The Enlightened One Ch.77

I stared at the closed door for several seconds before turning and walking away. That was a can of worms I did not want to open yet. I turned the corner in the hall and entered the common area. I sat on the comfortable sofa, closed my eyes, and lay back. 

I was content with going to sleep just like this, but I already knew the girls weren’t going to be as…lax as I am being.

A tired sigh escaped me as I heard the soft pattern of three pairs of footsteps approaching me. I watched as Hinata turned the corner, then Naruko and Satsuki. All of them were still wearing their lingerie, and I attempted to hide my discomfort with the view. 

“...Lei,” Hinata spoke quietly, walking over to me, followed by the other two. She had a concerned look on her face, the same look she would have when something terrible happened and she was worried about one of us. 

“I’m sorry to all of you.” I scratched the back of my head nervously as Hinata took a seat to my left, Satsuki taking hers to my right, and Naruko plopping onto my lap. I shifted uncomfortably at Naruko’s chosen seat, but I wasn’t going to tell her to move. 

“What happened, Lei?” Naruko asked, her face inches from mine as her soft chest was covered by her orange bra pressed into my lean chest. 

I didn’t know how to explain it to them or if that was even the right thing to do. It only took a second for me to realize that explaining it would only further complicate things. 

“Well…” I started slowly. Naruko brushed a few loose strands of hair out of my face and placed her hands on my cheeks. “You all look…lovely, but I don’t think I’m ready for this kinda…thing.” 

All of their eyes widened slightly at that, and they seemed to relax. 

“That’s a relief.” Hinata let out a breath I didn’t know she was holding. “I thought something bad happened to you!” 

“Oh, I’m sorry I worried you.” I chuckled nervously. “Like I said before, you all look great, but I’d rather take things a bit slower than jump into this.” 

In all my life, I don’t think I’ve ever felt more nervous and awkward, and that’s saying something. This was a situation that I didn’t even expect any time soon. There was no slow build up, no progressive advancements in our relationship. They just outright stripped down to some rather expensive and sexy lingerie and waited for me to come back. 

Saying I wanted to take things slow would be an understatement. 

“I-It’s fine.” Satsuki shook her head with a blush. “We did kinda force…this onto you.” 

“Ah, we were planning this for a while though.” Naruko pouted, hugging me and leaning her head into the crook of my neck. 

“Sorry, Naruko.” I apologized, meaning it sincerely. I could tell they were all rather embarrassed by what had occurred and I didn’t blame them. This was them offering themselves to me and I essentially turned them down without even speaking a word. 

I feel like a massive piece of shit.

“You don’t have to apologize.” Hinata grabbed my ear and pinched it, making me wince a bit from the sudden hold. “If it is anyone’s fault, then it is mine. Our talk with father was…productive, to say the least, and it got me worked up enough to initiate this. I should have known you weren’t ready.” As she finished up, I could see just how embarrassed she was at my response, judging by how red her face had gotten. 

Now I feel like a mountainous piece of shit. 

I reached my arms around both Satsuki and Hinata and pulled them closer to me, catching them by surprise at how close all of us were together now. 

“Don’t blame yourselves, any of you.” I frowned as I held them close. “This is more of a me problem than anyone else; trust me on that.” 

The three girls in my arms looked into my eyes and saw the unhidden emotions that filled them. I wanted to be honest with them and tell them why I had no intention of being with them in that way yet, but I knew it would lead to more problems in the end. 

“Well…then we can agree to disagree.” Hinata nodded with a small smile as she tilted my head her way and gave me a soft peck. “But now it’s up to you to work off this extra energy we have with no way to expend it ourselves.” 

“Yeah, take responsibility!” Naruko added with a grin. 

“Phrasing.” Satsuki coughed into her hand with closed eyes. 

“Alright, that’s fine.” I hummed, feeling my lips twitch upward. “I have a few ideas on how we can loosen you girls up~” 

The girls all paled at my playful attitude, immediately understanding what I had in mind. 

“...On second thought I’m feeling really tired!” Naruko fake yawned and got off of my lap, trying to slip away but I quickly stood up and grabbed her forearm, pulling her back to me.  

