I OWN NOTHING

As a kid, W.I.T.C.H. was everywhere in my life thanks to my little sister and female cousins.

X-X-X-X-X

Baseball was a popular sport in Japan, as much as in the US. Naruto Uzumaki was a fan of the sport and quite good. Being a short blond boy of 5'2" of height, none would've thought he had what was needed to make it big as a baseball player, but he showed a lot of promise. The teen had a mop of blond hair which went down to his chin, sun-kissed skin, blue eyes, and 3 whisker-like birthmarks on each cheek adding a foxy appearance to his face. Slim and fit, he looked like a regular teen, but a pair of hair tufts akin to fox ears atop his head earned him a couple nicknames.

The coach turned to him with a firm if almost melancholic stare, "Come on, Naruto, this is your last day of practice with us, so make it count." He motioned for the kid to get to the plate, which he did.

"Don't worry, I'll be knocking it outta the park as usual." The boy replied and held up his bat. He was clad in a simple baseball uniform, a dark orange pinstripe shirt with a long-sleeved black t-shirt under it, white pinstripe pants with black socks over the ankles, and black shoes. His shirt had the number 99 on its back and UZUMAKI written over it in Roman letters. He tilted his black baseball cap to cover his eyes from the morning sun and smiled at the pitcher.

Giving it his all, he twisted his hips and with an echoing crack sent the ball flying, and made a mother proud beyond measure, "That's my son! Woo!"

Everyone heard the cheers of a redhead woman with long hair, light purple eyes, a white dress with a green front shaped like an apron, and her hands balled into fists as she cheered her boy. She was also carrying a pair of pompons which were orange and yellow to fit her son's colors. All around her people gave her an odd mixture of glances.

"Tone it down a bit please, honey," advised her husband, who wore a white and red baseball cap which barely got his wild mane of spiky golden hair under control, a white jacket, a black t-shirt, and black slacks. He had a foam finger which he made himself to cheer for his son.

His wife scoffed, "Our son's doing well in something he enjoys, of course I'm gonna cheer him up to Heaven and back!" she shot at him while the boy ran to the bases with a smile.

"Oh please, you were so nervous he'd miss any-"

"Lies and slander!"

As the two argued, the other parents gave them some space and Naruto claimed victory yet again. Once everything was said and done, the odd family of three walked to their car. Naruto had his bat slung over his shoulder and a sheepish grin. His mother put the pompons in her purse. His father gave the redhead the foam finger, which she happily waved around.

"My son is number 1, yay-yay!" she sang, her son chortling awkwardly.

"Mom, come on, this is embarrassing..." Naruto sighed deeply.

"Agreed..." his father grumbled with his head hung low.

"Oh, come on, K- Minato, he's a future super-star!" the woman corrected herself and narrowed her eyes at the two, "And no deal for you, young man. You've made your mom proud. She shall now smother a good boy and spoil him rotten... Wait, no, that'd be bad parenting, I still need to give you proper if not downright necessary lessons in life."

"Like?" father and son asked in unison.

"Getting a girl as amazing as me!" she beamed, giving them the peace-sign.

"Son...don't make my mistakes." The blond adult said.

"Hey!" the mother snapped.

"Mom, if I married a girl like you, I assure you my life would be too full of energy..." Naruto replied, both him and his father staring dully at the redhead.

"At least get yourself one who kicks ass!" she argued, pumping up a fist and pointing at her biceps with the foam finger, "Tomboy and proud would be dynamite!"

"Yup, if you're together, it'd blow up in our faces." Her husband quipped.

"And yet you love me!" she boasted.

"Can't I get a say in it?" Naruto replied, "I'd prefer a girly or womanly girl... One like you would be like putting two male Hercules beetles together and expect them not to fight."

"Fine, but as your mother I, Kushina Uzumaki, have standards." She hooked a thumb to her face.

"You married dad..." the son retorted.

His father raised a finger to argue, but couldn't, and after a second he lowered it, "I...I hate to say it, but that's a good point considering I am... You know."

