[New Fanfic is Up!!]
[Naruto: The Strongest Ninja System]
Natsuki took it all in, nodding in satisfaction—then looked over at Naruto and Kurama.
These two were the last ones left.
Seeing everyone else succeed, Naruto wanted to try his best too. He flashed a bright grin at Kurama. "Kurama, I—"
"Kotowaru!" (I refuse!) Kurama cut him off cold.
"Eh? At least hear me out—"
"I said, kotowaru! I will never acknowledge you—ever!"
The refusal was so decisive that Naruto froze on the spot. He hadn't expected that, with everyone else making it through, he alone would be rejected.
Was he not sincere enough? No—he hadn't even gotten a chance to speak!
Shukaku leaned over at once. "Heh-heh-heh! Stinky fox, you got a death wish or what? You do get what fusing into the Jūbi (Ten-Tails) means, right? If you wanna die, don't drag us with you!"
Kurama snorted. "You've all been duped by humans' pretty words. Not me. I'll never trust humans!"
With that, its outline blurred and vanished—clearly retreating back to its inner world.
Naruto slumped, almost in tears.
Everyone else had reconciled with their Bijū. For him to be the outlier—didn't that make him look useless?
Natsuki patted his shoulder. "Don't be sad. Kurama's temper is bad and it's twisted inside. It's hard to handle. Just keep bringing it your sincerity. One day it'll acknowledge you. Remember—among all the Bijū, the Kyūbi (Nine-Tails) is the strongest. If you become a Perfect Jinchūriki, you might even surpass Sasuke."
"I can surpass Sasuke?!"
Naruto's fighting spirit reignited on the spot. "Yoshi! I'll make Kurama recognize me—just watch!"
Yep. That guy cares most about Sasuke.
Use Sasuke as the motivator and he's back to full HP.
Sasuke's Sharingan almost turned into Hyūga's Byakugan from rolling so hard. "Ba—ka— If you want to surpass me, you'll need another hundred years of training!"
Before long, Shukaku had gotten its fill of cards.
But it still laid down terms. "Brat, if you want Shukaku-daiya to acknowledge you, you have to play with me at least once a day—no, five rounds of Ninja Kill! And use Kage Bunshin (Shadow Clone) to speed up the 'Ninja Kill' mode!"
Gaara looked like he might cry. "Okay. I'll make time every day to play with you."
With a Bijū like this, Gaara could only endure it. If he wanted to be a Perfect Jinchūriki, maybe this was the trial.
It's just… Shukaku was too loud—and the trash talk during the game made Gaara's heart ache. It wasn't that he feared angering Shukaku; he just didn't know how to flame back.
At this point, the goal was basically achieved.
Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan, and everyone returned to reality.
Natsuki glanced at the sky outside and started shooing. "All right, all right—mission accomplished. Time for you to head out."
Fū puffed her cheeks. "No fair! Natsuki, I want to taste your cooking. You should make dinner today!"
Naruto jumped in right away. "Natsuki! Cook! Natsuki! Cook!"
Sasuke and Gaara didn't say a word—but they didn't get up either. Message received. Natsuki's mouth twitched.
Well, things were going to get busy after this. Opportunities to treat everyone might be rare. Since he had time today, cooking a meal for them wasn't a big deal.
He agreed, sliced some cured pork and sausages, then pulled a good armful of fresh vegetables from the garden.
Thankfully, the fridge was stocked, so no grocery run needed.
Right then Tenten got off work and came home, arms full of fresh ingredients. Looked like there'd be more than enough to stuff everyone full.
The next day, Natsuki was all sunshine again on his way to the Hokage's office.
Yesterday had been exhausting, true—but Tenten had indulged him at night, so he was very, very happy. Naturally, his mood was great today.
Kakashi had already arrived as usual. Compared to his old habit of being fashionably late, he was downright diligent now.
Obito being alive must have become Kakashi's driving force.
Good. That way, becoming the Sixth Hokage would be only natural.
"Yo, Kakashi-senpai, you're really working hard. Please also work hard for me—so I'll just hand the stack on my desk to you!" Natsuki said, moving to toss the files onto Kakashi's table.
"Chotto matte!" Kakashi blocked him at once. "I was eating at Ichiraku yesterday and heard from Naruto—you helped them reconcile with their Bijū. Only Naruto hasn't succeeded yet. That means you've finished the teaching assignment. So you're back to desk duty. Your files, you stamp!"
…Natsuki froze, then quietly sat down and opened his own stack.
If he'd known, he wouldn't have rushed. He should've let the Jinchūriki wrestle with their Bijū for a few days, then swoop in at the end.
Now look—big mission done, zero time off.
This assistant-to-the-Hokage gig was a trap!
Kakashi read his mind and chuckled. "Why do you feel like the old me—no motivation at all?"
Natsuki chuckled back. "Senpai must be joking. How could I be like the old you? I had a girlfriend at six, and I'm cohabitating now. Unlike a certain 'single and free' senpai."
…
Right in the heart. Critical hit.
He shouldn't have opened his mouth.
Natsuki never played fair. He'd drag out that 'six-year-old dating' thing like it was world-class bragging material every time.
Was Kakashi single because he couldn't find someone? As if!
With his looks and skills, finding a partner would be easy—he just didn't want to. Dating had nothing on reading Icha Icha Paradise. And tons of Icha Icha improves hand speed.
Kakashi decided to ignore him.
Before long, Tsunade and Jiraiya arrived and asked about the mission's progress.
Hearing that everyone except Naruto had made peace with their Bijū, they both exhaled and gave Natsuki a thumbs-up.
"Natsuki, you're full of surprises. You solved something this hard in less than a day. I'll have to assign you tougher tasks!"
Tsunade's words made Natsuki faceplant on the desk.
So—'the more capable, the more work.' And it never rotates.
This assistant job… for the monthly pay, was it worth dying over?
But Natsuki had no choice. Tenten and his soon-to-be father-in-law both wanted him to assist properly—so he'd do it seriously.
Jiraiya still worried about Naruto. "Natsuki, with Naruto like that—can't we think of something?"
Natsuki could only spread his hands. "I've done what I can. The Nine-Tails' situation is complicated. It's up to Naruto now. We put our faith in the Will of Fire."
(End of Chapter)
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