I do not own this story. It originally belongs to EvilFuzzy9 which was republished by Fpsroxas.

Naruto Shippuden belongs to Masashi Kishimoto

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

The taste wasn't something he could easily describe. Kind of sweet, in a vague way, but also a little tangy. There was saltiness, however slight, something of sweat which dripped down her skin.

It wasn't ungodly delicious, or the most appetizing thing he had ever tasted. It wasn't a bad taste, by any means, but it was strange, something he was not used to.

But if Sasuki was going to be his wife, then it would only be fair for him to become accustomed to it. Learn to love it to the same extent she loved his own taste, come to adore eating her out and pleasuring her as much as she so clearly did for him.

Give and take. Love was equal measures, a back and forth between one and another. If she wished to stay with him in that way, then he would do right by her and be a good, dutiful husband. He would withhold no pleasure or service from her, because he could see in her eyes that she would withhold nothing from him.

It was kind of awkard, with her inner thighs coming up around his head, squeezing together. His ears were buried in soft, firmly toned flesh, and his nose was half buried in Sasuki's pubic hair.

His nostrils tickled, and his lips smacked clumsily against Sasuki's labia. It was hot and wet, his tongue fumbling through the Uchiha's moist folds. He licked her blossom, lapping up her nectar.

Faintly, he recalled himself being much more skilled at this kind of thing. His illusory self, at least.

But he improved quickly, judging by the growing volume of Sasuki's moans. She thrashed blissfully beneath him, purring and squealing as he steadily got the hang of eating her out. Perhaps he was learning, or maybe he was just remembering the skills of the 'him' who had lived his whole life in this world.

Whatever the case, Sasuki clearly loved it. She bucked her hips, slamming her pelvis into his face. Naruto felt himself harden and throb, moaning and groaning into his wife's enticing crotch.

He kissed her deeply, passionately below the border, delving his tongue fearlessly as far as it could go. He lapped up her nectar, drinking of her love's elixir as thirstily as a man who had wandered the desert. His hands gripped her thighs, massaging firm muscles, stroking soft and shivering skin.

Naruto's manhood ached wonderfully as he ate Sasuki out, pleasuring his wife as eagerly and generously as she had just pleasured him. He twinged and pulsed, twitching and clenching a little more with every lick.

Her fires threatened to consume him. He was lost in the warmth of her blossom, a flowering inferno that devoured him whole.

She came, her juices gushing over his lips, dribbling down his chin. Her body shuddered, her breasts heaving, and she let loose a lusty moan. Her womanhood clenched, and nectar flooded out.

"Na...Naruto, dear...❤ " she groaned, panting. Her skin glistened in the sunlight, rosy and slick with sweat. "Oh, yesss..."

Her head lolled back, and she shivered again. Naruto's teeth ever-so-gently scraped the nub of her clitoris, and Sasuki hissed. Again, she came, and again he lapped it up. He pleasured her graciously, all but lost in the embrace they now shared.

Hinata watched, biting her lip. She was tense and red, blushing deeply and quivering, her eyes glimmering with a scarce repressed envy. Hesitation was evident, her hands reaching out only to fall back, the young woman dearly longing to be with Naruto, but feeling overwhelmed and insecure.

Gone, or perhaps merely forgotten, was the quiet confidence of the Hinata who had been Sasuki's childhood friend, among the earliest and most tender of Naruto's lovers alongside the Uchiha. She was no coward, but what she saw now was simply too much for her too handle all at once.

Sakura watched, her eyes locked with Sasuki's. She stared into those deep pools of jet, seeing the glitter of a warmth and light that had, before this illusion, seemed utterly lost. She clenched her hands, curling and uncurling her fingers. She fidgeted and worried, her eyes damp.

She saw the happiness. She beheld how delighted and peaceful Sasuki now looked. She recalled also the pleasures she had experienced at Naruto's hands, the love he had made to her, the daughter she had borne him. Sakura trembled, hesitating, uncertain. She knew what she desired, but feared to reach out and take it.

Gaara was blushing, squirming and whimpering, touching herself anxiously and clumsily as she observed the lovemaking of Naruto and Sasuki. Her fingers dug hesitantly into the soft and doughy tissue of her bosom, kneading and groping her breasts. The heel of her palm pressed down into the scarlet tuft of pubic hair, a hiss escaping through her teeth as she slid fingers over the aching slit of her womanhood.

She pinched one of her nipples, and shivered. Her body roiled, soft flesh rippling as shudders of pleasure raced though her nerves. A finger slipped past her nether lips, delving curiously into the silky folds of her blossom. Nectar dripped, hot and sweet. Her clothes lay discarded at her feet.

Sasuki let out a slight whine as Naruto finally pulled himself away from her cunt, pouting a little bit as he licked his lips. She blushed, though, at the grin he then gave her.

