A week later.
After spending hours on her usual routine of training with her clones and exploring the island, Naru returned home with a monstrous boar slung over her back, easily three times her size. She dropped it outside the house, leaving the heavy work of butchering to the others.
"You're finally back?" a voice greeted her the moment she stepped through the door.
Naru saw a huge, masculine woman with long, curly orange hair sitting on the floor while smoking a cigarette.
Curly Dadan looked more like a man with her rough, masculine appearance and blunt way of speaking. Despite that, she had a good heart.
"I caught a huge boar earlier," Naru announced, kicking off her sandals. "Roast meat sounds good for dinner tonight, right?"
"We still have some leftovers from yesterday," Dadan replied.
"Yeah, but we both know that won't be enough for those bottomless pits around here."
"True," Dadan agreed, and with that, the matter of dinner was settled.
"Where are the boys?" Naru asked, glancing around. The absence of noise or chaotic greetings told her her younger brothers were not at home. They were likely off running wild in the woods again.
"The usual," Dadan replied.
"It's already getting dark, and they still haven't learned to come home on time. Guess I'll go fetch them again."
"Don't stay out too late," Dadan warned with a grunt. "I heard that old geezer Garp is coming back today."
"Mm. I know."
Naru left the house soon after, heading to where she knew her brothers would likely be.
She arrived at the riverside, their usual fishing spot, but the boys were nowhere in sight. Of course, she had already sensed Ace's presence behind a tree to her left, and Luffy's poorly concealed snickers gave away his hiding spot in a bush to her right.
As soon as she heard a whisper of "One, two, three," she did not even flinch. The two boys leapt out with loud war cries in their usual ambush style.
Naru simply stepped back.
Thud.
Two heads collided midair.
"OWWWW!"
"MY HEAD!"
"You guys really need to work on your sneak attacks," Naru grinned, hands on her hips.
Ace, rubbing his head, glared at Luffy. "It's because Luffy couldn't keep quiet!"
"But Ace, it was you who didn't hide properly," Luffy replied innocently, his big eyes wide with confusion. Ace went speechless while Naru laughed at the sight.
"Alright, that's enough clowning around. Tell me you actually caught something today and didn't just mess around."
"That's not true! I caught three!" Luffy said proudly, dashing off to grab his prize. Ace followed, a competitive spark in his eyes.
"Aha!" Ace returned first, showing off a fish nearly twice Luffy's size. "Check it out, Naru!"
"Me too, me too!" Luffy ran back, arms full of three wriggling fish about the size of his forearm, grinning from ear to ear.
"Nice job, both of you!" Naru praised. She patted Luffy's head, making him beam, then ruffled Ace's hair, who scowled adorably in return.
"So what did you get?" Ace asked.
Naru told them about the huge boar she had caught. "Tonight, we are going to eat some roasted meat."
The boys were thrilled. Then Luffy suddenly asked, "Where did you go, Nee-Chan? You just missed how Ace and I caught the fish with our bare hands!"
"Were you out training again?" Ace asked. Unlike Luffy, Ace had a clear sense of the older girl's daily routine.
"Yep," Naru nodded.
"Aww, why didn't you bring us to train with you?" Luffy pouted.
Grinning, Naru said, "Don't worry. Soon, I'll make sure you two get some training as well."
Confused, Luffy asked what she meant while Ace's expression darkened with a sense of foreboding.
"Oh? You didn't know? Grandpa is coming back today!" she announced with feigned innocence, knowing the effect the word would have.
As she expected, the boys' faces turned pale. The arrival of that old man meant the infamous 'Fist of Love' was imminent.
"That old man is really coming home soon?"
"This is bad! We have to hide!"
Watching the two children panic as if the world was ending, Naru couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Why are you so afraid of Grandpa? He isn't even that bad."
"I don't want another Fist of Love! It really hurts!" Luffy complained, covering his head as if Garp could materialize out of thin air with his fist ready.
"Even you, Ace?"
Ace said nothing, but his eyes reflected clear reluctance at the thought of their grandfather returning.
At that moment, Naru felt a twinge of sympathy for the old man, despised by his own grandsons. Yet she couldn't blame the boys. If she were a normal child like them, she would also feel pressure and fear around Garp. Unlike Ace and Luffy, Naru always looked forward to the old man's return. Only then could she measure her strength against a monster like him and see how much she had improved since their last sparring session.
After noticing her potential, Garp began expecting similar greatness from Ace and Luffy.
That was when things got interesting.
Under the guise of family bonding, Garp forced the two little brothers to join chaotic training sessions. Unlike Naru, who could hold her own, the boys were still green. They lacked experience, strength, and endurance, so naturally they suffered under the legendary Vice Admiral's Fist of Love.
Poor Luffy, especially. The youngest, he lacked skills to dodge or fight back. He was constantly at the mercy of his elders.
Ace deserved credit. He was a fast learner. Thanks to Naru's interference, he had not begun formal training until age five. Without her intervention, Garp would have had him running laps and dodging punches since age three.
Even before that, Ace had watched countless bouts between Naru and Garp, memorizing their techniques. That gave him an advantage. He began mimicking her style and sometimes predicted Garp's attacks with surprising accuracy.
Still, Ace had a long road ahead before reaching Naru's level.
Garp was not reckless. He knew his limits and understood that the boys were not prodigies like their sister. Despite high expectations, he did not treat them the same as Naru during combat sessions.
By treatment, Naru meant unleashing full force on each other like mortal enemies.
It was fortunate that both boys had enough sense to hold back. Otherwise, the island might have lost a mountain or two.
