The journey back to Konoha was uneventful.
Gato had arrived at the bridge shortly after Zabuza and Haku's deaths, accompanied by a small army of mercenaries. He had intended to kill everyone—the ninja, the bridge builder, anyone who might threaten his empire.
He had not anticipated Naruto.
The confrontation lasted approximately three minutes. Gato's mercenaries, seeing their employer cut down with casual efficiency and facing a boy who radiated killing intent without any apparent emotion, had scattered like leaves in a hurricane. Most were captured by the villagers of Wave, who had finally found their courage upon seeing their oppressor fall.
The bridge was completed two days later. Tazuna named it the Great Naruto Bridge, despite Naruto's complete indifference to the honor.
"You saved us," Tazuna had said, tears streaming down his weathered face. "You gave us hope. You deserve to be remembered."
"I completed a mission. The name is irrelevant to me."
But the bridge builder had insisted, and Naruto hadn't cared enough to argue.
Inari had watched him leave with an expression that Naruto couldn't interpret. The boy had stopped calling him a monster, had stopped insisting that heroes didn't exist. But he hadn't quite figured out what to call Naruto instead.
Neither had anyone else.
The Hokage's office was quiet when Team Seven delivered their report.
Hiruzen Sarutobi listened without interruption as Kakashi detailed the mission's events—the revelation of Gato's involvement, the escalation to A-rank difficulty, the battles against Zabuza and Haku, and their ultimate resolution.
When the jonin finished, the old man was silent for a long moment.
"You defeated Momochi Zabuza," he said finally, his eyes fixed on Naruto. "One of the Seven Ninja Swordsmen. A man who has killed dozens of skilled ninja throughout his career."
"Yes."
"And his companion. The one with the ice bloodline."
"Yes."
"By yourself."
"Primarily. Kakashi-sensei engaged Zabuza initially, but I delivered the fatal blow to both opponents."
Hiruzen leaned back in his chair, his pipe held loosely in one hand. "The reports I received from Wave described your performance as... unprecedented. Witnesses spoke of green chakra, impossible speed, techniques that shouldn't be combinable being used in sequence."
"The Eight Inner Gates, modified to allow simultaneous ninjutsu use. I developed the technique through extensive training and shadow clone experimentation."
"A technique that shouldn't exist. That violates established understanding of chakra pathway mechanics."
"Established understanding was incomplete. I identified the gaps and filled them."
The Hokage studied him for a long moment, something unreadable in his aged eyes.
"You've become extraordinarily powerful in a very short time," he observed. "More powerful than most chuunin. Perhaps more powerful than some jonin."
"Yes."
"Does that concern you at all? The rate of your development, the paths you're taking to achieve it?"
Naruto considered the question. "No. Power is useful. The methods of acquiring it are irrelevant as long as they don't compromise my functionality."
"And what about the people you've killed? Zabuza, Haku, Gato and his men? Do they weigh on you at all?"
"No. They were obstacles to mission completion. I removed them. The emotional weight you're describing requires a capacity for guilt or remorse that I don't possess."
Hiruzen's expression shifted—sadness, perhaps, or resigned acceptance.
"I see." He set down his pipe with deliberate care. "Very well. Mission completed successfully. You'll receive payment for an A-rank mission, given the actual difficulty encountered. Dismissed."
Team Seven bowed and turned to leave.
"Naruto."
He paused at the door.
"My door remains open. If you ever wish to talk—about anything—I am here."
"Noted."
He left without looking back.
The walk home was quiet.
Sakura and Satsuki flanked him as always, their presence a constant that he had grown accustomed to without ever acknowledging it. Kakashi had departed separately, claiming paperwork obligations that probably didn't exist.
"You should rest," Sakura said as they approached his apartment. "The Gates take a toll on your body, even with the—with your healing. You need actual sleep."
"I don't really sleep."
"Then at least lie down. Close your eyes. Let your body recover properly."
Naruto considered arguing but recognized the futility. The girls would worry regardless of what he said. Complying with their requests required less energy than resisting.
"Very well."
They reached his apartment building, the familiar structure somehow seeming smaller after weeks in Wave Country. Sakura and Satsuki walked him to his door, lingering as if reluctant to leave.
"We'll come by tomorrow," Satsuki said, rising on her toes to press a kiss to his cheek. "First thing in the morning. With breakfast."
"Ino and Hinata will probably want to come too," Sakura added. "They've been... anxious since we left. Hinata especially. She's been using her Byakugan to watch for our return."
"Their concern is noted."
He entered his apartment and closed the door behind him, listening to their footsteps fade down the hallway.
