A Moi Chapter 1: Creve, a naruto fanfic

Holy hell. It has been a rough couple of months, let me tell you. I thought I was done with the bullshit when school was over, but when it rains, it pours, no?

Anyway, this is an idea that has been kicking around in my head for a while, and I just needed to get it down so that I could actually tear my mind off of it. Maybe now I can actually get back to relaxing and watching season 4 of RWBY.

That being said, it is a product of many years' fleeting thoughts and ruminations, as well as intermittent weeks of actual writing that were prolonged by constant interruption. So, in other words, though I tried, it might still have the same incomprehensibility as my other story. Tough. You don't have to ready it.

Also, this is going to be (if I continue it past the first chapter. That will depend on response and basically whether or not I feel like it) a VERY different Naruto story. That usually happens when you try to blend that universe with reality, but I thought I would give it a shot. My forte and self-declared passion is military history, focusing on 1946- present day, and so something like this was inevitable. It will be very much focused on real events and situations. To that end, obviously I had to "nerf" as people seem to like to put it, Naruto and his cohorts down quite a bit. Exactly how I intend to do this will be explained over the course of the story, but in the prologue here I give a very strong hint, just short of spelling it out.

Basically, premise is the Shinobi nations were 'discovered' by the rest of the world. How they were able to remain hidden will be elaborated upon, and actually be a plot point in the story later (not much) on. This happened during the battle between Naruto and Madara, and exactly how it went down will also be elaborated on. Now Shinobi must learn their place in the greater world, and band together into one country to make this happen, and to survive amidst other nations who could potentially nuke them off the map.

I am trying to make this realistic, but also entertaining, so to that end any thoughts and comments, as long as they are constructive, are always appreciated. I am including notes which help expand on the history of something when I feel it might be beneficial. But really, nothing is that necessary. You can easily just read this as a pure work of fiction and go with the flow for everything that is written here. I will also translate when I feel it is necessary, but again, mostly go with the flow. I am not a master of languages, and to reach a wider audience I am writing in English, even though the majority of this would obviously be in French and Japanese (among others). But I do know some, and include it when relevant. If it reads like an insult in the context of the text, it probably is. If you really want translations, I'm 99% sure that they can be found on Google, or you can PM me. Frankly, I think anyone who is actually able to stomach this horseshit has earned the right to PM me.

Until we meet again in the Bardo~

"Maa, maa, calm down everyone, settle down now. Ahem, sorry, it's been a while since I have had to do anything like this. And, let's be frank, there really hasn't ever been a moment quite like this one. We are standing on the edge here; we've made it to the top, where we have always wanted to be. But we have to be careful both of falling backwards or going over the edge. The Shinobi Nations have come together in peace at long last. It may have only been a tacit alliance at first, uniting together to defeat a common enemy. But we cannot back down from where we are, what we have achieved. Especially now. Now that we know we are not alone. Now that there are many, many more eyes watching us and we are but a small part of a complicated whole. We risk being marginalized or worse if we descend to factions once again.

It's not going to be easy. There's going to be a lot of issues no matter what we do, and most of them we're not going to be able to anticipate until they are right upon us. I don't pretend to have all the answers…. Ok, I don't have any at the moment. But they will come in time, as long as we can work together to guard against the very extinction of our kind. Because, let's be honest, that's what we are facing here. The system of hidden villages that we have kept as status que for generations cannot exist as it is within a global context.

Not that it has to be all bad. Like I said at the beginning; we are standing at the top looking over the edge. We are above the clouds and can see farther than ever before in every direction. Our future is out there, but only if we don't backslide. I never imagine having kids. But if I did, I think that this would be a great time to have them. The generations that we foster from henceforth will never know war like we have. It is my hope that they will only read about it in books that they are taught in academies. Normal academies that never see a blade within their halls. That can focus on the restorative teachings of Ninshū, instead of Ninjutsu. So that we might cultivate a world of peace, rather than carve out our place in it.

