Author's note:

Hey everyone, Blakeland here, and welcome to my first attempt at writing fanfiction.

Depending on whether or not this story actually garners any interest, the next chapters I'll write will be substantially longer. Keep in mind however I won't be able to update too frequently, since I'm busy with college and my part time job. With that said, I'll try my hardest at publishing at least a chapter a month.

If you have any suggestions, whether they be for the story itself or my writing style, or anything else really, please leave a review or send me a PM. Also, Naruto will not be portrayed as a complete idiot in this story, but he'll still retain a few of his...quirks. If you don't like that, then don't continue any further. The pairing will be Naruto x Chelsea since there aren't any fics that include her in a pairing - at least to my knowledge - and I like her as a character.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the first chapter of Maelstrom of the Revolution.

Edit 03. September 2015: I decided to rewrite the first chapter to make it a more pleasant and fluid read. Nothing too major as far as content goes, just a few touch-ups here and there to help out with the flow and depth.

I do not own Naruto or Akame Ga Kill. Both are the property of Masashi Kishimoto and Takahiro, respectively. Obviously, spoilers for both series are contained in this story.

The Empire. Even with the corruption that had taken root in the once thriving nation, the growth and expansion it had undergone over the centuries was undeniable. The sprawling Capital City that was located at the heart of it boasted one of the largest shopping districts, with even larger residential areas that comfortably accommodated the tens of millions of people that lived there.

While the Empire itself had indeed grown exponentially, the conditions under which the people lived there were absolutely abysmal. The vast majority of the population lived in poverty, forced to resort to thievery, prostitution and even murder to scrounge enough money for their next meal. The middle-class was better off than the poor bastards that lived in the slums, but even they were subject to the whims of those in positions of authority, read officials and aristocrats on Honest's payroll.

Naturally, given all the above, many of the citizens had been tempted to simply escape the city. However, even if they managed to make it past the dangers lurking beyond the walls, and to one of the numerous villages located throughout the Empire's territory, they'd be greeted by a sad and sobering reality, namely that life in those settlements was hardly any better than what they escaped from.

Sure, the empire's presence wasn't as strong there, so the amount of soldiers abusing their authority to mistreat the villagers was relatively low, but that's about all they had going for them; as far as affluence went...well, prime minister Honest's exorbitant tax-rate saw to it that none of the settlements and villages retained more than a pittance.

Lumen was no exception to this; a small, quaint village located near the mountainous region in the northern part of the Empire, it was surrounded by plateaus and dense forestry, the latter of which was a crucial part of its main income.

Lumen had once been a fairly prosperous settlement and a popular hub for merchants and pedlars that sought the high-quality lumber they produced, but all that changed for the worse after Honest's ascension to prime minister.

Not too long after that, the roaring flames of life that once dwelled within the village had been doused, leaving behind only a few dying embers - something that the community reflected all-too-well.

The infrastructure was in a poorly maintained state, food wasn't readily available and had to be distributed in rations, and a general air of unease and anxiety lingered in the streets.

And if that wasn't enough to convince one of its miserable state, then the inhabitants themselves most certainly were. Their movements were languid and listless as they went about their daily business, dragging their feet behind them as though the act of living itself was beginning to become a chore at this point - which, in all honesty, it probably was.

It was in this village where we find two odd-looking, hooded individuals walking the frost covered, winding paths that led through it, their outlandish appearance setting more than a few people on edge, as evidenced by the curious and trepid stares they were receiving.

The one the right seemed no younger than eighteen, and stood at a solid height of five-foot-nine. His eyes, resembling a pair of bottomless oceans, swept over the surrounding village and its populace, as if in search of something. Locks of windswept, golden-blonde hair fell messily around his head and into his face, the long bangs of which obstructed his vision, but he didn't seem to be bothered by that in the least.

Birthmarks which strongly resembled whiskers adorned his cheeks, and a pearly white magatama bead hung from his left earlobe. It seemed to glow ever-so-faintly underneath his hood, but many of the observers simply chalked that that up to the light of the slowly setting sun playing tricks.

He was garbed in a rather uncommon set of clothing for this area, having, among other articles of attire, opted for a long coat that was buttoned up from the abdomen upwards. It had an orange inner-lining that contrasted with the dark, onyx exterior. Underneath the coat, the teen had donned a form-fitting, long-sleeved black shirt with a stylized, burnt-orange spiral printed over the chest.