Silence settled over the small space.
He had been gone for weeks, but nothing had changed. The same sparse furnishings, the same bare walls, the same emptiness that reflected the void inside him.
Naruto moved to his bed—a simple mattress on a frame, sheets that needed washing—and lay down without undressing.
Rest. Sakura had told him to rest.
He closed his eyes.
And, for the first time in longer than he could remember, he actually slept.
Warmth.
Softness.
Weight.
These were the first sensations that penetrated Naruto's consciousness as he drifted toward wakefulness. Something was surrounding him, enveloping him in comfort that he hadn't experienced before.
His face was pressed against something incredibly soft—softer than his pillow, softer than anything he could remember. The material yielded against his cheek, warm and pliant and somehow alive.
He opened his eyes.
And found himself looking up at a face he didn't recognize.
A girl. Young, perhaps a year older than him, with brown hair styled in distinctive twin buns atop her head. Her features were delicate, pretty in an understated way, and her brown eyes were looking down at him with an expression of pure, undiluted adoration.
Her figure was... impossible.
The other four girls—Sakura, Satsuki, Ino, Hinata—had all undergone dramatic transformations, their curves expanding to exaggerated proportions. This girl surpassed all of them.
Her chest was enormous, defying gravity and logic in equal measure. His face had been pressed directly between her breasts, the soft flesh surrounding him completely. Her waist was impossibly narrow in comparison, creating an hourglass silhouette that seemed drawn from fantasy rather than reality. Her hips flared dramatically, completing a figure that made even Hinata's transformed proportions seem modest.
She was wearing a pink sleeveless Chinese-style blouse that appeared to be struggling valiantly against the forces it was meant to contain, and dark green pants that clung to her curves like a second skin.
"Good morning, Naruto-kun," she said, her voice sweet and warm. "Did you sleep well?"
Naruto's analytical mind processed the situation rapidly.
Unknown female.
In his apartment.
In his bed.
With him pressed against her chest.
Exhibiting the same adoring expression as the other four affected girls.
Possessing an even more exaggerated figure than any of them.
"Who are you?" he asked, his voice flat despite the unusual circumstances.
The girl's smile brightened. "I'm Tenten! I'm on Team Guy with Rock Lee and Neji Hyuuga. I've been wanting to meet you for so long, but I never had the chance until now." She ran her fingers through his hair with tender affection. "When I heard you were back from your mission, I just had to come see you. The door was unlocked, so I let myself in. I hope that's okay."
"You entered my apartment without permission while I was sleeping."
"I couldn't wait anymore." Her voice carried no shame, only earnest explanation. "Being away from you was so hard, Naruto-kun. Every day you were gone, I felt like a piece of me was missing. And now you're here, and I can finally hold you, and everything feels right again."
Naruto extracted himself from her embrace with deliberate movements, sitting up on the edge of the bed. His mind was already cataloging variables, comparing this new development to established patterns.
Another girl had been affected.
Her transformation appeared more severe than the others—greater physical changes, more extreme proportions.
She had developed the same obsessive devotion without any prior interaction with him.
And based on her statements, the effect had occurred while he was away in Wave Country.
"When did you start feeling this way about me?" he asked.
"About a week ago, I think?" Tenten tilted her head thoughtfully, the motion causing her chest to shift in ways that would have distracted a normal person. "I woke up one morning and suddenly I couldn't stop thinking about you. Everything else seemed so unimportant compared to finding you, being near you, taking care of you."
A week ago. While he was in Wave.
The timing suggested the phenomenon was expanding independent of his presence.
"Did anything unusual happen before that morning? Any strange experiences, encounters with unknown individuals, exposure to unusual substances?"
Tenten's brow furrowed as she tried to remember. "I don't think so? It was a normal night—training with my team, dinner at home, sleep. And then I woke up and..." She smiled dreamily. "And I knew I belonged with you."
"You don't find this strange? Developing intense feelings for someone you'd never met?"
"It doesn't feel strange at all. It feels right. Like I was always meant to feel this way, and I just didn't know it until now."
The same psychological acceptance as the others. The same inability or unwillingness to recognize the anomaly of their own condition.
Naruto filed the information away for future analysis.
"The other girls," he said. "Sakura, Satsuki, Ino, Hinata. You're aware of them?"
"Of course!" Tenten's enthusiasm didn't dim at the mention of potential competition. "They told me about you. About how wonderful you are, how strong, how much you need people to take care of you. We've been talking every day since I realized how I felt. Planning how to best support you, coordinate our schedules, make sure you're never alone."
"You've coordinated with them."