"Heheh... that was pretty fun!" Naruto confessed, and he stood back up. All four of the women surrounding him blushed to see the extent of his erection.

"Ah... Naruto's..." Hinata whispered. "It seems... bigger than before..."

Sakura's cheeks burned, the young woman scarcely able to tear her gaze from the naked sexes of Naruto and Sasuki.

"He's even harder than he was when Sasuki..." the pinkette mumbled, gulping. "D-Did he really enjoy it that much?"

She squeezed her legs together, squirming a little. There was something faraway in her eyes, a hint of fantasizing as she considered these recent developments. Her thighs looked firm and supple, with just the right degree of softness.

"Ohhh..." Gaara moaned, panting and blushing. "I think... I want him to do that for me...❤"

Her bosom heaved visibly, her hips bucking a little in excitement. She smiled, eyeing Naruto's naked form with a quiet intensity.

"Do you remember it, still...?" Sasuki mewled, looking around at her fellow wives. "Why we all love him so much? Even if you recall the lives you had before..."

"I... do love him," Hinata whispered, smiling. She stood up from the bench, meeting Sasuki's eyes. "I remember before this world, and my feelings are not changed."

She took a step towards Naruto, meeting his eyes. He smiled sheepishly at her.

"I'm sorry it had to be like this..." he said. "That you would..."

"No, don't apologize," Sakura interjected, taking a step forward. She stood alongside Hinata now, a soft and warm expression in her eyes. "I've... loved Sasuke for so long. I still love Sasuki. But... I love you too, Naruto. Maybe I'm just being selfish, but... I want to keep both of you. All of you."

She looked over at Hinata and Gaara as she said this last part. The two smiled back at her, and nodded.

"Yes," said Gaara, standing and moving up on Hinata's other side. "I am... happy, with this. Whatever else may happen... the woman I am now loves you all dearly. The man I once was admired our husband. I still admire him now."

She smiled at Naruto, her naked form contrasting rather lewdly with the fully dressed figures of Sakura and Hinata. Even Sasuki still had the sarashi wrapped over her breasts.

"I'm glad to hear that..." Naruto mumbled, scratching his cheek. He grinned sheepishly. "'Cause I'm pretty sure I still love all four of you, even though I remember the real world..."

His expression grew more serious, then.

"But... we can't just leave things the way they are," he whispered, glancing around at them sadly. "Even if the four of you are all... there's still a chance that others are unchanged. And if there is even a chance of that... there's still a reason to go back to reality."

Sasuki looked up at him sadly.

"Even if they are all happy here?" she asked.

Naruto shook his head slowly.

"Maybe if everyone could be... but I know already that some aren't. Kaguya made this illusion to pacify me. She doesn't care about creating an ideal world for everyone." He grimaced. "I mean... how many of our friends have been made into..."

He hesitated, blushing. Nervously, he coughed.

"Sex slaves?" said Sakura, smiling understandingly.

Naruto nodded, glancing over to where his wives' attendants watched four preteen girls play in the grass.

"It's not fair to them," he said, "to not even have a choice... the people we are in this illusion aren't the people we were in reality."

"Maybe not entirely," said Gaara. "But we share a common seed. It is possible to reconcile those two lives, and come out happy with what we now have."

Hinata frowned, though.

"Maybe for us," she murmured. "But we have very special places in this world, don't we? As Naruto's wives..."

She blushed, smiling at their husband.

"Right," Naruto said. "You guys at least... get to have a legitimate relationship, even if it is... different. But a lot of the others are just..."

"There for your amusement?" Sasuki guessed. She sighed. "And you are too kind to leave it that way..."

"It wouldn't be right," Naruto insisted. "I've already sworn to take Kaguya down. I'd be a total hypocrite if I didn't at least give them all the choice on what to do when everything is over."

"Do you plan to dispel the illusion?" Sakura asked him.

"I don't know. Everything is so complicated... I need time to figure it out."

Gaara smiled.

"Whatever decision you make, I will support it."

"As will I."

"M-Me too!"

"And... myself, also..."

Naruto looked around at his wives. He smiled.

"You girls... I promise, I'll set things right. And when everything is over... I'll do right by you."

"You already have," Sasuki said, to a chorus of nods from her fellow wives.

Naruto's grin widened.

"The truth should be known," he said. "A world of lies like this... is hardly any better than the world we all fought so hard to change!"

Sasuki, Gaara, Hinata, and Sakura all nodded.

"We'll help you change this world. We'll do whatever it takes!" they swore.

"Memory is the key," Naruto said, before drawing once more on the chakra of the tailed beasts. "I will unlock the truth. For all of them."

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

First were his wives' attendants.

