Chapter 82

Naruto held Raven close, his arms wrapped around her bare form as she rested against his chest. The air was thick with the remnants of their passion, their bodies still entwined in the lingering heat of their intimacy. Raven's breath was slow, her body still trembling slightly from the hours they had spent together. She was lost in the afterglow, her normally composed demeanor shattered by the sheer intensity of their connection.

Naruto, however, was already shifting his focus back to the pressing matters at hand. With a gentle tap on her cheek, he brought her back to reality.

"Raven," he murmured, brushing a few strands of dark violet hair from her sweat-slicked face, "I came across a master of darkness. Can you cross-check my memories and see if you can find anything?"

Raven blinked, still dazed, her mind struggling to regain clarity. Instead of answering right away, she leaned up and captured his lips in a slow, sensual kiss, her hips lazily rolling against his in a way that made him groan.

"What happened?" she finally asked, her voice husky with exhaustion and satisfaction.

Naruto sighed, resisting the temptation to keep things going. His hands traced lazy patterns along her back before settling on her waist, fingers squeezing possessively. "Someone was possessing Aresia," he explained. "They used darkness. They're targeting me, so I need to know who I'm up against."

Raven hummed, resting her forehead against his. "Let me check."

As the words left her lips, she shuddered, her body clenching around him as another wave of pleasure washed over her. Naruto held her through it, his grip tightening as she let out a breathy moan. His warmth flooded into her, but there was no conception—not yet. Her father, Trigon, had ensured that outcome for now.

With the pleasure fading, Raven's expression shifted into one of focus. Her eyes glowed white as she connected her soul to Naruto's, diving into his memories.

She saw what he had seen.

A battle wreathed in darkness. A force that was neither demon nor human. It was old, powerful, and dangerous.

Her demonic blood stirred in recognition, confirming her worst suspicions. This was not a mere sorcerer or even a demonic entity. It was something greater.

An Immortal.

An Olympian, a Titan, or possibly even a Primordial.

Among the Olympians, Nemesis wielded such darkness, but she was a force of balance—not chaos. Hades was powerful enough, but he was bound to the Underworld and rarely interfered in mortal affairs.

No, there was only one being who made sense.

"It's probably Nyx," Raven concluded, closing off the connection.

Naruto's eyes widened slightly. "Nyx? Really?"

Raven gave him a knowing look. "You always attract the wrong kind of attention. It was only a matter of time." She smirked before biting his ear teasingly. "Or are you afraid?"

Naruto growled playfully before landing a sharp slap on her backside, making her gasp. "Afraid? How could I be afraid when I already promised to face your father?" His golden eyes burned with determination. "Do you have any way to reach her, or do we have to wait for her to make the first move?"

Raven rested her chin on his shoulder, still clinging to him. "Her domain is in the upper dimensions. Entering her territory would be dangerous—her influence would be absolute there. It would be better to stay out of it."

Naruto's gaze darkened. "Then maybe it's time we had a talk with Gaea."

Raven stiffened slightly at the name.

Naruto had learned long ago that Gaea was responsible for his arrival in this world. He had never met her directly, but her influence was undeniable. She had brought him here for a purpose—to spread righteousness and to prepare for a future threat, one that the Overlord Naruto had warned him about with deadly seriousness.

Raven studied his expression, concern flickering in her violet eyes. "Are you sure about this? If you question her directly, it could be dangerous."

Naruto nodded firmly. "We'll never know if we keep delaying it. And besides… I owe her my life. I should at least trust her enough to believe she won't kill me for asking questions."

Raven sighed, then pressed a soft kiss against his collarbone. "Okay. But we are coming with you."

Naruto smirked. "I thought you'd say I am coming with you."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't try to antagonize us. We're sisters now after having to share you for so long."

Naruto chuckled. "Weren't you the one complaining about not getting enough time with me?"

Raven narrowed her eyes playfully. "Sometimes, emotions take over, and selfishness rises to the surface. Would you blame me for saying such things?"

Naruto pulled her closer, his voice soft. "No. I like it when you act like that. It makes you look so cute."

She huffed, but the small smile on her lips betrayed her amusement. "I'll take that as a compliment."

Naruto's heart swelled with affection.

Their relationship had grown in unexpected ways. While he could have used clones to spend time with each of them, they had all agreed to keep intimacy exclusive to his main body. It made things more personal—more real.

