Happy Holidays to everyone here on Fanfiction! I hope you all are enjoying the final weeks of the year!
We need something sweet to end the year on, so let's check back in on our loveable Fishcake and his busty Dragon!
Disclaimer in First Chapter
A Fishcake and his Dragon
Episode 16: Four Years Passed
Lucoa hummed softly to herself as she cooked breakfast, enjoying the peacefulness of the morning while the rest of the house was silent. She knew it wouldn't be for much longer, considering the scent of food permeating the air, but that was fine with her. It was nearly time to begin the day, anyway.
She never stopped humming, even when she sensed someone approach and wrap their arms around her. Though, she did smile at his familiar touch.
"You could've woken me up," she heard him say as he nuzzled his face into her back.
"I thought you could use the extra sleep," she replied, enjoying the feeling as she kept cooking. "It's an important day, after all."
Shifting himself while maintaining his gentle hold, Naruto kissed her shoulder before leaning into her. Despite being fourteen, he was still shorter than her at the moment; the top of his head reaching her neck. Despite this, the past four years since he had met Lucoa had been truly wonderful, even if there were some annoying bumps in the road.
One of the biggest changes was that he and Lucoa had moved out of his old apartment, moving into a home within the old Uchiha Clan District. They weren't the only ones, with Naruto convincing Sasuke to open the other empty homes to those in need, improving the young man's standing in the village.
Naruto and Lucoa lived near the Clan Head's home, where Sasuke stayed, and Naruto helped Sasuke secure his clan's scrolls, history, and artifacts using seals that were keyed to Sasuke and Sasuke alone. It was thanks to his strides in his fūinjutsu studies that allowed the young Uzumaki to do this for his friend.
Living with Naruto and Lucoa was Kii, the Dryad that Tohru had given Naruto during their first Christmas celebration. She had grown healthy and strong thanks to Naruto, with some help from Ino; though, Naruto only allowed her to help thanks to her knowledge on horticulture, and only for half a year before Naruto understood enough to keep Kii healthy.
Currently, Kii was managing a small herb garden that she and Naruto had started the year before. Thanks to her Dryad nature, the soil was incredibly healthy, and the herbs grew healthier than what was sold at the markets or stores. If Naruto wished, he could sell them to others; assuming they would buy them in the first place given who he was.
Despite the four years, not much had changed in terms of the village's opinion of him as a whole. There were exceptions, such as the Clan Heads treating him with more respect and the Academy being fairer to his schooling. But to the average citizen, Naruto was and would remain the "fox boy" of the Hidden Leaf.
Not that Naruto cared anymore at this point. He had found acceptance in a handful of people in both the village and outside of it. He didn't need the whole to acknowledge him anymore, because the few were more than enough for him.
"Why don't you wash up?" Lucoa suggested, breaking him from his musings. "Breakfast should be ready by the time you're done."
"As my lady requests," he replied with a teasing smile as he let her go and left to shower.
Sasuke Uchiha held a dry look on his face as he watched a small, one-horned Dragoness moaning in delight as she ate his food. She looked about the same age as Kanna and looked a lot like Elma, although her horn was off to the side rather than being dead center.
"How long are you staying again?"
The little Dragon girl paused her eating to give him a playfully teasing look. "I thought you were fine with me staying, Ducky?"
His brow twitched at the nickname, and he ignored her snicker. "That was before I realized you eat as much as your granddaughter," he replied, not sparing her feelings on the matter.
"That's rather rude… I'm not nearly as bad as my little Elma," she pouted.
Indeed, despite her youthful appearance, the girl sitting across from the Uchiha was in fact Elma's grandmother. Known as Telne, Sasuke had had the…pleasure of meeting the deceptively young-looking Dragon when he had been invited to Kobayashi and Tohru's wedding.
Yep, those two had finally tied the knot after many, many, MANY attempted proposals by the latter; her endless persistence finally paying off. Sasuke had been quite surprised when he'd gotten an invitation personally delivered to him by the ecstatic chaos Dragon, as he was only a friend of a friend, but that didn't stop him from attending regardless, despite requiring a chaperone again.
He was still annoyed by that stipulation. Especially when the Jonin gained a fourth member.
Though, Sasuke was admittedly comfortable with Kakashi, Yugao, and Hayate. The trio had become the de facto guardians for him and Naruto whenever the Dragons were involved, though Sasuke doubted that anyone could stand up to them; even Kanna, despite being the youngest of the Dragons, looked tough enough to overpower Jonin.
And it had been during the ceremony that Telne had suddenly plopped down beside him and began chatting, mostly asking if he thought she was cute and commenting on how she thought the wedding was nice. He hadn't really said much back outside a few noncommittal grunts and half-thought "uh-huhs", but he did eventually cave into her request for a head-pat.
Loathe as he was to admit it, he just couldn't say no to her pleading puppy dog eyes.
And ever since then, she'd been oddly attached to hanging around him, occasionally popping in for no other reason than to get even more pampering until eventually she just sorta moved in.
