground beneath Naruto cracked violently as he blasted toward me at shocking speed. Gasps of surprise rang out from the gathered shinobi, many clearly stunned at just how powerful Naruto had become since transforming into a true demon fox himself.
He was practically a tailed beast in human shape now, at least until he decided to fully transform.
But we were holding back on that kind of destruction, for now at least.
I stood calmly, watching his fist surge forward, breaking the sound barrier as he tried to deliver on his promise and punch my face into the dirt. I waited until the last instant, then smoothly tilted my head slightly to the side, feeling the rush of wind as Naruto's punch missed by mere centimeters.
"Almost," I said cheerfully, flicking my tails forward.
Naruto's eyes widened in surprise! He was still fighting like a human, not like the fox he'd become, and his reaction was just a bit too slow. Multiple golden tails whipped out, smacking him across the face and body several times in rapid succession.
He let out a startled yell as my tails delivered one final strike, sending him crashing violently backward into a small crater of dirt and grass.
"Ouchy!" Tsunade shouted cheerfully from her spot in the crowd. "That's gotta hurt! I can practically feel the money filling my pockets already!"
A few disgruntled shinobi who'd put their bets on Naruto groaned loudly, yelling encouragement at him. "Come on, Naruto! Get up already, I've got rent money on this!"
Naruto groaned, shaking his head and pulling himself slowly out of the crater. Dirt fell comically from his golden tails as he glared defiantly back at me. "I'm not done yet," he growled.
Suddenly, Naruto's eyes flashed crimson, pupils narrowing into thin, dangerous slits. I blinked, surprised. It was interesting that still happened now that Kurama was no longer around.
Red magicules poured like fiery smoke off Naruto's body, swirling dangerously around him. He bared sharp fangs at me, crouching low and shifting onto all fours like an animal preparing to strike. It seemed like when he got angry he still lost some of his mental faculties as well.
"Alright, Haru," Naruto growled, his voice deeper and more feral now. "Let's see you dodge this!"
Before I could reply, he was already charging forward again, blitzing toward me at even greater speed. He moved now like a true beast, closing the distance in an instant.
Excitement surged through me as a wide grin spread across my face. I felt my heart speed up just a little. Maybe this would actually be a decent challenge after all.
"Now that's more like it, Naruto!" I laughed, preparing myself as I met his charge head-on.
– Kushina –
After chatting with Yasaka for a few hours and finally shaking off the last of her irritating hangover, Kushina decided it was time to head back to The Fox Hole. She still had to officially meet her son Naruto—and Kakashi too, she supposed, assuming this really was a different timeline entirely. It sure felt like it, anyway. Honestly, the whole time-travel, dimension-hopping situation was giving her one hell of a headache.
Or maybe that was still the sake from last night?
She stepped into The Fox Hole restaurant, expecting to see Haru around. Instead, the restaurant was completely empty. "Huh?" Kushina murmured curiously, violet eyes scanning the vacant booths and tables. "Where the heck is everyone?"
Her gaze fell onto the bar counter, where a note lay conspicuously waiting. She approached it and lifted the paper, reading the neat handwriting.
"Everyone left for the Leaf Village for the next hour or so to watch the fight. Catch up when you can!"
"A fight?" Kushina frowned, puzzled. "What fight?"
Shrugging it off, she turned around and headed right back out the front door, figuring she'd get her answers soon enough. But instead of stepping onto Kyoto's modern streets this time, Kushina found herself immediately back in Konoha.
She blinked, still amazed at how smoothly Haru's restaurant managed to jump between worlds. Even after witnessing it herself, she still had no clue how it worked. There were no visible sealing techniques or chakra barriers involved.
It was annoyingly impressive, really.
Now standing properly in Konoha in broad daylight, Kushina finally had a chance to take a better look around the village. Her eyebrows rose slightly in surprise at just how much larger and busier it was compared to her memories. Buildings stretched higher, roads bustled with more activity, and there was a steady hum of busy village life everywhere.
"Huh," she mused quietly, putting a hand on her hip. "Twenty years sure made one hell of a difference."
Her attention returned to the note. It had only mentioned everyone going to watch some vague fight, without a single helpful hint about where exactly said fight was supposed to happen. She sighed, looking around uncertainly, about to ask someone nearby for directions.
Then, right on cue, a massive explosion erupted in the distance several miles outside the village, sending birds scattering from nearby trees.
Kushina grinned brightly. "Well, that's probably it," she muttered cheerfully to herself.
…
"Think fast, Kakashi–kun!" Kushina called cheerfully, leaping down from the treetop above. A brightly colored water balloon sailed from her hand straight toward the back of Kakashi's silver-haired head.
He barely managed to whirl around, just in time for the balloon to smack him square in the face, exploding in a satisfying splash of water. Kushina couldn't help but grin widely as Kakashi's familiar deadpan stare—one she was well used to seeing on a much younger boy—was now fixed firmly on her.
