Sovereign Crusade

by Houkaru Kisaragi

Arthas has brought the demon vessels into Azeroth for the sole purpose of raising his nine invincible generals, but nothing is going according to plan.

1. Recruiting 9 Demons

Summary: Arthas has brought the demon vessels into Azeroth for the sole purpose of raising his nine invincible generals, but he was wrong.

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

(~Recruiting 9 Demons~)

Arthas Menethil had succumbed to the greed of power and enthroned himself as the Lich King, a sinister conqueror created by Kil'jaeden the Deceiver, a fearsome demon lord who held its own propaganda within the apocalyptical Burning Legion, for the sole ulterior purpose of governing the entire universe. Unexpectedly, the Lich King betrayed the demon lord and with Arthas being the predominant personality, he raised the calamitous army of dead, Scourge.

Deteriorated from his humanity, the deceitful Arthas had planned an ingenious scheme to harness hatred and mistrust amongst the Alliance and Horde while he slowly expanded his army by spreading the plague. Gradually, both major factors took cognition of the existence of Arthas's nefarious agenda. Fearing for the plague's proliferation throughout the globe, both sects had made preparation for the imminent war.

But, the Lich King had an auxiliary plan. He uncovered a classified secret by Ner'zhul, the elder shaman whose soul was encased within the Lich King; there were nine demonic entities residing in an alternative realm. With their combine strength, their ungodly strength could overthrow the Burning Legion and allowed them to stand in the apex of the paramount pyramid and outcast even the most almighty warriors. Without allowing any single moment of delay, Arthas left Icecrown Glacier.

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

It was October 10th, a tormenting day for a certain blonde orphan who was barely five, yet was kicked out from the orphanage by conspiracy. Instead of celebrating buoyantly for his birthday like how every child would be, he was horribly chased down in foul, dark alleys by drunken mobsters. Typically, he was hiding himself behind a few trashcans, desperately concealing himself from the vicious populous.

"I... don't understand. Why? What did I do? I never make trouble. Why?" Naruto recited questionably in his mind constantly.

"The demon must be here! Let's search for it!"

Naruto gasped in fear.

"Found ya!" A fat man, stunk with alcohol, sneered. "Now, we'll show ya how a demon should be treated!"

Crowd eventually gathered as they watched with sadistic semblance as the raging mobster bashed the defenceless, screaming boy.

"That's for murdering my parents in cold blood, you son of a bitch!" A woman stormed on the young blonde's gut.

"That's for killing my brother, you demon!" A male civilian growled as he kicked the boy's face, completely inexorable to Naruto's plead.

"P-Please... s-stop... I-I didn't d-do-"

"Shut up! You kill my sensei! Now, you will pay!" An ANBU smirked wickedly behind his dog mask as he gripped his kunai and readied to strike, until they felt an unearthly chill. Swirling around, the ANBU could felt a horrifying murderous intent directing at him and the involved people. Standing before them was a man wearing dark medieval armour and an intimidating war helmet; what was terrifying about the intruder was the fact that he possessed eerily glowing eyes and an unnatural long pale hair.

"You call this boy a demon, but from my point of view, you mortals are the true... demon." The armoured entity spoke with a ghostly echo tracing his voice. "Now, move aside or your souls will be a delicious treat for my sword."

"YOU KNOW NOTHING ABOUT THIS BRAT! HE IS THE-"

"The mystical monster that lead disaster as it walks. I know everything about this boy. Though, I find it unsettling that you people will treat this boy with such despicable acts and actually thinks that you can actually subjugate the boy to your inhumane bidding?" The entity chuckled menacingly as he shook his head mockingly. "No, you pathetic humans, your decisions today are the downfall for your future. You have no faith."

Wielding Frostmourne proficiently, Arthas slain the people in his vicinity with relatively ease without showing a slight hint of remorse. The ANBU roared a war cry before charging against his opponent, only for his arm to be sliced off cleanly. The ANBU screamed in agony as he clutched the stump on his shoulder and eyed his offender with a death glare. "W-What are you waiting for? KILL ME!"

"No. I'm not going to kill you." The death knight ambled casually towards the twitching boy lying painfully on the ground and crouched beside the blonde, stroking his golden hair. "Tell me boy, do you hate them for torturing you?"