He was still trying to figure out how she knew exactly where he lived…
'Probably Naruto's fault,' he mused before mentally shrugging off the thought. "So, why stay here?" he questioned, genuinely curious as he resumed eating his breakfast.
"I'm comfortable here, and I enjoy your company; despite your bouts of rudeness and your hyperfocus on vengeance," she replied, being just as blunt as he had been. "I've led many a conflict, seen many be consumed by the fury of vengeance, and it always ends in more despair. I hope you realize that, Ducky."
"It's not vengeance," he made to argue, earning a raised brow from the Harmony Dragon before he spoke more earnestly. "I just… I need to know why he did it; if what he did to our people was truly a test of his power, or if something else was the reason. I need answers – closure – about that night, and if he truly was the monster I originally believed, then I'll get justice for the family I lost. It isn't vengeance anymore…"
Telne kept her raised brow for a few moments longer before her expression softened to a small smile. "That's good to hear. You shouldn't be so driven by such dark emotions. You've heard the saying regarding revenge, yes?"
He shook his head at her query.
"When seeking vengeance, dig two graves. One for your target…and one for yourself."
His eyes widened fractionally at the quote before he realized the truth behind it. Nodding in both understanding and reassurance, he stayed silent as he finished his food.
"On a lighter topic, are you ready to know who your future teammates will be?"
"Not particularly. The only person I'd like to be assigned with is Naruto, and I doubt they'd do that since I'm top of the class, and he's currently middle of the pack."
"I thought the Noodle was making incredible strides in improving his academic standing?"
"His past failings are holding him back. He's not in the lower half of the standings, but he's not at the top either. Plus, he's been holding back during certain tests because he doesn't want to hurt anyone. His training with Lucoa has made him annoying to fight since he shrugs everything off like it's nothing."
"That's more his new Dragon physique thanks to the Noodle ingesting Tohru's tail during that beach trip you lot had four years ago. The thing about ingesting Dragon flesh is that it has varying effects; especially when you take the poison into account for some of us."
"How did he become part Dragon, though?" Sasuke asked curiously.
"Could be a number of things. Lucoa is a powerful Dragon, once holding a title of Goddess before she lost the position. She could've used magic to help him absorb the properties into his body. There's also the fact that he comes from a clan fabled for both their sealing abilities and their incredibly resilient bodies, so his body could've simply adapted to the introduction of new DNA."
"The Uzumaki were really that revered?"
"According to history books and scrolls I've read during my visits here; it took the combined efforts of three of your world's Hidden Villages to bring the Uzumaki Clan to near extinction."
"Holy shit…" the young Uchiha gasped.
"Indeed, Ducky. And now, one of the last Uzumaki has Dragon blood in his veins. His descendants will be incredibly powerful," Telne informed him before smirking knowingly. "Especially with an ex-Goddess as their mother. I doubt anyone will ever take that spot from her."
Sasuke snorted with rolled eyes. "Yeah. Ever since that Christmas celebration, the two have been growing more and more lovey dovey over the years. It's honestly annoying to watch…"
"Aww, cheer up, Ducky! I'll give you all the love you want!" Telne exclaimed playfully as she materialized herself into his lap and hugged him while nuzzling her cheek to his.
Sasuke could only give a dry deadpan expression at the unwanted affection.
Lucoa gave an appreciative look at Naruto when he put on his clothes; minimal as they were. He wore bandages around his feet rather than the standard ninja sandals, a pair of black pants with orange Uzumaki Clan spirals on the thighs, and bandages wrapped around his abdomen. Other than the bandages, he wore nothing to cover his torso except for a black cloak, which was held closed by a necklace comprised of orange magatama beads. Finishing the look was his headband, which was serving as a belt for his pants.
The biggest changes for the young man were his new muscular physique thanks to the intense training he had gone through over the years, and how his once blonde hair had grown into a long and wild mane that reached his lower back and had a coloration similar to Tohru's; blonde roots that slowly bled into red at the tips. His eyes had changed slightly as well, with the blues having hints of amethyst around the edges while his whisker markings had thickened and looked more like black tribal markings on his face. (1)
This coloration was due to Naruto unknowingly consuming her tail meat four years ago, and Tohru's DNA had changed his own in a way that solidified his desire to become a Dragon like Lucoa. In a sense, Naruto was now Tohru's younger brother thanks to his altered DNA, though his eyes showed his mother, Kushina's, blood becoming more visible.
Growling playfully, Lucoa commented, "It's getting harder to hold back, Naru."
Chuckling sheepishly, he replied, "I know the feeling."
She moved closer to him and leaned down slightly so that she could capture his lips in a loving kiss that he readily returned. Despite the feelings they had for one another, they hadn't fully taken that step together as a couple. Yes, there were times where a lot of heavy petting was involved, but they never fully went all the way.