Ino stared at Naruto for five whole seconds. Her face turned pink. She tore her gaze away from him, and stared at Sakura.

Her face turned red.

Five seconds later, again, she tore her gaze from Sakura to look at Sasuki.

The Uchiha smiled at Ino, naked as the day she was born, and still dripping a fair quantity of juices from her recent session with Naruto.

The platinum blonde's nose became a geyser of blood.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Shiho stared at Naruto. Her glasses quickly fogged up, her face red as a beet. She looked distinctly conscious of her own nudity.

"I... can I... still... do things, with Shikamaru-kun...?" she asked after a long moment of awkward silence.

Naruto scratched the back of his neck, chuckling sheepishly.

"Um, I guess?" he replied. "He's kind of a she at the moment, but..."

Shiho clenched a fist, looking inappropriately victorious.

"Then I still have a chance!" she declared with a faintly comical level of conviction.

Sakura did a facefault.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Temari blinked, humming thoughtfully. She glanced sidelong at her sister/brother, who was shaking her head and muttering in quiet confusion, still disoriented from the sudden influx of chakra and memories.

"Well, Kankuro, look on the bright side!" she said, a smirk coming onto her face. "Now you finally have an excuse to be playing with dolls."

Kanakuro glared icily at her big sis.

"Bitch."

"Cow."

"Slut!"

"Cunt!"

Naruto stared, weakly bemused, at the interaction between the two.

"They seem to be taking this quite well," Gaara observed.

"They do...?" Naruto wondered.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

"You know, Neji-niisan," Hanabi remarked, smiling far too chipperly at her cousin. "You always were a little girly-looking..."

Nejie mournfully cupped her large and bouncy breasts, rubbing her legs together and feeling the absence of something that should have been there.

"First the cross-dressing..." she muttered, voice fairly low and deep even in this female form. "...and now this! Why me?"

"It... does look pretty natural on you," Naruto admitted, sheepishly looking away as the Hyuuga bleakly groped her ample tits.

Nejie's face turned a dangerously vibrant shade of red.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Itami and Shimizu were making out passionately when Naruto gave them a slice of chakra.

The two paused momentarily as memories of the real world – and their own respective deaths – came flooding back to them.

After a moment's thought, Itachi and Shisui Uchiha (in naked female bodies) went right back to snogging each other.

Naruto sweatdropped.

Sasuki smiled happily.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

With his wives' attendants memories restored, Naruto next went off to fill in his other slaves.

Samui seemed utterly unaffected by the addition of chakra. Rather, she turned to look at Karui and Omoi, who were blinking and staring down at their nude, collared bodies.

"I told you so," she said, sounding just a tiny bit satisfied to see the looks on her teammates' faces.

"My little Omoi..." Omoi said, looking down a touch melancholically between her legs. "He's really gone, huh?"

Karui gnashed her teeth, snarling and hissing, all but frothing at the mouth.

"I... AM GOING... TO KILL THAT WOMAN!" she roared, before descending into utter incoherency, blind rage robbing her of the ability to speak clearly.

Naruto gulped nervously.

"J-Just so you know, this whole illusion thing was NOT my idea," he said, trying to make sure the redhead wouldn't take her anger out on him. "Okay?"

To the blond's bemusement, Samui, Karui, and Omoi all blushed and looked away from him.

They cutely mumbled something or other under their breaths, before looking into his eyes and smiling with various degrees of understanding... mixed with just the slightest trace of visceral lust.

Naruto sheepishly hiraishin'd away before things could get too awkward.

Or sexual.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Kin, Saku, and Doki all blinked in unison.

"That's right," Kin said. "We died, didn't we...?"

Saku glowered darkly down at her lap, arms peevishly crossed.

"Dammit..." she growled.

Doki looked at Gaara. A glint of recognition came into her visible eye.

"Huh," she said. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you looked an awful lot like..."

Gaara blushed, briefly averting her gaze.

"Um. Yes," she said, coughing nervously. "My apologies over the whole, ah... killing you, thing."

Doki blushed, what little of her face was visible from under the bandages turning bright pink. Weakly, she waved one of her hands in a dismissive gesture.

"N-No worries," she said. "After all, I was trying to kill you, too..."

A moment of awkward silence ensued.

"Dammit!" Saku abruptly snapped. "If I HAD to be brought back as a chick, why couldn't that stupid whatever-her-name-is at least give me a decent pair of knockers? I'm flatter than Kin was back when we were alive!" she complained.

Kin responded with a timely – and painful – dope slap.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

"You MOTHERFUCKER!" Tayuya swore, leaping at Naruto. "I will tear off your cock and feed it to you, you goddamn human CUNT! If you had to make me a sex slave, couldn't you have at least made me the one in charge?!"