The boy winced, his vision blurry but he felt a threatening aura lingering on his skin, as if death was standing before him. Although fatigue and the tremendous pain was hindering his perception, he could somewhat hear the question. "I-I... do."

"You do? You do hate them?"

"...Yes."

"Tell me you hate them! Say it! Say that you want to disintegrate their soul and burn their body in hellfire! Say that you want their death more than anything!"

"I... I want to kill them... I WANT ALL OF THEM TO DIE! I..." Naruto's eyes flared a sudden glint of demonic crimson before shutting it as he drifted to an unconscious oblivion.

The terrorised audiences shrieked. "THE DEMON IS ALIVE! SAVE US!"

Arthas carried the comatose child in his arms and sighed. "This is why humans are flawed. This is why I hate them." The Lich King shifted his attention to the quavering ANBU with a patronising glare. "Listen well, mortals. I will not be the one who will take your lives. Look at this boy. Remember his face well. Because, the day will come when he storms into this deplorable village with absolute power and kills everybody mercilessly, regardless the dead is guilty or innocence. Understand this; you brought your inevitable destruction upon yourselves."

The atmosphere ripped with an unholy screech before the portal that led to Arthas's next designated destination manifested itself before the Lich King. "I will be enjoying the show from my throne when he tears you a new cosmos. Until then... farewell."

Tears fell from the ANBU's eyes as he moaned in regret. "What have I done? M-Minato-sensei... did I fail you?"

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

"I entrust you to bring this boy back safely to my kingdom, Sylvanas." Arthas spoke in a tone laced with supreme authority.

"Yes, milord. I will do what must be done." Sylvanas bowed respectfully before ordering several soldiers to carry the boy back to their world.

The Lich King watched as the brainwashed high elf departed back to Azeroth via a dimension travelling portal. "Now that I have obtained the fox spirit, I will proceed to the next phase."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

A girl, with abnormal lime coloured hair, ran frantically from her pursuers. She was barely eight, yet the villagers loathed her existence with an abundance of terrorizing wrath. Trepidation and despair flooded her mind as she drew in an excessive amount of air before speeding through the forest with her fragile feet. She could feel her strength draining away from her; the inevitable horror filled her heart with sheer revulsion.

Unaware of the rock obstructing her path due to the tenebrous lighting of the forest, the girl tripped and tumbled onto the ground. Weeping at her dilemma, the girl tried her hardest to stand, but the pain of her pulled muscle repressed her will to continue.

At that moment, a few men caught up to her and panted anxiously. "S-Stupid... girl! D-Do you think you can run away from us!?"

"You should have given us what we wanted from the start." A man grinned lecherously as he seized the trembling girl's shivering frame. "Now, we're gonna make you pay for making us run for the past 10 minutes! Don't worry, after we're done with you, you will be too sore to even speak!"

"L-Let go of me!" The girl cried as the depraved men violated her with lewd intention. "P-Please! N-No!"

"Yes! YES! BEG FOR MERCY, FU-CHAN! SCREAM FOR US, YOU DEMON!"

"Stop this revolting act this instance, degraded mortals." A diabolical voice interrupted the men's contemptible acts as they swirled around and caught sight of a man whose figure was mostly cloaked in darkness, except his eyes which were emitting a vibrant glow of apathy. "The evil in this world knows no bounds. And they called me evil in Azeroth. I'm pleased to know that there are still beings in this universe that is considered much more evil than me."

"Who are you!? If you want this girl, queue up!" The leader of the mobs yelled.

"Firstly, my identity is of no concern to you. Secondly, I do want this girl. You will not harm her in any ways possible. Freed her and I will pardon your lives." Arthas spoke monotonously. "On second thought, Frostmourne hungers."

"Don't fuck with us! We get her first! If you want her, come and get her!" The men braised themselves with various weapons.

"Very well. I will eliminate you insects." Within split seconds, the Lich King had drawn his sword in an impossible speed before cutting the mobs down.

Fu whimpered fearfully as blood sprayed onto her delicate face. Surfacing her courage, Fu tilted her head and witnessed her saviour whose blade drenched in the blood of her dead assailants. "W-Who are you, m-mister?"

"I'm Arthas Menethil, the Lich King of Azeroth." Arthas sheathed his sword with utmost grace before staring upon the girl impassively. "What is your name, youngling?"

"F-Fu..."