“Nuh-uh, you’re not escaping this.” A deep chuckle escaped me as I began to drag her toward her least favorite place in the entire compound.

The Library.

“Please…no!” She begged, but I didn’t relent. A mischievous smirk tugged at my lips as Hinata followed along, giggling as we went, and a moment later, Satsuki let out a tired sigh and followed after us. 

I dragged Naruko back to the bedroom, gesturing for Hinata and Satsuki to head back in. The Senju Compound is on private grounds, but I doubt anyone wanted to leave the main house and trek to the library wearing only sexy lingerie. So I waited outside for them to put on something more proper.

After a couple of minutes, the girls walked out of the bedroom wearing comfy-looking pajamas, and we began our trip to the library. It didn’t take long, and as we entered, I let out a breath of satisfaction. 

Unlike Naruko, who hated the library, I enjoyed our time spent in it. Sure, it was usually quiet, but this library has information that surpasses the libraries of any and every clan I know. 

The Uchiha library didn’t even come close to the amount of information that the Senju library held, and that’s because the Senju Clan prides itself on its ability to master a thousand skills. With the many generations of Senju that came before me, a thousand skills would be an understatement to the pure amount of knowledge these walls hold. And it was all for me and my future children to learn and build upon. 

Truthfully, I could get a normal run-of-the-mill genin and give them access to this library, and in five years, they’d be an elite jonin simply because of the sheer resources they’re allowed to browse through. Weapons, ninjutsu, genjutsu, taijutsu, fuinjutsu, cooking, smithing, etc., anything you can think of; the Senju has a section for it in the vast library. 

“Do you have any plans set aside?” Hinata asked, curiosity dancing on her face as the girls followed me deeper into the vast library.

“I do; I wanted to read up on more water jutsu. I think I’m going to specialize in that going forward.” I explained, earning an approving hum from Hinata. 

The problem with Wood Release is it typically takes a bunch of chakra. I have very large reserves, but in fights that will end up longer than I want, I’m pretty much fucked if i rely solely on it. The fight with Kuzan showed me that. If my plot on him failed to keep him down, he would have overwhelmed me with his sheer amount of chakra. 

Water Release was a good alternative to Wood Release. Beyond that, I knew just how powerful I could become if I became a master at manipulating water. Tobirama Senju is a perfect shining example of what can be achieved through water jutsu. Tobirama could draw water from the air with a single twitch of his fingers, causing a torrent of fast-flowing water that could wipe out even the most experienced of Jonin. Of all the shinobi who prioritized Water Release, Tobirama Senju is known as the strongest, and no one comes close. 

I aim to surpass my Grandfather in his Water Release prowess. To show skill beyond his own would not only earn me the respect of every shinobi in the Elemental Nations but would also allow me to strengthen my Wood Release. 

Wood Release is the combination of Earth and Water Release. After all, better manipulation of Earth and Water Release equates to better manipulation of Wood Release, and with how busted my Kekkei Genkai has the potential to be, I plan on doing everything I can to reach and surpass the heights of the First Hokage in that field. 

“I don’t wanna read!” Naruko whined again, my hand was still firmly gripping her forearm. 

“Then don’t. There are plenty of scrolls with pictures.” Satsuki rolled her eyes, earning a pout from the blonde. 

“But those still have words in them!” 

“Ufufu, don’t worry, Naruko, I will help you out.” Hinata giggled, taking Naruko’s other hand and pulling her along. The blonde-haired Uzumaki’s eyes widened in fear as she looked at the Hyuga Heiress. 

“...I take it back, Lei, I’ll read it all! Please help me!”

“...You’re on your own now.” I shook my head, closing my eyes at the loss of our resident knucklehead.

“You traitor!” Naruko shouted, growing farther away. As the two girls turned a corner and headed deeper into the library, the last thing we heard was Hinata's terrifying excitement as she dragged Naruko to her own personal brand of hell.

“Ufufufu~” 

“...You think she’ll be alright?” Satsuki side-eyed me, and I shook my head. 

No, she absolutely wouldn’t be. Hinata was going to force so much knowledge down Naruko’s cranium that she’d be left mentally exhausted even after a full night of rest. 

