Happy Holidays to you all!

Now, I know that I have way too much crap already on my profile, but this idea was too tempting to ignore!

After all, it involves two great series; Naruto and Helluva Boss! And if you don't know what either of these series are, then I strongly suggest that you look them up! As I said, they're great!

Now, this idea will be a Naruto/Verosika Mayday story, and it will most likely be a singular pairing. HOWEVER, I'm not locked into that decision… I may add Loona and Octavia, too.

Don't assume it's set to happen, though…

Anyway, let's get to it!

Disclaimer: The source material used in this Fanfiction do not belong to me. This story is a nonprofit creation solely used for entertainment purposes.

A Fishcake's Helluva Life Change

Chapter 1: Fishcake meets Sex Idol

Annoyed would be a good word to describe the mood of a certain blonde knucklehead as he trudged along the shores of a beach near a port town in the Land of Fire. Frustrated would be another word that works.

But the best phrase to use would be fucking pissed off!

And why is Naruto feeling this way? The short answer is his supposed master, Jiraiya the Toad Sage. Though, Super Pervert would also be a title the man would accept fully with pride.

The longer answer is this: Naruto was taken from his home, the Hidden Leaf Village, by Jiraiya for a training trip that was meant to span about three years before the duo returned. It was supposed to be spent helping the young man grow as a ninja so that he could be better prepared for the Akatsuki, a group of ninja who abandoned their villages and formed a terrorist mercenary organization with their primary goal being the removal of the Bijuu from their Jinchūriki.

This was especially daunting for Naruto because he was a Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi, the strongest of the Bijuu. One would think that a man as well-informed as Jiraiya, who is known for being a spymaster on top of a Sage, would be pretty damn focused on making sure his "apprentice" was prepared to face the Akatsuki when – not if – they come for him.

Unfortunately for Naruto, the man wasted the first year of their trip on teaching Naruto basics that should have been done by the Genin's primary sensei, Kakashi Hatake. Necessary time was spent on teaching Naruto how to combat genjutsu, how to improve his chakra control, and how to fight more fluidly instead of bull-heading into a battle with nothing but wild swings and mobs of Shadow Clones.

While that could put the first year into better perspective for supporting Jiraiya, that time would've and should've been chump change if it weren't for the man's practically obsessive need to peep on women and write in his notebook whenever he got the opportunity. It was bad enough that he even flat out ditched Naruto in the middle of their lessons when there was a chance of spying on women.

Naruto, having been around perverted instructors for practically his entire career as a ninja, felt that the Toad Sage was the worst of the bunch.

Iruka was classified as a closet pervert, being respectable and actually a very nice guy in public, but secretly having perverted thoughts in his head. Kakashi was a more open pervert, blatantly reading erotica in public and unabashedly giving more visually appealing women more attention.

Jiraiya was practically a predator, in Naruto's opinion. Unashamedly peeping on women in locations where they should feel safe like the bath houses, or natural springs, or even hotel rooms! It didn't matter in the slightest to him because nothing was more important to Jiraiya than the inspiration for the next volume of his erotica series.

Not even training his "apprentice" – and that title is used very loosely – was as important to the man as peeping. And that made Naruto fucking pissed off!

A whole fucking year wasted on basics when they could've done them in a fraction of the time! And, of course, the so-called master ditched his "apprentice" to peep on beachgoers!

So, here he was, almost storming down the shoreline in hopes of finding something to vent his frustrations on. He hoped to find a part of the beach away from the people hoping to enjoy themselves. he didn't want to drag them into his problems when they had nothing to do with them.

He was pissed off, not an asshole.

But, despite how far he had already trekked, there was no end to the beachgoers. He supposed that should've been obvious since it was a day with gorgeous weather and this port town was famous for bringing in tourists hoping to enjoy the ocean.

Sighing in frustrated defeat, Naruto moved up the beach to where it just barely started meeting grassland and sat down to stare at the waves on the horizon. With nothing to do, other than keep practicing basics, his mind was free to think about things he usually preferred to mentally bury.