Covering his legs was a pair of black pants, with white bandages and a holster tied around his right thigh. The outfit was completed by a pair of boots and a tattered, hooded cloak that hung over his broad shoulders.

The second figure seemed to be somewhat of a walking contradiction. His appearance was virtually identical to that of his companion, yet the way his eyes lazily and disinterestedly drifted across the settlement, completely unlike those of his counterpart, spoke volumes of their differing personalities.

Aside from the obvious distinctions in disposition, a number of physical differences were also present between the two. The second man, unlike the first, possessed entrancing, crimson eyes with vertical pupils, giving them a distinctly predatory quality. Moreover, his canines were decidedly more pronounced, the whisker-like birthmarks on his cheeks were thicker, and his unruly hair was longer and had a crimson streak running through it.

Feral would've been as good a word as any to describe him.

One could reason that he was the cause of all the curious glances throw their way, as you didn't often see a man with eyes such as his, but the simple truth was that both of them stood out like sore thumbs. After all - ignoring their attire for a moment - sun-kissed, blond hair and tan skin weren't exactly the most common of features up in the north.

A few nearby villagers were startled as one of them suddenly slumped forward in apparent dejection, "That makes eight villages...and not a single ramen stand."

Evidently, his partner was used to his antics, not even bothering to break stride as he huffed, "What did you expect? Seems to me they barely manage to get by without offering food to strangers...and with the ludicrous amounts you put away, you'd probably drive them out of business, Naruto."

The now named blonde quickly caught up, still somewhat disappointed at the apparent lack of establishments that served his favourite dish. "You can blame my metabolism for that. Besides, it's been days since we've had a decent meal...well, since I've had one, anyway. I forgot you don't really need food, ne, Kurama?"

'Kurama' offered him a smirk that did a good job of putting his feral canines on display, "That's right. Unlike your fragile, human body, I do not require sustenance in order to survive."

Even with his voice lowered, Naruto's tone was clearly amused as he flashed his tenant a foxy grin of his own, "You mean the fragile body that's been containing your furry ass for eighteen years and counting?"

"Keep running your mouth and I'll make sure to remedy that."

The blond Uzumaki laughed at the insincere threat, but didn't respond otherwise. Instead, the amusement faded from his countenance and gave way to a more serious, almost sombre expression as he returned to observing the woebegone village they had arrived at. "Those people weren't kidding when they said the prime minister was sucking these villages dry...this place is even more miserable than Wave back when Gatō and his goons ran the place."

It was true. Naruto recalled how, back in Wave, the people had at least some fight left in them, even if it took a little push to get them going. That clearly wasn't the case here; it felt like everyone couldn't have cared less if they just dropped dead the next second.

Kurama glanced back at his Jinchūriki, his eyebrow quirking at the subtle signs of sorrow and anger his container was displaying. They were so subtle that he looked perfectly calm on the outside, but having spent nearly two decades with him, the fox could read him like an open book.

He knew Naruto was itching to do something about this injustice, as he was more than familiar with it. Not only because it had been an integral part of his childhood, but also because it was commonplace back in the Elemental Nations. Wave, Rain, Mist - those were only a few examples of the populace suffering because of the actions of a select few sitting in positions of authority and power.

Kurama returned his gaze to the street in front of him as he spoke, "Settle down. The best course of action right now is to avoid getting involved in anything and making our way to the..." he trailed off, prompting a curious Naruto to follow his line of sight to a small commotion that was taking place in front of them.

A man with shock-white hair, perhaps in his mid-thirties if Naruto were to guess, was facing off with another man at least thirty years his senior, going by his wrinkled face, grey hair, and the cane he used as a means of support.

"This is complete bullshit, Fallon!" The younger of the two called, unmindful or uncaring of the crowd that was beginning to gather. "We can't just let those bastards do as they please! Air was all I had left and you expect me to sit here and do nothing while some guys practically kidnap her?!"

The look he received from the aged man was one Naruto recognized immediately - after all, he had been on its receiving end more than once. It was the hard look of a leader forced to make a sacrifice for the well-being of his village. In this case, the 'sacrifice' seemed to be a person, going by what the white-haired man had said. Decisions like these were always difficult, as they would no doubt displease or even anger one's subjects, but that was only one of the burdens a leader had to bear.

"We've had this discussion before, Aurion," the man replied in a firm voice, though anyone attentive enough could hear the pained undertone, "I care for this village, more than you can imagine, which is why I'm forbidding you from interfering. You know very well what the Empire is capable of."

