Naruto: The Forest's Chosen (Mori Mori No Mi)

Crash—

I poured clean water over myself, rinsing off the sweat from training. A sudden chill ran through my lower body.

I turned around—

Nothing.

"…Weird."

BOOM BOOM—!!!

A loud crash came from the girls' locker room next door.

As expected, Naruto had wandered too close.

"Owww…"

Lee lay sprawled on the floor in his signature dramatic pose, butt sticking up exaggeratedly.

Hinata stepped forward, ready to scold him, but as soon as she saw Naruto, her demeanor changed. She trotted up and grabbed his arm.

"Naruto-kun, teach this guy a lesson!"

Naruto casually draped a robe over her shoulders.

Crash—

The towel she'd been wearing slipped off.

Naruto's expression shifted slightly—the corners of his mouth curling into a mischievous smirk.

Ino glanced at him and turned crimson, quickly pulling her clothes over herself.

Tenten and Sakura had already dressed. Professional reflexes.

"What happened to training?" Sakura snapped.

"Why are you here?"

"Don't tell me you were spying!" Tenten accused.

Lee looked flustered in his tattered clothes.

"No—no! I was just passing through while training and accidentally tripped—I swear it was an accident!"

"Excuses!" Sakura yelled.

"You were clearly peeping!" Neji added, stepping forward.

...Though strangely, his towel wasn't tied around his waist like the other guys'. Instead—it wrapped across his chest like a girl's.

"Shut up! You don't get to lecture him!" Hinata barked.

If she wasn't half-naked right now, she probably would've decked him.

WHOOSH—

A green blur zipped past. Lee bolted.

"Damn! He ran!"

"After him!"

Everyone rushed to get dressed.

"H-Hinata… how about letting Naruto-kun change first," Ino stammered, red in the face.

Sakura sat in the corner, head bowed, steam practically rising from her skull.

Hinata, rarely flustered, was pink too.

"You hear that?" she muttered.

"Hurry… go get dressed…!"

Only then did Naruto release Hinata's hand.

He glanced at Ino—she was just as shy as Hinata.

…

Soon, everyone burst out of the bathhouse.

Neji lunged and tackled the now half-dressed Lee.

"I misjudged you, Lee!"

BANG—

Hinata kicked him flying.

"I told you, you don't get to teach him anything!"

Lee blinked, tears gathering in his eyes.

"No—I was really just practicing roof jumps! I tripped and fell in by mistake!"

"Stop lying!" Hinata snapped, cracking her knuckles.

Lee's mannerisms, those bashful gestures… even the way he held his fingers like a delicate flower—

Naruto twitched.

"…Let's calm down for a second," Sakura said, weakly raising her hand. "This could all just be a big misunderstanding."

"I'm fed up! If anyone even looks suspicious, I say we beat them up!" Hinata growled.

"Lee… Lee doesn't seem like the type…" Tenten muttered, reaching for him—

Tear—!!!

She pulled something, and—Lee's skin came off!?

The crowd gasped.

Luckily, he had another set of clothes underneath. A frilly pink set…

Everyone's eyes changed.

BANG—

Hinata kicked him again.

Tenten placed her hands on her hips, totally done.

"Those are my underwear! You stole them from the locker room, didn't you?!"

Lee lay in a crumpled heap, chin awkwardly pressed to the ground.

"Ptooey!"

Hinata spat in disgust.

"So gross."

She grabbed Naruto's hand and stormed off.

Ino quickly followed Sakura. "Still want that barbecue?"

Naruto shook his head. "Let's eat at my place."

In this Limited Tsukuyomi world, both Minato and Kushina were alive, and Kushina's cooking was top-notch.

"Go… to your house?" Sakura whispered.

Buzz—

She fainted again.

"Then Choji and I will eat there!" Shikamaru declared.

"Troublesome…" he added as Choji dragged him away.

Sasuke tossed his bangs. "I've have an an appointment with Ghana~!"

Sasuke stood silently, waiting for Naruto to ask him something. Kiba, meanwhile, dragged him toward the cat café.

Tenten looked at the fallen Lee.

"If I catch you doing that again—I'll kill you."

Then she turned and walked toward Naruto.

"What now?" Hinata asked warily.

"I called you."

Hinata froze.

"Naruto… you're taking her side?!"

Naruto raised a hand.

"Wait."

He pulled Tenten into the lingerie store.

Bought her several sets.

"The designs are all custom," Naruto said.

"Hungry?"

Tenten accepted the package in a daze. It was full of lingerie—her size.

Before she could ask how Naruto knew…

He was already dragging her outside.

Money? Not a problem.

The Limited Tsukuyomi still used the same currency. The only difference was that in this world—Tenten wasn't rich anymore.

"Let's go home and eat."

The girls didn't understand why Naruto acted like this was normal.

Even more shocking—Hinata was strangely quiet.

Meanwhile, Outside the Village

"As a ghost, you've got quite the ego."

A black-cloaked man with long black hair and a mask spoke coldly.

"What do you gain by turning into a heart and possessing me?!"

A voice echoed inside his mind:

"Don't worry who I am. I am you. You are me. I'll give you power."

BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!

A deafening heartbeat roared in his chest.

Menma convulsed violently… and collapsed.

At the Uzumaki House

"Naruto~! Why are you so la—huh?"

Kushina was about to scold him—then paused.