These thoughts centered around how he was always dealt the shittiest hands in his life, and how nobody seemed genuinely willing to give him a chance other than out of some sense of duty or orders from higher-ups.

Iruka may have been nice to him on occasion, but that wasn't always the case. The man even admitted to it on the night Naruto foolishly listened to Mizuki and stole the Forbidden Scroll. He confessed, with a massive shuriken lodged into his back, that he originally hated Naruto like most of the village did because he was a living reminder of the Kyuubi. He may have turned around, but he was still harsher on him than others.

Kakashi flat-out sucked as a sensei. Teamwork drills and the beginnings of the Tree Walking exercise. All he gave Team 7 that day was a demonstration and a smidgen of advice before he left. He may have been recovering, but teaching a team of Genin basic chakra control on a mission with a dangerous Missing Ninja was fucking stupid.

Naruto beat Haku on that bridge because he tapped into the power of the Kyuubi for the first time. There's no other way he would've won against someone as skilled and efficient as the androgynous young man. Haku had him and Sasuke dead to rights, and they honestly should've died that day.

Hell, all of Team 7 should've died that day. Naruto still remembered how exhausted Kakashi was when Gato pulled his double-cross on Zabuza and came with a veritable army of mercs. If Zabuza hadn't taken down so many, including Gato, and if Naruto hadn't survived against Haku, the supposed "Elite Jonin" would've been dead, with Tazuna and Sakura being killed – or worse – not long after.

However, Jiraiya was probably the worst of the bunch. Throwing complicated techniques at Naruto and simply expecting the Genin, who had records showing his lack of knowledge, to figure it out. And even then, all the man wanted Naruto to do during that month training for the Chunin Exams was to tap into the Kyuubi's chakra once again.

Once more, Naruto knows he shouldn't have lived that day. The Kyuubi had no reason to pay rent, as the Uzumaki so eloquently put it. The Bijuu reform after a few years whenever they "die"; Gaara told him so when the two Jinchūriki talked during Naruto's recovery from his fight against Sasuke.

He should've died in that chasm, but the Kyuubi saved his ass by supplying him with chakra. Why? Naruto had no clue, but he knew that he owed his life to the Bijuu two times over; three if he counted the fight against Sasuke.

Knowing that the fox was responsible for his survival three times over because he wasn't properly prepared infuriated Naruto. Looking back, he shouldn't have entered the Chunin Exams at all. As much as he despised admitting it, Sasuke was the only member of Team 7 who was prepared for the Exams.

"I'm a fucking joke," he grumbled, self-loathing in his voice as he summarized his ninja career; a joke of a ninja who won because he was one lucky sonuvabitch with shit tons of chakra that he could blow through with reckless abandon. "What am I even doing here…?"

"Well," the voice of a young woman spoke up, prompting him to turn and see a pretty brunette in a bikini talking to him. "You could come here to enjoy the ocean, to catch some sun, to relax, or…"

She held up a pair of red plastic cups, gently wiggling one suggestively before offering it to him.

"You could come with me and hang out with a bunch of us enjoying a beach concert down over there," she suggested, pointing to a group performing on a stage for a crowd of beachgoers.

What intrigued Naruto was how inhuman the group looked. The performers looked nothing short of demonic and the security on the beach in front of the stage was an anthropomorphic wolflike creature with plenty of muscle to him.

'I know that people are aware of the crazy kind of shit ninja can pull off, but I would think a music group of demonic looking people would be pretty intimidating even to them,' he mused. 'I wonder if these people are escaped Curse Mark victims of Orochimaru…'

He was delving deeper into his thoughts before the offered red cup was once again held in front of his face, breaking him from them.

"C'mon," the girl egged on. "You look like you could use something to help you unwind, and a concert is a great place for that." She smiled when he awkwardly accepted the offered cup. "Have a drink, dance a little, and just enjoy yourself. You'd be surprised how much it helps."