Naruto sweatdropped, Tayuya's attempts at violently garroting him not even managing so much as to depress the skin around his throat, let alone actually inconvenience him in any significant way.

Kidohana moved multiple hands up and down her body, scowling a little.

"Great," she muttered. "First that Hyuuga kills me... then our brilliant attempt at revenge from beyond the grave gets foiled by that loudmouth tagalong... and now I'm brought back to life as a woman... without even a decent pair of breasts as compensation!"

(Naruto sweatdropped, silently musing that this complaint sounded AWFULLY familiar...)

Sakon and Ukon sniggered at the arachnid shinobi.

"I don't see what the big deal is," said the former. "We've been inside plenty of female bodies."

"Although usually that ended with their deaths!" the latter added.

Tayuya paused her attempts in strangling Naruto to give the twins (who had, even in life, been rather effeminate-looking) a very squicked out look.

"Ew," she said. "I did NOT need to hear about your sex life."

Sakon blinked.

"Who said anything about sex?" she said.

Ukon stared at her sister.

"Wait... you were talking about our jutsu?"

Sakon quickly shushed her twin.

Naruto decided he'd rather not know any more.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Guren looked at Naruto. She stared into his eyes for three seconds.

Then she shrugged and got down on her knees.

"Well?" she said, hungrily eyeing the zipper on his trousers. "You gonna keep me waiting?"

Sheepishly, Naruto formed a shadow clone and left it behind with Guren.

Then he hurried away before he could stop to consider the slight hypocrisy of this act.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Kagerou smiled, looking down at her body.

"My beautiful true form..." she said, gazing at her slim and pale figure. "...I am in it, but I'm not dying..."

Her eyes got a little teary, and she threw her arms around Naruto.

"You have NO idea how much this means to me!" she gushed, embracing him gleefully.

Sasame pouted jealously at her fellow Fuuma.

"...all this time waiting for him..." she muttered, crossing her arms over a generous, bare chest. "...and still the only way I was able to get a taste was through some giant illusion..."

She huffed, cheeks erubescent.

"Why can't you touch me like you did when we first met?" she asked him peevishly. "In reality, I mean?"

Sheepishly, Naruto formed two shadow clones and left them behind with Sasame and Kagerou.

Déjà vu.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Midori, Ibiko, and Inoichi were with the next girls on Naruto's little check list: Konan and Yahiko.

(Pain was nowhere to be seen, however)

Despite finding the absence of Nagato a touch disconcerting, Naruto nonetheless restored the memories of the girls who were present.

"Here," he said, sending a shot of his chakra into their bodies. "You should remember pretty soon."

"Remember what?" Midori asked him, scratching her head in a way that was far too cute to be fair.

Ibiko and Inoichi looked ready to ask similar questions, before their eyes widened, and they looked down at their bodies.

"...huh," Inoichi hummed, looking thoughtfully between her legs. "No dick. The wife is not gonna like this." She paused a moment, before shrugging. "On the other hand, though, these tits are FANTASTIC!"

She fondled herself with a grin, before her face reddened, and she let out a slight moan.

"OH! Wow, I'm... pretty sure breasts shouldn't actually be this sensitive..."

She did not stop groping herself, though.

Ibiko looked less concerned about her body, and more perplexed by something else.

"What kind of name even is Ibiko?" she wondered, scowling thoughtfully. "How would you even write that...? Ibi...? I-bi...? The ko, at least, is probably written with the radical for child... Hmph, maybe if the ibi is two separate characters, you could write it as one and fire... but... hrm..."

Naruto sweatdropped.

"You... could just use kana, you know," he said. "Like you did with Ibiki."

Ibiko didn't seem to hear him, though.

"If I had to be given a female name... something like Ibuki could have worked fine," she muttered, eyes closed and cheeks the faintest tinge of pink. "That's a rather cute name... and well-established, too. Ibiko sounds vaguely unpleasant..."

Midori sighed.

"So much for the feared head interrogator," grumbled the woman who had once been known as Aoba. She looked down at her own endowments, modestly sized and perky. Then she looked at Naruto. "Hrm... Not that I particularly mind having a decent pair like this, but... when are you planning to dispel this illusion?"

She cleared her throat, blushing rather hotly.

"It's pretty weird feeling myself get so hot and bothered when I look at you..." she mumbled, averting her gaze a touch sheepishly.

Yahiko and Konan largely ignored the state of their interrogators. Whatever else may have changed, at the moment these two clearly only had eyes for each other. They gazed passionately and intently into one another's eyes, smiling softly and blushing.

"You... look as breathtaking as ever, Konan..." whispered Yahiko, inching closer to the woman who could have become her wife.