Of course we are a long way off from this. But not that far, because it is right now we have to make the choice: continue to bicker and fight amongst each other, or show the other 99% of the world that we are more than dogs fighting over the last scraps of food. Everything we do now will define us in their eyes. We are joining their game, and are subject to their rules whether we like it or not.

But despite this we cannot forget who we are. This is the other unfavorable outcome of cooperation. Not with each other but with the rest of the world. Because it is their game, and they have been playing it far longer. It is my hope that as nations which have shared a common history for so long, we can work together to preserve this history for those generations which will never become shinobi, they can at least know where they came from and be proud of it, be proud of us.

Maybe the founders of our villages would think us trash for breaking the rules they laid down centuries ago, made to foster our growth and protect us from hardship. But if we do not, we will be abandoning the future generations to a world of continuing violence at best, and at worst a peaceful world built on the death of the shinobi nations. And then we will be even worse than trash."

-Rokudaime Hokage Hatake Kakashi at the World Kage Summit, Konohagakure [Former Capital Hi no Kuni Nation State] 1447th Year of the Rikudo Sanin (A.D. 1997)

"As the President of the United Nations, I would formally like to welcome the representative of the Shinobi Nations Confederacy and thank you for you and your country's contribution towards the furtherment of international democracy. To history this may just be another step in the right direction, but for us in the here and now this is fundamental proof that the world is getting smaller. We know that your people have overcome many great difficulties recently, both in regard to the foreign threats as well as internal struggles against the transition towards peaceful elections. But being here today, as you are, should be demonstrated as a great example of human kind's ability to surmount prejudices of the past. Congratulations, and thank you."

President of the United Nations Hennadiy Udovenko (Ukraine), July 12th 1997, 11th Emergency Session

"…And now we're back. In case you're just joining us this past hour, let me re-cap: we just got done talking with Dr. Laurence Kaufner who gave us a first-hand look at the worldwide scientific phenomena that was the discovery of the Shinobi Nations. As one of the first civilian foreign scientists to gain access to the Nations, Kaufner provided us a brief rundown on how the Nations were able to stay 'hidden' for so long, as well as how a sub-species of humans managed to evolve right under our noses and how we as a species might eventually reverse engineer this to the benefit of all those currently incapable of using 'chakra'.

Now, though, to talk about the political ramifications of this discovery and to help us make sense of all the recent events which have transpired back-to-back in these recent years, we have Dr. Karen Zykla, who served as primary liaison with the Shinobi Nations Confedarcy for the first 12 months after establishing contact. She also has a PHD in poly-sci and is an expert linguist who worked on the etymological ramifications of the stagnant form of Japanese they have traditionally spoken. Glad to have you on Karen."

"Thanks Barbara. It's a pleasure to be here, and to be talking about my small part in one of the most fascinating subjects in our day and age."

"I'm sure. Anyways, why don't we get right into it, almost everyone out there already has a pretty good understanding of how the first contact went down and they saw their first glimpse of a Shinobi National on Public television not long after that. It was quite a surprise for us, but It was a turbulent transition for them, though, wasn't it? Suddenly they're the little fish in the pond and have to play catch-up with the rest of the world both politically and technologically?"

"Yes, it really was an amazing accomplishment how they managed to unite themselves from warring city-states to a functioning republic practically overnight, with very little public backlash. There is talk of a central figure who played a key moderating role in this, but when the political talks started happening, all the focus changed to that and trying not to misunderstand one another- certainly a crucial thing especially when you consider nuclear weapons were on the table. Though it isn't that hard to comprehend, looking back on it. As you say, they found their way of life threatened, and if there is one thing to take away from this little talk is that the Shinobi as a culture are practical if nothing else. Though I can tell you from working with them, past animosities weren't thrown away overnight, once they began working together nothing much could stand in their way."

