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
Shere Khan's (former) domain, a few minutes after the tiger was killed…
Mowgli and Shanti were feeling quite strange – while it was true that they had a near brush with death (and something even worse than that in the case of Shanti), the completion of their lifelong task and the fact that they finally avenged their fathers had left them feeling a little numb, even a little disappointed in Mowgli's case. They had built up their final confrontation with the tiger to incredible levels in their minds, understanding that it would be a tough battle they would need all their wits to survive and dominate. However, what happened was almost the exact opposite – they hadn't even reached the final boss before they were captured and held hostage by Shere Khan's minions. In fact, if it wasn't for the timely intervention of Naruto, Tiger and Bagheera, the children wouldn't have met the tiger (consciously at least) and would have died ignoble deaths, regardless of all their preparation beforehand.
So as one could imagine, the children were feeling more than a little put out as Naruto clapped their backs genially before walking over to Tiger and Bagheera, who were busy getting Baloo up to speed seeing as the poor bear was more than a little out of it after being under Kaa's hypnosis for god knows how long.
"So how are you feeling there old chap? Kaa's mind tricks have really done a number on you I am afraid…how much do you remember of your time under his control?" Bagheera said as Tiger pulled Baloo to his feet, absently noting that the bear was a lot lighter than she expected him to be.
'Hmmm it seems as though Kaa treated his thralls harshly – a bear shouldn't be as light as a heavyweight man…perhaps that dastardly snake had more than a few grudges against Baloo here…' She mused as Baloo smiled tiredly at her before sighing heavily and recounting his tale to Bagheera.
"To be honest, I don't recall much of anything Baggy! I thank my lucky stars that all I have on my mind at any given time are the bare necessities and nothing more. I was minding my own business one lazy afternoon when a horde of apes ganged up on me! Why, if those yellow bellied cretins fought me mano a mano , I'd have given them a licking they'd never forget!" Baloo said, passionately acting out how he'd have taken down those apes with his heavy paw swipes and wrestling moves.
His grandstanding was cut short when he suddenly ran out breath and collapsed to his knees.
"Hey, easy there Baloo. You need to gather your strength before any emotional displays like that…Kaa must have starved you to weaken your will it seems…" Tiger said as Bagheera nodded before going over to support the weary bear, Baloo leaning a little against the panther's frame.
"I guess you're right…thanks there little lady and you too Baggy! Now, who's that man coming over here with my little buddy Mowgli and another young lady?" Baloo said as Naruto and the kids reached them.
"The name's Naruto my good fellow! How's the old noggin treating you? I think that snake really messed with your mind before we could save you – you can thank Tiger here for killing that smarmy bastard by the way!" Naruto said as Baloo snorted in surprise before turning to look at Tiger with a more appreciative gaze.
"Really? She looks tough and all but Kaa is a slippery one you know? How'd she get him to stay still long enough to do him in?" Baloo said as Naruto guffawed before smiling at Tiger who rolled her eyes at his playful look.
"Oh, you should have seen it! While I was messing with Shere Khan and generally keeping all of the attention centered on me, Tiger here nailed the scaly bastard in the back of the skull with her tomahawk! Poor guy didn't even see it coming! By the way, Tiger – remind me to ask Ella to conjure your axe back since the thing's probably long gone by now…" Naruto said, glancing over to look at the lava pools below them as they bubbled and churned in agitation, the ambient magic released into them from Shere Khan and Kaa's corpses making the volcano the temple was built on and around 'wake up' so to speak. While it wasn't a full scale eruption, it was safe to assume that the lava that would spurt out of the volcano would make short work of the structure, reclaiming the surroundings in a surge of heat and brimstone.
"Yes, I figured I had to act swiftly but I didn't account for the death throes of such a long animal launching the corpse into the lava…thank the stars for magic. That tomahawk was a gift from my father you know?" She said, walking over to Naruto before leaning into his side, inhaling his scent and laying a kiss on his neck as her husband chuckled at her subtle affections.