The sincere offer made him smile faintly with a brief chuckle. "Thanks… But I think I'll just watch from here. Any other time, I probably would've taken you up on the offer, but I'd really just like to be alone right now."

Despite being turned down, she still kept her smile and nodded sympathetically. "I can understand that. Sometimes, it's just one of those days that really fucks you over."

"Try a near-lifetime of those kinds of days," Naruto fired back, holding the cup in both hands, and staring at the liquid within. From the smell, it was obviously alcohol; something he was admittedly hesitant to drink.

"Damn… Sorry…" she replied with a visible cringe.

"No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't be dumping my problems on you when you're just being nice. Don't let me ruin your fun."

Her smile came back, and she leaned forward to place a hand on his shoulder. "I know you're a ninja based on that headband you're wearing; but if you're ever in the neighborhood again, hit me up. Okay?"

Naruto, never having had any semblance of girls showing interest in him, naturally blushed faintly at her offer. Shyly nodding, he watched her leave with a faint giggle. No doubt she found his embarrassment cute, but he honestly didn't mind. She was pretty, and definitely better company than Sakura who would rather bash his brains in than show him anything that could resemble interest.

His gaze turned to the concert, blue eyes zeroing in on the singer of the group. Despite her being a possible Curse Mark victim, Naruto couldn't fight how his blush deepened at the sight of her.

He estimated that she was taller than his current height, but he still had some growing left. She had an hourglass figure, hot pink skin, and a barbed tail with a black tip. Her head was framed by two black-tipped horns with the left horn visibly taller than the other. The horns were marked with two black stars on each side. Her eyes were hot pink with yellow sclera, and she had a black heart tattooed under her right eye.

She had long ombre-white hair with pink undertones, from lighter to darker towards the tips, and a darker pink streak down the length and across the bangs. There was also a red heart-shaped tattoo on her right upper arm, which had a name faintly written within it that had been crossed out with a big black 'X'.

Her hair matched her accessorized pink fur coat, under which she wore a tightly fitted white and black mini dress. The dress featured a prominently contrasting 'X' and 'O' pattern on her very developed chest, as well as a star design on the abdomen. For leggings, she wore long black thigh-highs with black high heels that had a heart motif and three X-shaped cutouts down the sides, revealing her skin beneath. Finishing her look was a pair of round shades with pink heart designs in the lenses that were pushed up and allowed her eyes to be visible.

She must've known he was watching her, for she looked his way while singing. He swore her eyes glowed faintly when she smirked at him and sent him a flirty wink. The earlier blush that had faded returned with a vengeance and he distracted himself by taking a drink of the alcohol that had been given to him.

Immediately, he made a face at the taste that hit his tongue. He would never understand why people enjoyed stuff like this; especially Tsunade, who seemed to guzzle it down like dying woman in need of water. He sighed at that, finding that he couldn't enjoy himself with his earlier thoughts dampening his already soured mood.

So, one could excuse his surprise when he looked up from his cup and saw what could only be described as a massive orgy happening on the beach in front of the stage; one that didn't seem to bother the music group in the slightest.

Worried about something in the alcohol, Naruto numbly reached out his arm with the cup in hand and slowly dumped it on the beach, all while being unable to look away from the shocking scene down below. Having only been around perverted men and their tame vices (save for Jiraiya's predatory peeping), Naruto had zero experience witnessing anything on the level of perversion as what was happening before his eyes.

'It's either something in the drinks, or this group are doing something to make those people do…that,' he mused, shaking away his shock for a frown. 'I better do some investigating. They may be using some sort of genjutsu based around music, like that redheaded girl we fought while chasing after Sasuke…'

Standing up, he placed his hands in his pockets and turned around. Making it look like he was leaving, Naruto only walked far enough to leave their viewpoint before he circled around to sneak backstage from behind the stage. All he had to do was wait for the cover of night.