"Mmhmm! We want what's best for you, Naruto-kun. That's more important than any rivalry or jealousy. You need all of us, and we need you. It just makes sense to work together."
Five girls now. All impossibly transformed, all irrationally devoted, all seemingly incapable of recognizing the abnormality of their situation.
The pattern was clear, even if the cause remained unknown.
A knock at the door interrupted his analysis.
"Naruto-kun? Are you awake?" Sakura's voice, muffled through the wood.
"We brought breakfast!" Satsuki added.
"We missed you so much!" That was Ino.
"P-Please let us in!" Hinata completed the quartet.
Tenten bounced off the bed—the motion causing significant physics-defying movements—and practically skipped to the door.
"They're here! I'll let them in!"
She opened the door to reveal the other four girls, each carrying various breakfast items. They filed into the small apartment without waiting for invitation, their combined presence filling the space with an almost overwhelming aura of feminine devotion.
And curves. An almost impossible amount of curves.
"Tenten!" Sakura greeted the weapons specialist warmly. "You got here before us!"
"I couldn't wait. I had to see him." Tenten moved back to Naruto's side, positioning herself close enough that her impressive figure pressed against his arm. "He was still asleep when I arrived. He looked so peaceful."
"You watched him sleep?" Ino's tone wasn't accusatory—if anything, it was envious. "Lucky."
"H-How was your rest, Naruto-kun?" Hinata asked softly, her pale eyes filled with concern. "You were gone for so long. We were so worried."
Naruto observed the five girls as they arranged themselves around his small apartment. Breakfast was laid out on his tiny table, portions clearly designed to feed someone much larger than himself. They moved with practiced coordination, each one knowing exactly where the others would be, never colliding despite the cramped space.
It was, he noted, an impressive display of teamwork.
"I slept," he said finally. "For the first time in months."
The girls exchanged glances—pleased, relieved, hopeful.
"That's wonderful, Naruto-kun!" Satsuki exclaimed. "Sleep is so important for recovery. We should make sure you get more of it."
"We could take turns watching over you," Ino suggested. "Make sure nothing disturbs you. Keep you comfortable."
"That's... not necessary."
"But we want to," Tenten said, her voice earnest. "We want to take care of you, Naruto-kun. In every way we can."
Five pairs of adoring eyes fixed on him, each one reflecting the same absolute devotion.
Naruto processed their attention without any emotional response.
The phenomenon was expanding. New subjects were being affected. The transformations were becoming more extreme.
But as he had concluded before—none of this impacted his survival. The girls' devotion remained beneficial, their presence non-threatening, their assistance valuable.
The cause could remain unknown.
The effect was manageable.
"Very well," he said. "You may continue as you see fit."
The girls' expressions brightened simultaneously, five smiles of pure happiness that would have melted any normal heart.
Naruto had no heart to melt.
But he observed their joy without dismissing it.
It was, after all, data.
Later that morning, after breakfast had been consumed and the girls had reluctantly departed for their various obligations, Naruto sat alone in his apartment and reviewed the situation.
Five girls now. All transformed. All devoted. All apparently incapable of recognizing anything unusual about their condition.
The pattern was consistent:
Physical transformation—dramatic increase in secondary sexual characteristics, defying normal biological parameters.
Psychological transformation—development of intense, obsessive devotion to him specifically.
Perceptual filter—inability to recognize changes in themselves, combined with a general effect that prevented others from noticing the transformations.
And now, expansion—new subjects being affected without any apparent direct trigger.
This last development was perhaps the most significant. Sakura, Satsuki, Ino, and Hinata had all been present at the Academy on the day Naruto first noticed the changes. It was possible—if unlikely—that something had occurred there to affect them.
But Tenten was different. She was a year older, on a different team, with no connection to him whatsoever. She had been affected while he was in another country.
Which meant the phenomenon was spreading.
Reaching new subjects.
Growing.
Naruto considered what this might mean for his original analysis.
He had concluded that he didn't care about the cause because the effect didn't threaten his survival. But if the effect was expanding—if more subjects would be affected over time—then the situation might eventually become relevant.
More devoted followers meant more protection. That was beneficial.
But more affected individuals also meant more attention. More scrutiny. More questions about why multiple girls were exhibiting impossible physical changes and obsessive devotion to a single genin.
The Hokage had already noticed. Kakashi had definitely noticed. Eventually, others would notice too.
And when they did, the situation might become... complicated.
Naruto filed these considerations away for future attention.
For now, the immediate circumstances remained manageable.
He had training to do.
Power to acquire.
And five girls who would apparently do anything to help him achieve both.
