Disclaimer: I certainly don't own Naruto, Disney or any of its affiliated properties. If I did, I wouldn't be writing this now would I?
"The connection of our hearts…" : Speech (Bold for yelling ,Bijuu, or massive creatures)
'The connection of our hearts…' : Thought
In a magical pocket dimension, Grimhilde's domain…
Naruto had travelled through a lot of worlds-as such, he considered himself a good critic of portal quality. Considering that his last trip through one launched him into a literal forest face first, it was a pleasant return to normalcy when he and his wives popped out into Grimhilde's magical corner of the universe. Given its mistress' proclivities, it was a place of eternal twilight, with a large full moon hanging in the sky overhead, with many stars shining in the velvet backdrop of the night sky. There was a castle off in the distance standing in the middle of a grassy field, with a seemingly never ending forest encircling it, the dark foliage an enchanting purple color that contrasted nicely with the silvery green of the grass and the obsidian walls of the castle itself.
"Wow Grimhilde! You've really outdone yourself with this world…considering that this is a literal section of Hell that you converted, I am impressed! Not a single bit of lava or brimstone in sight!" Naruto snickered, watching how Marian was speechless at all the new things she was experiencing (she had just lost her maidenhood not too long ago and now she was on a grand quest across worlds…the escalation here was absolutely insane) while Grimhilde humphed at his jibes.
"While I appreciate the compliment darling, not all demons are partial to Hell's ambiance you know? As a vessel of demonic magic myself, I can tell you that the Mirror Demon was not a powerful variant – he lived on the outskirts of Hell and his realm reflected that – I only needed to make a few changes to the local weather and vegetation…this place was originally a craggy and dusty place, with a lavish palace at its center. Speaking of the palace (now a castle) however, I think we should hurry inside…Alice won't let us hear the end of it if we keep you with us any longer…" She said, shuddering at the mental image of Alice pestering her while Ella giggled a little at the disturbed expression on the otherwise unflappable woman.
"Oh come on now Grimhilde, you know Alice only acts the way she does because she loves being expressive – you can't deny that Audrey's prim and proper attitude really puts a damper on things at times and her sister provides some much needed levity when that happens!" Ella said, the dynamic between the sisters having been a nice source of comfort to the women in their time in this world.
Meanwhile, Naruto turned to Marian, who was rendered speechless at all the things she was witnessing. He then got closer to the vixen to give her a warm side hug, the physical contact breaking her out of her stupor.
"Hey Marian, I know this may seem like a lit to take in right now but don't worry – I'll be here every step of the way and the lovely ladies here will also help. They were in your shoes not too long ago after all!" Naruto said as Marian smiled weakly at him before squeezing his arm gently.
"Your concern is gratifying dear…I am doing my best to stay level headed so don't worry about me. Besides, I always wanted adventure – I guess complete confusion comes with the package at times…" She said, nuzzling her snout into the crook of Naruto's neck, his scent being a familiar comfort as the group finally entered the castle, where the rest of the women waited…
A few minutes later, the castle study…
Naruto had been spirited away from his loved ones for a long time – it might have been a decade for some but as the common saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. Perhaps that was why Naruto was immediately dogpiled by a lot of women as soon as he showed his face – he couldn't even move a single limb as the women claimed his limbs in surprisingly strong hugs.
"Oi oi oi! I know it has been a while but come on! I didn't even get a single word out before all of you jumped me!" Naruto laughed, sitting up while the women still clung to his sides.
"You can't really blame us can you?! It's been ten years…at least… since we saw your whiskered mug and all of us have come to collect! Now stay still and submit to our love!" Alice exclaimed, pulling his arm into her bosom as the other women snuggled closer to him.
"Alright, alright. I know it's been a while since we last saw each other but it wasn't really my fault – Tiger did tell you ladies about Maleficent after all…" Naruto said, only to be interrupted by Tiger, who was at his other side.
"While that may be true, we were worried that you'd never return – why, you were gone so long that little Shanti grew up into a full fledged woman!" She said, pointing towards Shanti, who hadn't joined in the hugfest, instead deciding to shyly play with her braids as she flushed under Naruto's curious gaze.
"Oh? Shanti – you came here with Tiger? Did she tell you what that would mean for your life back in the village? Our group is kind of on the run from the literal stewards of this reality after all…" Naruto said, now having stood up and moved to a nearby sofa, where he sat down with his wives at his sides(Tinker Bell was quick enough to claim his lap for herself – she could have nestled in his hair but she wanted to really feel her husband's body…).
"Y-yes Naruto – my mother was understanding and even gave me her blessing to come with Tiger. Besides, Mowgli can protect the village on his own now – we were training the villagers after you disappeared you know…" Shanti said, brushing her hair behind her ears and walking closer to Naruto to pat his head (she was inwardly squealing at her own audacity but Wendy and Alice told her to be more proactive after she grew up if she wanted to catch Naruto's attention).
"Haha…alright then. Looks like you got things under control here it seems. Unfortunately, I will have to cut this reunion short – Grimhilde and Ella told me about what the Lords did to all of you…I have to pick up the pace with my quest so I can strip them of all their powers…"Naruto sighed out as Wendy got closer to him before stroking his cheeks.