They wanted to, but Lucoa wanted to wait until her Naru had fully become a Dragon. What this meant was him assuming a draconic form like she and the others could. He was close, being able to easily change his limbs into draconic ones at will. But a full transformation was still barely out of his reach.
However, as the saying goes; Good things come to those who wait.
The couple kept the kiss for a few more moments before pulling away to rest their foreheads together, staring lovingly into each other's eyes.
"I'm almost there, Lucoa… I'll get it down soon; I promise."
"I know, Naruto… There's no need to rush, though. I can wait."
They shared a smile and one last kiss before Naruto left for the Academy. Lucoa waved him farewell from the doorway, watching as Kii also gave him a wave goodbye. She saw him meet up with Sasuke and the two leave together before also spotting Telne enthusiastically giving the Uchiha her own farewell that he was ignoring with all his willpower.
It still intrigued the ex-Goddess that someone so high up on the Harmony Faction's command pole was willing to stay with a human. The two Dragons shared a nod before they went into their respective homes. Not long after, Lucoa came back out and headed into town for some shopping.
With two Dragons living together – despite one not fully being one just yet – they went through food rather quickly. She needed to restock their home.
Sasuke had a dry look as he walked beside his friend, who was a full head taller than him. He wasn't one to be petty – at least, not anymore – but he found it annoying that he had to look up to speak to Naruto's face.
"Any guesses on how the teams will be assigned?" he asked the blonde-redhead.
"Hmm… Good question," Naruto mused. "If they keep to something that works, then I'm pretty sure that Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji will be teamed together. Their fathers made the Ino-Shika-Cho combination famous."
"True, but wouldn't other villages expect that kind of team composition?"
"Sure, but there's that whole If it ain't broke mentality that the Hidden Leaf follows. After all, they always pair the top ninja, the top kunoichi, and the lowest graded student together as a team. I heard that the Sannin had that kind of team setup with Jiraiya being the lowest graded student."
"And Jiraiya is hailed as one of the strongest shinobi of the Leaf, credited with making the Fourth Hokage into the ninja he was."
Naruto scoffed at that, lowering his voice so that only Sasuke could hear him. "I don't see how my father learned anything from that perverted idiot. I swear if he leers at Lucoa one more time…"
The statement was left unfinished as Naruto growled with bared teeth and glowing eyes that became more amethyst in color as his Dragon blood stirred.
"He still trying to get involved in your life?" Sasuke asked, having been told by Naruto that the man was supposedly the Uzumaki's godfather who never showed up until the Hokage ordered him and Tsunade Senju back to the village two years ago.
"Yeah… It's getting annoying. At least Miss Tsunade respects my desires for independence. She's pretty cool, despite being a drunk who hides her real looks behind an illusion," Naruto commented with a small snicker.
Sasuke rolled his eyes at that. "I'm surprised she hasn't punched you into the mountainside for all the cracks you make at her."
"Oh, she did," Naruto easily admitted, earning a sweatdrop from the Uchiha. "I was surprised that she could do so much damage to my scales, and Lucoa was impressed with what she did. The two go out with Miss Shizune for drinks once a week."
"How do you deal with Lucoa when she's drunk?" Sasuke asked with a small smirk.
"You can laugh all you want, but Lucoa gets a LOT cuddlier when she's drunk. I don't mind being her teddy bear those nights," Naruto confessed with an almost smug grin.
Rolling his eyes and muttering about lucky idiots, Sasuke eyed the entrance to the Academy. "Here we go."
"Yep."
"I can't believe neither of you can think of a way to separate them. It's been four years since he met her and two years since you both have returned," Hiruzen lamented with a frown aimed at his two old students.
"Kid wants nothing to do with me," Jiraiya replied with a small shrug. "Not that I can blame him since I wasn't there for him. I can give any excuse in the world, and it wouldn't matter because I left my godson alone. I can't make up for the time I never had."
"I don't understand why you're so obsessed with Naruto being separated from her, so I washed my hands of it," Tsunade admitted with an uncaring expression. "Besides, that Lucoa girl is good for him, despite your paranoia about her."
"She's got an influence on him that puts the village as a lesser priority," the Hokage argued. "As a Jinchūriki, it is his duty to serve this village. Minato made that duty inevitable when he sealed the Kyuubi into his son."
"You're only speaking of Minato as a Hokage and not as a man or a father," Jiraiya argued with a frown. "He was my student, sensei. I know him better than anyone save Kushina, and she's gone. He would never want his son to be some lapdog leashed to the village to be used at its beck and call. Had he lived, he may have informed Naruto about what Jinchūriki are normally used for, but I doubt he'd force his son to serve the village. Kushina sure as hell wasn't forced to, even if the Kyuubi was practically forced into her."
"What Minato wants doesn't matter since he's gone," Hiruzen stated firmly, ignoring the scowl on Jiraiya's face. "Naruto is the Jinchūriki, which means he is our deterrent for war. If he won't perform his duty, then I will be left with little options."