But that deadpan expression quickly shifted into stunned disbelief. Kakashi's visible eye widened as he recognized exactly who stood before him. "K-Kushina-san?" he sputtered, water dripping from his soaked hair.
Kushina giggled at the reaction, placing a playful hand on her hip. "Hey there, Kakashi-kun. Damn, you got old!"
He just stood there for a second, mouth opening and closing in shock before he slowly turned toward Naruko, who stood grinning mischievously beside him. "You… you were actually telling the truth," Kakashi murmured incredulously.
Naruko puffed out her chest proudly, planting both hands on her hips. "Damn right I was, dattebane!"
Kushina practically cooed that she and her future daughter had the same occasional verbal tick.
Before Kushina could say anything else, a loud explosion echoed in the distance, drawing her attention. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight. Haru was locked in an energetic taijutsu battle as he sparred against another yokai fox—one with bright yellow features instead of Haru's golden ones.
Was that—Naruto? Naruko had described what her twin looked like last night to Kushina. She blinked, confused. "What exactly's going on here?"
Naruko let out an irritated sigh, pointing accusingly at the distant blur of yellow. "Naruto's being a jackass again. He decided he needed to pick a fight with my boyfriend."
Kushina raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "And why the heck would he wanna do that?"
At her question, Kakashi suddenly started giggling, glancing pointedly between Kushina and Naruko. He was trying—and failing—to hide his amusement.
Naruko instantly caught on, pouting furiously as she stomped down hard on Kakashi's foot. He yelped and hopped on one leg, still chuckling despite the pain.
"There will NOT be any oyakodon!" Naruko loudly declared.
Kushina stared blankly, feeling her cheeks flush hot as she realized exactly what Naruko was suggesting. Her embarrassment quickly gave way to shock and outrage. "What the hell's that supposed to mean!?" she demanded, her voice climbing higher in disbelief.
Before Naruko could respond, two new faces appeared next to Kushina. One girl had vividly pink hair, the other had bright long blonde.
"Hi there!" the pink-haired girl spoke up with a friendly wave. "I'm Sakura, Naruto and Naruko's teammate!"
"And I'm Naruto's love rival!" the blonde confidently added, earning an immediate glare from Naruko.
"Like hell you are," Naruko growled irritably.
Kushina just chuckled weakly, glancing between the newcomers and hoping for a reasonable explanation. "Can either of you girls please tell me what the heck Kakashi's talking about? I'm completely lost here."
Sakura sighed dramatically, shaking her head. "Basically, Naruto somehow got it into his thick skull that Haru was planning to, uh… shack up with you along with Naruko? In fact, he pretty much declared it in front of the entire village!"
Kushina gaped openly, heat rushing once again to her cheeks. "I'm sorry, what? How the hell did he get an idea like that!?"
The blonde kunoichi smirked playfully. "Well, to be fair, Haru is a true fox among men." She flicked her ponytail proudly, giving Kushina a friendly wink. "Oh, and my name's Ino Yamanaka, by the way. Nice to meet you."
"Uh… yeah," Kushina managed awkwardly, still trying to process the ridiculousness unfolding before her.
Ino continued without missing a beat. "Anyway, it's obvious you and Naruko are related—both smoking hot redheads. And since Haru's the hottest, nicest, richest, and strongest guy around—who can also cook!—it's only natural that a girl would wanna hook up with him too, right? I know I definitely want to…" she said and licked her lips, making Naruko hiss at her again.
Kushina opened and closed her mouth wordlessly for a few seconds, genuinely at a loss for what to say to that logic.
"Plus," Sakura said, leaning forward conspiratorially, "all of Haru's girlfriends so far have beautiful red hair." She tapped her fingertips together nervously, her cheeks coloring slightly. "And... well, I've also heard he's sweet on a certain pink-haired girl who visits his restaurant occasionally." Kushina raised an eyebrow at that. Sakura paused for a moment, clearly embarrassed, and added under her breath, "That probably means even I have a shot, right?"
Ino elbowed Sakura lightly in the ribs, rolling her eyes with a playful grin. "Oh please, Forehead. With Haru, it's all about teamwork." She flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder confidently. "We just have to team up and seduce him at the same time. There's no way any straight guy can resist the combined charms of the hottest single bitches in the village."
Kushina blinked slowly, processing the incredibly strange—and slightly disturbing—conversation happening right in front of her. She glanced sideways at her future daughter, Naruko, who looked equally baffled and irritated by her teammates' blatant plotting.
"Wow," Kushina finally muttered. "This future sure is... different. My son's paranoid, my daughter's friends are planning seductions like ninja missions, and apparently, I'm already lumped into some weird harem fantasy." She shook her head and sighed. "Lucky me…"
Naruko folded her arms, scowling at Sakura and Ino. "You two really need to find your own boyfriends and stop trying to poach mine!"