The Lich King arched an eyebrow. "Don't you have a surname?"

"...N-No..."

Arthas stayed at the distant moon disinterestedly before muttering. "Do you hate them?"

"W-What?"

"I said, do you hate them?"

"...I don't know." Fu sat on the ground, pondering at the question.

The death knight sighed. "They mistreated you. Tortured you. They even tried to rape you, yet you don't harbour any hatred?"

Fu grasped the soil in sheer rage as she recalled her unpleasant memories. "I hate them... for everything they have done to me."

"Then join me, young Fu. Come with me, to my world, where countless of people will worship you and bow before your magnificent powers... just like a god. No longer will you be viewed as a tool or an object of torment, no, you will become something more dangerous. Something more powerful, incomprehensible to the lesser fools who can't see through the hidden potential within the core of your soul. Join me, and I will nurture your power to the fullest."

The girl's eyes were dead, lacked of her once liveliness nature. "I will join you, Arthas-sama."

Bemused by the suffix addressed to him, Arthas nodded in satisfaction. "Good. Very good. Sylvanas, you can come out now."

The undead high elf emerged from the darkness and bowed. "The portal is ready. We are ready to transport the girl back to Azeroth."

"Do what must be done. I have much more things to attend to. I expect no hostility to be presented upon Naruto and Fu, Sylvanas. Treat them well." In an instant, the phantom steed, Invincible, rose to existence. Arthas climbed atop of his mount before darting towards his next allocated destination. "It seems that mortals in this world dislike the demon vessels. How foolish. But, their loss is my gain."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

A red haired boy clutched a ball tightly as he approached a group of children. "Y-You drop your ball, here-"

Instead of earning his rightful gratitude, the children snatched the ball from the boy's grasp before bellowing indignantly at him. "Go away! You're not welcome here! Get out of our sight, you monster!"

"Yeah! Run away! You're just an ugly monster!"

The boy choked in his sob as he ran away; the insults, assassination attempts and the malicious glare were unbearable. His siblings were always reluctant to stay near him; their brains were programmed to despise him by his uncaring father. He knew his sister frequently tired to express her compassion to him, but their father's disciplinary punishment forbid her to show her love for her own brother; once, she was whipped and humiliated when she gave her brother food secretly.

"A-Am I really a monster? Why? What did I do to deserve this? I didn't... hurt them, did I?"

"No, you didn't."

Gaara widened his eyes in pure shock as he caught a glimpse of the intruder and stiffened. "W-Who are you?"

"I'm the man who has come to answer your prayers."

The boy arched a perplexed brow. "I-I don't get you, sir."

"Rest ensure that if I did wish to attack you, you will not be breathing right now."

"W-Why should I believe you? Daddy... he... I know he is the one who send those... people to kill me. WHY!? I NEVER HURT ANYBODY!" Gaara collapsed in tears as he punched the ground simultaneously, unable to extricate himself away from his grief. "If you want to kill me, just do it! If I'm going to spend the rest of my life... like this... I rather die! Just... kill me. KILL ME!"

Arthas's expression was the epitome of stoic and sorrow. "Your existence... I can show you how to make others acknowledge you."

"R-Really?"

"That's right. All I ask is for you to join me. Join me and I shall aid you in harnessing your power. Join me and you will gain strength that none mortals would even dare to dream of. Once you have carved your own path, those mortals will be begging beneath your feat, asking for forgiveness. I will make that day come true, I will make that miracle a reality, as long as you join me, I shall rid of your pain." Arthas's claims were intoxicating to Gaara and the Lich King knew the boy would submit to his bidding, eventually. "My name is Arthas Menethil. I am the Lich King of Azeroth. Join me and I shall show you love. You will love your king, as you love your brethrens."

"B-Brethrens?" Gaara stuttered.

"Yes. Your true brothers and sisters. They are waiting for you. Come now, I will show you where you belong." With a snap of his fingers, a demonic gate materialized before them. "Walk into the dimension gate. My servants are waiting for their new master."

"New master?"

Arthas nodded. "Yes, you're their new master."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

"Why do you leave the village, Roshi?"

"I told the Tuschikage, didn't I? I'm leaving the village to train." Roshi barked in annoyance.

"Really? You can't fool me. I know your true reason why you leave Iwagakure."