"It wasn't that bad Naruto – we all escaped just fine …no small thanks to Aurora, who was instrumental to our plan. She actually got her fairy guardians to boost Ella's magic so she could open a portal big enough for all of us to pass into Grimhilde's dimension – unless you've got dark magic, this place won't let you in you see…" She said, Aurora smiling brightly at the praise and giggling when Naruto tousled her hair.
"That's nice to hear but it's the principle of the matter that counts. I can't let those bastards get away with this – you should all be able to return and visit your home worlds whenever you want. Speaking of home worlds though – Ella, where's the next place I am supposed to go to?" He said as Ella nodded at him before waving her wand, its magic automatically creating a scrying pool through which everyone could catch a glimpse of the new world they could go to.
"No problem. Considering the boost I got to my magic from the three Good fairies, we can now inspect the new world we can go to. This will also allow us to choose who'll get to join you, especially since all of us can't come with you anymore; given the increased scrutiny you'll be under from now on." She said, the group coming close to the pool, watching the images flash by. They saw a large ship on a tumultuous ocean, a fishing village and finally, two grand cities, one on land and the other under water. A whole bunch of images flashed by but these were too fast for anybody to catch – a glimpse of red hair, a dash of purple were all Naruto could see before the pool went dim, the magic wearing off.
"Well, that's a welcome surprise. No more blind trips for us from now on! Now – who wants to come with me on this adventure? I think taking three of you along wouldn't be too bad so I'll let you ladies pick amongst yourselves. I'll be taking a short nap so don't rush yourselves." He said before getting some Z's.
"Shanti, you've got to follow Naruto to this new world! It would be a good place to confess your feelings to him, especially since you're now old enough to do that!" Wendy and Alice squealed, excitedly nudging Shanti, who only blushed at the prospects of such a thing (the way the other women looked at her didn't help either).
"O-oh I don't know…I don't think I could do that without fainting…"She said, mortified at the thought.
"Oh don't worry about that – Naruto's a pretty nice man so I am sure if by some strange reason he doesn't accept your love, he'd still consider you a friend. In any case, I am overdue an adventure with our heartthrob of a husband so I can come with you for some moral support!" Alice said, walking over too Shanti before wrapping her arms around the woman.
"Indeed Shanti – Naruto will definitely accept your love. Don't over think the whole thing – a maiden's heart tends to get more confused the more it's over analyzed. Count me in your adventure though – call me paranoid but I saw a flash of purple in the scrying pool and while I am no betting woman myself, I am sure that is a hint of dark magic." Grimhilde said, completing the group assignments for their foray into the new world.
A few hours later…
"Alright – are you girls ready? Maleficent did mention that the Lords would mess with me when I move between worlds so don't be surprised by what I become later…" Naruto said, the group standing in front of a swirling portal.
"As ready as we'll ever be! Let's go – I have been going stir crazy in this dimension!" Alice shouted out, pushing the chuckling ninja through the portal as the other women laughed at her impatience while Audrey sighed amusedly at her little sister's zest for adventure.
The group then passed through the portal and was overwhelmed in a wave of energy – the girls were relatively unscathed but Naruto was not so lucky. He could feel his body becoming more weathered and old, despite his unflagging vitality remaining untouched.
When they got out of the portal, they found themselves in a dilapidated fishing village in the early hours of the morning. A quick inspection of their condition revealed that the women were the same as before but Naruto had been transformed into an older gentleman, his blonde hair now a striking silver color and his face covered in a short bushy beard. His handsome visage also became more ordinary looking, his skin marked with age and his body now perceived by the people as an old man's (even though that wasn't the case).
"Naruto! You've turned into an old man! Are you okay?" Shanti and Alice shouted , rushing over to Naruto, who only looked himself over before scoffing.
"Is this the best they could do? Kinda weak if you ask me…did they think that making me look old was going to make me less awesome?" Naruto wondered, the group walking into the town.
"I don't know – you look like quite the silver fox to me~…this new look isn't so bad…" Grimhilde said, sauntering over to Naruto before running a hand through his beard.
The group didn't notice but their clothes had also shifted into peasant wear (or at least that's how the people of the fishing town saw their outfits as). As such, it was no surprise when they were approached by an old woman who looked extremely worried for some reason.
"Sir! Oh kind sir! Won't you help me find me find my husband? He went out fishing yesterday and hasn't been back since – you look like an experienced hand at that so won't you help me?" She said, wringing her hands in great distress.
"Alright, calm down ma'am. Just let me see if I can get a boat and I'll find your husband for you. Ladies, take care of the old gal – I'll be back!" Naruto said, shuffling away quickly to find a boat – there was no time to waste!
And that was chapter 61! Naruto has entered the Little Mermaid world and will be a fisherman (think of his new form like Geralt from the Witcher). His group (as voted in the polls) include Grimhilde, Alice and Shanti (Marian was just used so she was discounted). The plot will pick up in the next chapter so stay tuned!
If you'd like to support me you can find me on Patreon on the 'search for creators' bar under DudeWithaMac (I only get free time on Sundays since money's extremely tight-details on Panacea chapter 14). Alternatively, you guys can follow this link:p#at#re#on.#com/DudeWithaMac (remove the hash tags). Reviews and comments are always welcome!