Unknown to him, the leader of the group frowned at his departure as she stopped singing and watched the Humans continue to fuck one another in their massive orgy. Feeling her strength growing from the sexual energy resonating from them, she was curious why the cute blonde watching her was unaffected by her hypnotic power.

"What's up, Boss?" Vortex, her loyal Hellhound, asked in concern.

She hummed to herself for a moment before smirking confidently. "I believe we may have caught the suspicion of a young ninja, Tex."

He frowned at that. "You want me to ambush him?"

"No," she shot down with a wave of her hand. "I'll do it. It's not every day that I see someone who can resist my abilities; let alone completely ignore them. I want to see him up close and personal."

Vortex nodded before he went to inform the others what she was planning. Her smirk grew as excitement built up within her. Verosika Mayday rarely had any sort of challenge. And she would meet that challenge and milk the rewards dry.

She shivered in anticipation.

Naruto crept up behind the concert venue's stage. His heightened hearing could still pick up the faint sounds of the orgy going on, and he wondered if any other beachgoers were aware of what was happening on their shores. Or any authorities for that matter like town police.

'I hope I know what I'm doing,' he thought with slight worry as he leapt quietly onto one of the rafters holding stage lights, staying in the shadows like a ninja should.

Even if Naruto was questioning his own sense of ability or worth lately, he would never doubt his skills in stealth and sabotage thanks to his early days of pranking the daylights out of the Hidden Leaf and its villagers. He even pranked the Hokage on occasion, and a darker part of his mentality believed he could've even killed the Hokage if he switched the prank from harmlessly fun to unexpectedly deadly.

'Yeah… That's the kind of thinking that I need right now,' the Uzumaki mentally groused, shaking away those darker notions and focusing back on the now as he dropped from the rafters and behind some of the sound equipment.

Keepings his senses sharp, he quietly moved backstage towards the room marked with a red heart that had devilish wings, a spaded tail, and horns. No doubt, that was the private room of the singer and leader of the group. The plan, half-cocked as it was, involved Naruto waiting for her in her room so that he could interrogate her, or possibly scare her off from ever returning.

What his plan didn't account for was for someone trying to get the jump on him, or for him to instinctively stop the ambush and whip out some ninja wire before quickly incapacitating his assaulter.

His plan also didn't consider that his target would be the one to try ambushing him.

"Uh…" he tried to say, honestly at a loss for words as his face erupted in yet another blush.

Here was his target, tied up at his feet by how own hand, while wearing what he could only describe as sexy underwear he had seen women wear in magazines when he was younger. She looked to him in surprise momentarily before giving him an intrigued smirk with gleaming eyes.

"Well, now~," she practically purred out. "I wasn't expecting this outcome."

Fighting his blush, Naruto tried to look intimidating as he fired back, "You jumped a ninja in the dark. What'd you expect would happen?"

"Well, normally at this point, your pants would be off, you'd be on my bed, and I'd be-"

His blush returned tenfold as he cut her off, "NEVERMIND!"

She nearly cackled at his embarrassment. "By the Seven Hells, you're too easy, Whisker Boy!"

Despite the situation, Naruto's glare was more of an annoyed pout as he pulled out a kunai and cut her bindings. It was a stupidly rookie mistake, but she honestly reminded him of the more confident women from the Red-Light District he lived nearby in the Hidden Leaf. He still found it rather sad how people who were shoved into the seedier parts of the village were more accepting and supportive of him than some of his fellow ninja.

This woman reminded him of those supportive people, oddly enough.

She stood up and rubbed where the wire dug slightly into her skin. "A bit rough on me, weren't you~?"

He rolled his eyes and stowed away his knife. "Is everything you say an innuendo?" He paused and then added, "And did he really think he could sneak up on me? I'm a ninja, for crying out loud."

"Not always," she answered calmly before gesturing for him to follow her. "Stand down, Tex. We're just going to talk."