"Yes, they already had sort of a natural advantage, didn't they? And so adapting to modern technology, especially modern weapons was almost second nature to them."

"Absolutely. You could even say they were bred for warfare. And since most of our modern tech was spawned on the battlefield, it wasn't hard for even the most layman among them to pick up on the benefits, potential applications."

"And at first it seemed like that was going to be a huge asset for them. I mean, from our perspective they showed up on the scene at the perfect time."

"It looked like that at first, yes. Once they joined the United Nations it was sink or swim. They had very little to offer the rest of the world. They have some known geological resources, but most of that is still pending study, so the only thing they had in demand was manpower. Cunning bureaucrats cut a deal, and suddenly Shinobi Peacekeepers were everywhere, Congo-Brazzaville, Zaire, the CAR, Sudan, West Bank, the Balkans (1). They were a show of force in Kuwait when Saddam started to raise his head again. Closer to home they were in Cambodia, Myanmar-"

"Cambodia, wasn't that where one of those Shinobi monks halted a Thai mechanized column at the border?"

"Exactly. Like I said, the Shinobi are practical. They already had their own branches of monks which they sent in to Cambodia, and the Cambodians took to them right off. Buddhism is an integral part of that culture, but more as a spiritual lifestyle, so any differences were easily ignored in favor of the obvious benefits they provided (2). They were able to help facilitate construction as well as humanitarian efforts, and they didn't need any military guards so they were able to integrate into the society."

"Didn't they see them as gods? Even now as educated people talking about it, it's hard not to."

"To a certain extent, yes. But I'm not here to talk about the religious and racist fallout from the discovery, I believe that's your next guest."

"Absolutely, carry on."

"Thanks. Anyway, suffice to say that the people of the region really took to them. It wasn't hard for them to adapt to the language either. Cambodian has the most vocalized sounds out of any language and Vietnamese and Thai aren't far behind. Japanese-even an archaic variety was a cinch."

"I'll take your word for it."

"Anyway, they gained some massive support there, and soon the entire region adopted their way of life as best they could, not having access to Chakra, obviously."

"Alright then, now here is what is probably confusing to most viewers, because pretty much everyone has the story to this point. The Nations come out of nowhere, like superheroes or gods, go around spreading peace and prosperity, winning a whole bunch of local support, and then all of sudden they shut themselves back up again and are pretty much on the outs with every major Western Power. How is that?"

"Well, you see, it's just because they were everywhere, because they were so effective. They were so eager to spread their relatively new peaceful beliefs to the world that kind of set them up for their downfall. Like I said, Shinobi Peacekeepers were everywhere. And in general the people loved them. The UN forces went from being le Casques Bleu, to le Chéché (3) Blue, in deference to the blue headbands. The Shinobi didn't carry firearms at first, either, and that made them especially approachable by the civilian populations."

"That didn't last long, though did it?"

"No, unfortunately. They were good at their jobs. Perhaps too good, and that is why local factions began to focus on them. All the radical groups had their power undermined at a very basic level. US Marines? French Paratroopers? British SAS? Forget it. Shinobi became everyone's #1 enemy. That's when they started getting targeted, and well, it's kind of hard to take the warrior out of the shinobi. They responded in kind, so the groups all around the world upped the ante. The knives they carried didn't do the trick, and so they started pulling out some of their Jutsu. Suddenly these techniques which helped build houses, water crops, heal the sick, were causing untold amounts of collateral damage in crowded city streets. No one had seen anything like them before. They didn't know how to deal with them."

Part II Section 4 – Hague Convention April 28th 1998 on Revised International Code of Conduct for Warfare (4)

Henceforth all physical/spiritual abilities falling under the above descried category of Ninjutsu/Ninshū shall be subject to the same regulations as previously agreed by the member nations for both small arms and weapons of mass destruction.

All procedures listed among the Shinobi Nations Confederacy Scroll of Forbidden Techniques are deemed cruel and unusual under the previous regulations and are considered war crimes to be prosecuted in the International Criminal Court (Hague, Netherlands).