"If you think you're gonna take some seeds from him," Tsunade spoke up with a scoff, "then I'm having no part in it. Besides, I dare you to get anyone to accept a mission that involves dealing with a Dragon of all things. I'll make sure to put Sent on Suicide Mission under Cause of Death on their Death Certificates."
"You keep pushing and pushing, sensei. All you're doing is pushing Naruto away, and I wouldn't be surprised if one day he just up and left with Lucoa. I read the reports on the other world, and I'm still shocked he bothered to return to this place after my informants told me how he was treated before Lucoa arrived."
"He returned because he knows he has a duty," Hiruzen replied, earning dry looks from his students.
"Bullshit, that was the reason," Tsunade shot down. "If nothing else, he probably came back because there were still answers he wanted, or people here he couldn't ask to leave with him."
"Answers you never bothered to tell him," Jiraiya continued. "Why keep it all a secret for so long? You wanted him to do his duty as a Jinchūriki, so why not reveal his heritage? Go after him with some bullshit guilt trip about Minato wanting him to be seen as a hero?"
"He didn't need to know, and he wasn't ready to," the Hokage shot down, but he wasn't looking them in the eye.
"…you did something, didn't you?" Tsunade accused with a frown. "Something that, should Naruto step forward and demand his heritage, you'd be unable to hide."
Hiruzen stayed silent.
Jiraiya sighed and turned away to leave. "I'm done, sensei. Naruto wants nothing to do with me, and I'm not going to push the issue any further. If you did something to him, I'll find out and tell him. He deserves to know."
"You would turn on your old sensei? On your Hokage?" Hiruzen challenged Jiraiya while looking betrayed.
"He wouldn't be alone in that endeavor," Tsunade cut in. "If what you did has anything to do with the Uzumaki Clan, as the granddaughter of Mito Uzumaki, you'll have me to answer to alongside the current heir to the clan. This is me officially declaring my support of Naruto, as the leader of the Senju Clan."
With that, the two Sannin left and the Hokage could only stew in his frustration. He was starting to feel like he was on an island where he was the only sane person there.
Episode 17:
Is This Even Canon Anymore?
"Man, it's just not the same without Hinata around anymore," Kiba said as he glanced at an empty seat, Akamaru whining softly in agreement as he snuggled deeper into his owner's jacket. The little dog had loved it when the shy girl scratched between his ears, she could always find that one perfect sweet spot. "You think she's ever gonna come back?" he asked Naruto.
"I doubt it. From what Tohru-nee-chan told me, Hinata and Elma have been quite happy since they moved in together," Naruto informed the Inuzuka with a shake of his head.
He hadn't really known Hinata all that much himself, mostly because every time she got within ten feet of him, she'd suddenly turn red and collapse like a sack of potatoes. He only really knew her beyond a first name basis because she had attended Kobayashi and Tohru's wedding alongside a Jonin named Kurenai, who had been added to his "babysitting squad" as he called them for visits to Kobayashi's world.
He wasn't sure exactly why she brought Hinata along, but it had turned out quite well for the heiress as she had hit it off with a certain gluttonous water dragon.
Hinata sighed sadly as she watched Naruto and Lucoa slow dancing together to a romantic melody. She didn't need the Byakugan to see the love that the pair so obviously felt for each other.
'This was a bad idea coming here…'
Sighing once more, the bluenette shuffled over to the catering table and placed several snacks onto a plate. However, as she was grabbing the last of the chocolate covered truffles, another hand suddenly wrapped around her own.
"Oh, I'm sorry," said the owner of the hand.
When Hinata looked at the speaker, she saw a lovely young lady garbed in a sparkling blue dress with short black and purple hair, a single wobbly horn on her forehead, and a blue serpentine tail. Letting go of the dessert, the Dragoness scratched her cheek with an apologetic smile before nudging the treat towards the girl.
"Here, you can have that one."
"Oh no, thank you. If you want it, then help yourself," Hinata stated politely, nudging the treat back.
"Well, I already helped myself to most of them. So, go ahead."
"I'm… I'm not even sure I'd like it," Hinata tried to politely decline once more, but this only earned a soft smile from the Dragoness.
"Then all the more reason to try. I love trying new foods because it's always a surprise how it'll turn out."
As she spoke, the raven-purplette picked up the treat and held it up to Hinata's lips.
"Besides, you never know until you do."
Blushing a little at someone trying to feed her, Hinata was just about to politely refuse again…only to stop when the treat nudged against her lips and her tongue instinctively flicked out. Her eyes lit up the moment that rich earthy chocolate hit her tastebuds and before the heiress knew it, she was already taking a nice big bite.
A soft moan escaped her lips as she slowly chewed and swallowed, savoring the flavor for as long as she could.
"See? I told you it'd be worth it."
And just like that reality snapped back in, Hinata's face turning beat red as her brain caught up with her actions.
"I'm Elma by the way. And you are?"
Right. Introductions, etiquette, and all that.