With Naruko’s grim fate slipping from my mind, I glanced at Satsuki and raised an eyebrow. Usually, she split off by now, heading in her own direction to learn as much fire and lightning jutsu as possible. 

“Is something bothering you?” I asked, my mind running with several things that could affect her. 

Satsuki looked at me with surprise for a moment before slowly nodding her head. 

…Something must be seriously wrong if Satsuki admitted to having a problem. If something were plaguing her mind, she’d typically put up the tough girl act, keeping her distance until her mind resolved the problem, but here she was, admitting something was wrong. 

This…is new, and it could symbolize a bigger step in our relationship, one of trust, and I knew for a fact that I couldn’t fuck this up. 

— Jiraiya —

He had spent the week leading up to his little retrieval mission watching the boy who was destined to be the next Hokage, Minato’s successor. 

In the short meetings he’d had with Lei in the past, he could see the boy had a sharp mind and incredible power, but after observing his actions for a week, he saw now that it wasn’t only Lei’s intelligence and strength that would solidify him as a great leader. 

It was his aura. His sheer presence. Jiraiya had noticed it at first in their little meeting after the second phase of the Chunin Exams, but spying on Lei for a week showed the strongest of Sannin just how much Lei had changed. 

What he saw the day before their mission had solidified his opinion of the future leader. While spending a bit of time checking up on both him and his goddaughter, Naruko, he watched them from a tree, his presence was completely hidden, and not even the most experienced of sensors would have been able to pick up even a trace of his existence. 

Yet Lei had turned around and made full eye contact with him. Such a thing should have been impossible for any jonin to do, but Jiraiya quickly understood Lei wasn’t a jonin. He was a Senju born with the Wood Release kekkei genkai. Someone with such a prestigious and powerful ability could have spotted him in many ways and the fact that Lei knew exactly where he was only confirmed a thought that had sprouted in his mind at the time. 

Lei always knew. For the entire week he had been spying on him, Lei let him continue with no issue, only choosing to reveal he was aware of the day Jiraiya intended to stop. 

An amused grin tugged on Jiraiya’s lips as he sat before his sensei’s desk. That kid…he really was similar to Minato. The main difference is Minato’s usual cheerful attitude instead of Lei’s nonchalance. But their anger was the exact same. Quiet, cold anger that could kill with a stare. Minato only got angry when his loved ones were threatened, but Lei… seemed to get angry at the thought of his loved ones being threatened. 

Jiraiya really hoped that such anger would never be directed at him. An image filled his mind: Tsunade wearing nothing but a towel as she glared at him with cold anger. The Sannin quickly shook his head, clearing those bad times out of his mind. Yes, that boy was much like her. 

He could only hope that Lei’s anger would never be directed at him, although considering the respect Lei had for him, both as a Sannin and his art (Even defending him against the accusations of that old crow Koharu with zero taste) he may be safe. 

Better yet, he could even have a protector against Milfnade’s vile beatings! And it certainly wouldn’t hurt his chances with the ladies and to fatten up his wallet if he took the Senju Head as another student and requested his help in writing his next Icha Icha masterpiece.

His sensei watched with a raised eyebrow as Jiraiya began chucking perversely. Yes, that plan would work perfectly! 

“Jiraiya, will you focus?” The Hokage asked in a stern voice, snapping Jiraiya out of the glorious future and into the stressful and annoying present. 

“C'mon sensei, live a little, don’t be so grumpy!” Jiraiya grinned. 

“Forgive me for being so ‘grumpy,’ but being down and arm and fearing for my village has left me a little miffed.” His sensei deadpanned, and Jiraiya winced. Yeah, his sensei wasn’t having the best year in his long life, but even after everything that happened, it still wasn’t the worst, and Jiraiya respected the hell out of his sensei for remaining so calm (and sane) after going through all the things he had. “Now tell me, Jiraiya, what have you learned?” 

Jiraiya straightened up thoroughly and snapped out of any fun he was having before. “I’ve located three suspected Root bases. Two of them are located underground within the Land of Fire, while one is located further north toward the Hidden Rain Village.