Konan smiled, naked as a jaybird, and scooted right up to Yahiko, practically purring as she laid her cheek on the taller, more buxom woman's shoulder.

"And you still have... such a wonderful warmth, Yahiko," she whispered, wrapping her arms around the woman who had once been the love of her life.

Naruto blushed, and looked away as the two kissed. Not because it was arousing (and boy howdy was it ever), but rather because it felt almost like he was intruding on something very private and special.

"Ah... true love is a whole other thing, isn't it...?" he quietly mused. "Those eyes... it's just like them. They really were telling the truth, weren't they...?"

Slowly, he sighed and shook his head.

"No time for that now," he muttered. "There are still... a LOT of people left to go..."

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Here, in brief, are related the reactions of the rest.

Deidara swore undying vengeance on Kaguya. Something about being mistaken for a woman enough already.

Sasori seemed relatively indifferent, stating that she had discarded all concepts of man or woman many years ago.

(She still seemed to almost blush when she looked at Naruto, however)

The first thing Kouma asked Naruto was where she could find Itachi-san. He pointed her in the right direction, and the woman headed off with very curious mutterings of, "...say I would look unpleasant as a woman, will you...?

Kakuzu, like Sasori, was fairly indifferent, stating that she had taken enough female body parts in life to not really care what gender her body took.

(The amount of cash she made in tips at the Playful Fox probably had something to do with it)

Hidan was angrier, swearing to sacrifice Kaguya to her god, and saying some very impolite things about what she would do to the woman if she still had her dick. Despite this, though, she did not seem to mind asking Naruto to feel up her tits "for Jashin-sama". Whatever that meant.

Ayame went as red as a tomato when she remembered everything, and offered Naruto a lifetime supply of ramen if he would please kindly turn around long enough for her to put on some proper clothes. She was heavily embarrassed, but fortunately not angry.

Tsume said she was just glad to finally get a decent lay. Hana coughed anxiously and mumbled that Naruto was "cute enough".

Kiba had given her female relatives an exasperated look before trying to make Naruto swear that he would do something about this whole mess. Naruto said he would try to find a solution that would be best for everyone, although he couldn't make any promises just yet.

(Strangely, Kiba's face became very pink as he said that)

Ebiko politely asked Naruto to give her some privacy. The woman seemed a little too interested in her new, generically gorgeous body...

Heading out from the Playful Fox, Naruto stumbled across the young Sarutobi couple next. Asuka was moderately dismayed to realize she was no longer a man, although Kurenai seemed quite fascinated by her once-late lover's new female body.

Konohana and her teammates huddled together for a moment, after having their memories restored, before proudly announcing that they would do anything for their big bro Naruto.

(Moegi, in particular, said anything with a very deep blush, and a prolonged glance below Naruto's belt)

Koyuki Kazahana said, quite blandly, that the illusion rather reminded her of shooting for the Icha Icha Violence prequel.

Toki and Haruna, from the Lands of Birds and Vegetables, quietly blushed and said that they would relay the truth to their people.

The priestess Shion said that she did not care who else Naruto coupled with, so long as he helped ensure the continuation of her bloodline.

Amaru was very interested in the biological implications of men being turned into women, and said there were some important things she wanted to "study", before heading off in the direction of Naruto's wives.

Shizuka of Nadeshiko village asked Naruto if this meant he was going to make her his wife after all. Tokiwa had also seemed quite interested in "breeding a new generation of powerful young kunoichi."

Sumaru, Natsuhi, and Hokuto said they would relay this news to their home village, Hoshigakure. They all tried very hard not to look below Naruto's belt.

Hotaru asked where Utakata was. Naruto pointed her towards Hokage Tower. She bowed low in gratitude (showing every inch of her cleavage) before bouncily skipping off to "make up for lost time".

Isaribi asked where Anko was. Naruto wasn't sure, but he picked out the woman's chakra and pointed her in that direction. The piscine maiden playfully pecked him on the cheek as thanks.

Yondaime Raikage, Ay-chan, took a moment to test whether her new left arm worked as well as her old one. After a brief spar with Naruto, she concluded that it did, and took a hefty dose of Naruto's chakra to distribute among her fellow shinobi back in Kumogakure.

(She seemed oddly unsurprised to learn about the illusion...)

Godaime Mizukage, Mei Terumi, asked Naruto if he intended on making her his wife. He gulped and said, maybe, if she and his other wives were willing. Seeming satisfied with this answer, she took another helping of chakra, like Ay, and he hiraishin'd her off to the Hidden Mist.

Yondaime Tsuchikage, Kurotsuchi, glared at Naruto. Her face was beet red ("Why'd I have to lose it in an illusion...?" she'd muttered rather darkly), and she seemed mildly peevish as she took his chakra and his send off to Iwagakure to inform her own people.