All further derivatives of the enumerated techniques as listed above are also considered Forbidden and thus illegal under this treaty.

Any Ninjutsu/Ninshū technique which reverses and/or negates the state of death shall be considered Forbidden techniques.

Any number of additional techniques may be considered for inclusion into this list after formal review under the Special Council for Chakra Warfare, detailed in Part II Section 7

Go where no other traveler has gone before.

See a virgin land untouched by the modern hand.

A land forged through centuries of careful cultivation, incredibly preserved.

Taste local cuisine unlike anything else.

Whatever climate suits you, from lush forests, to pristine snow peaks, to gorgeous beaches which stretch on and on, we have it here.

Never a land so beautiful,

Never a land so peaceful,

Never a land so friendly,

Wherever your path takes you, let your airline take you here.

-Rikūdo Airlines, the only one of our kind

Memo: To the Prime Minister of the S.N.C. from the desk of Inoichi Yamanaka, Head of Internal Security, Fire County, Konohagakure.

Prime Minister,

I take it upon myself to write you directly because I do not believe that any of my previous messages have managed to convey the severity of the situation that has arisen in the past few months.

Though you continue to publicly maintain that the recent uptick in crime in our region is due to local negligence, my own included, I must point out that the sheer number of incidences does not support this theory. The fact is that there are simply too many ex-shinobi without stable income, and with no local industry to support them, they are turning to crime in order to feed themselves and their families. The jobs sectors which have grown to support the influx of foreign nationals, including the scientific and tourist sectors, are not enough to offset this unemployment.

Our current budget is also too small to properly deal with these disillusioned groups. We have too few shinobi patrolling the streets, and they are underpaid as is. Most of the law-breakers they come up against are veteran shinobi, and so our recruits are unwilling to apprehend them either out of fear, or respect.

Quite simply Prime Minister, the situation is untenable. The problem is endemic in Konoha, but there needs to be a major growth of industry nationwide in general. As it stands now, it will only be a matter of time before these out of work ninja become totally opposed to the democratic government and will attempt to overthrow it. It may be an imperfect solution, but opening up our services to the world powers as peacekeepers once again, even though we would necessarily have to abide by their rules, would at least offer a temporary relief by occupying these listless groups. It would feed and house many hundreds of thousands who would otherwise grow hungry and bitter at this, our hard-won peace.

With all due respect, your faithful servant,

Yamanaka Inoichi

"…And of course, the United Nations foresaw this problem, didn't they?"

"Well, it was hard not to. The Shinobi Nations were created on the mercenary model, and what could be worse for worldwide political stability than an enormous amount of professional soldiers for hire? This also came in the wake of the political fallout from the Executive Outcomes scandal (5), which proved that a small but elite force could drastically change the outcome of a full-scale conflict. So the UN came down hard on mercenary groups, tightening regulations to the point where it barley became legal to even operate one."

"They had to do it that way because they couldn't outright say: no shinobi mercenaries, because of the racist connotations, correct?"

"Yes, exactly. So suddenly operating as mercenaries became a war crime, essentially. And no one in their right mind would want to incur the wrath of major powerhouses such as the US and Russia, who were adamantly in support of the UN decision."

"Now what about the US and Russia, and other Western nations for that matter, wouldn't they have wanted to have a force like the shinobi on their side?"

"Yes, this is an especially difficult question to address. Mostly, it's a matter of pride. If any one of the parent countries adopted a shinobi force, it would have said that they were either admitting they were superior, or worse, scared of them, and that would be political suicide one way or another. Then again, military tradition rears its head. The military industrial complex has always been opposed to change."

"But it was a foreign tradition that pretty much save the Shinobi, right?"