Naruto was about to follow her before he felt a warm breath exhaling harshly against the back of his head. Looking over his shoulder slightly, he spotted that wolf-man from before standing behind him, looking down on him with a sharp eye.

"Mind your step, Human," he growled out, prompting Naruto to raise a brow.

"You talk like you aren't one…"

"Because we're not," the woman called to him as she stood by her door. "C'mon, now. I promise, I won't bite...unless you want me to~"

Rolling his eyes and fighting yet another blush, Naruto walked over to her. 'They aren't Human? Are they demons, or something?'

When the duo entered her room, she offered him a seat on her couch while she sat at the chair in front of a mirror. Swiveling around to face him, she grinned at him and said, "Don't mind Vortex. He comes off as a vicious Hellhound, but he's not so bad."

"Right… Wait, Hellhound?" he repeated.

"They're pretty low on the demonic food chain of Hell, like Imps. Most are treated as little more than servants, but I couldn't do that to Tex. He's pulled me out of a few tight spots on his own."

"Hell? Wait… What are you? Demons?"

Pouting playfully, she teased, "You mean you haven't figured it out? Not so good at espionage, are you, Ninja Boy?"

Even though he knew she wasn't serious about her comment, Naruto couldn't help the slight flinch. His doubts from earlier reared their ugly heads, much to his own chagrin.

Verosika noticed this, and another interested gleam entered her eye. 'Oh? Is Ninja Boy having some doubts?'

"If…" she heard him try to say, noticing him avoiding her gaze. "If you really are some type of demon, then…you'd be some sort of a succubus…right?"

'Aww, he blushing~ So adorable,' she mentally cooed before answering verbally, "Correct. I'm sure that explains the fuck-fest happening out there to you now, yes?"

Having read that succubae were sexual based demons, Naruto nodded. "Yeah… No offense, but I thought demons stayed in Hell? How're you all-?"

"Back up top?" she finished, earning another nod from him. "Certain demons earn special privileges when they reach particular levels of power or authority. Hell isn't just a place for the damned, Ninja Boy."

"Okay, let's stop there for a sec. My name's Naruto Uzumaki. I'd rather be called by my name than…that."

She chuckled at that. "Verosika Mayday," she introduced.

To her surprise, Naruto offered his hand to her and replied, "Nice to meet you."

Staring at his hand, she slowly reached out her own and shook it. "You're a pretty accepting Human, aren't you? Most Humans look down on us demons, or outright fear us."

"Yeah, well… Let's just say I have been on the receiving end of disdain and fear plenty of times…"

"Oh? Mind if I ask why?"

"I'd…rather not say right now…"

'There's a story here,' Verosika mused, her intrigue storing this information in the back of her mind. "Fair enough. Now, back to what I was saying. Hell is the home of many different demons, and we have our own hierarchy system complete with royalty. There are Seven Rings in Hell, with each Ring being named after one of the Deadliest Sins. The lowest demons and those who are sent to Hell upon death reside at the top, the Pride Ring, while Lucifer and his family live at the bottom."

"And the other five are filled with all sorts of different demons, I'm guessing?"

"Yep."

"Why tell me all of this? I mean, it's interesting and all, but why? Isn't me knowing a risk to…whatever it is you guys are doing?"

"What we're doing is simply introducing lust and temptation to the masses. Don't worry so much."

He aimed a dry look at her, which she found amusingly cute.

"Plus, it's nice to simply talk with a Human instead of send them into a sexual frenzy. You're one of the rare few that have completely ignored my power, and that's got me very interested."

The look in her eyes made him feel like a small rodent in the face of a large cat. He swallowed thickly while his cheeks reddened as she got to her feet and sauntered over to him. Trying to back away, he only sunk deeper into the surprisingly plush couch before freezing when she straddled him on his lap. The redness in his cheeks grew brighter as she rested a palm against his cheek and rubbed his whiskers.

"What interesting birthmarks," she mused with a smirk. "They're both roguish and cute."