Then, producing shadow clones to hiraishin off to the other major villages and population centers, Naruto took a moment to figure out who he had left to inform.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Team Gal (formerly known as Team Guy) took the news with mixed reactions.

Tenten didn't seem particularly surprised, or too terribly disturbed. Apparently she'd already been having flashbacks to reality for a while, and had slowly come to reconcile the illusion world with the world she had lived in before.

Leah had been temporarily distressed, until learning that Sakura was still very fond of Sasuki, who had also been turned into a woman. Then she clenched a fist and cheered that she still had a chance to win Sakura's heart.

Gal said confidently that as long as Leah was happy, she was happy.

Moving on, Naruto restored also the memories of Shiko Aburame, Anko Mitarashi, and the other chuunin and jounin.

Shiko asked Naruto whether being turned into a female made her stand out any more than before. Naruto sheepishly admitted that he'd almost completely forgotten about her existence, and the whole "body full of bugs" thing was still kinda squicky. She seemed more annoyed by him finding her body off-putting than his open admission of nearly forgetting she existed.

Anko, despite all rumors to the contrary, was not immediately on board with the whole kinky world of endless sex thing. She FIRST asked Naruto what his real cup-size was.

(That was one area where the illusion had changed nothing from reality)

Izumi and Tetsuko – formerly Izumo and Kotetsu – mused that their new duties in "serving" the hokage were still easier and more dignified than the jobs they'd had to do under Tsunade.

Raiko and Akane – originally Raidou and Genma – were of mixed opinions, but said that whatever Naruto chose to do, they would support.

Ruka and Suzume-sensei blushed terribly. The former abashedly asked Naruto if he was happy with the world as it was. Suzume, for her part, admitted that she was not too terribly displeased with the thought of things continuing in the illusion as they had been.

Choume Akimichi took the news of the illusion well enough, simply sitting down and cheerfully asking what Naruto planned to do about it.

Naruto admitted that he really wasn't sure anymore, and in response Choume suggested that he go ask Shikamari.

"Ah! Of course," Naruto exclaimed. "He did say he'd be my advisor, right? That Shikamaru..."

"She sure did," Choume said, nodding her head. "If there's anyone smart enough to help you work all of this out, it's definitely Shikamari."

Naruto gave Choume a pat on the shoulder, beaming at her.

"Thanks!" he said. "You're pretty smart yourself, haha!"

Choume laughed agreeably, and waved Naruto an amiable goodbye.

(^)(^)(^)(^)(^)

Which was how the Lord Sixth Hokage found himself sitting across from a fully-dressed Shikamari, the ponytailed woman irritably sighing and clasping her hands.

"So you finally figured it out, huh?" she said, seeing the look on his face and guessing his intent before he even said anything.

Naruto blinked.

"Wait, did you?" he said, gaping at her.

"Of course," Shikamari replied matter-of-factly. "It's obvious once you know what to look for."

Naruto sighed, shaking his head. Only someone as smart as Shikamaru could say something like that and genuinely mean it.

"So you remember reality, then?" he asked.

Shikamari hummed for a moment. She shook her head.

"No, I don't," she replied. "But I know there's quite a lot I've forgotten. Me and my clan are masters of Yin chakra: the same kind that's used in illusions. Even if I didn't KNOW this was a genjutsu, I'd still be able to tell. Even a blind woman can feel the sun on her skin."

She reclined in the shade of a tree sitting in the grass outside her house, on the very outskirts of Konoha's settled portions. Deer could be seen grazing not ten meters off, so accustomed to the presence of Nara shinobi as to be practically domesticated.

Despite himself, Naruto noticed the slight swell of Shikamari's flak vest, the subtle curve of her bust. Her neck was slender, smooth. No adam's apple in sight. Her face was a lot like Shikamaru's, yet there was also something softer, more feminine about her features...

Naruto blushed, realizing that he had been this close to practically almost ogling Shikamaru.

Shikamari.

...Man, this was still SO weird. Even after everything with Sasuki, he could only barely begin to wrap his head around the idea that all the guys he'd ever known were now women.

Sighing, he shook his head.

"Do you have any idea what I should do, then?" he asked.

"'Do?'" Shikamari parroted. "Hmph. That sounds an awful lot like work..."

Naruto couldn't help but grin, seeing this old comrade's well-known laziness shine through.

"...but before I even think about making a decision," Shikamari said, looking straight at the Rokudaime, "we should first figure out what we do and don't know."

This elicited a thoughtful hum from Naruto.

He had to admit that this was a very sensible thing to say, and greatly simplified a lot of the confusion. As long as there was a clear goal to aim for, he would gladly plow on through any obstacle.

"Well," Naruto said, crossing his arms over his chest. "We know this is an illusion. Infinite Tsukuyomi, or whatever."

