A Simple Teenage Shop Owner

36

"Who thought this was a good idea?" Each word except for the last was punctuated with the sound of a smack and a small cloud of smoke. The lives of six clones had been lost to the agitated fists of Naruto Uzumaki. When the blond moved to punch the last clone, the being made the wise decision of dodging out of the way of the fist. His actions earned him a glare from his creator while the clone held his hands up in defense.

"Well, the clone was the one who told Lilith. And really, the clone is yo-" That clone's existence came to an end when Naruto's fist slammed into his face. The boy released a huff while the cloud of smoke dispersed around his fist before he turned his attention to his right where Ophis and Lilith stood to face each other.

"Mother." Ophis tilted her head to the side at Lilith's call. Her brow furrowed while she ran her eyes over her 'clone".

When Naruto had first told her that Cao Cao had created a copy of her using the power that he stole, she has been infuriated. The rage that had built up within her had been the some of the strongest she had ever felt. All she wanted was to eradicate everything at the fortress, including the bastardized copy of herself.

Yet, standing in front of her look alike, she didn't feel any of that rage. Her chest wasn't tight with anger. It sat loose and free in her 'daughter's' presence. It was a relatively new feeling, one introduced through her time with Naruto, yet it didn't feel awkward to the eternal dragon.

"...Daughter." She tested the word out with slight hesitation and found its sound to be somewhat freeing. A strange warmth began to form within her bosom while Lilith nodded at her.

"It is nice to meet you, mother. Our separation was puzzling but I admit it has made our reunion much sweeter." Ophis took immediate note of her daughter's verbosity. It was a stark contrast to her own way of speaking in as few words as possible. Inwardly, she was grateful for it. That small difference made it much easier to view the girl as a separate being.

"Father doesn't seem as thrilled." Lilith said while turning her head to look over at Naruto. The blond was looking over as well yet showed he was anything but enthusiastic.

"He's ... had a long day." Ophis spoke while she watched the blond trudge his way toward them. Each taken step by him seemed to take a little out of his soul if the look on his face was anything. After several silent moments, he arrived where the dragon duo stood. He stood looking at Lilith for a short while before switching his attention over to Ophis.

"Are you okay to take us back?" His words sounded so tired coming from his mouth, she noted while nodding. Her razing of the fortress and the sudden introduction of Lilith had left her with a surprising amount of energy. She moved to summon a portal to transport the group of three back to Naruto's home but was stopped when a hand landed on her shoulder.

"Allow me, mother." Ophis raised an eyebrow after turning to see Lilith with her hand up. The two locked eyes for several moments before the dragon responded with a nod. She took a step away from her daughter while the girl raised her arms high into the air. She brought her two hands together in a clasped union before shutting her eyes.

Naruto and Ophis watched in silence while the girl stood with her outstretched arms. As the moments began to stretch on, the duo began to doubt the girl's ability to reproduce Ophis' technique. That doubt was swiftly wiped away when the girl started to pull her hands apart. With each separated inch, a rift began to take from. The observing duo watched with shocked interest while the girl, with her bare hands, tore a hole in the dimensional gap. The young finished off the action with a loud grunt while spreading her arms fully apart. The rift responded to her movement, spreading to nearly four times its original size. With the portal created, Lilith turned around to face her parents before giving a slight bow of her head.