"Silence, Kushina-sama knows what girls she'd settle for." Naruto and his father could only stare at the Queen of Tomboys as she acted like royalty, "First, I'd like a redhead to keep the legacy of my crimson locks...and she's got to be a bit weird, too. Two, I wouldn't mind a girly girl, perhaps a trendy one who is good with plants. As for fun and sass, you better find a mermaid. If you want cuteness and energy, find a pixie with an air element and make sure she's got pigtails. Hmm...perhaps a shy one would work if she's got an affinity for fire to light up the night when needed. Oh, I know! Why not a cute noble? Like a princess who is your age or a little younger and-"

"And you've given this too much thought, honey." Kushina had to be cut off by her husband or she would've kept going. "Let's get in the car and let Naruto think it once he finds a girl. Okay?"

"Fair enough..." Kushina conceded and the three got into a simple and worn Beetle, "So, kiddo, are you excited to go to a new world? Metaphorically speaking, of course."

Naruto smiled proudly, "I'll miss this place, but so long as I can play and kick ass, I'm good."

"I've done a good job raising a child to vanquish evil..." Kushina beamed.

The blond man let out a deep sigh, "Leave it to me to marry such a hotheaded woman and get a son willing to fight anything and anyone."

"So, ready to see Heatherfield?" Kushina asked as she ignored her husband and took the wheel.

"So long as you don't force me to date anyone."

"No deal!"

Father and son sighed, "Figures..."

Days later, after a trip across the sea, the family arrived at their new house. Everyone had boxes to unpack, furniture to move, and items to set in their new house. Empty rooms in a small apartment granted the family possibilities to picture how to set things up. After Naruto finally set his trophies and hid away a stash of magazines his mother would kill him for having, he stared at a baseball he got signed by Tatsuo Shinada before placing it on a small stand.

"I got to the States rather soon, now to make it big here." Naruto cheered and looked at his uniform, then put it on to examine his reflection, "Heh, I can imagine how cool I'm going to look like with an actual big league uniform. Maybe in the-"

Just as he was practicing swings with a titanium bat, Kushina called him from the kitchen, "Naruto, your adorable and loving mother is hungry! And there's no food yet! Do you want Chinese?"

"Sure, I want to see how authentic American Chinese food tastes like." Naruto cheered as he stepped out of his room with a smile, which flipped into a frown when seeing his mom grin, "Wait, you're..."

"Thanks for offering going out for food, son!" she handed him some bills and started to push him to the front door, "Get mom the best noodles in the house, make it extra-large, and get your dad the same and whatever you want. Get back safely and soon!"

"Ah, you evil woman, you tricked me!" he argued while trying and failing to fight back, she was quite stronger than she looked.

"Sorry, son, you should've seen it coming," his father said and took a sip of coffee at the kitchen.

"Traitor!" Naruto accused him.

"It's you or me, son, and I'm too lazy to care about sacrificing you." Minato said and lazily took one more sip.

Once forced out with the door shutting loudly at his back, the kid grumbled, "Ugh, they're too good at ganging up on me. This should count as child abuse..." Then he looked at himself and realized he was in his baseball uniform, "Ugh... I should've asked her to let me change."

Kushina denied him the opportunity, "Your mom's tummy is rumbling, feed her!" she yelled from the other side of the door.

"Mom, I still have my bat with me!" Naruto argued.

"Don't care, use it to get a discount if the staff is weak-hearted and give you free food if possible! If they got fortune cookies, then better!" his mom laughed at the end.

Her husband sighed deeply, "Honey, we need to talk about your standards..."

"I'm so staying away from dangerous women like her..." Naruto said under his breath...and the door immediately bolted open. "Oh shoot!"

"You'd be lucky if you found a girl as tough as me!" his mother roared while he ran off.

"Unlucky is more like it, you crazy woman!" he shouted back.

X-X-X-X-X

Yan Lin was what one would imagine an old Chinese lady to look. Short in stature, slim but healthy, hair still black done in a bun and a kind smile. She wore a traditional green Chinese robe. Keeping her hands clasped under the sleeves, she watched the slow day go by. Customers came and went, the afternoon sun carried a cool breeze, and a batter entered her restaurant. Pausing her thought, she examined the baseball player with an inquisitive eye. No doubt about it for the old lady, he was not a normal boy. However, he didn't look like he wanted to cause anyone harm.

"Welcome to the Silver Dragon, may I take your order?" she asked him with a menu for him to take.

Naruto adjusted his cap as he looked at the items listed, "Five meat dumplings, the special noodle soup, make that three extra-large, and three fortune cookies of you've got them."

Yan Lin noticed his accent, "Ah, your English is good for a foreigner... Japanese, right?"