"Sharingan genjutsu, eh?" said Shikamari, nodding her head slowly. "That makes sense. Illusions this in-depth are almost impossible to craft... though it also severely narrows our methods for breaking it, if that's the course we choose."

"If I have to break the illusion, I can," Naruto said simply. "I'm not sure exactly HOW I would do it... but I feel as sure about being able to do it as am about being able to walk on water."

"Feel, don't think... How very like you," Shikamari agreed, chuckling. "I don't remember what you were like in reality, but if it's anything like the you in this illusion, then I suppose I can take that confidence at face value."

Naruto blushed.

"I'm not as perverted as the illusion," he said hurriedly. "Not even close."

Shikamari eyed him languidly.

"That so?" she said. "Hm. Seems like a real shame to me, although that might just be the genjutsu talking..."

Naruto felt a shiver go up his spine, and he nervously coughed.

"You know, maybe I should restore your memory now..." he mumbled, only for Shikamari to hold up a hand.

"No," she said. "From the sound of things out there, I'd say you've already restored a lot of people's memories... and while I'm sure that would make some things clearer for me, I also feel like remembering reality might make me... unduly biased."

"...eh?" Naruto said intelligently.

"Let's be clear about one thing, Naruto," Shikamari explained. "The woman I am now finds this world rather enjoyable. She likes the free sex and stuff, and also thinks you're a pretty fine piece of ass. But the man I once was... while I might not remember him, I'm fairly sure he would feel very conflicted about this whole mess.

"And if I'm going to be advising you on the best course of action, then the last thing we wanna do is drag my old memories into the mix. I doubt I would be in any state to think these things through rationally, if I was forced to recall my old self."

She gave him a steady, certain look.

"I'm basically your advisor, right?" she said. "I've gotta be the voice of cold, calculating reason to your impulsive, emotional sentimentality. You – and probably a lot of people – would no doubt like it very much to have the illusion dispelled, because the 'real world' holds a certain, greater value in your hearts than one concocted by a genjutsu. But it's almost certainly more complicated than that. Otherwise you wouldn't have come looking for my advice."

Naruto winced.

"Y-Yeah... there are a surprising number of people who seem happy here," he mumbled. "Like Sasuki..."

"I don't doubt it," Shikamari said. "Just as I don't doubt that there are many others who feel cheated by this world, or shortchanged. Whether it was created as an illusion or not... this world has still become a kind of 'reality'. And reality isn't always fair."

Naruto laughed bitterly, this statement ringing depressingly true.

"Granny... Mari... Pervy Sage..." He nodded again. "Sensei and Obi... they're all still missing some of the people they cared about most. Some are alive who were dead in reality... but not all of them."

"No, not all of them." Shikamari nodded. "I'm sure of that. And that's why I need to keep my memories locked away. As I am now, I can step back and view things with a relative degree of objectivity. There's no guarantee I'll still be able to do that if you restore my memories. I'd probably get too worked up to think rationally."

She sighed, and shook her head. Quiet reigned for a few seconds.

Then she spoke again.

"Okay, so aside from the KIND of illusion this is, and the knowledge that opinions are naturally mixed..." Shikamari murmured. "What else do we know?"

"Kaguya's the one in control," Naruto said, after a moment's thought. "And... she calls me her son."

Shika hummed.

"Kaguya, huh?" she mused. "Suppose that makes sense. Honestly, it almost seems a little too obvious, with how she's had herself elevated to a goddess in here..."

Naruto coughed sheepishly.

"Uh, no... well, she kinda used to be worshiped as a goddess for real, way back when, I guess. Then she went crazy and fused with the World Tree to become a giant ten-tailed monster. Tried to take away the chakra her sons inherited from her..."

Shikamari's eyes glinted.

"Hmm... interesting," she said. "She calls you her son, but her real sons..." She hummed. "Envying her own offspring... I wonder..."

"Ah...?" Naruto saw the look in Shikamari's eyes, and felt a bit of hopefulness. It looked like she had an idea. "What is it?" he asked.

"I'm not sure yet, but I think I'm starting to get an idea... of the kind of person Kaguya is," Shikamari replied, grinning. "'Know thy enemy,' and all that. If even half of what you're telling me is accurate, then..."

She paused, trailing off briefly. She looked up at the clouds, chewing her lower lip, lost deep in thought.

"Why do you suppose she made an illusion like this?" Shikamari asked Naruto. "Why do you think she's fixated on you?"

Naruto blinked. He shrugged.

"Uh... I dunno, I kinda figured it was just 'cause I reminded her of her son...?"

"No, I don't think that's it..." Shikamari said. "You said she had sons, yet you're the only man alive... and she tried to take her chakra back from all of them..."