Some days, he would dedicate time to one-on-one moments with each of them. Other days, they would spend time together as a family, growing more comfortable with each other's presence.

Of course, there were moments of jealousy, moments where they all wished they had more time alone with him. But that was life. Nothing could be perfect.

Despite that, their bond was strong—stronger than any normal relationship could ever hope to be.

There had been obstacles, adjustments, and heated moments, but it was working.

And now, with Nyx's involvement and a potential confrontation with Gaea on the horizon, Naruto knew that things were only going to get more complicated.

But that was fine.

No matter what happened, he wouldn't face it alone.

As the warmth of their embrace faded, Naruto and Raven reluctantly parted, the weight of reality settling upon them once more. Their time together had been an escape—a fleeting moment of passion in the midst of the chaos surrounding them. But duty called, and there were questions that needed answers.

Naruto stretched his arms, his golden eyes flickering with determination as he reached for his clothes. With practiced ease, he dressed, tightening the sash around his waist before slipping on his cloak. Across from him, Raven adjusted her attire, her expression calm but thoughtful.

"I need to have a talk with Madame Xanadu," Naruto said, breaking the comfortable silence. "You go ahead first."

Raven glanced at him, tilting her head slightly. "Do you think she might have a clue about your homeworld?"

A rare moment of hesitation crossed Naruto's face before he nodded. "Yeah… I think she might."

Raven's expression softened, a gentle smile forming on her lips. She knew how much this mystery weighed on him. No matter how much he had embraced this world and the people in it, the question of his origins never truly left his mind. He never spoke about it often, but all of them—his women, his friends, his family—could see it lingering in his heart.

"If that's the case, then I'll look forward to the good news," she said, her voice filled with quiet encouragement.

Naruto met her gaze, feeling the sincerity behind her words. He reached out, brushing his fingers against her cheek for a brief moment before stepping back.

"Thanks, Raven."

With that, the air around them shimmered, the arcane energies of teleportation activating. A swirl of dark shadows enveloped Raven as she phased away, vanishing into the void. At the same time, golden light flared around Naruto as he prepared to transport himself to Madame Xanadu's domain.

He exhaled deeply.

Madame Xanadu… if anyone could glimpse beyond the veils of time and fate, it would be her.

And if she did have a clue about his homeworld…

Then he was finally one step closer to the truth.

With a final surge of energy, Naruto disappeared from the region, leaving behind only the echoes of his presence.

As the warmth of their embrace faded, Naruto and Raven reluctantly parted, the weight of reality settling upon them once more. Their time together had been an escape—a fleeting moment of passion in the midst of the chaos surrounding them. But duty called, and there were questions that needed answers.

Naruto stretched his arms, his golden eyes flickering with determination as he reached for his clothes. With practiced ease, he dressed, tightening the sash around his waist before slipping on his cloak. Across from him, Raven adjusted her attire, her expression calm but thoughtful.

"I need to have a talk with Madame Xanadu," Naruto said, breaking the comfortable silence. "You go ahead first."

Raven glanced at him, tilting her head slightly. "Do you think she might have a clue about your homeworld?"

A rare moment of hesitation crossed Naruto's face before he nodded. "Yeah… I think she might."

Raven's expression softened, a gentle smile forming on her lips. She knew how much this mystery weighed on him. No matter how much he had embraced this world and the people in it, the question of his origins never truly left his mind. He never spoke about it often, but all of them—his women, his friends, his family—could see it lingering in his heart.

"If that's the case, then I'll look forward to the good news," she said, her voice filled with quiet encouragement.

Naruto met her gaze, feeling the sincerity behind her words. He reached out, brushing his fingers against her cheek for a brief moment before stepping back.

"Thanks, Raven."

With that, the air around them shimmered, the arcane energies of teleportation activating. A swirl of dark shadows enveloped Raven as she phased away, vanishing into the void. At the same time, golden light flared around Naruto as he prepared to transport himself to Madame Xanadu's domain.

He exhaled deeply.

Madame Xanadu… if anyone could glimpse beyond the veils of time and fate, it would be her.

And if she did have a clue about his homeworld…

Then he was finally one step closer to the truth.

With a final surge of energy, Naruto disappeared from the region, leaving behind only the echoes of his presence.