Blinking in surprise, he nodded, "Yeah, most people back home tended to say I was American with my hair and... everything else."

"You'd be surprised what an old lady can figure out with experience." Naruto was motioned to sit, Yan Lin smiling softly, "Your order won't take long, be patient."

Doing as suggested, he sat down and watched costumers give him questioning stares while he held his bat tightly in his hand. No one approached him or tried to start something, which was good for a boy feeling humiliated due to his state of dress. He would try to get back at his mother later. For the time being, he had to fill his stomach before plotting his revenge. The woman was crafty, she'd never raise him the way he was if she wasn't quite cunning. Dignity and honor were on the line, he would get even with the redhead.

Someone noticed his bad vibes, "Boy, is that look sourer than grandma's chicken. Did you lose an important game?"

Giving his company a quick look, Naruto noticed she was quite cute. Pale skin, Asian features much more noticeable than his, and black hair done in two long pigtails which fell down her back. A slim, petite girl in stylish clothing which hugged her figure. She painted the perfect image of a hyperactive girl with her natural smile. By the looks of it and her scent, she was about a year younger than him.

"Tch..." clicking his tongue, he pulled down his cap to hide his face and looked away. He knew some person would draw attention to his uniform, meaning he needed further revenge on the woman who gave him life...but he could tell the girl would age quite well at a glance, "No, I was just shoved out of the house. Not like I had a choice with the monster in human flesh I call a mother."

"Sounds like a tough woman," she continued to try to talk to him, perhaps to kill time.

"You got no idea..." he replied and attempted not to check her slim stomach and thin waist combo. "Um, do girls in America dress that...colorful?"

"Oh, you mean this?" she beamed and spun around to show off her clothes, "Gotta know a thing or two about how to dress well to survive here. Fashion's a girl's weapon. But if you're not from here, then where?"

"Japan, a small island called Uzushio." Naruto admitted softly.

"Interesting, you don't really look Japanese. Then again, I'm more American than Chinese." She let out a soft giggle and stared at him curiously, "Perhaps that's why I felt like I had to talk to you. Like there's this odd aura around you..."

"Hay Lin!" Yan Link appeared, handing Naruto plastic bags with his order, "Sorry about that. I hope my granddaughter hasn't bothered you. I shall get you fresh cookies soon!"

"Not at all." Naruto replied slightly weirded out by the woman's reaction.

Once the women went to the kitchen, Hay Lin had a question, "What was that about...?"

"Nothing, just...I-I think he's too shy." Yan Lin coughed into her hand, "Yes, too timid to properly... You know, talk to a girl his age. It was obvious he had to put effort into it."

"Fair point..." Hay Lin whispered, "A shame, he looked quite cute... I couldn't really see his eyes."

"Possibly for the better..." Yan Lin muttered to herself. Quickly, she slipped into her own study and had to breathe deeply when opening a special box, "Hmm...no reaction yet. That boy didn't come here by using magic. Still...if Hay Lin's not careful or properly in tune with magic, she's a glance away from being tricked by that boy... Maybe I should..."

"Grandma, what are you talking about?" Hay Lin asked with a tilt of her head while her grandmother kept an eye on the batter, who sat with his hands holding the bat's pummel like an old man would hold a cane.

"Nothing!" Yan Lin exclaimed and closed the door to her closet where the box was, "I just wanted a little, you know...time to ponder what...what cookies to get that boy from before?" she asked with a nervous smile, "To, um, make it up to him for the awkward conversation."

"Oh, sounds good, perhaps I can share them with Irma, Taranee, Cornelia and...that girl Will..." her granddaughter paused as if struck by her own words, "Odd, why did I name her?"

"Nothing to worry about, just...let me think what we can get him." Yan Lin felt guilty for lying, but she could feel something beyond off with the batter.

Said blond felt that he had waited for too long, "What's taking them? Do they have to harvest the field to get the flour?" Twirling his cap around on his index finger, he waited for the elderly lady.

"Sorry for the wait, here are your cookies!" Yan Lin told him with an apologetic smile.

"Um, thanks, keep the change." Naruto told her and tilted down his cap to not look at Hay Lin too long or too directly.

"Wow, he is shy..." the girl said after he was gone.

Outside the restaurant, Naruto took a deep breath, "Tch, why am I getting so worked up over such a cute girl? But her smell and aura..." he tensed slightly at the memory and crossed his arms. "What the Hell is she? Only mom has such a link to magic, but that chick's a regular human...I think."