"There were two," Naruto helpfully interjected. "Hagoromo and... er, Hamura, I think."

"Right," Shikamaru mumbled. "I don't think it's because you remind her of a son. Not that I'm not sure you do, but... if this illusion is to be taken at face value as HER idea of a perfect world, then it seems pretty clear... that this woman has serious issues."

"That seemed pretty obvious from the start," Naruto replied.

"This is important, though," Shikamari said. "She controls everything in this world... but she lets you run around letting everyone know that the whole thing's a sham? There's clearly an ulterior motive. It... might be a trap of some kind."

"Yeah, it's probably a trap..." Naruto said sheepishly.

Coughing nervously, he then gave Shikamari a quick rundown of what had happened back at the hokage tower.

"Hm... So she isn't identifying you with her sons," Shikamari said, once Naruto had finished his abridged account. "Not any of her actual ones, at least. No... she knows that you are your own, separate person. But she's still calling you son, calling herself your mother... almost definitely living out some kind of incestuous fantasy."

Shikamari paused, humming.

"Well. It's clear that Kaguya is seriously obsessed with sex, and has no issues with incest. Furthermore, instead of just brainwashing you completely, she concocted this whole illusion in order to 'please' you, even turning every other man into a woman."

Shikamari nodded her head, grinning.

"Heheh... everything else aside, it's becoming pretty apparent that she isn't omnipotent at all. Practically the exact opposite, I reckon: her power over this reality is limited to what she can convince you to let her get away with."

Naruto blinked.

"Huh?" he said intelligently.

"She hypnotized you into casting the illusion. That's what Mari said, right?"

"Y-Yeah... since I was the only one who could control the Juubi's power..."

"So this isn't her world to control. Even if she guided you in forming the original template, the actual genjutsu was still cast by you. And maybe that made her the one in charge when you were still under her spell... but Obi gave you the eyes to penetrate her hypnosis. You are the one in control now. She can't do a damn thing with her own power. Not in this world."

Naruto frowned.

"Huh?" he said. "Wait, if that's the case, then why did she act so confident...?"

"I'd say she's probably trying to bluff you into staying down," Shikamari replied. "Regardless of whether or not you have the power, it won't make a difference if you're too wary to move against her... or if you're too happy in this illusion to want to break it. That's her only advantage."

Naruto's brow furrowed. Shikamari's words were comforting, but he felt like there was something they were missing...

Still, though, the way she said it...

"So even if I didn't decide to break everyone out of here," he murmured, "I could at least still try and find a way to make everyone happy...?"

"Probably. You're the real master of this world, now. Right? All you've gotta do is step up to the plate and stare her down."

"I don't know... how do I even control this illusion, if I really can?" Naruto wondered. "I've never been able to use genjutsu."

Shikamari shrugged.

"You won't know until you try," she told him.

Naruto was silent for a moment.

"Kaguya doesn't care about anyone but herself," he said. "We have to take the world back for the people."

He stood up. A newfound conviction was burning in his eyes.

"If the people want the illusion to stay up... then I'll keep it up, and make it a place where everyone can be happy. And... if they want to take it down, then I will take it down, and return everyone to reality."

He grinned at Shikamari over his shoulder.

"Thanks," he told her. "I know what I have to do, now."

Shikamari smirked, and stood up. She walked up to him and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't thank me just yet," she said wryly. "Kaguya wants a fight, right?"

Naruto gave a slow nod.

"That's what she said."

"Then... let's bring her a fight," Shikamari told him, smiling confidently. "Trying to make everyone in the world your bitch... right or wrong, I say we return the favor."

"The world, huh...?" Naruto murmured.

He could feel something stirring. His chakra was spreading, little flares of light at the edge of his senses. Like a million candles sparking up beneath a deep, briny sea.

The shinobi world was waking. Soon, the people would remember that they were strong.

"One last war..." Naruto muttered.

"One that has to be fought," Shikamari told him. "For your sake. For everyone's sake."

"Is that your 'unbiased advice'?" Naruto wondered, chuckling wryly.

"No," she said, smiling. "That's what I want to do. As your friend."

Naruto shook his head.

"Do you really think they'll join in, though...?" he wondered, biting his lip.

Shikamari's smile widened.

"You underestimate the power of your charisma," she told him. "They'll come, and they'll fight for you."

"Kaguya might not control this illusion..." Naruto muttered. "But I feel like her power is something that's real, even in here. And she's strong. Monstrously strong."

"So are you," Shikamari said. "They'll die for you, if they must... half because they know you won't just let them. Even if you fight her alone, they would still want to be there. If only to support you."

"One, two, three, four..." Naruto counted. He sighed. "Let's make this the last war."

Shikari squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.

"Agreed."