Perhaps, he reflected as he prepared for the day, there were worse situations to be in.
Not that he would have felt anything about it either way.
The knock came late in the afternoon.
Naruto had been training with shadow clones in Training Ground Seven, working through elemental combinations and Gate optimization. The girls had visited periodically throughout the day, bringing food and water and expressions of concern, but had eventually been called away by their various team obligations.
He was alone when the knock sounded.
Opening the door revealed Kakashi, his single visible eye carrying an expression that suggested serious conversation ahead.
"May I come in?"
Naruto stepped aside wordlessly.
The jonin entered, surveying the small apartment with a glance before settling into a position near the window.
"I spoke with the Hokage after our debriefing," Kakashi said. "About you specifically."
"I assumed as much."
"He's concerned. We both are." The jonin's voice was carefully neutral. "Your performance in Wave was... exceptional. Beyond exceptional. You demonstrated capabilities that jonin spend decades developing. And you did it without any apparent emotional reaction—no fear, no hesitation, no remorse."
"These observations are accurate."
"They're also concerning. The power you're developing, combined with your emotional state..." Kakashi paused, choosing his words. "There are paths that lead to very dark places, Naruto. I've seen people walk those paths. Most of them don't come back."
"You're concerned I will become a threat."
"I'm concerned you'll become something other than human." The jonin's voice carried weight. "The boy who laughed and dreamed of being Hokage—he's gone. I understand why. I know what the village did to you. But what's replacing him..."
"Is efficient. Powerful. Uncomplicated by emotional interference."
"Is empty. Hollow. Incapable of connection or meaning."
Naruto considered this characterization. "These descriptions are also accurate. Your point?"
Kakashi was silent for a long moment.
"I don't have a point," he admitted finally. "I have concerns. Worries. The vague sense that something is wrong and I don't know how to fix it."
"You can't fix me, Kakashi-sensei. I'm not broken in a way that can be repaired. The capacity for emotion was destroyed, not suppressed. There's no hidden self waiting to emerge. There's just... this."
"And the girls? The ones who follow you everywhere, who've changed so dramatically, who seem incapable of recognizing what's happening to them?"
"A separate phenomenon. Potentially related to my condition, potentially not. I've analyzed it and concluded that it doesn't threaten my survival. Therefore, I don't care about its cause."
"You don't care that five girls have been... altered somehow? That their minds and bodies have been transformed in ways that defy explanation?"
"Their transformation has been beneficial to me. Their devotion provides protection and support. Their presence doesn't impede my development." Naruto met Kakashi's eye without wavering. "Why would I care about the cause when the effect is advantageous?"
Kakashi stared at him for a long moment.
"Because they're people," he said quietly. "Because whatever is happening to them might not be benevolent. Because caring about others—even when it's not strategically optimal—is what separates us from monsters."
"I've been called a monster before. By many people. The label is meaningless."
"Is it?"
Naruto considered the question.
"To me? Yes. I have no emotional reaction to being labeled a monster. The word carries no weight."
"And to the people who love you? The girls who've devoted themselves to you completely? Would it be meaningless to them?"
"I don't know. I'm incapable of understanding their emotional experience."
Kakashi was silent again, something pained in his visible eye.
"I failed you," he said finally. "I know I've said it before, but I need to say it again. I failed your father, I failed you, and now I'm watching you become something that would have broken his heart. And I don't know how to stop it. I don't know if it can be stopped."
"It can't be. The process that created my current state was completed over a year ago. I am what I am."
"But you could be more. You could try to feel again. Could work toward recovery—"
"I don't want to feel again." Naruto's voice cut through the jonin's words. "Feeling brought me nothing but pain. Every emotion I ever experienced was used against me—hope crushed, joy denied, love rejected. The void inside me is the only peace I've ever known. Why would I try to restore the capacity for suffering?"
Kakashi had no answer.
"You should go," Naruto said. "Your concern is noted but unproductive. I will continue to develop my capabilities and complete my missions. That is sufficient."
The jonin moved toward the door, then paused.
"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "I don't think you're a monster. I think you're a victim—of the village, of circumstance, of failures that you didn't deserve. And I think somewhere inside you, there's still a person who could be saved."
"Your optimism is noted."
"But not shared."
"No. Not shared."
Kakashi left without another word.
Naruto stood alone in his apartment, processing the conversation with his usual detached analysis.
His sensei was concerned. The Hokage was concerned. Eventually, others would become concerned.
They would try to fix him, to change him, to restore what had been lost.
They would fail.
Because Naruto didn't want to be fixed.
The void was all he had.
And he would protect it with the same cold efficiency he applied to everything else.