"…did you have to call them cute?" he couldn't help asking in annoyance, making her laugh.

"You're more fun than I thought you'd be. How would you like to come with us?"

That stopped him short. "With you…?"

"That's right. You look like you need to get away from everything for a while, and I'm not sure I want to let you go just yet," she answered, hooking a finger beneath his chin so that she could have him look her in the eyes. "It's been a while since I've had someone to play with."

"…is that all I am…?" he asked lowly, and she knew she was touching on a nerve.

"Is that such a bad thing? Is playing with me so horrible?" she fired back.

"Maybe, considering I've been played with most of my life…"

She dropped her smirk at that, looking into those deep cerulean eyes of his. They were gorgeous to her, displaying an almost glow that ironically nearly enraptured her. However, within those deep blues was a pain that tried to remain hidden, and a solemn acceptance for what may come.

Backing off from him, she got up from his lap and moved to her hanging clothes to look for something to wear. "Think about my offer, Ninja Boy. We'll be here for a couple more days before leaving."

Surprised that he was allowed to leave, Naruto got off the couch and headed for the door. When his hand grasped it, he paused for a moment before looking to her over his shoulder.

"I'll think it over…" he promised softly before departing.

Verosika made no showing that she heard him, and she didn't react when Vortex came in not long after Naruto left.

"You let him go?" he asked curiously.

"…I've never done that before," she confessed. "But…there was something about him. Something in his eyes that made me back off."

"So, what now?"

"I offered him the chance to come with us."

A brow rose at that. "A Human joining a bunch of sexual demons?"

"Is that so farfetched, Tex?" she questioned.

"It is when you could've easily had them fall under your control."

"He can't fall under, though. Somehow, he's immune to my Charm."

That surprised the Hellhound. "Immune…?"

"There's more to Ninja Boy than we think," Verosika stated as she turned to her most trusted member of her posse with a delighted smirk on her face. "And I want to see just how much more."

Naruto sat awake in the middle of the night, ignoring the snores of Jiraiya in the bed next to him. His thoughts were on yesterday, the once more pointless day of training Jiraiya and him had, and the thoughts that had returned from the depths of his heart.

He was going nowhere with Jiraiya and his perverted ways, and now he's offered a spot with a group that is more perverted than the Toad Sage. The answer should've been obvious, right? He should just ignore the offer and stay with his master.

…right?

A sigh escaped him as he hugged his knees to his chest. "What do I do…?"

"You stop moping, for starters."

He blinked once before thinking, 'Why are you talking to me, Kyuubi? Gonna give me some advice?'

"I just did, whelp. Now, you've made yourself aware of just how weak you truly are without me. Four times, you would've died without my aid. And that doesn't count the various other times you used my chakra for non-life-threatening moments like your fight against that Hyuuga brat."

'Four…?'

"You know of the fight against that Ice Style user, of when you were plummeting to your death, and when you fought that bastard Uchiha you so stupidly called your friend. Yet, you've forgotten that time in the Snow when you had that device strapped to you that locked away your chakra."

'…that's right. The fight with Doto in the Land of Snow… When he knocked me into the ocean…'

"Exactly."

'Why remind me of another time that I owed my survival to you? I already know I owe you three, now four, times over…'

"I remind you because I have stake in what you decide to do with your life. Consider this, boy: you know that your time with that wart-riddled Human is being squandered and your time when you face the Akatsuki is coming closer and closer. Will you continue to foolishly waste time you need, or will you take a gamble on that Temptress Demon and her group?"

'Wouldn't I be abandoning the village…?'

"Is loyalty to them worth more than you've already paid?"

'That sounded oddly comforting, and it came from you…'

"You aren't the first Uzumaki I've been placed into, boy. My previous host was someone very close to you, but her identity has been hidden from you by everyone you've ever trusted with your life. Your Hokage, your sensei, that Slug Summoner, and the Human sleeping beside you all knew her; but not one of them have trusted you with her identity."

