Chapter 11: Books, Baggage, and a Budding Bond
Naruto sat with a frown of such intensity that the books around him might have caught fire if they weren't already dry enough to crumble into parchment dust. Rows upon rows of them surrounded him like sentinels, forming towers and walls on the long oaken table in the dim-lit public library.
He had never liked books. Not really. He liked moving—running, jumping, flipping, fighting. Books didn't bleed or bellow or run when you caught them. But they did contain power. Not the kind that came from chakra or fists, but the sort of quiet, ancient power that made you understand why kings rose and fell, and how a simple misunderstanding could start a war.
And Naruto, for all his bravado, did not like being ignorant.
"I didn't think you liked to read, Naruto," came a soft, curious voice.
He looked up, blinking once, then twice, as if returning from another time. Across from him sat Arche, eyes thoughtful, arms crossed on the table.
"I don't," Naruto said truthfully, flipping the page of a leather-bound tome titled The Economic Implications of Nobility and Agricultural Taxation in Early Re-Estize. "But I also don't like being ignorant, so I'm making up for lost time."
Arche's eyebrows rose. It wasn't every day you met a warrior—especially one as absurdly powerful and golden-eyed as Naruto—who casually read advanced historical treatises between bouts of demolishing enemies and turning abandoned forts into secret bases.
"Does that mean you didn't complete compulsory education?" she asked, her tone somewhere between teasing and genuinely intrigued.
Naruto gave a small laugh, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I did receive education… technically. But I kind of failed at it. I was really hyperactive back then. Couldn't sit still. Couldn't focus. I guess you could say I was naïve—and innocent."
He smiled, but Arche, who had seen too many fake smiles to count, noted the crack in his voice, the flicker of shadow in his eyes. It wasn't just embarrassment. That smile carried weight—the kind of smile people wore when remembering days they didn't want to relive.
She didn't push. But she understood.
"Well," she said, glancing at the book in his hands, "are you interested in history?"
"Yes," Naruto answered with a nod, this time more composed. "It helps us avoid repeating mistakes. And it shows what people are capable of. I like knowing that—so I can read people better."
Arche leaned back slightly, her white hair falling gently over her shoulder. This was not what she expected from a man who had literally crushed a bandit's sword between his fingers the day before. But there was something... grounding about it. Something deeply human.
"And here I thought you just punched your way through misunderstandings," she said, dryly.
Naruto chuckled. "Oh, I do. But understanding comes first. Punches come second. Or third. Depends on the mood."
She laughed quietly, the sound more genuine than she expected it to be. It felt odd—nice, even.
As she moved closer to peer at the open book, she offered, "Let me help you. I may not be strong like you, but I've studied most of these subjects. Nobility, history, magical theory, economic structures… my former life required it."
Naruto glanced at her, surprised. She sat beside him, her expression open, earnest in a way that caught him off guard.
"I'm happy that you seem to be opening up," he said softly.
"Well," Arche murmured, picking up a book and flipping it open without looking at him, "you did save me. It would be rude not to try."
She didn't say that she also had nowhere else to go. Or that being around him, with all his warmth and hidden sorrow, felt safer than she'd ever admit aloud.
Naruto smiled again, but this time the sadness was gone. Just for a moment.
"Alright, sensei Arche," he said with a teasing bow of his head. "Teach me history."
And for the next few hours, the library echoed not with silence, but with the quiet hum of turning pages, soft laughter, and a bond quietly forming between two very different people—tied together not by fate, but by choice.
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"Shit!" Brain snarled, his fist slamming into the hard-packed dirt, sending a puff of dust into the air.
Across from him, Clementine tilted her head, hands resting on her hips, a teasing smile spreading across her lips like a cat that had cornered a very tired mouse. The ANBU-style armor she wore clung to her form, designed for mobility and close-quarters combat. It suited her—dangerously well.
"Hey, hey... are you done already?" she purred. "I thought you were going to show me my place, remember?"
Brain gritted his teeth as he pushed himself up. His jaw throbbed from her last punch, and his pride was bleeding out on the forest floor. He glared at her—this woman, this nuisance—who had been grinning since the moment they met.