"H-H-Hinata H-Hyuuga…"
It was a miracle that the pale eyed girl was able to get that out past her stutters, poking her fingers together as she found the floor to be VERY interesting all of a sudden. It only grew worse for her though as the now named Elma suddenly pulled her into a one-armed hug while finishing off the rest of the truffle herself.
"Well, Hinata, how about we try the cinnamon rolls next?"
All of her earlier nerves mysteriously vanished.
"There's cinnamon rolls?"
'Lucoa told me that they were gonna hit it off after that, but I thought it was just one of those one-off things that you could have with a stranger by chance. She was singing "I told you so" for days when Elma practically stormed the Hyuuga Compound alone and came out with Hinata in her arms,' Naruto mused with a smile, absently watching the Jonin sensei picking up their teams.
Team 7, to his suspicion, comprised of himself, Sasuke, and Sakura while Kakashi was assigned their sensei.
'Well, we're gonna be here a while…'
Team 8 was filled with Kiba, Shino, and a girl named Yakumo who was incredibly skilled with genjutsu. Rumors spoke of how Kurenai was once a personal instructor for her genjutsu studies; something she was restricted to due to her weakened body. However, Kurenai apparently quit and left Yakumo to fend for herself.
Seeing as the Jonin assigned to them was some senbon chewing guy named Genma, Naruto assumed those rumors were partly true.
Team 9 was still in circulation. It was assigned to some physical nut named Might Gai and his Genin; Rock Lee (another physical nut, but without anything else to cushion his weaknesses), Tenten (a markswoman who wanted to become the next Tsunade), and Neji (Hinata's cousin who looked like he had his world crumble when Elma spirited away Hinata).
Team 10 was, as Naruto guessed, the newest generation of Ino-Shika-Cho under the guidance of Asuma; the son of the Hokage. Naruto wished the guys the best, having personally experienced the bossiness that is Ino Yamanaka.
When all that remained in the classroom was Team 7 and the Chunin Instructor, said instructor simply gathered his things and left while ordering the Genin to wait patiently for your sensei.
And so, they waited…for almost three hours.
To kill time, Naruto sat in his seat and read another Uzumaki Fūinjutsu scroll as he, Sasuke, and Sakura waited for Kakashi to show up to pick them up. The boys, having known the man for the past few years, were prepared for him to show up this late, and Naruto even warned Sakura about it.
Of course, she tried to shut down his advice as Naruto trying to get them in trouble, but she was totally accepting of the information when Sasuke confirmed Naruto's words.
As for the Uchiha, he was looking over another seal Naruto had offered him in exchange for the scroll on basic chakra exercises that involved Fire Style jutsu; specifically, the ones involving breathing flames. Naruto got the basics of producing fire in his breathing while Sasuke got a scroll on Reverse Barrier seals.
If he was going to pursue a criminal like Itachi, it'd be in his favor to have something that could potentially trap the man. Sasuke had already perfected the Paralysis Seal and even kept multiple tags of the seal in his supplies, so having another means to keep his older brother restrained was greatly accepted.
Rolling up his scroll and pocketing it, Naruto inhaled deeply while his throat gathered some golden flames and then he exhaled a tiny burst of embers and smoke.
"You practicing, or you just bored?" Sasuke asked, looking up from his own scroll.
"Bored… I know Kakashi is late by a few hours almost every time, but it's still boring to wait."
"It's called having patience, Naruto," the trio heard someone speak, and they looked to the doorway to see their sensei casually walking in while reading his ever-present erotica. "Well, seeing as we're all here," he continued, casually leaning against the teacher's desk in the classroom, "why don't we all introduce ourselves?"
"How so, sensei?" Sakura asked.
"Name, your likes, dislikes… The usual stuff," he answered nonchalantly. "I'll start. My name is Kakashi Hatake, and some things I like are reading, traversing the Road of Life, and dogs. Things I dislike are people who disrespect good literature, people who don't respect the Road of Life, and stubborn ignorance. In the future, my goal is to see the village stay standing."
The boys nodded in respect to his introduction before they both turned to their kunoichi teammate.
"Oh! Uh, my name is Sakura Haruno. I like, um…" She blushed faintly, earning rolled eyes from the Uchiha that she didn't see. "I also like to study new things and to test my knowledge. I dislike rivals who constantly try to bring me down, and people who insult my intelligence since I take pride in my book smarts. My goal for the future is to have a family someday."
Her second blush was ignored, but Kakashi gave the girl an eye-smile. "That's nice. Next?"
"Sasuke Uchiha. I like to train and learn new skills as a ninja. I also like tomatoes. My dislikes include people who can't take a hint, people who refuse to open their eyes, and feeling like the truth is hidden from me. My goal is to track down my brother and get answers, kill him if I need to, and to hopefully come back and have a family to restore my clan."
"You sure you don't wanna restore your clan first, in case you don't return?" Naruto asked seriously.
