Haruto breathed the fresh air of Konoha with a smile on his face.
With pride filled steps, he quietly ventured towards training ground seven after the last few hectic days in which the village was in a state of chaos and everything had been shut down.
At the training ground, before his arrival, Haruto found Naruto already waiting today.
Naruto looked at Haruto with some anticipation and spoke the news he'd been holding in trying to get an answer to the past few days.
"Do you know what happened to Kakashi sensei? Why did he send his dog to tell us that we won't be having classes for the last three days?"
Haruto looked at innocent Naruto and decided to play a prank on Kakashi.
"Kakashi sensei's body was broken." Haruto said in the saddest possible tone he could muster.
"What!?" Naruto didn't question Haruto's sad tone for even a second, it didn't strike him that Haruto shouldn't have emoted in front of him after he heard news about Kakashi, "How!?" Naruto quickly asked.
"Well…" Haruto started, "He met the red beast!"
"The red beast?!" Naruto asked surprised, "What's a red beast? A dragon?"
Haruto nearly laughed, "A dragon!? No, no, no, the red beast is much scarier!!"
"Scarier?" Naruto shook, "Kakashi sensei met something scarier than a dragon!?"
Haruto nodded, "Yes, the red beast can, with a single kick, break through space and time!"
"What!?" Naruto shook some more, "Is Kakashi sensei alright then?"
Haruto shook his head and gave Naruto a wry smile without saying much, letting Naruto figure out everything on his own.
Naruto's eyes filled with tears almost immediately.
That was when Haruto landed the finishing blow, "Look, there's Kakashi sensei's spirit standing behind you, he's come here to tell you good bye…"
Naruto turned around and spotted Kakashi who was walking towards training ground seven casually while reading his book.
"BWAAHHH!!! Kakashi sensei!!!"
Kakashi instantly became startled as a giant orange ball of snot and tears came hurtling towards his legs and began hugging him tightly.
"DON'T LEAVE ME KAKASHI SENSEI!!! YOU'RE ALL I'VE GOT!!! BWAAHHHH!!!"
Kakashi looked down at Naruto who was wiping his tears and snot on his pants before looking at Haruto whose lips were twitching.
Haruto who had been holding back his laughter till now broke down into tears himself.
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA~!!! Suits you right for letting Tsunade-sama punch me that day!" Haruto said between his laughs.
"Naruto…" Kakashi said gently, trying to peel the boy away from his already wet pants which made it look like he'd peed himself.
"BWWAAHHHH!!! KAKASHI SENSEI!!! Huh-"
Naruto suddenly paused.
He squeezed his hand which was holding Kakashi's butt and paused to look up at him.
"I can touch you…" Naruto suddenly realised.
"And why shouldn't you be able to touch me?" Kakashi asked softly, completely ignoring Naruto feeling him up.
"But you're a ghost! Am I a ghost too?" Naruto pondered, looking down at himself and touching himself.
Then he looked at Haruto, "Are you a ghost- Wait… why are you laughing!? You can laugh now!? How!? I thought… wait… what's going on!? Am I dreaming!?"
"OUCHH!!!!"
Naruto pinched himself and squealed in pain.
Kakashi finally interrupted, "Whatever Haruto-kun told you was a lie Naruto. He was joking with you."
"Huh!!!" Naruto became stunned, "But I thought…"
Kakashi sighed and told Naruto the truth, "Danzo's gone, for now."
"That old coot is gone!? How!?" Naruto asked, baffled. "Wait… is that why the village has been closed for the past three days? Because he died?"
Kakashi simply nodded without telling Naruto and Haruto the details.
Haruto looked at Kakashi and decided not to ask him about Danzo's state when he'd been brought to him to not embarrass him any further.
In the end Kakashi spoke calmly once again.
"I've called you today because from today there is no need for any more training. Naruto you'll be going to the academy and Haruto you'll resume your position in the R&D department as a researcher."
Naruto frowned instantly, as his eyes became teary once again.
Seeing Naruto about to launch at him to make his pants even more wet, Kakashi quickly spoke up, "However, we'll still meet up during every other weekend to have food together."
Naruto quickly wiped his eyes, but the frown on his face didn't change, instead he quietly asked Kakashi, "Can't we meet everyday?"
Haruto interrupted at that point, "Kakashi sensei will be busy from now on. How about you have dinner at my place every weekend from now on? And then we meet up with him every other weekend at my home?"
Naruto's eyes widened but he quickly nodded, "Alright."
Haruto looked at Kakashi and he too nodded.
"So it's settled then."
That was when Naruto looked at Haruto and asked him a question that he had been keeping to himself for all this time.
"Do I really possess the Golden Sage body?"
Haruto frowned. "Golden Sage what now?"
Kakashi frowned too.
What was Naruto talking about?
"You told me before that I possessed the Golden Sage body before, remember?!"
Haruto's eyes suddenly widened.
He had indeed told Naruto that to hoodwink him when they'd first met him.
So Haruto quickly kicked Kakashi in the shin to remind him, "Don't you remember Kakashi sensei!? Naruto has the Golden Sage body that you discovered in him?"
Kakashi made an incredibly constipated face as he felt his shin abused for no reason at all before he nodded once again, "I remember now! Naruto you unfortunately no longer possess the Golden Sage body."
Naruto's eyes filled with tears again so Haruto stepped in.
"Instead, Naruto, you possess the Nine Tailed Fox body!"
"I do!?" Naruto asked surprised.
Kakashi looked at Haruto equally surprised.
Was it really wise to tell Naruto this?
But Haruto didn't stop and kept going, "Do you know what's the power of the Nine Tailed Fox Body?"
"What?" Naruto leaned in close as if he were listening to a conspiracy.
Haruto whispered as if he were talking about a conspiracy, "The power of a nine tailed fox body is…"
Naruto leaned in further.
"Is…?" Kakashi also leaned in, wondering what Haruto was going to reveal in the next moment.
"....is that you have the power to..."
""To?""
"...to become the…"
""Become the?""
"Ultimate Prankster!"
Kakashi nearly stumbled.
Naruto on the other hand looked excited, "Really?"
"Truly!" Haruto nodded, "If you manage to transform perfectly into a Nine Tailed Fox with your body, you'll be able to commit the most amazing pranks that anyone has ever seen!"
"You'll gain the power to transform into someone that can even topple the Hokage!"
"Really!?"
"Truly! You'll gain the power to topple people even more powerful than the Hokage!"
"REALLY!?"
"TRULY!! The entire world will behold the rise of the world's greatest prankster!!"
Naruto looked so excited that he was about to faint, so Haruto dialed it back a little.
"So? Are you excited to turn into the Nine Tailed Fox!?"
"Yes!!!" Naruto exclaimed.
"Then you need to do one thing and one thing alone for the next six years at the academy." Haruto said calmly.
"What!?" Naruto asked impatiently.
Haruto looked at Kakashi and gave him a look that practically asked him to shoo away from there and give them some space, but when he didn't, Haruto bent low and whispered something into Naruto's ear.
"Se…y… Har…m Ju…su…" Haruto quickly stood up and asked, "Did you get all that?"
Naruto frowned for a second and then asked, "Will that really help me topple the Hokage and the people even more powerful than the Hokage?"
"Believe me, it will!" Haruto nodded.
"Alright! I'll believe it!" Naruto nodded too.
***
"Minato… why do I get the feeling that Haruto just said something strange to Naruto-kun?" Kushina asked.
***
A/N : Finished another volume. If possible please review! This new volume will be have epic fights.
You can now read 10 advanced chapters on my patreon for just $3!!! Thank you for your support everyone! pa treon.com/hooin_kyoma_au