"So, now that my granddaughter is out of the way..." he heard the old lady talk to him. "I'd like to confirm a couple things with you, young man. First of all...what are you really under that guise and what are your intentions with my grandchild?"

"Hmph, do you think I'd spill my life story to a stranger, granny?" he asked calmly as he turned face to face with her, arms crossed, "And that should be my line. Hay Lin's not human...or so it seems."

"Answer me first, please." Yan Lin narrowed her eyes at the boy, "What are you and what are your intentions? Depending on the answer, we may have trouble."

"Sorry, but you're in no way able to beat me, even in your dreams." Naruto hefted his bat on his shoulder and gave her a dull expression, "Just know my family and I don't want trouble...and have what it takes to fight back if idiots don't listen."

"You don't appear to lie, but you are rather otherworldly, boy." Yan Lin stared at him for what felt like minutes while it was seconds, "Very well, I apologize for my rudeness. However, I have a favor to ask of you, to see what your character is truly like."

"And that is...?" he asked curiously, a good sign for her.

"My granddaughter and four other girls are about to end in quite an adventure. If you could keep an eye on them, make sure they return safely, I'd be more than grateful."

Looking her in the eye, Naruto let her words sink in...and simply raised the bag, "Alright, thanks for the food, granny."

Jumping up, he left her...after ascending all the way to the top of a building from which he leapt off to another! Giving Yan Lin a demonstration of what he could do effortlessly should keep her out of his hair, he thought. At the very least, he could relax with his parents, eat lunch, and finish with the entire unpacking ordeal. Or so he wanted to believe because he knew what he couldn't deny, what the woman said regarding Hay Lin had to be true. Meaning, five girls would be put in danger...and he'd hate himself if he didn't do a damn thing.

X-X-X-X-X

"Really mom?" Naruto asked the redhead at their doorstep.

"Just one picture!" she cheered and a flash from her instant camera lit up the hall of their building.

"Honey, you said that three pictures ago." Minato said with an arched eyebrow.

"Let me go, please, I don't want to be late... Wow, can't believe I've said that." Naruto ruffled his hair as he stood in jeans, black sneakers, a dark orange-shirt and a long-sleeved black t-shirt under it. He still had his baseball hat on, which he adjusted after the last picture and slung a yellow backpack over his shoulders, his titanium bat hanging on it from the side.

"It's your first day in a new school, let your mom feel pride." Kushina smiled happy with her logic.

"Pride is a sin, you know?" her husband retorted, taking a sip from his coffee before blocking a left hook to the ribs, "Please, like I'd be hit that easily." He smiled at his wife, who frowned.

"Okay, you win this round, Kurama..." she blushed and looked away, "Now, remember to..."

"Keep dad's real name a secret, keep the fact I'm a nine-tailed fox hidden, keep my ass out of trouble and keep all of this clean..." he motioned to his body at the last part.

"Yup, pretty much." Kushina said with a sheepish smile and kissed his forehead, "For good luck."

"Mom..." he groaned in embarrassment.

His father patted his head twice, "Shush and enjoy it, kid. Make friends and come back safely."

"And bring me a cute daughter-in-law, please!" his mother cheered falsely innocently.

"So, the opposite of you, then." Naruto cheekily told her before immediately legging it.

"You cocky brat!" Kushina roared out as her husband tried to restrain her with some effort.

Moments later, Naruto had arrived at his new school, "Sheffield Institute... Looks different than the usual." He was used to simpler designs for educational institutions, but it wasn't a bad thing. Rain, however, did sour his mood, "Good thing mom got me an umbrella."

Opening the collapsible umbrella, he stared at the institute across the street and the people there, gathering like moths to a flame. Recalling how humans could be, he breathed deeply and put on a strong face. His first step was immediately taken back when a car slowed down close to him. It had a mother and daughter inside, the latter stepping out. Naruto observed her short mop of red hair, cute backpack with a frog on it, and curvy body for a girl his age or younger. B-cups at the young age of 15 would drive most if not all teenage boys nuts.

Pulling down his cap, he tried to make as if he didn't see her, but she did, "Hey, um...something on my face or something?"

"Tch...again?" he asked himself, "That aura..."

"Au-what now?" she asked, stepping uncomfortably close to him.