"No… Either the clan will die with me and my brother, or it'll return after I've gotten justice. I don't want anyone taking advantage of any potential children of mine if I die pursuing Itachi."
"A wise decision," Kakashi spoke up. "Sometimes, leaving something or someone behind is the wrong choice. Hopefully you get the answers you're looking for, Sasuke."
The Uchiha nodded in thanks at the man's support before Naruto spoke up.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki. I like my friends, Dragons, foxes, training, and pranks. I also love Lucoa," he added with a bashful grin, still feeling flustered when he displays his feelings for her publicly. "I don't like being used or being seen as an object instead of a person. I also really don't like people who choose to stay ignorant and people who mistreat others maliciously. My goals for the future are to finish becoming a Dragon, to marry Lucoa," he blushed again, "and to have a family."
Kakashi eye-smiled at Naruto. "Well, looks like you already know exactly what you want for yourself. That's good. Now, normally this would be where I tell you that you need to perform one last test before you're officially Genin, but the powers that be in this village feel like this team shouldn't be allowed to fail."
"Because of us, huh?" Naruto guessed, gesturing to himself and Sasuke, who frowned in annoyance.
"That's exactly the reason. Whoever the final teammate for you two wouldn't have mattered in their opinion unless it was another clan heir or heiress involved."
"Wait," Sakura spoke up, looking both hurt and insulted. "So, my position on the team never really mattered?"
"It does," Kakashi assured her, but he kept a straight face as he continued, "but Naruto and Sasuke are both important assets to the village because of their extenuating circumstances."
"Why Naruto? Sasuke, I understand since he's the only Uchiha in the village, but-"
"And Naruto is the last Uzumaki in this village. His name wasn't some random surname given to him, Sakura. The Uzumaki Clan were important allies of the Hidden Leaf, and we owe them a debt we can never repay for not saving them from near extinction decades ago."
He turned around so that he could present the red swirl on the back of his flak jacket to his students.
"This symbol is that of the Uzumaki Clan, and we wear it proudly on our uniforms to honor their legacy. Naruto is the last living member of the clan, meaning he is greatly valued by the higherups of the village."
Naruto fought the urge to scoff as he turned away from his team with a snarl. 'Yeah, like they really give a shit about that. All they care about is that I'm holding you, Kurama…'
"This is the life of a Jinchūriki," the Bijuu commented. "I told you before, we Bijuu are coveted for our power, and Jinchūriki are used so that humans can boast and puff themselves up as if they control us. Only a few people have ever truly controlled us, and it burns at my pride as a Bijuu that ALL of those few have controlled me at some point in my life."
'I still haven't found a way to safely free you, Kurama, but I promise I'll find it someday…'
"The fact that you're trying means more than you know, Naruto. Your friendship is something I have appreciated since the beginning."
Naruto calmed down from his previous snarling, happy to hear those words from his friend.
"In any case, just because your position is not as important as you hoped," Kakashi continued speaking to Sakura, "that doesn't mean you aren't going to be valued by us; your teammates."
Sakura still looked miffed at the truth of her position, but she decided to press on. She simply added something new to her previous list of goals.
Yes, she still wanted to be with Sasuke and have a family with him, but she also wanted to prove that she was just as important to the formation of Team 7.
Naruto could tell that Sasuke had practically written her off with a glance, but he knew that Sakura had some potential. She just needed someone to bring it out of her.
Unfortunately for her, Naruto was not going to be that person, and he didn't bother trying to think of anyone else that could. He'd help look after her and offer assistance as her teammate, but it wasn't his job to make her improve.
He at least wished her luck in his mind. She'd need it.
Episode 18:
Without a Doubt
Naruto enjoyed the moonlight and the crisp evening air as he stood in an open meadow on an uninhabited island many miles from the village. He and Lucoa chose this place because of the remoteness, which meant nobody would come to harm during their more advanced training.
Or his attempts at full transformation.
"HAAAAGH!" he exclaimed, taking a horse stance while a magic circle lit up with golden orange energy beneath him, enshrouding him in its light.
Lucoa stood off to the side, carefully observing as her love made his tenth attempt of the evening. She watched as his body rippled between fleshy skin and hardened scales, constantly going back and forth as he tried to ascend to a draconic state. Sadly, it was another failure as he fell onto his ass and gasped for air.
'Close, once again… But not quite there,' she mused, walking towards him as he laid back and caught his breath while watching the stars.
"…what am I doing wrong…?" she heard him mutter aloud. "You told me that I need to cover myself in my own power and unleash the might inside of myself… But I'm not getting it…"
"Perhaps it's an unconscious feeling that's holding you back," Lucoa suggested as she lowered herself to the grassy ground, gently moving his head so that it rested on her thighs. "What does becoming a Dragon mean to you personally?"
"That I can finally stand beside you as an equal… That I won't disappoint you…"
"You've never once disappointed me, Naruto. From the night we met all the way until now, I have never felt shame, disappointment, or regret. You've made my life so much brighter just by being in it."