It was inevitable, really. The challenge. He wasn't the type to tolerate mockery or let a threat linger too close. So he fought her.
And lost.
'I can't believe it… Another human. Not a monster. Not undead. Just a damn human—and she floored me.'
He clenched his fists tighter. Was I delusional? Could I even stand against Gazef at my peak if I'm losing like this?
Clementine rolled her shoulders, stretching with a yawn. "So?" she asked lazily. "Was that it, or do I get to warm up properly this time?"
Brain narrowed his eyes. "Are you this strong on your own… or is it the master's doing?"
It wasn't just curiosity. He needed to know. If she had always been this strong, then maybe he was nothing but an overhyped mercenary. But if it was Naruto's training—then there was still hope.
Clementine's smirk widened. "Oh, I would've still beaten you. Might've taken a bit longer, though. Maybe I'd have a few bruises to show for it." She flexed her fingers, still loose and relaxed. "But now? I'm faster. Stronger. Every day I fight that monster of a man, I nearly die… and I love it."
She shivered as if recalling a fond memory, biting her lip slightly.
'Gods, she's insane…' Brain thought, a chill crawling up his spine.
"How bad is it?" he asked, more seriously now. If this was the cost of improvement, he wanted the truth.
Clementine turned, her eyes gleaming with a wild light. "Oh, very painful. The kind that makes your muscles scream and your bones ache. But don't worry…"—she licked her lips—"soon, you'll love it too."
Before he could speak again, she vanished from his vision, only to reappear beside him with a burst of speed. Her punch connected cleanly with his right cheek, and the world spun. Brain rolled across the clearing, coughing out blood and groaning as he came to a stop.
"Come on, try harder!" Clementine's voice rang out, light and mocking. "Move your body faster!"
Brain forced himself up, wiping the blood from his chin. His legs trembled but didn't break.
'This… this is training under him? No holding back. No rest. Just endless pressure until your body cracks—or grows strong enough to survive it.'
His fingers tightened around the hilt of his sword.
"Fine," he muttered. "Again."
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Naruto and Arche stood atop a stone ledge overlooking the training field, where Brain was currently being flung through the air like a ragdoll by Clementine. Dust rose with every impact, punctuated by the sound of fists meeting flesh.
Arche winced slightly at the sight. "Is this... what you had in mind when you said you were gathering fighters?"
Naruto's eyes stayed on the match. His expression was calm, almost unreadable.
"They're protection," he said quietly. "For when I'm not around."
Arche folded her arms, her tone laced with concern. "And you think this is how people become stronger?"
Naruto finally looked at her. He saw the unease in her eyes—not fear, but uncertainty. She wasn't weak, but neither had she ever trained under such brutal conditions.
He understood.
"Yes," he said simply. "Continuous pressure, real danger—your body responds to it. Push a limit, recover, push again. That's how growth happens. It's dangerous, sure—but I can heal injuries, so we don't have to worry about long-term damage."
She was quiet for a moment, then asked, almost hesitantly, "Will you help me train, Naruto? You're a powerful mage… Can you guide me?"
Naruto blinked.
He hadn't expected that.
"I'd love to help," he said with a soft chuckle, "but my magic… it's different. You won't be able to copy it."
Arche looked at him, not surprised in the slightest. She had already guessed as much. His techniques didn't follow any known system of magic, and the effects were far too fast and physical to be traditional spellwork.
Still—his willingness mattered more.
"How about this," Naruto continued, "you tell me everything you know—how your magic works, how you cast, what limits you've hit. We'll work through it together. I can't teach you my system, but I can help you improve yours."
Arche smiled slightly. It wasn't often she opened up, but this time, she felt… reassured. Despite the violent training, despite the unfamiliar world Naruto had brought her into—there was sincerity in his words.
"Alright," she said. "I'll show you everything I know."
"Good," Naruto said with a nod. "Then we'll make something stronger than either of us could manage alone."
Down below, Brain was thrown again, this time letting out a grunt of frustration.