"Relax, Naruko," Sakura said cheerfully, completely unfazed. "We're teammates, aren't we? Teammates should share everything."
Ino smirked mischievously. "Exactly! It's basic ninja teamwork, dummy. Learn to cooperate!"
Kushina let out an exasperated sigh, deciding that rather than diving any deeper into this uncomfortable rabbit hole, she'd simply pretend none of this was happening. She took a deep breath, turned her eyes toward the battle still unfolding nearby, and carefully schooled her expression into calm stoicism.
In the clearing, Naruto was desperately trying—and spectacularly failing—to land a solid hit on Haru. Kushina couldn't help but wince slightly as Haru effortlessly dodged another blow before delivering a swift counterattack, sending Naruto tumbling headfirst into yet another dirt crater.
"Yikes," Kushina muttered under her breath, watching Naruto peel himself out of the earth again with a frustrated yell. "Well, at least my future son seems resilient."
Naruko just sighed, shaking her head in embarrassment. "He's resilient, alright. Resiliently stupid."
Kushina chuckled quietly, patting Naruko gently on the shoulder. "Don't worry, sweetie. It clearly runs in the family."
Naruko blinked, briefly confused. "Hey, wait—"
Before Naruko could finish, Haru's golden tails lashed out again, landing another brutal strike on Naruto that launched him dramatically into the sky.
And then her eyes widened and she heard Kurama furiously growl inside her mindscape when Naruto transformed into a large tailed beast right before her eyes! Not as big as the Kyuubi at full size, but Naruto was easily 30 to 40 feet tall!
"What did he do!?" Kurama hissed angrily inside her!
"Yay! Kaiju battle time!" Another blonde girl in a strange golden costume cheered from nearby next to a freckled red–head who just shook her head in embarrassment.
Kushina thought turning into a tailed beast was going a little far for a "spar" but considering she saw Tsunade nearby—who actually looked fantastic for being 20 years older than the last time Kushina saw her—not interfering with the fight, she figured everything was under control.
…Right?
– Haru –
Well, this was definitely an unexpected development. I mean, sure, I'd been kicking Naruto's ass all over the forest for the past five minutes, but I really didn't think he'd get this pissed off.
Maybe I should have let him land a hit or two, after all?
I had just sent Naruto hurtling into the sky with one of my tail-swipes when he let out an angry roar. In a massive cloud of smoke, magicules and chakra, he suddenly transformed. A gigantic, thirty-foot tall yellow nine-tailed fox slammed back down into the clearing, shaking the trees around us.
"Holy shit," someone muttered from the crowd nearby.
"Wooooo! Go Naruto! You got this!"
"I hope so, I bet my rent money on him!"
Naruto, in his new gigantic fox form, lowered his head and glared down at me with burning, slitted red eyes. He snarled at me, lips pulling back from huge, gleaming fangs. Clearly, all coherent thought had gone out the window. Naruto had fully given in to his instincts.
Well, shit.
I supposed we should've expected something like this might happen eventually. At least now we'd learned about Naruto's... slight temper-control issue in a relatively controlled setting.
Better here than in the middle of the village or possibly his next mission. He definitely needs some anger management classes though in the future, to get a tamper on his inner beast.
I glanced back towards the crowd, seeing Naruko staring at her brother with obvious worry. She met my eyes nervously.
I gave her my most reassuring grin and a thumbs-up.
She visibly relaxed, though not by much.
Turning my attention back up at Naruto's towering form, I cracked my knuckles and grinned wider, excitement surging through me. It wasn't every day you got to have a good old-fashioned kaiju battle. I only got to experience something like this once or twice a month, after all!
"All right, Naruto," I shouted up at him, "you wanna play giant fox monsters? Let's fucking play."
My body lit up in an intense blaze of blue foxfire, the magicules surging around me as I began to transform too. The trees around me rustled violently as my body rapidly expanded upwards. In mere seconds, I stood as a towering, fifty-foot-tall golden fox. My ten tails fanned out behind me as I looked down on Naruto.
Naruto took one glance at my new form, and I swore even through the beast-like haze clouding his mind, his eyes widened comically in reluctance. I could practically see him reconsidering his choices.
Too late for that now, buddy.
"Oh no," I rumbled. "You don't get to back out now."
Naruto took a cautious step backward, ears flat against his head as he made a soft, nervous whining sound.
XXX
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters on there:
The Fallen Gamer ch 338-342
Thunder and black wings 31
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 24
The Blood Queen 55
The Fox Hole 102
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 23
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 22
The Fox Hole 101
Thunder and Black Wings 30
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 21
The Blood Queen 54
The Fox Hole 100!! O_O
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 20
Thunder and Black Wings 29
The Fox Hole 99
A Systematic Tale: The Hero 19