He blushed at her words.
"I…have an idea. I'm going to use magic to send your psyche deep into your subconscious. All of your doubts will be manifested there, and you can handle them directly."
"That sounds pretty cool, honestly," Naruto replied as he sat up and gave her a warm smile. "Let's try it."
She smiled back and nodded. "Lie back down and relax. This will only take a moment."
Complying, he rested his head once again on her thighs and closed his eyes, enjoying the comfort her presence gave him. As soon as he felt her finger gently press down on the draconic eye on his forehead, everything went black.
Eyes fluttering open, Naruto took in his surroundings and couldn't help chuckling fondly at them.
"The library's restricted section… Man, this takes me back. It was the night everything changed…"
Surrounding him were endless shelves filled with books, but any opened spaces between the works of literature spewed dark fog that reduced visibility to nigh nothing. And yet, despite the darkness, there was a faint light that flickered like a star in the night sky.
And with that light, there was a warmth that his soul yearned for; a warmth so familiar to him.
"Alright, Lucoa… I'm coming," he spoke earnestly as he boldly stepped into the dark fog and towards the light.
Being his deepest subconscious of his mind, Naruto couldn't tell how much time had passed since he started walking through the fog. All he could see were shelves upon shelves of books, with occasional turns that he could take or was forced to take.
"…strong enough…"
He paused when he heard his own voice, but it sounded younger. Curious, he focused his hearing to locate the source.
"…never be strong enough…"
It was close.
"…she's a Dragon…"
He turned around, spotting a younger replica of himself, but without any color. The younger Uzumaki was in grayscale and looked to be around 9 or 10 years in age.
Crouching down, he brought himself to the same level. "Are you one of my doubts?"
The younger of the two looked up, showing a dead stare.
"…how can I ever be strong enough to protect her…?"
"Lucoa is stronger than we are, yeah…" Naruto admitted, reaching out to place a hand on his Doubt's shoulder. "But we have time, y'know? Even if we never gained the power of a Dragon, we'd never stop trying to get stronger."
"…why don't we just quit?" the Doubt of Strength asked him, earning a grin full of confidence.
"Because we love her. That's reason enough to keep getting stronger, don't ya think?"
The Doubt slowly smiled back as the grayness bled away into color. Nodding to the original, the Doubt faded into a ball of light that flew off in the direction of the larger light Naruto had been heading for.
Smiling at the light, he said to himself, "One down…"
Doubt of Skill…
Doubt of Smarts…
Those were the next Doubts that Naruto ran into, and they were appeased the same way as the Doubt of Strength; by reminding them that everything they do is because of the love they have for Lucoa. It was strange how simple it was to remove those worries simply by, in layman's terms, reminding himself that he did it for her.
"Does this mean my feelings for her aren't enough to remove my childish doubts?" he mused, genuinely bothered by the notion. "I love Lucoa… I know what I feel for her… And she loves me back. Why do I still have these lingering doubts?"
"Because of the life we lived before," another copy of his younger self voiced, prompting him to turn and face it.
This Doubt was younger than the others. Where the Doubts of Strength, Skill, and Smarts were all around the age of 9 or 10, this Doubt looked to be around 5; but it spoke fluently like an older version.
"All our life, we were treated like a monster or ignored, and it wasn't our fault. We even thought that we weren't human…"
"But Lucoa changed that when she intercepted our summoning ritual," Naruto reminded what could only be the Doubt of the Past.
"What makes her so special when we had people like Pops and Nee-chan? They treated us fairly, welcomed us into their lives, and tried to help whenever they could. What makes their efforts any less than Lucoa? For all we know, this could be some sick hero worship, or an obsession…"
"That's not true," he argued calmly, smiling faintly. "Teuchi and Ayame will always have a major place in our heart, you know that. They're family to us."
"And Lucoa? She's not family. She was just a stranger that told you-"
"She told us that we weren't a demon. She pulled us out of that darkness; out of this darkness," Naruto cut off, gesturing to the dark fog surrounding them. "What makes her different from Teuchi and Ayame is that we couldn't – we wouldn't – drag them into our problems. We were afraid of having them reject us… Remember?"
Past looked down sadly at that. "We didn't want to be a burden to them… So, we never told them how we were really feeling…"
"And that's why Lucoa is so important to us. She became that one person we didn't have to hide anything from; the one person we could share all of our feelings with…"
Another voice cut in at this time, sounding older than even his own voice.
"And how long will it last? Forever, like some faery tale?"
Naruto turned to see an older version of himself, dressed the same as him but taller, more rugged, and with draconic eyes.
"You must be my Doubts of the Future," he surmised, earning a nod.
"Correct."
"Wow… We look badass!" Past exclaimed, earning smiles from Future and Naruto.
The original turned back to the Future Doubt, a curious look on his face. "Why can't it be a faery tale? Is it so wrong to hope that what we want with Lucoa can last our lifetime?"