"Exactly, this is where the French come in. The French have always had that obstinate streak where they don't expect to follow everyone's rules. It was just lucky for them that they already had an institution already set up to accept foreign nationals into their service. La Légion Étrangère, the French Foreign Legion has been around since 1831, specifically set up to take in criminals and rejects and have them fight for France. Boom, there you go, low-paid expendable army. You do your 3 years service, you get a French passport with a new name. A new life (6).

Lots of Shinobi leapt at this chance when they found it. It was a windfall for them. Suddenly the Legion's ranks went from 7,700 full time soldiers to levels not seen since the Indochina war, what's now Vietnam. 30,000 plus. And once other nations saw the opportunity, they jumped at it if they could. Spain reinstituted the 'Foreign' aspect of their legion. And Russia, well, they never did really care all that much."

"But if I understand correctly, the reason the French Foreign legion was so large back then was because they were busy fighting a war. This was peace."

"True. Indochina was 1946, right after WWII, so you had a very similar situation back then. And yes, during the high period of inflation and unemployment in the SNC, no major battles were being fought by Western nations, so to us it looked like peace. But that was why the war on terror, the Twin Towers coming down, may have been a tragedy on par with Pearl Harbor here at home. But for the Shinobi Nations, it was VE day (7)."

To the President of the United States in regard to the proposed allied invasion of Afghanistan,

Mr. President, the Shinobi Nation Confederacy is very much honored that you would come to our remote and humble country to ask our assistance in this endeavor. Thus it is my regretful duty to inform you that after much deliberation we must decline to participate.

Why you ask? We as a nation do not see a need to invade another's land when we ourselves were not attacked. Furthermore, our intelligence is advising, as we believe yours is as well, that the attacks carried out on your Twin Towers were not perpetrated by nationals of the Afghan Nation (8). We see no evidence that Afghanistan is harboring any intention to attack either us or our allies in the near future. We also do not understand your justification for our participation. 'If you are not with us, you are against us.' This phrase does not make sense to us.

Why you ask? Often in our history we have been forced to work alongside traditional enemies in order to complete the assigned mission. Such as we are now. It seems to me, as it is indeed the general opinion of our nation, that despite the technological strides made by other countries, that in general the world could learn a lesson from our humble nations.

We have sent generations of our sons and daughters off to die only for the violence to continue. We have much the same saying as you in the West do. In peace, sons burry their fathers. In war, fathers burry their sons. I have a son, as I know that you have two daughters. I hope that you share in my sentiment that I would rather have them mourn us than the other way around.

With all due respect,

Shibi Aburame

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shinobi Nation Confederacy

"Turn that fucking thing off."

"Huh? What's the matter? Great-and-Powerful War Hero Shinobi can't handle T.V.? Too complicated for you? Hey, now! I'm trying to learn about your species before they go extinct you know, get educated so when I get out of here I can get a real job."

The speaker tapped his buzz-cut head with the remote control to emphasize his assertion, though it was fairly clear by the haughty smirk on his face that he was anything but sincere. Though in his mind he had earned the right to be. He was one of the few non-shinobi to make it past selection. The Legion did not discriminate. If you got the job done, that was enough. When more recruits started to make it past basic training than they had room for, they made the tests harder. Whoever was left had earned the right to be as arrogant as they wanted. They were the best.

Some better than others.

"Woah!"

For a Westerner, American most likely, the man holding control of the remote had fast reaction time, yanking back the device in his hand before one of the many Shinobi expats present decided to try and take it from him. He taunted the rugged looking youth when he caught nothing but air.

All around the room tensions dripped like sweat. A fight was imminent. The one in the corner stood up. The American saw this, pulled a knife. A tiny thing, hardly worthy of the name. But he was not above such tactics to achieve victory, and from what he heard, neither were Shinobi.

Victory was not his however, as he quickly found himself empty-handed once more.

He turned around to face the one who swiped the remote, knife hairsbreadth away from tasting flesh. Only to come face to face with a wall of muscle, another non-shinobi, and someone that would probably laugh at a wound made by the 3" dirk in his palm.