'…who was she?'

"You like to put some stock in keeping promises, boy, so promise me this: If I tell you her identity and just how close she is to you, you will leave with the Temptress."

'Why?'

"You know why."

Indeed, he did. As the Kyuubi said, Naruto was going nowhere with Jiraiya's methods. And the man was giving more and more obvious signs that he was going to have Naruto practice with the Kyuubi's chakra.

And there was no way the Bijuu would be okay with that.

"No, I wouldn't," the fox assured him.

'What could I learn while traveling around with demons?'

"You'd be surprised what you could learn from them. Chakra isn't the only power in this world, boy. You need to keep your mind open to the possibilities out there."

'…I go with them…and you tell me about the woman everyone else is keeping secret from me?'

"Yes."

'Then… I promise.'

"Good. Your mother was my previous host."

Naruto's eyes widened in shock.

"She was another Uzumaki by the name of Kushina, whom I was given to by the mate of your first Hokage, Mito Uzumaki. You have carried a legacy since the night of your birth when I was ripped away from Kushina and her mate sealed me into you."

'Wait a minute… Her "mate" sealed you? But didn't the-?'

He froze realization, not wanting to believe what it implied.

"Don't look away from the truth like you've done countless times, boy!" the Kyuubi snarled at him. "You live a life of denial and that makes you weak! And I will not have a weak host! You are the spawn of Kushina Uzumaki and your precious Fourth Hokage."

Naruto gagged at that, the shock of the reveal shaking him to his core.

The Fourth Hokage…

The one who sealed away the Kyuubi…

The man who damned him to the life a Jinchūriki…

He was Naruto's father…and also…

"…your student," he growled out in realization, glaring at the sleeping form of the Toad Sage. "You knew… You had to have known, you fucking bastard…"

Naruto had never been more tempted to kill someone than this moment. Even now, his hand twitched for his holster holding his kunai, but he clenched that hand closed and popped the knuckles in restrained fury.

'Kyuubi… Is there a safe way to release you?'

"Not to my knowledge. But perhaps there are some in Hell who know a method."

'…I'll take my chances, then,' he swore before he quietly gathered his belongings and stepped outside. Getting to the roof of the hotel they had been staying at, Naruto bit his thumb and performed the Summoning Jutsu, bringing out a large toad that was holding a scroll.

"Gama," Naruto greeted politely, earning a curious look from the non-speaking toad. "I need a huge favor from you; my last favor from the Toad Summons."

Gama looked concerned before motioning the Uzumaki to continue.

"Whoever's in charge of that scroll," Naruto pointed to the scroll in question, "I want them to remove my name from the contract."

Gama croaked as if to ask Why.

"Things aren't working out with Jiraiya, and I need to get away from him and the Leaf for a while. Please, have them remove my name…"

Gama saw the desperate look in the teen's eyes and nodded sadly. Reaching forward, he placed a webbed hand on Naruto's shoulder and nodded in farewell before vanishing a burst of smoke.

With nothing left to do, Naruto headed back for the beach.

"I'll try to make you proud, mom," he muttered to himself, hoping that his decision to leave would be something she would support.

Gama had returned to Mount Myōboku after hearing Naruto's request. With a heavy heart he made his way to the Great Sages of the Toad Clan.

Approaching some rather diminutive toads, Gama bowed to them respectfully before setting down the Contract Scroll of the toads. Fukasaku and Shima, also known as Pa and Ma Toad, looked to Gama curiously before watching him roll open the scroll, point to Naruto's name, and make a cutting motion with his forelimb.

"Young Naruto wishes to remove himself from the contract?" Pa questioned in surprise.

"What would make him want to do such a thing?" Ma asked, looking concerned at the notion.

Pa grumbled to himself in thought for a moment before coming to a decision. "Gama, take me to the boy. Let me speak to him personally, see what's happened that made him come to this decision."