Roshi narrowed his eyes to threatening slits. "And what will you do, Han?"

"We're Jinchuriki, I will not do anything. If you wish to leave, there is nothing I can do to stop you." The armoured ninja, Han, spoke sincerely. "Our fates are the same for we are tools in the eyes of those fools."

"Indeed."

Roshi and Han readied in their battle stance as they felt an intruder's presence. The two jinchurikis were surprised that they had not detected the man's arrival; the undeniable monstrous power radiating from the intruder was dreadfully pernicious. "Who're you? You don't wear a headband and you carry a sword. Are you a samurai?"

Arthas chuckled. "No. I'm not a samurai. I am a death knight, and the Lich King of Azeroth. My name is Arthas Menethil and I am here for the two of you."

Han raised a questioning brow. "For us? I have heard rumours that an organization called, Akatsuki, is hunting us Jinchuriki."

"I am not part of whatever organization you have mentioned since I came from an alternative realm, but I can ensure you that I have come in peace with a beneficial offering."

Roshi stared warily at the man wearing medieval armour. "Beneficial offering?"

"Yes. I'm here to offer you a place in my ranks. I know that your race is shunned by the populous therefore I'm here to offer you sanctuary. A true sanctuary that you can call home. With my assistance, I can help the two of you master your powers and further understand the humongous beasts sealed within you. Join me and I will show you what it is like to hold absolute power. You will no longer be scorned for what you are but instead, you will be respected by the people in my world for who you are."

"And what's the catch?" Roshi queried.

"Pledge your loyalty to me."

"And betray our village?" Han hissed.

"Betray? Do they even consider you as their comrades? That is a self-reflecting question. Think about it." Arthas closed his eyes, allowing the two warriors to contemplate on their choices; the Lich King had already anticipated the answer as he laughed manically in his mindscape.

Soon after, Han and Roshi sighed before agreeing. "We will join you."

The death knight nodded. "You are wise as you are strong. Follow me, I shall show you the way to my homeland, Azeroth."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

Utakata struggled vigorously to escape his predicament, but the seal binding his mobility was preventing him to avoid his gruesome fate. "Sensei!? Please!? Stop!? Why are you doing this!? SENSEI!"

"Shut up, demon! I bother to even teach you the art of the shinobi because of your demon sealed inside you! This is the true goal! I will get rid of the demon within you and do our village a favour!"

Utakata pleaded. "B-But why!? Yagura is appointed the new Mizukage! Why!? Sensei! You're lying, right!?"

"Don't be obnoxious! Yagura is the Mizukage because Madara-sama wishes for it! He will bring true glory to our village, not the demon and definitely not you! Now, let the ritual begin!"

"NO! SENSEI! PLEASE! STOP THIS!"

"Halt your atrocious act, mortal." Arthas emerged from the entrance of the cave, his hand gripped Frostmourne firmly. "Release him."

"Who're you!? How dare you interrupt the holy ritual?"

The Lich King chuckled darkly. "I have killed many, feed their souls to my blade, but never have I refer to my doing as holy. What you're about to do is no different with what I have done. You held no rights to use that word, albeit your preconception and misunderstanding in the terminology of true just. Now, release the man or I shall show no mercy to you, senile old fool."

The priest clenched his fist in umbrage as he charged toward the death knight, only to be severed fatally by Arthas's blade. As the old man fell, the Lich King shook his head in disappointment. "I was hoping for a real fight. I guess you're weak after all."

Utakata felt the sealing technique restraining him lifted. Seating in a upright position, the brunette surveyed Arthas's foreign armour. "Thanks..."

"There is no need to. I have come here to bring you with me to my world. There, you will discover where you belong."

"W-Where I belong?"

"That's right." Arthas sheathed his sword back into his scabbard before elaborating further. "In my journey, I have realised that demon vessels are discriminated for who they are. I truly believe such act is foolish and impractical. I believe that true unity comes with great understanding between culture indifferences and contexts upbringing. What I'm here is to show you where you should be. This world is not meant for you; you have experienced the horror, have you not?"

Utakata bit his lower lips.

"Come, join me. Come with me to Azeroth and I will bring you to your family. They are waiting for you."

"M-My family?"

The death knight nodded. "That's right. Your other eight brothers and sisters are waiting for you, in my world."