"So, what do we do now? Shere Khan is dead and I honestly didn't plan my life any further than that – it all happened so fast for me…" Mowgli said as Shanti poked him in the side scoldingly.
"Hey, that's no way to speak to the ones who saved us you know? If it wasn't for Naruto and the others, you'd be warming up a tiger's belly right about now!" Shanti said as Mowgli grumbled a little.
"Yeah, but it's still a real question you know? I haven't picked whether I want to live in the jungle or the village yet!" He said as Naruto reached over to tousle his hair fondly.
"Well, don't worry about it – you're still ten years old and you've got your whole life ahead of you. Instead, we should all be hauling our butts off this mountain before we get a lava bath!" Naruto said waving over behind him, where the lava had started leaping up to the temple floor and oozing all over it.
Now suitably reminded of just where they were, the group did indeed, haul ass off the mountain and into the jungle below, to freedom, safety and security (Shere Khan had been the only real existential threat you see).
A few hours later, back in the village…
Naruto and Tiger brought the lost children back to the village in the late hours of the night. As such, it was only natural to assume that they wouldn't find anyone to welcome them. However, they were pleasantly surprised to see that Anjali and Messua hadn't been able to make excuses for their burning of the midnight oil. A couple of probing questions from the villagers later, the two mothers ended up spilling the beans and the other villagers decided to wait up to receive their heroes as well.
"Welcome! Welcome! Our heroes have returned and with the children as well! Huzzah!" The villagers cheered as Naruto and Tiger looked around amusedly before Anjali and Messua rushed over to them, each mother making a beeline for her child before squeezing the stuffing out of him or her.
"What were you thinking young man/lady? Making us worry like that – what made you think that you could go out and fight a full grown Bengal tiger and a cursed one at that? You know we have Naruto and Tiger Lily here for shenanigans like that!" Anjali and Messua said, chastising their kids, who had shamefaced expressions with a hint of defiance still shining in their eyes. Mowgli then stepped forward after sharing a non verbal conversation with Shanti (who was unable to extricate herself from her mother's firm grip).
"Well…we are sorry for worrying you but we aren't sorry about trying to go after Shere Khan. He killed both our fathers and has put so many of our friends and their families through so much sorrow! We figured that with my knowledge of the jungle and Shanti's training with Tiger Lily, we stood a decent chance against Shere Khan…" He said, scratching the back of his head as he was unwilling to divulge all the details of their quest. Picking up on her son's hesitance however, Anjali was quick to shift her focus to Naruto before asking him the all important question, the villagers also leaning in to catch any information they could.
"S-so, is it over? Has that foul beast been finally felled?" She asked Naruto, who only smirked and pointed towards the volcano temple, which chose that exact moment to make a small eruption, the light from the eruption being a haunting green color which eventually faded to the usual orange hue of lava.
"Oh yes. Funny thing about the whole situation is that I didn't have to lift a finger – that foolish tiger killed himself just fine. Of course, the kids here did get some good licks in when they threw my daggers in the tiger's face!" He said as Anjali and Messua smiled in relief while the villagers cheered in triumph.
The group then headed towards their home while being congratulated by the celebrating villagers, with gifts being shoved into Naruto and Tiger's arms while the village children danced around them (to the dry expressions of Shanti and Mowgli, who just wanted to go home and sleep for the night).
Once they got home, the children quickly rushed off to bed, leaving Naruto alone with the women. The atmosphere then took on a pregnant air as Naruto noticed Anjali and Messua share meaningful looks before dragging Tiger to a separate room to talk.
Now more than a little confused, the man decided to sit down and think about his time in this world. Time was meaningless to him in a biological sense – he had long since stopped aging at the physical age of twenty three (along with his loved ones, who simply stopped aging at their physical peak or just when they met him, like Madonna for example) but he was working against the clock, what with the Grimm Lords hounding his every step and now even limiting his abilities in each world he visited. It would be a simple matter to contact Ella through their shared Bond through Snow White's Pure Heart (it connected everyone in love with Naruto and him to them) so that Tiger and he could leave this world but the presence of dark magic in Shere Khan and his allies had thrown him for a loop.