Gama nodded as Pa jumped onto his back and the duo vanished into smoke after Gama pressed his hand on Naruto's name.

Naruto had just approached the edge of the beach when a plume of smoke erupted right before him. He was curious at seeing Gama returning with an elderly looking toad sitting on his head.

"Gama…?" he asked.

"You must be young Naruto…" Pa guessed with a smile. "My name is Fukasaku, but everyone just calls me Pa. You, my boy, look so much like your father…"

Naruto frowned at that. "Yeah… So glad to know that…"

Pa rose a brow at the bitterness in the Uzumaki's tone. "I've been told you wish to remove yourself from the contract with us. Tell me, before we do so, why are you requesting such a thing of us? You have my word as one of the Great Sages of the Toad Clan that what you say will stay between us and my wife, the other Great Sage."

Naruto's frown remained as he considered if he should even answer. After a few moments, he sighed as his shoulders sagged. It was Pa Toad's turn to frown, seeing how the blonde teen before him seemed to have an invisible weight upon his shoulders.

"It's a long story, Pa…"

"I've got time, my boy. Tell me what's happened."

"…I don't know where to start, though. My childhood memories? When I became a Genin? When I met Jiraiya? This trip?"

Pa jumped from Gama's head to the ground before Naruto. Gesturing for the teen to sit, he replied, "Tell me everything."

And so, one of the Great Toad Sages was told the Tale of Naruto from the star himself.

Verosika sat on the edge of her stage, enjoying her Beelzejuice as she looked at the starry sky; something that Hell didn't have and something she was envious of.

"These Humans don't realize what they have until they're sent to Hell… I almost pity them," she mused, taking another drink from her flask.

To her pleasant surprise, a familiar voice spoke up from behind her. "I'm not too late, am I?"

She turned around with a pleased smirk at the sight of Naruto without his headband and carrying a rucksack. "No, you're just in time, Ninja Boy." Her smirk fell for a confused look. "Uh, what's with the geezer looking toad?"

Pa huffed at that from Naruto's head. "At least she didn't mistake me for a frog…"

"This is Pa Toad. He's an elder of the Toad Clan and he promised to teach me something after he establishes a… Uh…?"

"A waypoint, Naruto-chan," Pa supplied.

"Yeah, that. He needs a marker in Hell, or else he can't summon me for training."

Verosika made a thinking face at that. "How long will this training be?"

"Naruto-chan needs more time to grow physically before I can start my more advanced training," Pa answered. "However, I can still teach him other things during his time traveling with you."

"You seem pretty relaxed being around a demon, Geezer Toad. And for hearing that I'm taking Ninja Boy with me to Hell."

Pa smirked. "Going to and from Hell isn't the strangest thing I've seen in all my years, girly. Besides, it's high time that this young man," he gently patted Naruto's head, "was trained properly for what may come."

Verosika rose a brow at that, knowing there was a story involved. Shrugging, she replied, "Whatever. We'll be leaving soon."

"Ready when you are, Vee," Naruto said.

"Vee…?"

"You call me Ninja Boy, so I figured I could give you a nickname too."

She smirked. "Hang tight and we'll be ready in a bit."

As she left, Pa spoke up, "Once I set up the waypoint, I'll return to Mount Myōboku and tell Ma what's happened. Don't worry about Jiraiya finding out where you are, my boy."

"Thanks, Pa…"

"However, we'll be having some words with him about his actions as of late. He was named your godfather by your parents, after all. We were looking forward to him introducing you to us, but he never did."

"He never did a lot of things…" Naruto mumbled.

"I know, my boy… You've admitted that this is a gamble you're taking. Let's hope that devilish luck of yours will pull through."

"Yeah… I hope so too…"

And that's the end! Hope you all enjoyed this first chapter!

Please leave me some feedback in your reviews, and PM me if you have any questions! I'll try to get back to you as soon as I can!

Happy Holidays to you all! May they be full of joy!

Stay safe, healthy, and positive!

Dreaming of the Future

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