Chanting a complex language, the cave shook fervently as a demonic gate ascent to existence before them. "Step into the other world and pledge your loyalty to me. I am Arthas Menethil, Lich King of the Scourge. Come, and I will show you where you truly belong."

Succumbing to his temptation, Utakata ambled into the portal.

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

"I am the Yondaime Mizukage and I ordered you to leave, Madara!" Yagura growled. "You're no longer the Mizukage. Don't you dare try to rupture the peace of my village and my precious people!"

"You have grown, Yagura. Perhaps, you've grown to the extent of stepping out of your boundaries! You dare speak like you're an equal to me!?" Madara roared.

"I'm the Mizukage and I ordered you to leave, senpai, or you will regret."

"You dare threaten me? ME!? The man who make who you are today!?"

In their heated quarrel, a knock disrupted their conversation. The Mizukage rubbed his temples before commanding aloud. "What is it!?"

"S-Sir, a man wishes to speak with you."

"Tell him I'm busy!"

Abruptly, the door froze before it shattered into million pieces. Yagura and Madara widened their eyes as they saw a man strolling into the office leisurely, yet carried an aura of supremacy. "I am sorry about the door but there are urgent matters that I need to discuss with the leader of this village, pronto."

"And who are you?" Madara's sharingan flared to existence as he glared splinters at the intruder. "How dare you barge in without my consent?"

"You're not the leader, are you?"

"I'll have you know that I'm-"

"Madara Uchiha. I have heard all about you and how you had plotted with the council to betray Yagura." Arthas smirked as the Mizukage slammed the desk in outrage.

"What's the meaning of this!?" Yagura grunted in anger. "Senpai, how could you!?"

"You imbecile! How dare you foil my plans! Mangekyo Sharingan!" Madara directed his sharingan at the Lich King, attempting to murder the man who ruined his carefully planned stratagem but he was stupefied when Arthas chortled venomously. "Your illusions are nothing to me. I can tell, without those pair of eyes, you are nothing but a weak man who still clings desperately to life. Allow me to show you what true power is like."

Unsheathing the Frostmourne, the Lich King tapped the hilt of his sword with a finger and the runeblade dragged the soul of the founder of the Uchiha clan into the inner domain of it. Madara screamed in agony as he tried to escape but to no avail was he able to retreat. "NO! THIS IS BLASPHEMY! I'M UCHIHA MADARA! THIS IS NOT HOW IT IS SUPPOSED TO END! I'M SUPPOSE TO RULE THIS WORLD! YAGURA IS SUPPOSED TO BE UNDER MY CONTROL! S-STOP! DAMN YOU!"

Silence intruded the office as Madara's limped body fell onto the carpet floor. Yagura slumped into his chair in a deep daze.

Arthas sighed as he sheathed his blade. "You're deceived by your people."

"N-No... my people... they love me!"

"They love you? Scheming behind your back, backstabbing you, viewing you as a disposable tool of destruction and yet you dare call that... love? No." Arthas pulled a seat for him to sit before he eyed the Mizukage analytically. "Be truthful to yourself. If I have learned one thing in my life, which will be the importance of being honest with oneself, as I'm honest to my own desire of achieving true power. Leave this village, Yagura."

Yagura widened his eyes. "H-How dare you request such preposterous-"

"Do you really love a village who faked a phony smile at you and in the back of their mind, they cursed your soul with resentment?" Arthas smirked mentally as he noticed Yagura's wavering thoughts. Perturbed at the situation in hand, Yagura balled his fist in frustration. "Join me, lend me your power. Serve me, serve the Lich King and I will show you your true family."

"M-My true family? But... I'm an orphan. I have no family!" The Mizukage retorted.

"Yes you do. Your other eight brothers and sisters are waiting for you in Azeroth. Your true family who will not betray you like how this village did."

Yagura hesitated. "I...I worked hard for my entire life for this? I..."

"Yagura, join me and I will show you true power. Powers that even you couldn't imagine. Might and family are right in your path; don't lose this opportunity, Yagura." Unable to relinquish his inner wish of obtaining true friends, Yagura knew that his life as a jinchuriki was but a horrendous destiny, entwined in the realm of corruptions and lies. Sensing no plausible deceptions in Arthas words, the ex-Mizukage nodded.