"When did you-" he asked, but noticed a bus passing by, "Look out!" his shout put the girl on alert.

"What!?" she asked and got her answer when a wave of dirty rain water splashed the two of them when the wheels of the bus passed by.

"Just...that, sorry." Naruto shook his head, keeping his eyes hidden with the brim of his hat while he wringed his shirt. "Should've tried to use my umbrella but..."

"Well, you tried..." she said meekly and squeezed her own clothes to get the water off.

"Sorry, I could... I should have been quicker." Naruto replied and turned to leave with a sigh. "I'm a little under the weather, it seems."

"Hey!" the redhead called out to him, and he turned to see her hold up a box, "Uh...want a cookie?"

Pausing to process her words, he nodded and took one, "Sure." Naruto made sure to keep his eyes hidden as he accepted the baked good and nibbled it, "It's...good. Thanks."

"You're welcome... Name's Will, and I'm new here."

"I'm Naruto, and same..." he replied and the two found themselves in awkward silence. He tried to end it as best he could, "I guess I'll see you later, then. See ya."

The girl merely watched as he walked into the school, blinking, "That boy is so weird...but nice."

Inside the school, Naruto tried to keep up appearances and remain coolheaded. He placed his head against his new locker after putting everything he didn't need inside. Putting everything so far into a neat little ball, he observed the events and catalysts. Two cute human girls had an aura of power, genuine magical power, which he picked up. The resulting magic was strong enough for him to feel it. Two of the five girls the granny mentioned carried that...aura, the only word he had for it. And he had a long day of school ahead of him which he knew would let him meet the others.

"Something smells..." he growled as he shut his locker and was met with a long-faced boy with an arrogant smile, spiked up orange hair, and a couple large friends.

"Now that's rude." Said the obvious bully as he and his friends surrounded him, "Listen, short stuff, in these parts we don't take kindly to calling each other nasty things. You gotta respect feelings. So, let me introduce myself, I am Uriah and you should remember my name as the new kid."

Leaning forward, Naruto briefly looked around and then asked, "Is this the part where I'm supposed to pay?" he pulled out a handful of bills, "Alright, how much?"

"Whoa..." Uriah gaped at the amount of cash which Naruto flipped with quick fingers.

Counting the money, Naruto handed the bully some notes, "Alright...how's fifteen hundred sound? Spend them as well as you want to." Uriah smiled widely as the bills traded hands, snickering in joy.

The bully nearly drooled, "Pleasure doing business with someone actually smart."

Naruto was left alone, and only then he grinned, "Suckers!" the blond chortled holding the handful of bills in his hand. Rubbing his fingers over the notes they became a different kind of green, "Enjoy paying with leaves." He tossed the leftover leaves into a trash can and dusted his hands.

"Y...you..." he immediately cursed his luck when a girl noticed him with wide eyes. "How did you..."

She was downright adorable, painting a mousy appearance with round glasses, dark skin, black short hair with a lone short braid at the side of her head, and a skinny yet curvy body. Just bordering on a B-cup but with proportionately wide hips. And, to top it off, she possessed the same aura which the other two girls had. Something just wasn't right in his day, he assumed.

"Oh, this?" he chortled due to practice, and rolled a leaf on a finger, "I do it for parties, too." Flipping the leaf, it turned into a poker card, a Joker.

Unfortunately, the girl caught sight of his eyes, blushing, "Ah...you must be...the life of the party..." she looked down, as if trying to remain unseen.

Sadly, Naruto didn't know girls well enough, 'Did I make her uncomfortable? Crud, mom told me to be nice to girls...' sighing inwardly, he handed her the card, then flipped it, turning it into a lollipop, "For you. Sorry for being such an odd guy."

Leaving her to blush brighter with a dumbfounded expression, he tried to make himself as unseen as humanly possible. Fortunately, classes started, and things went by relatively fast. It would be later that he could get to what he wanted, baseball tryouts. While those not into sports would groan just at the mere mention of tryouts, he was in it to have fun. Recess let him check out a flyer for those who were interested. He looked ready with his current outfit and with the bat in his locker. However, he already had eyes on him peeking behind cover.

"Is that the guy?" a brunette asked Hay Lin. Being thicker-bodied, she cut a fuller, womanly figure. With short hair, deep blue eyes, a light tan, a round rear and hefty C-cups, she only needed her smile to liven up a party. Or to tease a guy.