"OUR lifetime will forever be a fraction of Lucoa's. It doesn't matter if we have Uzumaki longevity, or if our lifespan is amplified thanks to the Dragon blood we now carry; we'll never be able to have it compare to that of a full-blooded Dragon. The only future we will have…is leaving her."
"Why?"
"What?"
"Why is that our only future? What about the possibility of a family? Why can't we have that? Why do we always have to think of the negatives in our life when there is so much potential for positive outcomes?"
"The carefree ideals of a dreamer; nothing more."
"Yeah… I am a dreamer. I'm always dreaming of the future," Naruto boldly declared, grinning brightly. "Dreaming of a future where I can be happy with the choices I've made now in the present," he turned to the Doubt of the Past, softening his grin to a smile, "and all of it thanks to how my past helped shape me."
Past and Future shared a look at that.
"Yesterday is history… Tomorrow is a mystery… But today is a gift," he began quoting.
"…that is why it is called the present…" both of his Doubts finished, their grayness slowly bleeding away into color and light.
"Exactly. I can't keep lamenting what was and what might be… I can only live here, live in this moment. And in this moment, I want to accept my doubts and move on from them."
His grin returned.
"In this moment, I want to become a Dragon!"
The Past grinned back while the Future gave a confident smile as they both became enshrouded in light and joined the other Doubts.
When they became assimilated in the light, the fog and the library were blown away into dust while the light itself floated over to him. As it neared him, it took the shape of Lucoa; but she was missing her distinguishing features.
The faceless Lucoa offered her hand to him, and he smiled as he took it without any hesitation. A mouth formed on her face, shaping itself into a loving smile before she became a ball of light that drifted towards him and sank into his chest.
A beat of his heart shook the subconscious, and Naruto's eyes became draconic in nature as a rush of power flowed from him. Clapping his hands together, he grinned in determination as the spectral representation of himself burst with a golden orange light.
Outside of his mind, Lucoa had arranged Naruto's body so that he was sitting cross-legged on the meadow. She waited patiently for him to confront his doubts and awaken the Dragon she knew was waiting to be unleashed.
A sudden weight started to impose itself over her, and her eyes widened faintly as Naruto became enshrouded in a golden orange fire while a magic circle of the same color spread out from beneath him. With his eyes still closed, he slowly got to his feet and clapped his hands together as his power surged.
"I…" she heard him speak.
The magic circle started to spin.
"…am…"
Faster and faster, it spun as the fire surrounding him became larger.
"…a…"
Suddenly, the fire and the magic circle sunk in towards him, just in time for him to open his eyes and give a grin brimming with confidence and triumph.
"…DRAGON!" he finished declaring before his body gave a blinding glow that forced Lucoa to shield her face.
The wind whipped as his form gained mass and size, changing from the shape of a human into that of a Dragon. The form itself was massive, roughly being larger than the Hokage mountain. It had an entire upper body covered in rounded black scales, which in turn were decorated by spiraling, markings that had a golden orange glow. His lower body – specifically his chin, chest, stomach, inner tail, thighs, and arms – was an almost peach color, and appeared to be rather smooth, the same coloration as his human skin. Naruto's eyes had fully become amethyst in color, but the slit pupils were azure and seemed to glow in the moonlight. His head was rounded and blunt with four, large, elongated plates extending backward while his draconic maw was full of razor-sharp teeth. His wings were leathery and almost batlike, being as black as his scales with gray on the underside and golden orange spikes on the tips. Finally, his tail had segmented scales similar to samurai armor and had a sharpened tip almost like a blade. (2)
Lucoa couldn't help smiling proudly, her eyes glistening with overjoyed tears as she took in the sight of her love's Dragon transformation. Cupping her hands around her mouth, she called out to him, "NARUTO!"
Naruto, who had been breathing deeply due to the newfound stress his body took from his first full transformation, looked down to her and saw the eagerness in her face and her smile.
"ROAR!" she finished calling out to him" "TELL THE WORLD THAT YOU'RE NOW A DRAGON!"
He blinked once before grinning wide enough to show a majority of his sharpened teeth. Inhaling deeply, he aimed for the stars above and released a bellowing roar that echoed for dozens upon dozens of miles. (3)
As the newest Dragon unleashed his first true roar, Lucoa held a hand to her racing heart as her eyes glowed with love and desire. Her love had finally done it.
And soon, her love would become her Mate.
1 & 2~ Naruto's new look and his Dragon form are inspired/taken from Acnologia from the Fairy Tail series
3~ Imagine the Godzilla roar from the 2014 or 2019 movies. That Godzilla was a BEAST!
Naruto has finally become a Dragon! And now, Lucoa is done waiting to take that final step!
And why is Telne staying with Sasuke? Is Naruto no longer the only ninja boy to have a Dragon interested in them?
Next time, Naruto and Lucoa will partake in some lovely lemonade together!
Happy Holidays to everyone!
Stay safe, healthy, and positive!
Dreaming of the Future
pain17ification