"I'm glad that you have made such a wise decision. Now, come. I will lead you to the plane of your existence."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

It was late night. The glittering stars scattered across the galaxy shined upon the earth. Yugito had already finished her training routines and headed back home, admiring the shimmering moon as she walked the isolated pathway. The wind blew gently and her heart felt a state of perfect tranquillity. Although the people of her prospering village claimed to respect their jinchuriki with appropriate recognition, Yugito knew that those testimonies were a mere fabrication of excuses to build a harmonious reputation to the village.

As the female blonde was appreciating the beauty of nature, a few sonic blurs manifested their frame before Yugito, armed with dangerous weapons. Reflexing with her honed instincts, Yugito snarled. "What are you men doing?"

A chunin wiggled his kunai with an iniquitous grin. "It's time for you to die, demon."

A jonin pointed his blade at the jinchuriki. "The Raikage might favour you, but you should face reality. Raikage only did that to ensure your loyalty and you know what? We don't need YOU! You're just a pest! AN ABOMINATION THAT SHOULD CEASE TO EXIST IN OUR WORLD! "

Kirabi was coincidentally passing by, reciting his rhymes and practicing his rapping exercises when he came across the aggressive confrontation against his own student. Unnerved at such hostility directing at Yugito, Kirabi stepped forward. "Yo, YO, YO! Wassup! My pride itz torn, COS my student itz mauled! I ain't no evil, so I gotta kick ya ass! Don beg me, cos I ain't no saint! I gotta show ya hell, cos I ain't no god!"

An awkward silence blew past as everybody, Yugito inclusive, gawked at the intruder. An ANBU stared at Kirabi and muttered to Yugito. "What is he talking about?"

Yugito sighed. "Basically, he's saying that he is going to kick all your asses."

The mobsters nodded in understanding as they apprehended Kirabi's language. "I see. I get it now! W-Wait! We're supposed to kill you! Now that the two demons are united, I guess we can do our village a great deed!"

"My bro rockz the town, I ain't taking shit! The Raikage rulez, so don't stickz no shit! I ain't playing gamez, cos I... I..." Kirabi hastily pulled out a book from his pocket and read the book attentively before keeping it back to its original place. "Cos I fite, fite, FITE! You mess witz my mates, ya mess witz me! She takes no shit, cos I take no shitz! I waz walking by, no hitz no brawlz, you bully my baby girlz, you bully me!"

Another cumbersome silence intruded.

Yugito sweat dropped. "He's saying that Raikage-sama is his brother and if you attack me, you're offending both him and Raikage-sama as well."

"Oh! I get it now! W-Wait! Screw that! Screw your lousy rapping! Screw your demons! Screw all of you!"

Suddenly, they heard applause. "Excellence! The literacy of your words is indeed profound."

Kirabi turned his attention at the intruder. "Who are yo?"

"I'm Arthas Menethil, the Lich King of Azeroth." With a single sweeps of his blade, Arthas massacred the enemies swiftly, stunning both Yugito and Kirabi with the man's advanced dexterity. Sheathing his bloodied blade, the death knight chuckled as he regained his composure. "I apologise for what I have done but they are quite a nuisance for our verbalisation. The truth is, I'm here to bring the two of you back to where you two belong."

"W-Where we belong?" Yugito questioned.

"Yes. I'm aware of the demons sealed within you and I know how your people view you. Personally, I don't understand the unnecessary, blinded hostility. Evidently, the two of you are mortals yet they refused to acknowledge such palpable facts. Therefore, I have successfully persuaded your real family to come with me to Azeroth. It is a place where people acknowledge true strength, regardless their physical characteristic. The two of you have great potential to grow into a new height. Join me, and I will show you the true definition of 'home', Join me and there will be no restriction in mastering your powers."

"And what is this 'Azeroth' place? I never heard of it." Yugito narrowed his eyes vigilantly.

"It is an alternative dimension. Once you enter, you will meet your true kin. You should embrace the fact that you two are demons. Demons that wield prevailing powers that should earn the rightful respects you deserved. I only request the two of you pledge your loyalty to me. My kingdom awaits your arrival."

"Ya want me to betray mai bro?"