While he was thinking, his mind was suddenly warped into a magical subspace, where he met the most unexpected person yet.
"Maleficent?! What are you doing here? This isn't your world so how did you even cross the dimensional barriers?" Naruto asked the fairy, who looked up at him with a weary expression – she had been staring listlessly into the murky purple depths of the magical space they were in until she summoned him. The dark fairy had seen better days – while she wasn't physically harmed, the woman was haggard with all the stress that the Grimm Lords put her through trying to hinder Naruto's progress in this world.
"Ah, dear nephew…it seems that you are truly of an extraordinary breed. So outstanding in fact that the presiding gods of our universe have deemed you a threat to all that exists…I have been forcibly drafted into their service you see…" She said, only to be interrupted as Naruto rushed over to her before hugging her tightly since he could clearly see that his aunt wasn't in the best of spirits.
"Oh auntie, I am sorry that you had to be dragged into all of this! Why don't you tell me where you are so I can take you back to our original world together? You don't have to do anything those stupid Grimm Lords tell you to do if I am around because I smacked them around in one of the worlds I visited. They know they aren't a match for me!" Naruto said trying to reassure Maleficent, who only smiled weakly before placing a cool hand on his cheek.
"Oh you foolish and noble child, while I love that you still care for your unstable aunt, I am afraid that isn't possible. I am in a space between worlds, only allowed to manipulate this one at my masters' behest. In fact, I only managed to bring you into this space because I had to tell you something, even if I get punished for my insolence later!" She said gesturing to the space around them as Naruto looked a little confused.
"What did you want to tell me that would get you in so much trouble? You don't have to put yourself in danger for my sake ya know?" He said as the fairy shook her head.
"No. You must listen to me – the Grimm Lords have been trying to take your power trapped in the space between worlds for the past ten years! They already took the fairy magic you had but they couldn't convert or absorb the bulk of your power…I don't even know what it is but I can't let them manipulate it either – you must take it back into your body before it is too late!" She said as Naruto grimaced before smirking a little.
"My power is called chakra – it doesn't come from this universe so they won't be able to use it. However, I still can't let them misuse the power as a tool…I'll get Ella to transport me and Tiger back to my world as soon as possible – the journey should allow me to re-absorb my powers again!" He said, only to be cut off by his aunt.
"There's no time for that – I have already tagged your mind to the dimensional space and soon your body will follow. Your power will ensure that you pop out somewhere in the cosmos with the 'chakra' in a dormant state. You won't be able to use most of it but at least it'll be inside of you…now farewell dear, I enjoyed our little talk…" Maleficent said, giving Naruto a fleeting but deep kiss on the lips before kicking his mind out of the space they were in.
Back in the real world, Naruto came out of his deep meditative state to an arousing sight. Anjali, Messua and Tiger were approaching him in their underclothes with lusty looks in their eyes. While this would have been a pleasant surprise, he could already feel Maleficent's magic take ahold of him, his body dematerializing before the shocked eyes of the women.
"Tiger! Make sure to contact Ella to take you and anyone else who wants to come with you to our base world! I am being forcibly transported by Maleficent's magic as we speak – I'll try to contact you and the others as soon as I can!" He said, his body disappearing in a shower of emerald sparks as Tiger reached out to him.
"Naruto! Damn it all – I will do as you say husband. These Grimm Lords are becoming more of a nuisance than I thought…" Tiger mumbled as she comforted the other women, telling them that their shared love was on another grand adventure but that he would return to them in time…
And that was chapter 51! Now Naruto will be travelling alone to the next world – Robin Hood! This will be the first non human world he travels to so things might be different when he does arrive. What will change? Read the next chapter to find out!
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!