"Je veux regarder des desseins animés."

Manu. 187cm, 103kg and clearly a beer drinker. Belgian, and one of the few lucky enough to come in knowing French (9). Also one of the lucky few to make it past selection.

He sat on the decrepit couch and it sagged and groaned in protest. The American tucked the knife away, slunk away without another word. In the dark corner where a game of cards was being played, the one who had ordered the boob-tube be extinguished nodded in thanks to Manu, sat back down in his stool. Manu did not even look at him. They went back to playing cards.

It was hot. Tempers were short. But that wasn't the only reason he couldn't stand listening to the television.

Three of the four playing the card game had been Shinobi. The fourth was Afrikaner (10), but they all spoke in English. English was quickly becoming the de facto international language. The Shinobi Nations quickly learned that in order to get anything done, from political deals to peacemaking, the language barrier needed to be crossed. Money and cartoons also had their part. But not in the Legion. Still, for those recruits, learning French was the least of their worries. For some, it was the grueling days ahead of them. For others, the days left behind.

"Touchy subject?"

The vocal Shinobi glared at him while the other two stared at their cards. The Afrikaner shrugged his shoulders and did the same, ignoring the look. He knew enough. More importantly, he knew better than to press.

They all had their reasons for being there, in that unadorned concrete blockhouse outside of Calvi in Corsica. And it was not just because that was where they received their basic training. Not because they wanted to become paratroopers and jump out of planes. Most people didn't join because they wanted to become something. They joined because they wanted to quit being something else.

Because when they were there, they were no longer Belgian, American, South African, Dutch, Rock-Head or Tree-Hugger. They were Legion.

They were nothing.

"Levez-Vous!"

Everything was dropped and everyone shot to their feet within the second. Even the lump of flesh, Manu.

The drill instructor sauntered in. They knew his name, but it didn't matter. He was big, and black. Congolese, though that didn't matter either. What mattered was that he was the commanding officer. To them, he was sir, nothing else. And he was the devil.

He glared at the Shinobi in the corner, at the American who had been sulking on a stool with a beer. He looked at them, he flicked his square chin, they ran to stand at attention. He stared at them a long time, hoping to make them nervous. Glassy marbles boring into their skulls as they stood in silence. It was working.

"Chiens bêtes. A month in and you are still arguing like children?"

He knew, that they did not know French particularly well, apart from the insults. He was fine redressing them in any language.

"Nous-sommes désolés Capitan!"

"Morons! Baka!" He had even picked up some of theirs.

He swiped at them with his meaty palm like a baseball mitt. Two smacks, they both staggered but immediately went back to attention.

"Les deux, the two of you, full marching order. You! Bring them the 'packs'."

They saluted their superior officer without a word while the one playing cards ran off to get the two of them the 'packs'. A typical disciplinary device in the Legion. Regular issue rucksacks fully loaded, only with wire instead of shoulder straps.

"You're going to be running laps."

"Around the base?" He glared at them, as if at a joke in poor taste. "Sir?"

"No. Hauts-Corsica." The old department term for the entire upper half of the island. Still they didn't say anything.

The Afrikaner came back with the packs holding them like sacks of flour. He threw them to the ground in front of them. The two under scrutiny picked them up without hesitation, which would have only made the punishment worse. They moved to begin their death march.

"Arretez!" They stopped.

"One month. Un mois. No boots."

They paused, shared a look that was both anger and fear, bent down and undid the buckles and laces.

"Faster! Vite!" They did.

They were out the door to the rec room at a light trot, already feeling the wires dig in their shoulders.

"Allez-vous! Allez, allez!" He was chasing after them. A Water Buffalo. Black death. They ran.

Out the gates. Legion motto emblazoned overhead, shining hot in the afternoon sun. Marche ou Crève (11).

March or Die.

So they did.