'Aurion's' fists began to tremble at his side, painful memories resurfacing as he ground his teeth. "Of course I fucking know! Why do you think I'm trying to get them back?! If you actually cared about any of them you wouldn't stand fo-"

"Enough, Aurion!" The old man thundered. "You're not the only one who lost someone precious! Great, we bring them back. And then what?! You think they wouldn't know who took them? We'd be signing our death warrants!"

This seemed to have the desired effect on Aurion, as his furious glare faltered. The man mentally slapped himself for forgetting such an important detail, but you could hardly blame him. Getting his daughter and her two friends back had been all he could think about ever since they were taken, and not once had he devoted any piece of his mind to what would happen after that.

His fists clenched at his sides.

The steely look faded from Fallon's amber orbs, replaced by one of sympathy and finality as he composed himself of his short outburst. "I'm sorry, Aurion. There's nothing we can possibly do. Air accepted her fate, as did Luna and my little Fal..." Fallon turned on his heel, "...don't let their sacrifice be meaningless."

With the altercation having reached its conclusion, the village chief left, and the onlookers that had gathered quickly followed suit, throwing Aurion empathetic glances as they returned to whatever it was they had been doing.

Naturally, this didn't escape Kurama's notice, who ventured that they were all aware of what the dispute had been about. Not at all surprising; small villages like this one were usually tightly-knit, so internal affairs would find their way to the ears of every inhabitant in matter of hours.

Well, not that it was any of their business.

"Come on, let's go," he said, looking over his shoul-

Where Naruto stood mere seconds ago, was now a blinking, dotted outline that vaguely resembled his body, hair and all. The...thing, pointed an outlined finger behind Kurama, who resisted the urge to drag a palm down his face as he turned around.

Surely enough, Naruto was approaching this Aurion guy, apparently having completely forgotten about what his tenant had said mere minutes ago.

Said tenant had those exact words echoing in his mind, as if mocking him.

'Settle down. The best course of action right now is to avoid getting involved in anything and making our way to the...'

...right now is to avoid getting involved in anything and making our way to...

...Avoid getting involved in anything...

Well.

So much for not getting involved in anything.

'Naruto you fu-

The icy winds whipped against his body, biting into his flesh, but Aurion couldn't have cared less. Right now, his body, and even his mind were going numb. The tears gathering at the edges of his vision were hidden by the shadow his mop of white hair cast over his face, fists clenched so tightly that the bones in his hand began to creak silently. But below the sorrow he felt, anger began to bubble up, like a feral beast trying claw its way out its confines.

That anger was directed at the Empire, at the village chief, hell, at life itself, but most of all, it was directed at himself, for not being able to do one damn thing about this.

Loath as he was to admit, what Fallon had said was true. Even if by some miracle he managed to save his daughter and her friends, having them return to the village would not only get them killed, but also have their village razed to the ground, and its populace right along with it.

It wasn't fucking fair.

Desperately grasping at straws, the man failed to notice the blonde youth approaching him until he was just a few feet away, pleasantly waving as he offered him something he hadn't seen in a long time.

A smile.

"Yo!"

"So they suck your village dry of its income by over-taxation, and then use that as an excuse to force your people into labour at the Capital," Naruto summarized, his face betraying nothing of his emotional state.

The same couldn't be said for his body-language.

After he had approached Aurion back in the village-square, the man had immediately grasped on to what he perceived to be his final sliver of hope and invited both of them to his house near the outskirts of the village. Kurama wasn't exactly thrilled by this new development, and his container's blatant disregard of his warnings for that matter, but he ultimately acquiesced; when Naruto set his mind to something, you'd have a better chance at trying to move a mountain than swaying him.

Once they had arrived, the man offered them tea and some fruits - both of which were gratefully accepted by Naruto - and began to tell them what the dispute earlier had been about, and also about the corruption that was so deeply rooted in the Empire.

Apparently, because they didn't have sufficient funds to pay their 'debts' - debts created by the Empire in the first place - the Capital saw fit to take three girls from their village as a means of payment.

Among those three was his daughter, Air.

"Yeah, that's about it..." Aurion answered, wearily raking a hand through his hair. All the anger from before had subsided, leaving him feeling burnt-out and emotionally drained. To Naruto, it looked like he had given up, but that thought was shot down with his next words, "Having told you all this I...want to hire the two of you."