“Oh, you’ve made more progress than I expected.” His sensei sat up straighter. Of course, he had. Spying on Lei was more of a pastime than anything. His main duty was to his village, and his spy network was vast. It was the thing Danzo feared about him the most. “And have you located Danzo?” The old man added with a small undercurrent of rage. 

“No, I haven’t.” Jiraiya shook his head. “He could be located in any of those bases, but the chakra within is…funky; sensing who or how many lie within has been difficult.” 

“That sounds like Danzo, always covering up his trail, yet he has never been good at it. Keep looking, I want him located before the Final Exams.” 

“Of course, Sensei.” Jiraiya bowed slightly. “Trust me, once we complete the mission to bring Tsunade back to the village, I’ll head back out and find that weasel myself,” Jiraiya said with no small amount of determination. As playful as he acts, the fight with Danzo left a bitter taste in his mouth. Danzo shouldn’t have escaped, and when next they meet, Danzo will die. He’d stake his life on that. 

“Good.” Hiruzen hummed in approval, using his one good arm to grab the bottle of sake on the table and pour two cups. “Then moving onto more pleasant talks, are you prepared for your trip?” 

“I am, and judging by Lei’s calmness, I would say he is as well.” Jiraiya easily relaxed, a lazy grin working its way onto his broad face. 

“That is good to hear.” Hiruzen nodded, pleased. “Although I doubt he’s the only one you wish to aid you on your journey, or am I growing senile in my old age?” 

“Nah, you’ve hit the kunai on the target, sensei.” Jiraiya’s grin grew.

“Mmm, I thought so.” The old man hummed. “Then Naruko will be joining you both as well?” 

“Of course!” Jiraiya crossed his arms and nodded sagely. “How could I pass up the chance to educate a young flame, just waiting to burn brighter?” 

Hiruzen’s eyes narrowed, and Jiraiya knew that look. 

“C'mon, Sensei, you know I’ll behave.” The Sannin said a bit more seriously, earning a tired sigh from the old Hokage. 

“I’ll hold you to that, Jiraiya.” 

If only his sensei knew his real intentions. He wouldn’t know now, but in a couple of years, the strict old man would thank him for bringing Naruko on this trip! 

Lei Senju, one of the greatest prodigies Konoha has ever seen, and one of his girlfriends, the daughter of the Legendary ‘Yellow Flash’, he definitely could spin that lore into an amazing new installment of Icha Icha! 

Yes, it would make a fantastic second part, right after the first installment, involving the young, skilled bounty hunter, Rei Tengu, and the mischievously sexy pirate leader, Nei Nerumi!

He was a genius, and no one could tell him otherwise! 

— Naruko (A Few Days Later) —

The blonde-haired Uzumaki tiredly rubbed her temples as she sat outside of the Senju Main House, trying her best to recover from the extensive lesson Hinata had given her last night about all different kinds of things. 

Seriously, why was the history of another village even important? 

She shook her head and stifled down a chill that hit her spine. She had spent enough time asking questions, now it was time to chill back and enjoy herself! 

Naruko frowned down at the scrolls laid out in front of her. She was back at it again, and this time she vowed to succeed. 

She was going to get down the Flying Raijin before the Final Exams, she promised herself that much. 

Her slow progress wasn’t because of her lack of understanding, the seal was complex, but it was already laid out for her. She didn’t need to do any added work to it. 

No, what had her in a steady cycle of failure was just how hard it was to control the jutsu. 

The Flying Raijin allowed instantaneous teleportation, or something like that. The downside of that is that you don’t move. One second you’re one place, the next you’re in another, but depending on where you teleport, you have to plant your feet back on the ground and keep your balance. 

One use wasn’t hard for her, she had gotten it down and could use it to teleport places she’s left a marker, and with her massive chakra reserves thanks to the monster living in her gut, running out of chakra wasn’t an issue. However, using the jutsu in consecutive bursts was. 

Naruko simply didn’t have the perception and reaction time necessary to keep her balance after several uses in fast succession. She always ended up face first into the dirt, and it was starting to get annoying! 

She needed a fix and she needed one now so she could have something awesome to break out during the exams! 

“Still at it?” The low voice of her boyfriend asked. She looked over her shoulder to see him standing there, dressed in his full shinobi attire, and just from seeing him, her mood took a massive upward spike before it began to lower as she saw the pack on his back. 