"Betrayal is where both parties held unspeakable trust, yet one party decides to change courses of their actions. Has your brother trust you completely with all his heart? Did he request surveillance to spy on the both of you and report your 'progress' to him? Did your... brother forces you to live in another portion of your village because of you and the villagers' sakes? Is this what you call trust? Can you live in such a devious, untrustworthy and obsolete village? Can you guarantee your brother won't changes his mind one day and lead an assassination squad to kill the both of you, despite his doubtful trust that he ensures you?" Arthas sighed. "Think about it."

The rhetorical questions struck both Yugito and Kirabi strongly. The stranger was right; E had been cautious with Kirabi and Yugito's latent ability. They knew that the Raikage never trusted them from the start, but for the sake of optimism, they discarded such thoughts. The Lich King, on the other hand, was snickering mentally as he knew that his words had created an onslaught of rampaging emotions; fortunately for him, every jinchuriki experienced the same cruel fate of being neglected by the society.

A few minutes later, Arthas eyed the two demon vessels. "So? What is your answer?"

Yugito sighed. "Alright. I'll go with you."

"Yugi-chan!"

"Kirabi-sensei! Be truthful to yourself! The villagers never trust us! Don't be ignorance! I have heard how the villagers tarnish our status with bitter disdain! If this is how this village truly view us, then so be it! I will rather be in a place where I can be accepted than to be a scapegoat of what I have no control of! Arthas-sama, I'm willing to join you."

Arthas smiled. "Fantastic. How about you, Kirabi? What is your decision? Your brothers and sister are waiting for you in the otherworld."

"I will roll with it." Kirabi nodded solemnly.

"I take that as a yes. I am truly honoured for the two of you to join us. Now come, I will show you my world, Azeroth."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

The trip to Azeroth was filled with astonishment and flabbergasted by the wonderment of the new world. They could see mythological dragons soaring through the skies, two unnatural moons hanging idly in the night sky and frightening living corpses guarding the castle that they would be residing in. Initially, they were petrified by the dead soldiers wearing armours, but after realising that they were their future's subordinates, they felt a wave of relief.

The nine demon vessels exchanged glances in a quiet hall, all seated comfortably on their respective chairs. Naruto swallowed his nervous lump in his throat and broke the silence. "So... are you all...?"

"I host the Ichibi no Shukaku." Gaara spoke timidly. "I'm Gaara. I come from Sunagakure."

"Nibi no Nekomata." Yugito averted her glazes. "My name is Yugito Nii and I'm from Kumogakure."

Yagura exhaled a tired breathe. "I'm Yagura. I'm the former Mizukage... and I host the Sanbi no Kyodaigame."

Everybody was shocked to know that the Mizukage had defected, but they didn't question the issue openly. Drawing out a long breath, Roshi admitted. "The name is Roshi and I host the Yonbi no Saru."

"Han. Gobi no Irukauma."

The rest of the group stared at the tall figure with a confusing visage adoring their faces. Roshi sighed. "He is the serious, silent type of a person. We come from Iwagakure."

"I'm Utakata and I come from Kirigakure. The Rokubi no Namekuji is sealed within me."

"I'm Fu! I-I come from Takigakure... and I have the Nanabi no Kabutomushi within me."

Kirabi grinned. "YO! YO! YO! I float like a butterfly, and sting like a bee! I'm Kirabi! Dang! I come from Kumogakure and I host the Hachibi no Kyogyu, baby!"

After hearing Kirabi's announcement, everybody, except Yugito who was accustomed to the language, thought exactly the same thing. "What horrible rapping!"

Naruto stared at everybody in confusion. "What's with all the biju? And why are they all inside you guys?"

Everybody was perplexed at the boy's question. Utakata switched his glance at the blonde and asked. "What do you mean by that? Aren't you a Jinchuriki?"

"J-Jinchuriki?"

Roshi chuckled. "The boy didn't know about himself."

Kirabi stroked his chin as he contemplated momentarily. "The Hachibi told me about the boy! The Kyubi no Yoko is within him, yo!"

Naruto blinked before registering the information; his sight downcast as he sighed in despair. "So, that's the reason why they all hated me."

The group fell into an eerie silence as they recalled all of their grievous memories. It was then the massive door creak opened, revealing an emotionless Sylvanas. "My king requests an audience with all of you. Please come with me."

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

"I hope you are all accommodating yourself in my palace. Do all of you bear any opinions with my home?" The Lich King sat in his frozen throne, his eyes studying disinterestedly at his newly recruited generals.