"You girls… are all Naruto's classmates, right?"

She still held a cooking spoon.

Minato looked up from a scroll, smiled, and gently set his hands on her shoulders.

"Let us know in advance if you're bringing guests."

"Kushina, let's make some extra dishes."

"Ah—oh! Right!" she blinked and got excited again.

"Don't stand outside, come in!"

With Kushina's cheerful invitation, the three blushing girls entered.

Hinata clung to Naruto's arm, totally at ease.

Kushina and Minato exchanged a knowing look.

Pfft—x2

Both tried and failed to stifle their laughter.

"That's Hinata, right?"

"Yeah, you can tell from the eyes."

"Heh, it's his first time bringing girls home… but what about the others?"

Minato shrugged with a warm smile.

"Young people have their own world. Let's not pry."

"Alright!" Kushina grinned. "Time to show off my skills!"

After Naruto helped them settle in—

"You all chat. I'll be back soon."

Hinata grabbed his hand.

"Where are you going?"

"Just picking someone up for dinner."

"Who?! Male or female?!" Hinata shot up.

"…I'm used to eating with them."

Naruto smiled and gently eased her back down.

"I'll be right back."

Then—he vanished.

Hinata's eye twitched. She began rolling her eyes with fury.

"Hmph!"

"Hinata, calm down!" Ino pleaded. "This is his house—you'll make a bad impression!"

Hinata breathed deep and cooled off.

Tenten closed her eyes and tried to stay calm, though her mind still reeled:

How does Naruto know my size so well?!

Only Sakura wandered around, eyes curious.

"Hey, look."

All three girls leaned over.

It was a family photo—little Naruto, Minato, and Kushina.

"So cute~"

Meanwhile, in the Hokage's Office

Lights still blazed inside.

Knock knock knock—

"Who is it?"

A soft voice from inside.

Naruto entered.

Tsunade, wearing glasses and looking weary, glanced up.

Naruto froze for a moment—her presence felt different. Gentler.

This was the real Tsunade, without the Genjutsu-enhanced charm.

Shizune wasn't around. Probably gone to bed.

Tsunade was still working, her brows furrowed.

She blinked in surprise at Naruto, but quickly spoke:

"It's you, Naruto. Good—I needed to talk to you."

Naruto walked over, sat on the desk, and looked down at her.

"You… never mind."

Tsunade frowned at his casual posture, sounding a bit aggrieved.

"The Jinchūriki from the Land of Lightning was taken."

"You know about the masked man collecting jutsu and bloodline abilities…"

"Jiraiya thinks the only way to stop him is to—HEY! What are you doing?!"

Naruto plucked the glasses off her face.

Then smiled and pulled her up.

"You're overworking yourself again."

"Take a break and come home with me for dinner."

Naruto's voice was casual, but firm.

"Go home…? Just in time, I have a mission that requires Minato and Kushina to leave the village," Tsunade replied, frowning slightly as she pushed her glasses back up her nose.

"I still have a mission to complete today. I'll be back lat—ah!"

Tsunade suddenly yelped as Naruto swept her off her feet.

The next second, her body was lifted effortlessly into the air.

A mischievous smile tugged at Naruto's lips.

This has to be the Tsunade inside the Limited Tsukuyomi.

In the real world, he wouldn't be this bold—or maybe he'd just get hit with a chakra-infused palm strike to the face.

"Put me down right now~!"

Tsunade pounded weakly at his chest, her usual strength seemingly missing.

Naruto only grinned in response.

"Really now~!"

Tsunade, her cheeks flushed, gave one last half-hearted push… then turned her head away, falling silent.

"Let's go home."

Whoosh—!

In a blur of movement, Naruto vanished with her in his arms.

Just as they disappeared, the door to the Hokage's office creaked open.

Shizune walked in, no longer suppressing her chakra signature.

The small black pig, Tonton, let out two squeals.

"Huh?"

Shizune blinked.

"Didn't I just hear something?"

Phew~

"Forget it. Maybe she just went to the restroom... I'm too tired to care."

Back at home.

The four girls inside the house stood frozen, stunned.

They had expected Naruto to bring back a friend or maybe a teammate for dinner…

They didn't expect him to return with the Fifth Hokage!

Naruto gently set down the flustered Tsunade, who looked completely different from her usual commanding self.

His gaze drifted over to the couch, where Ino, Hinata, Tenten, and Sakura were crowded around the coffee table, looking through a photo album.

Curious, he wandered over and sat beside them.

The album was filled with pictures of Naruto—growing up from a lonely child to the young man he was today.

But unlike in the real world, something was different.

These photos had Minato and Kushina in them.

Smiling.

Alive.

"It's really something that you're sitting here looking through these with them," a voice chuckled from the kitchen.

Minato walked out, wearing a light pink apron and carrying a tray of steaming dishes.

"Tsunade-sama?!" Ino exclaimed in shock.

"Sister Tsunade?!" Sakura echoed, eyes wide.

Just then, Kushina stepped out from the kitchen as well.

Her eyes landed on Tsunade—then on Naruto.

She and Minato exchanged a look.

And just like that…

Their hair stood on end.

"Naruto…"

Kushina's voice dropped into a low, dangerous growl as her fists clenched tightly.

"Don't try to stop me, Minato! I'm going to kill that playboy right now!"

...

TN:

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