"Yup, grandma told me to be careful with him... I don't know why, he doesn't seem like the kind to have crippling shyness if he's here." Hay Lin answered with a nod, then knitted her eyebrows, "But he does have an interest in baseball."

"Really?" the brunette asked, gaining a dull look. "What a boring hobby..."

"Um, what are you two doing?" the spectacled girl from before asked the two girls hugging a wall.

The brunette smirked, "Checking out a cute boy Hay Lin may be into."

"Irma!" her friend exclaimed with flushed cheeks.

"Ah, he's...um, I met him earlier..." she tilted her head to the side, "He's good with party tricks, and even gave me a lollipop, but I didn't think that'd make you check him out."

"Cute butt and flirty." Irma commented offhandedly, "Say, Hay Lin, are you sure he is the guy? If he can strike a conversation with Taranee involving party tricks, there's no proof of him being timid."

"And that's just it, I think my grandma was lying and knows a thing or two about him..." the pigtailed girl replied firmly. "Also, yes, those jeans hug his rear nicely."

Meanwhile, Naruto hummed to himself, "And there's the fourth... These girls really suck at stealth." He mumbled before leaving, keeping his eyes forward before they shifted for a brief second to the trio, glancing long enough to get the face of the new one and leaving them fast enough to not look suspicious, "I'm now certain the fifth one will pop out sooner than later."

X-X-X-X-X

Inside the indoors gym, students put their projects together while Naruto walked around with the required level of boredom to show interest.

"There he is, the weird new guy." Irma told another friend of hers.

She was a tall, pale blonde girl with waist-length hair, a modest B-cup just slightly below Will's size, and a slim, well-cared body. Everything about her from her face with subtly applied makeup, costly clothes and air said she took care of her appearance. Curvy and slender, her chest indicated where she'd grow most in the future, meant to attract from the front rather than the back.

"On the short side, isn't he?" she pointed out with an examining look.

"Cornelia," Taranee scolded her.

The blonde shrugged, "I mean, if you're into cute guys, he's not bad, but I'd rather see him taller..."

"It's not like that..." Taranee mumbled with a blush, "Hay Lin says there's something weird about... What was his name again?"

"Oops, I didn't ask..." Hay Lin chortled, then thought hard, "I think he said he's from an island with a funny name... Uzu... something."

"Please, girls, if you want to get a new mysterious guy to notice you, you've got to play hard to get." Cornelia joked.

"So speaks the voice of experience." Irma shot back with a smirk.

"Oh quiet, you..." Cornelia frowned.

"He's looking over here!" Taranee exclaimed.

"Alright, get ready to wave awkwardly," Cornelia warned them, but noticed the blond wasn't looking at them but at Uriah and his group.

A sour look crossed Naruto's features as he tilted down his hat and walked to them. Someone was at walking distance from the broom-haired bully, Will. Anyone with little experience with bullying could tell what was brewing in Uriah's head.

"Hey, Will...mah!" he mocked her.

"It's Will," the girl corrected him.

Although, she saw part of the reason why he got her name wrong besides trying to mock her, "What the Hell is this!?" Uriah yelped as he noticed a shift in his pockets and pulled out leaves, "Oh no! All the moolah! What happened to it!? Where did these come from!?" he panicked to Will's delight.

"I think that's the wrong green," the redhead snickered while Uriah and his goons emptied all their pockets in search for cash but found leaves.

Taranee looked on in confusion, "Odd, how come they didn't notice that before?" she turned to the side and stared at Naruto softly chuckling to himself.

And he approached Will, "Got any more cookies?"

"Hey, it's you again... Naruto, right?" she retorted while they left the teens to stare in horror at the money which they never had become leaves bug food.

"And, between us, you can thank that trick on me." He proudly flipped a leaf in his hand, turning it into a five-dollar bill before it became a regular piece of flora again.

"Do you work a lot at birthday parties?" she asked curiously. "And, thanks, I mean it."

"Don't mention it!" he cheered with a smile, feeling good with his actions. "I live to make guys like them squirm. Anyway..." he raised a hand and waved, the other holding a cookie to his mouth.

"When did you-" she started in shock, not once noticing when he picked her pocket.

"See ya." Naruto left with the cookie half eaten already.

Finally, Cornelia spoke, "Okay, he's...pretty fishy..."