Naruto cocked his head to the side, blinking a couple times before asking, "Hire us? What do you think we are?"

Aurion gave him a confused look, "You are assassins, aren't you? I've seen my fair share of them back during my days as a merchant in the Empire, and you two definitely fit the picture."

Glancing down at his primarily black apparel, Naruto sweat-dropped. Well, he could see where he got the idea from, but while them being assassins wasn't exactly the truth, Naruto didn't bother correcting him. He did, however, wonder just what he wanted to hire assassins for. Kill the people that took his daughter, perhaps? Possible, but the ojisan from earlier had already established that their return was tantamount to suicide.

Fortunately, he didn't have to ponder too long, as Aurion, gripping the cloth of his blue tunic, said, "I want you to look after them and get them to a village outside of the Empire."

Even Kurama, who had been making a point of staring at the far wall, looked up at that. Both of their brains required a few moments to fully process the sentence, and once they did, Naruto heard a chuckle echo through his mind, courtesy of Kurama who spoke through the telepathic link they shared. 'I can't quite decide what amuses me more - the twisted definition of an assassin the people here seem to have or that this guy is seriously hiring a pair of trained killers to take care of a bunch of pre-pubescent girls.'

Naruto, who was still a little stunned by the curve-ball, nodded dumbly, 'I admit that is...ironic, to say the least.'

Back to reality.

"Sorry, I'm afraid I don't quite follow."

Aurion sighed, "What Fallon said was true. If they return home, the Empire will kill all of us." His voice was laden with sadness, but determined nonetheless as he continued, "That's why I want you to get them out of the Empire's reach. As long as I pay you, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Kurama, who had remained silent until now, drawled from where he was sitting, examining the battered tea-cup in his hand, "Doesn't look like you have much to offer."

The fox eyed him curiously as he stood from his crude, wooden chair, crossed over to a seemingly random part of the room, and proceeded to pull a loose board from the floor. Eyebrows were raised even further as he reached in, and retrieved a purse that was nearly bursting at the seams. The room was filled with the loud clinking of coins as he emptied a cascade of gold over the table.

"Like I said, I was a merchant in the Empire a few years ago. I was originally saving this up for Air, but now that she's gone..." he shook trailed off. "It's more than enough to cover their expenses as well, so please." His hand tightened around the now empty purse, "Just the thought of what those bastards will do to my girl...I...I-"

Naruto interrupted him by raising his hand; thoughts like those would only cause even more unnecessary grief. The man shook his head free of them, and silence descended upon the room, only broken by the occasional crackle of the fireplace. Neither party spoke; Aurion waiting for their answer, while the two 'assassins' seemed to consider the job.

Allowing the memories of the past few weeks to flood into his mind, Naruto closed his eyes, propped his elbows on the table and leaned his forehead against his folded hands.

Lumen wasn't the first village they had come across, so even before Aurion had told them about the corruption the Empire was suffering from, they had a rough idea of the state it was in. However, they had never known exactly how bad it was, considering most of their information was comprised of bits and pieces mentioned in passing...hardly credible, in other words.

Naturally they had tried to broach the subject themselves many times, but no matter who they spoke to, the other party would immediately clam up on them, refusing to continue the conversation and ultimately leaving them with more questions than answers.

Well, at least now they knew why no-one had been willing to talk about it. It wasn't a stretch to assume that so much as talking about that particular subject would be punishable in some way or another.

Calm as a midnight sea, Naruto opened his eyes once again, taking note of the uneasy look Aurion was giving him. He didn't give any outward reaction, instead shifting his even gaze to Kurama, who returned it with his own indecipherable stare.

The white-haired man could only hope as he watched a silent exchange between the two take place, one that he no doubt wouldn't have caught if not for sitting this close to them.

'What do you think?' Naruto asked.

'He's not lying, I can say that much, but something is definitely off here,' Kurama replied.

'Yeah, I noticed.'

'...why choose three brats? If it's labourers they wanted, young men would've been a more reasonable choice. Prostitution would've been my next guess, but they're barely in their teens.'

'How about we accept the job and find out?'

'...I walked right into that, didn't I?'

'You did. So what do you say?'

'Why bother asking me? He yawned, 'We both know full well that, with or without my approval, you would be going through with this long before he decided to 'hire' us.'

'If this was five years ago I would've given you that point. But we're not jailer and prisoner any more. We're partners, so why wouldn't I ask you? Besides, someone has to stop me when I'm about to do something completely idiotic.'