"Though… maybe we'll skip the part where you get punched into a tree."
Arche allowed herself a rare laugh.
"Thank God for that."
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Leaving behind the ongoing brawl where Clementine was gleefully walloping poor Brain into the dirt (again), Naruto and Arche made their way to the forest fortress—a place that could best be described as a cross between a hideout, a construction site, and a rather ambitious treehouse resort. Towering trees shielded the clearing, where dozens of Naruto clones scurried about in identical orange coats, hauling timber, shaping stone, and arguing over roof angles with a degree of seriousness usually reserved for military generals.
In one corner of the makeshift courtyard, the twin girls were squealing with laughter as they played tag with a very huffy-looking Ryu and a patient Pesimon, who was currently being used as a rather unwilling climbing frame.
"I told them to go easy on Ryu," Naruto muttered with a helpless grin as the little dragon squawked indignantly, his dignity shredded by twin giggles and messy braids tied in his mane.
"I think they're bonding," Arche said dryly, her gaze following the chaos before turning back to Naruto. "Though I imagine he might be in therapy for it."
They both chuckled, and for a moment, the world felt wonderfully normal.
Then Arche cleared her throat and looked at him seriously. "You said you'd help me improve my magic. So… let me tell you how it works."
Naruto listened attentively as Arche sat down cross-legged beside a stump and began to explain. Her tone became animated, almost professorial—like a young Hermione Granger giving an impromptu lecture at the Hogwarts library.
"Wizards like me work by controlling mana—it's a kind of spiritual energy. It flows through our bodies and lets us connect to the magical world. When we cast spells, we're actually forming magical patterns using mana and then invoking them with precise incantations. The stronger your mana, the higher the tier of spell you can cast."
She paused and looked at him meaningfully.
"I can see mana. Yours is… enormous," she admitted, as if confessing to sneaking an extra biscuit.
Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, I've got a lot of chakra. Maybe it's kind of like that?"
"It is," she said quickly. "You use it like mana, but your method of control is completely different—more physical. More... instinctive. For us, learning spells takes years of study. The higher the tier, the more mana and knowledge required. I'm a Tier Three Mage. That's considered genius-level for a fifteen-year-old."
"Tier Three?" Naruto echoed. "What's the highest?"
"Tier Six. At least, that's what Fluder, the most famous wizard in the Empire, achieved. The Slane Theocracy's got ways to push past that, to Tier Seven, but only using ancient relics and complicated rituals."
She sighed and plucked a leaf from the ground, twisting it between her fingers.
"But there's a limit to how far you can go just by reading. I need more mana. More stamina. I get exhausted after a few big spells. That's called mana exhaustion—your body gives out when you go too far."
Naruto nodded, already sorting through ideas in his head.
"That's like chakra burnout," he said. "If you run out, you faint—or worse. I used to collapse all the time during training. Granny Tsunade would always scold me... Anyway, if that's your problem, I think we can work on it."
Arche looked up, eyes hopeful. "You can help?"
"Definitely. Physical training might help your mana reserves grow, just like it does with chakra. We'll do running, sparring, maybe some controlled meditations. That way your body adapts to holding more power."
She stared at him, uncertain. "You mean... you want me to exercise?"
Naruto gave her a broad grin. "Welcome to the ninja way!"
She groaned but laughed, the sound light and genuine.
"But there's one more thing," Naruto added, tapping his chin. "If you want to go beyond Tier Three, you'll need new spells—more knowledge. I'll see if I can get my hands on spellbooks, scrolls, anything useful. Might have to buy, trade, or... well, borrow without asking."
"Please don't rob any magical libraries," Arche said with an amused glance.
"I make no promises," Naruto replied with mock solemnity.
They sat together for a while longer, chatting about spellcasting and chakra flows as the clones worked tirelessly and Ryu finally escaped his miniature captors, looking thoroughly traumatized. The sun filtered through the trees, casting golden light on the beginnings of something wonderful—not just a fortress, but a team, a family, and a new future.
And for Arche, for the first time in a long while, learning magic didn't feel lonely anymore.