"If he got fishier you could call him an aquarium." Irma added, "Hay Lin, did your grandma tell you whether he's a con-artist or a thief?"

"Whoa, should you really jump to conclusions like that?" Taranee argued meekly, "I mean, he lent Will a hand, so...not that bad a guy."

"But he is odd, even if he's new here." Hay Lin added, "Or maybe we're seeing things. Perhaps one hot cup of tea with my grandma can help us relax."

"Or we can check out the guy and see if he's a womanizer playing with Taranee and that new girl." Cornelia replied, getting confused looks, "What? I'm not the only one who thought that, am I?"

"Well..." Hay Lin chuckled nervously. "It'd explain why my grandma was so cautious."

"Aw, he seemed nice..." Taranee pouted sadly.

"Welp, let's see if Corny is wrong, which she probably is." Irma smirked at her blonde friend.

"Hey, I'm being cautious!" she growled at the brunette, "Even you have your doubts."

"Guilty as charged..." Irma admitted with her eyes turned to the side.

Later that day, Will blinked as she followed Hay Lin and other three girls after Naruto.

A question was on her mind, "Weren't we going to Hay Lin's place for a snack?"

"Shush, we're checking out how much of a player this guy is." Irma replied with a finger to her lips.

"Um...did he do or say anything odd around you?" Taranee asked the redhead.

Hay Lin giggled, "Like hand you a rose and say sweet stuff like you make the flower's beauty pale."

"Wouldn't mind a cute guy saying that to me once..." Cornelia admitted.

"No...just... I've only met the guy today." Will replied, hot under the collar and growing increasingly flustered, "And what about you? Did he flirt or check you out?"

"We're here to find out." Cornelia replied, "Now duck."

All five hid behind a bush, peeking through its leaves to see Naruto walk down the streets with his bat attached to his backpack. Acting like he didn't notice them was hard. They were loud, stood as much or if not more than him with their colorful outfits, and no guy can ignore 5 girls in their mid-teens with growing yet already nubile bodies at a close distance. Part of him pitied them, but they had to leave him alone. His question was how to get them out of his hair. Perhaps do something so boring they fell asleep or...

"Hey kid!" a man called at him from an alley.

"Yes?" Naruto asked, and was flashed a gun.

"Come here."

"Oh my-" all girls clasped their hands over their mouths at the sight of a robbery, Hay Lin was quick to get her phone to call the cops.

"What's the matter?" Naruto asked calmly while the gunman kept him at range, hiding in the alley as people didn't notice due to the little to no traffic around.

"I heard some kids talk of a great trick you do, I just really happened to pass by, but it's you, right? You can turn leaves into makeshift dollar bills..." the assailant nearly drooled.

Naruto sighed and pulled out some bills, "It's a party trick, dude, I can't really-"

He was cut off when the guy cocked his gun, "And I plan on using that party trick to get some money out of the bank. I had like 50 bucks before getting this gun at the street from some random thugs. I am desperate, so don't think ab-"

"Sorry, if you really wanted me to feel scared..." Naruto drawled out, rubbing the back of his neck, "I would need you to wear a long red wig, and even then I'd still find a way to be a smartass."

"Why you little..." the man pulled the trigger. "Don't mock me!"

"Stop right-wah!" Irma yelled, only to cry in horror when the projectile flew from the barrel.

All five girls cried when the bullet zipped past Naruto, almost cutting his cheek. However, any shock or fear he had come from knowing where it'd go. The squad of girls had followed him and were about to try to stop the man. Getting behind him to try to scare the gunner put them in the line of fire! And the one about to get shot was lucky.

"Now I'm mad." Naruto appeared in the blink of an eye with his only weapon held singlehandedly, the tip of his bat on the floor before he swung it upwards, deflecting a bullet into the air and against a wall.

"Whoa!" Taranee gaped, feeling her cheeks grow hot while Naruto slung his bat over his shoulder.

"What in blazes are you!?" the gunner asked and fired again, three times.

Rolling his wrist to twirl his bat, Naruto swung from one side to the other, stopping or downright changing the trajectory of each lead projectile. Casually, he walked to the man, dragging his bat on the concrete floor. Cowering in a corner, the man attempted to aim at him again, but the boy was a lot faster. Seeing a nearby can, he kicked it up and smacked it with his bat against the man's gun. It had the desired effect of forcing him to drop the weapon by using pain. But he wasn't out.