Garp put the boys through this grueling training under the excuse that they would grow strong and become powerful marines. Since he was the only marine they knew, the boys imagined themselves ending up like him. That idea terrified them so much that they refused the thought entirely.
It also did not help that Garp liked to pester them about the same topic repeatedly. This only strengthened their refusal.
Wouldn't they have to face him and endure his fists every day if they joined the marine force?
Absolutely not.
Even after enduring several of Garp's punches, stubbornness ran deep in their family. The Fist of Love could not break their unwillingness to go against the Vice Admiral.
.
.
.
That night, while waiting for dinner to be prepared, Naru brought Ace and Luffy up to the rooftop. There, beneath the soft glow of the evening sky, she began to tell them a story as the boys listened with rapt attention.
With Luffy sitting comfortably on her lap and Ace leaning beside her, she decided to tell them the story of the Bijuus.
"…and so, the great Rikudo Sennin used the power of his imagination to create nine different creatures, each with a unique number of tails. Then he breathed life into them, and just like that… all nine of them came to be!"
The way she shifted her tone for dramatic effect made her storytelling even more captivating for the children.
"Woah!" Luffy gasped, his eyes wide with wonder. Tugging at her shirt, he asked eagerly, "Then, which one's the strongest?"
"It has to be the one with the most tails, right, Naru?" Ace chimed in, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
"The brat is right," Kurama agreed smugly from within.
But Naru wasn't about to feed his already inflated ego. She placed a finger to her chin in mock thought. "Hmm… that's hard to say."
"Excuse me?" Kurama's indignant voice echoed in her mind, deeply offended by the betrayal.
Ignoring the fox's glare that she could practically feel through their telepathic link, Naru continued, "Each of them is special in their own way. They have unique abilities and traits, their own names, and feelings too. They can talk and experience emotions just like us. So honestly, I'd say they're all powerful in their own ways."
'For me, you're the best, Kurama!'
"Hmph!" he huffed, though he didn't argue further.
"They have names? What are they?" Ace asked, eyes wide with curiosity.
'Can I?'
"Tch. Do as you like," Kurama replied gruffly.
Smiling at his reluctant permission, Naru began to list the names of all nine Bijuus, starting from Shukaku the Ichibi and ending with Kurama the Kyubi.
"Why are their names so hard to remember?!" Luffy groaned, face scrunched in frustration as he struggled to recall even half of them.
"I remember all their names, Naru!" Ace declared proudly, puffing out his chest as he looked at his little brother. "How can you forget something you literally just heard?"
"Hmph!" Luffy pouted, and Naru found it absolutely adorable.
"Alright, alright!" she laughed gently. "It's okay if Luffy can't remember all of them yet. There's actually a fun song about their names, if you two want to hear it."
"Since when was there a song about us?" Kurama grumbled, genuinely baffled.
"I love songs!" Luffy exclaimed, bouncing in excitement. Even Ace perked up, intrigued.
"Well then…" Naru grinned and began her performance.
"One, dozing off more than humans, Shukaku~" A clone formed a miniature Shukaku on her palm—a sandy raccoon with a twitching single tail.
"Two, burning with fire, Matatabi~" The Shukaku faded, replaced by a sleek, blue, flaming cat with two elegant tails.
"Three, leave the water to him, Isobu~" A sturdy three-tailed turtle appeared, its heavy shell glinting faintly under the moonlight.
"Four, hot as lava, Son Goku~" The turtle transformed into a red-furred monkey with four swaying tails.
"Five, always on the run, Kokuo~" A pale, horse-like creature with five tails replaced the monkey, stomping proudly.
"Six, not overdoing it and not in a hurry, Saiken~" A plump six-tailed slug with tiny arms wiggled gently on her palm.
"Seven, the flying leaf insect, Chomei~" The slug vanished, replaced by a radiant beetle with seven shimmering tails that made Luffy's eyes sparkle.
"Eight, whee as expected, Gyuki~" A mighty ox-headed beast with eight octopus-like tentacles spun dramatically on her palm.
"Nine, the past and present, almighty Kurama~" Finally, a majestic fox with nine flowing tails appeared, radiating quiet pride. Even the real Kurama within her chest puffed up smugly.
"All the Tailed Beasts have gathered together magnificently~" As she sang the final line, the mini Kurama joined the others, and in a puff of smoke, all nine lined up proudly in order.
"The names may be tricky, but they're truly special~"
"They each have splendid names~"
"They all have fantastic names~"
The miniature Bijuus swayed side by side, striking confident poses before vanishing in one final puff of smoke.
'Well? Impressed?'
"Why am I so tiny in that?" Kurama grumbled, though it was clear he secretly enjoyed the attention.
"That was amazing!" Luffy clapped happily.
"Do they really exist?" Ace asked, eyes wide with awe.
Naru paused, her expression softening. Then she nodded firmly. Even if the others weren't here, Kurama was.
"Will I be able to see them someday?" Ace asked, hopeful.
Ruffling his hair affectionately, Naru smiled. "Of course."
'Right, Kurama?'
"…I'll think about it."
Coming from Kurama, that was practically a yes.
Buoyed by the boys' laughter, Naru continued sharing more stories. The tales of her past life, once heavy with pain, now lived again as bedtime stories. She always left out the blood and tragedy, choosing instead to share the wonder, the friendship, and the lessons she had learned.
The boys adored her stories, and Naru found healing in telling them. They helped her hold onto the pieces of herself she refused to lose.
Because moving on was one thing. Forgetting was another. Without her past, the person she was now would never have existed.
And deep inside, Kurama agreed completely.