'Please, we've already established that not even I can keep you from doing that. I just clean up the mess afterwards.' While the Bijū seemed indifferent on the outside, he was positively swelling with pride. This was one of the many reasons Naruto had been able to attain the elusive status of Perfect Jinchūriki, a title none of his predecessors had been even remotely close to. Sure, their relationship had taken off on the wrong foot - understatement of the year right there - but to Naruto, that had simply been a small setback. It was a daunting task, proving his worth to the strongest being currently in existence, but considering the unbreakable bond they now shared, it had been well worth the time and effort.

'Hmph, I suppose since we're headed to the capital anyway, we can spare a few days looking into this,' the fox finally agreed.

'Aw, I knew you had a heart, you fuzzy little-'

'End that sentence and I promise you the flames of hell itself will pale in comparison to the agony I'll put you through.'

'Hai, hai...no need to bite my head off.'

Ending their mental conversation there, Naruto finally returned his attention back to the man sitting across him, who for all the world seemed to be five seconds from a heart-attack with all the suspense they were subjecting him to.

"Let's say we accept this job...how can you be sure we'll complete it? For that matter, how can you know we won't just take your money and be on our merry way?"

Of course, neither Naruto nor Kurama had any intention to do so. They were genuinely curious as to why Aurion would extend his trust to easily towards two strangers; strangers he believed to be assassins, which weren't exactly known for their trustworthiness. On the contrary, deceit and intrigue were their bread and butter.

Both of them fully expected the man to falter in his response, but they were positively surprised by his next words.

"They say a merchant is only as good as his last deal. While that saying is true, in the Capital, if you don't at least have a basic grasp on reading body language, you can forget that 'deal' ever coming to pass."

Not only was the man apparently skilled enough to read Naruto's body language, but seeing him smile for the first time since meeting him was a pleasant sight, one that Naruto returned with his trademark foxy grin, "What were you able to gather from me that made me appear trustworthy?"

Aurion scratched his chin thoughtfully, "I admit you were harder to read than your regular old customer, but earlier, when I was telling you about the state of the village and Honest, I could definitely see it - you hate that bastard as much as anyone else in this village - in the Empire - does."

"Surely that wasn't enough to convince you?"

He shrugged. "You're an honest fellow; you haven't told a lie since approaching me on the road earlier. Moreover, my little girl's life is at stake here, and I'd be lying if I said I had any other options left."

Naruto lips quirked up into a smile before he broke out into pleasant laughter. It echoed through the wooden house, and Aurion found it to be infectious, allowing a few chuckles to escape his lips as well. It was then that he noticed how long it had been since he'd laughed like this.

A week ago, just before Air was taken; that had been the last time a smile had lit up his face.

The laughter began to slowly die down, and the mood was now much lighter within Aurion's house. Naruto jerked his thumb towards his partner, who, while not partaking in the laughter, still seemed to be immensely amused by all this, "Sorry, sorry. Usually this bastard is the only one who can read me as well as you did."

Naruto then gave him a kind, almost radiating smile, "We accept the job, Aurion. We'll get your daughter and her friends some place safe. You have my word."

Aurion returned the smile with one of genuine, pure relief. "Thank you...thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me."

However, even with the light-hearted mood, the man felt the need to voice some of the worries he had, "I know you two probably know what you're doing...but I've seen what they do to you assassins in the capital, and it wasn't a pretty sight. Are you sure you can do this?"

Naruto casually waved him off, grabbing an apple from the bowl lying on the table they were seated at, "I appreciate the concern, but your worries are unfounded. If it comes to a confrontation...well, let's just hope it doesn't..."

As if a switch was flipped, the room was suddenly filled with a faint, yet distinctly dreadful feeling. Blue and crimson eyes began to glow ominously, and Aurion couldn't help a shiver from running down his spine as Naruto bit into the apple, his kind smile replaced by a devilish smirk, "...for their sake."

And, cut. I admit this chapter probably wasn't the most exciting read, but it's more of a build-up for the next one, which is still a WIP, so don't expect it to be out until at least next week. It'll contain much more action though, and our odd duo will see first-hand how rotten the Empire is. Also, for story purposes, the Air, Luna and Fal Arc takes place before the actual beginning of Akame Ga Kill.

If anyone is willing to beta-read this story, please hit me up with a PM. I'd appreciate that.

Until the next chapter.

Blake, out.