"Ready to give up?" the boy asked him.

"Like I'd go to jail because of a brat like you!" the guy picked up a random lead pipe to try to hit an already skilled fighter, confirming once again how desperate he was.

Bringing his bat down, Naruto prepared himself when the man charged him. An upwards swing was all he needed to disarm him and send the pipe flying, followed by a strike to his temple to stun him. But he wasn't done. Readying himself like the batter he was, he took his stance and smashed both the man's knees, sending him back and falling onto his knees.

Bringing his bat over his shoulders, he prepared the final strike, "ORA!" he roared out and sent the man rolling back five times to an abrupt stop against a dumpster.

Everyone was speechless, even as he stomped the gun and broke it, "That was..." Hay Lin started.

Suddenly, Naruto FINALLY recalled he had company, "Oh crud..." he tensed, wincing as the mental image of his mother and father telling him what a mess he made came to him.

Before he continued, the Asian girl cheered, "...SO FRIGGIN' COOL!"

"Huh!?" he and the other four exclaimed.

"Are you like a superhero!? Do you have a costume already!? Want help with the design!?" Hay Lin was a ball of energy even he couldn't compare to.

"Um, yeah, so you now have to keep my identity secret or my nemesis will come after you!" Naruto tried to blurt it all out in one go and somehow managed with a twitchy serious expression. "Now, if you excuse me, I got to go before the cops get here and-"

"Oh, that's a load of crap and you know it!" Cornelia snapped at him, getting right on his face, "You outran a freaking bullet! What just happened here is out of fiction! You're hiding something and it is not as cheesy as the superhero drama!"

"Hey, he defended himself and also kept us safe." Irma argued, "I think we owe him this much... I mean, I think it was partly his fault for the whole leaf-money thing. Although, considering Uriah had a part on it, maybe..."

"Guys?" Will called their attention, making them turn to her and Taranee trembling in her arms, "I suggest we finish this off somewhere in private. She's...not feeling so good."

Naruto agreed, "Fine, let me tie this guy up before he runs from the cops." he used the lead pipe to do just that by bending it around the man's body.

After they lead the gunman with his broken gun and a sign around his neck which read "I TRIED TO ROB THE WRONG GUY AND HE WILL KICK MY ASS IF I SAY WHO HE IS OR LIE TO YOU OFFICERS" to explain things to the cops, the group left. Everyone arrived at the Silver Dragon, putting Naruto just that much on edge as he remembered Hay Lin's grandmother. Once seated inside a private room, a studio of the granny, all six looked at each other. Though most of the attention was on Taranee and her shaking form.

"I thought...that was it..." she admitted, then looked at the blond, "Thank you."

Rubbing the back of his head, he would admit a few things, "Um, it comes as part of the job."

"Your job is beating up hooligans like some vigilante?" Irma asked in disbelief, "Do you have like an actual cape and spandex?"

"Who in blazes would...? Forget it." Naruto groaned and rubbed his temples, "My parents are going to kill me if you five don't keep your mouths shut. So, please, just name your price and I shall try to get it with all my power."

"Really?" Cornelia asked, images of fancy and expensive dresses flashing before her eyes.

"Hey, this is serious!" Will scolded her.

"S-sorry, it was tempting!" the blonde yelped at the harsh treatment.

"Just...what are you?" Taranee finally asked. "That was no party trick, and you are not human... Are you? I mean, not fully..."

"Well, you're right on all accounts, but...I would have to explain my family history and...that's one long story." Naruto chortled to try to calm everyone down.

Will gave him a dull look, "We've got all the time in the world while we're waiting for our cookies and tea, and we can continue after our snacks."

"Fine..." Naruto let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding in defeat, "It all started with-"

"Us!"

"Mom!?"

X-X-X-X-X

And that's my rap!

Yeah, I suck for making another story when I got others in the making but trust me when I say I am trying to change that. If anyone is interested in aiding me as a beta-writer, you're welcome aboard and will have me to aid you with your fics.

And now... yes, the harem will include Will, Irma, Taranee, Cornelia Hay Lin, and Elyon. If something bothered me the most in the show it was Elyon's one-sided judgment due to Cedric and Phobos having all the cards in their favor.

Anyway, backstory to how Kushina and Minato/Kurama met and more of Naruto and the girls getting to know each other next chapter. Although you can guess what it is.

Swordslinger out!