Yeah…she forgot he had to go on a mission today.

“Mmm, I’ll figure it out soon.” Naruko hummed before she stood up and disregarded the jutsu. “Are you leaving now?” 

Lei sent a warm smile her way and nodded, making her mood drop right back down. 

“Sorry, don’t worry though, it shouldn’t take longer than a few days. A week tops.” Lei attempted to soothe her sadness, but it didn’t work. 

After spending so long seeing him pretty much everyday and living with him, being apart from him for more than a day sounded like an impossible task. She didn’t want him to leave, at least not without her, so she did the one thing that she knew would work on Lei.

She pouted. 

Lei raised an eyebrow at her saddened face and quivering lip before he quickly deadpanned. 

Shoot, she’s been made! 

“Why do you have to leave?” She grabbed his collar and decided to switch her tactics from sad to persistent. 

“It’s an order from Gramps, you know I can’t disobey the old man.” Lei frowned. “Please don’t be annoying, Naruko, I love you, but I can’t deal with your knuckleheaded antics right now.”

An audible gasp escaped her as her cheeks reddened. She wasn’t annoying! It was called persistence! 

…But she would forgive him for wearing his heart on his sleeve. 

Yes, truly her boyfriend should be lucky to have such a kind and understanding girlfriend in his life!

As Naruko nodded to herself, proud of her assessment, she noticed Lei slipping away.

“L-Lei!” She called out and ran after him, but when he noticed he had been caught, he simply teleported away.

Damn that jutsu! 

— Lei —

I reappeared at the Hokage’s mansion and let out a breath of relief. I know how Naruko gets, and I knew the longer I spoke to her, the more dedicated she would get, and a dedicated Naruko was terrifying. 

I made my way inside the building and up the stairs after getting approval from Gramp’s secretary. After knocking on his door, I got permission to enter and did so. 

I frowned at the sight of two very serious looking men, but as Gramps got a good look at my face, a small smile took the place of his scowl. 

“Ah, Lei, how does today find you?” The old man questioned.

“Alright, I could be better, but I’ll take what I can get.” I shrugged. 

“That just about sums up our days as well.” Jiraiya walked over and placed a heavy hand on my shoulder. “We got stuff to do, a bombshell to meet, and some books to write! Onward, my fresh, new and young student, let me teach you the ways of the gallant Jiraiya!”

The neutral smile on my face grew a tad at his speech, partially because I didn’t know if he was genuinely serious or if he was just playing it up for a few laughs, not that I minded either way. 

“Sure, I’m ready.” I nodded, and the older, taller man squeezed my shoulder a bit and began walking out of the room. I gave the old Hokage a wave, which he returned with his one good arm and we left the room. 

The moment we stepped outside, I was greeted by the sight of a not-so-pleased-looking Naruko.

“This is one of your girly friends isn’t it~?” Jiraiya asked as he looked at me knowingly. I let the guy watch me for a while, he already knows the answer to that question, so why was he even asking? 

I ignored his question and decided the best course of action was to address Naruko-

“I’m coming!” Naruko declared, as she crossed her arms under her bust and pouted at me. 

So she’s going back to the cute whiny child route…

“Sounds good to me!” Jiraiya grinned and continued walking, leaving me absolutely flabbergasted. Naruko was surprised as well but quickly got over it and smirked at me victoriously. 

“I’m going to go pack my things!” She beamed with excitement before she vanished from sight. Huh, so she could at least use the Flying Raijin, that would be useful in the future, and it would give her a better chance of not getting hurt in bad situations. 

I let out another sigh. As much as I respected Jiraiya, he really knows how to make my life a rollercoaster. 

I was about to go on a trip with two knuckleheads and one happened to be a BIG pervert who writes smut while the other happens to be one of my girlfriends—oh and I completely left out the history Jiraiya has with Minato and Kushina.

To be honest, I’d be surprised if the older man didn’t have a new installment of icha icha drafted up by the end of the mission, and unlike Naruto in canon, i would thoroughly enjoy helping in its creation, but this miser of a pervert would have to give me a cut of the profits!. 

— Chapter End —

Beta Reader(s): @Dragonboy1