Yagura stared at the group before confessing. "It's kinda cold here."

"Understandable. Kel'Thuzad will brief you about the depth of this world. If you have any problems regarding about the services here, please share it with us. I will do what it takes to make you feel comfortable here." Arthas tapped his chin. "Hmm... I will also instruct Kel'Thuzad to bring you to a place to train. There, you will be able to harness your demonic power with relatively ease. In here, your chakra will be converted into mana. Of course, Kel'Thuzad will explain all of the concepts to you, as well as the Alliance and the Horde. I'm sure Kel'Thuzad will also inform you of the Burning Legion."

"I'm aware of the sophistication of the armour in this world that is quite different with ours in our world." Roshi exclaimed.

"Ah yes. You will sort out of your own armours soon. Kel'Thuzad will explain to you about the different classes here. You all will learn everything from Kel'Thuzad. Do you all have any more problems?"

The group was speechless.

"Very well. From now on, all of you shall be known as... the Sovereign Crusade, nine indestructible, omnipotent generals of the Scourge who shall bring a new age to Azeroth!" Arthas smirked, suppressing his will of cackling aloud. "Gaara, please step forward."

Gaara complied and took a step toward his king.

"From now on, you shall be, Gaara Sandbringer, the first general of the Sovereign Crusade."

The boy smiled and bowed politely before retreating back.

"Yugito, please step forward."

The girl walked forward.

"From now on, you shall be, Yugito Flamerion, the second general of the Sovereign Crusade."

Yugito nodded with a smile before taking a step back.

"Yagura, please step forward."

The ex-Mizukage took a small step forward.

"From now on, you shall be, Yagura Judgementweaver, the third general of the Sovereign Crusade."

Yagura nodded, accepting his new identity before returning back to his group.

"Roshi, please step forward."

Roshi did what he was told.

"From now on, you shall be, Roshi Sunstrife, the fourth general of the Sovereign Crusade."

Grinning in acceptance, Roshi took a step backwards.

"Han, please step forward."

The armoured man took a step forward silently.

"From now on, you shall be, Han Powerdriller, the fifth general of the Sovereign Crusade."

Han didn't respond after the declaration and walked back to the group.

"Utakata, please step forward."

Utakata sighed and complied.

"From now on, you shall be, Utakata Mistdriver, the sixth general of the Sovereign Crusade."

The man nodded and twirled around before strolling back to the group.

"Fu, please step forward."

Fu beamed cheerfully before skipping forward.

"From now on, you shall be, Fu Joywhisperer, the seventh general of the Sovereign Crusade."

The girl smirked before skipping back to the group.

"Kirabi, please step forward."

The muscular man crossed his arm and walked forward. "Yo! Wassup, Yo!?"

Arthas chuckled. "From now on, you shall be, Kirabi Bullcharger, the eighth general of the Sovereign Crusade."

"That's awesome, yo!" Kirabi returned to the assembled group.

"Lastly, Naruto, please step forward."

The blonde ambled forward.

"From now on, you shall be, Naruto Stormrider, the ninth general of the Sovereign Crusade."

Naruto bowed before taking a step backward.

"Now, fly to the sky. There is no limit in the universe, your powers are limitless! Grow strong and bring everlasting glory to the Sovereign Crusade!" Arthas lifted his sword in pride as his generals cheered.

Everything was indeed going according to plan.

~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~o~O~

I was thinking about the pairing for a long time.

Should I go with Gaara X Sylvanas or Naruto X Sylvanas?

Brigitte Appendis X Yagura?

Utakata X High Priestest Ishanah?

Naruto X Sally Whitemane?

Naruto X Shandris Feathermoon?

Naruto X Jaina?

Yagura X Jaina?

Naruto X Valeera Sanguinar

Harem?

Naruto is the hero after all, and the main supporting characters need some love, right? Hey, you name the pairings, I consider them. If it works then I'll do what I have to do.

I'm also concern with the weapons/armours choices for the Sovereign Crusade. What weapons and armours should I give to the characters? Honestly, I have only played Warcraft a few times, but I like the plot, so I was thinking of doing one. Hehe, the problem is, I'm quite a noob compare to experience players out there. Since I enjoy writing, why not just write a crossover!? Hah!

Anyway, I'll figure out the pairing thingy. Ah, the list might go on forever!

Please review and comment.