Steam curled around the spacious bath as Kushina let out a sigh, the warmth of the water and the sake in her hand making her feel at peace. After a long day, this was her moment of tranquility, a rare reprieve from the chaos of their daily lives.

That peace, however, was abruptly shattered.

In a flash of darkness, Raven appeared—completely naked—right in the middle of the bath.

"Mom, we might have found a lead!" she announced without hesitation.

Kushina arched a brow, her free hand instinctively covering her cup of sake as she turned to the sudden intruder.

The others—Kara and Veritas—perked up at the statement, curiosity pulling them closer.

"Found what?" Kushina asked, though her sharp gaze immediately noticed the signs—the faint glow of magic energy clinging to Raven's skin, the slight exhaustion in her posture.

That boy.

Her son had played with her again.

Kushina resisted the urge to shake her head, a smile creeping onto her lips instead.

'That boy is too active.'

At least silence seals existed, or she would have found herself in a very awkward position more than once.

It was already difficult enough being celibate for a whole year, but if she had to endure hearing those kinds of noises every night, she might have snapped.

Even now, she felt ashamed that she had resorted to using a shadow clone of Minato to deal with her frustrations… but what else could she do? She was still young, beautiful, and full of life.

And thanks to Naruto and Veritas's intervention, her body had been restored beyond its prime, with a completely functioning chakra system. Her reserves now far surpassed her old self, though in the Golden Dawn, she was still considered one of the weakest.

Only Lagoon Boy and Veritas were below her, while Impulse, Blue Beetle, and the other girls outclassed her by miles.

Raven remained the strongest, followed by Naruto and Kara.

Though none of them had realized that Naruto was actually second, not third—a secret that only he and Raven truly understood.

"Naruto found a clue to getting home," Raven said, her voice buzzing with excitement. "He's meeting with someone right now, and soon, we might be able to meet Gaea. You know what that means?"

Kushina's eyes widened.

Home?

Her breath caught in her throat.

"We can go home soon, woohoo!" Kushina cried out in joy, her voice echoing through the bath.

Even though the Moon Base was a paradise, she missed home. She missed Konoha, the land of her ancestors.

And most of all…

She wanted to bring Minato back.

If she could find the right scum, she wouldn't hesitate to use them for the forbidden jutsu to revive him. Some lives were simply expendable in the grand scheme of things.

But before she could get too ahead of herself, Kara looped her arms around both Raven and Kushina, pulling them in with a huge grin.

"Calm down, girls," she laughed. "Let's not party too soon. Let's wait for Naruto to come back first, and then we can party all night."

Kushina rolled her eyes at her wording.

"Not that kind of party, Shay," she muttered, shooting a glance at Veritas, who was already smirking.

This girl… she was too open with her affections.

It had been an absolute shock when Kushina had walked in on her attacking Naruto in the living room.

Veritas stretched lazily in the bath, an unapologetic smirk on her lips. "Hey, I was just trying to spice things up. Blame Naruto for being too sexy. I can't control myself around him."

"Have some shame, woman!" Kara rebuked her playfully. "That's your mother-in-law you're talking to!"

Veritas flipped her wet hair back dramatically. "Never! I will not be chained again! This love is meant to be free!"

Kushina smirked, crossing her arms. "Do it outside my house before I chain you to the bed."

Veritas's eyes gleamed with mischief. "I'd like to see you try, mother-in-law."

And at that very moment, thousands of special effects went off in the bathhouse—golden sparkles, slow-motion waves, dramatic zoom-ins…

Raven blinked. "When did you design this?" she asked, watching the over-the-top scene unfold like a bad Indian soap opera.

"In the morning," Veritas admitted proudly. "I thought it'd be fun to have these dramatic moments for situations just like this. You know, since we're officially daughter and mother-in-law now."

"You have some weird tastes," Raven deadpanned.

"Coming from a woman who watches kids' shows and romantic dramas, that's not very convincing."

"You also watch those romantic dramas!"

"So? That just means we have similar tastes. Your argument is null and void."

Raven sighed, shaking her head in defeat. "I don't know how your brain works, so let's just move on and prepare for Naruto."

Kushina leaned back in the water, a fond smile on her lips.

Her son was so close to achieving his goal.

And when that day came…

She was going home.