They marched, double time, but a steady pace that they could have kept for hours. They had to. All day, and well into the night. Feet bleeding, pack-straps digging into shoulders, hot, too hot even now. Concrete road. Humid as hell. No shirt. No shade. No breath, exhaustion. Total exhaustion. Full moon, gates glittering up ahead, shining off letters. Words. The other Legion motto.

Honneur et Fidélité. Honor and Loyalty.

"Fuck!"

The American tripped. Went down, hard. Tried to brace himself, didn't. Elbows, face hit. Blood, a lot, not visible in the darkness. But he could smell it behind the saltiness of the sea air.

The Shinobi stopped. Looked back. Sapphire eyes like stars in the night. The American was trying to get up, and failing. His own pack was so heavy. The gates were still kilometers away. Fuck it.

He grabbed the groaning man. Boy. Barely older than him. Threw him over his shoulders, pack and all. Slick, blood and sweat. Stagger on.

"Oh, fuck! Fuck! What the hell do you think you are doing you crazy bastard?" Animosity gone, anger too. The Shinobi didn't answer. Looked at him. It was a strange view, upside-down. But clear. Anger. Passion. Determination. Camaraderie.

He shut up. They plodded forward.

The drill instructor was waiting for them. How he knew, they wouldn't guess. The Shinobi collapsed to his knees, two other recruits ran over and helped him lift off the American. He didn't make a sound, dead or unconscious. He dropped the pack. Long gashes crying blood already stitching themselves up. He looked up to meet the instructor's eyes, breathing hard through his nose. Stench, sweat and blood. The dark man looked back, expressionless, statue of shadow.

"Get up."

He got to his feet, bloody blisters patching over. He stood stiff, the courtyard was alive, crawling with newbies flitting about outside the firelight. Gawking. Waiting.

"You were a hero, in your home town." He poked a meaty finger at the wounds. Pink welts. "Not because of this. Because of that." The finger aimed at the two packs lying forgotten on the ground like corpses. He just stared back at him. "The Legion is your Fatherland now. Doing that doesn't make you a hero. It makes you just like everyone else."

"You're a legionnaire now, congratulations." The big man said in an ancient Japanese. Once the young man's language, no more. "Now get the fuck out of my sight. Tomorrow starts early."

He saluted his superior, waited until he turned heel and left, going back to sleep in the officer's barracks. To comfort, to familiarity. He relaxed, turned back into the night, treaded away silently on bare feet.

They were all waiting for him. His squad mates. His family. Welcomed him back with silent nods. The American was lying face up on top of his blanket, eyes closed. His blood would have stained the sheets otherwise. The shinobi padded over to his bunk, sat down, rubbed the blond stubble of his hair.

"Hey."

Something over his shoulder. A voice. A beer. Lukewarm.

"Saved you one."

He nodded to the caramel-colored Afrikaner, grabbed the beer, tipped to him the spout in thanks.

"Moses. Conrad." He supplied, and sat down on the squeaky spring mattress next to him. The blond shinobi held the lukewarm beer up to his forehead. It was still colder than the rest of the room, which was pitifully hot and muggy. The mosquitos buzzed around the lamplight. The only one, in the middle of the room.

"Lights out!"

He sighed, took a swig in the darkness, listened as others settled in, on top of their sheets. Creaky bedsprings. Familiar now. He missed his futon. Listed to the crickets, not cicadas.

"Onamae-wa, nan desu-ka?" The Afrikaner, still up. He took another swig, stared at him. Icy blue eyes pierced through the darkness. Despite the heat, Conrad shivered.

"Uzumaki, Naruto."

"Hajime mashite, Naruto-san."

"Yoroshiku onegaeshimasu."

1. Almost all of these were actual missions which happened during this time. Congo-Brazzaville, French lead mission 1997. Zaire (Congo-Leopoldville), in and out 1998, 2003, same with the Central African Republic. 10th Emergency session of the UN was in regard to Palestine, so this is the 11th. Cambodia was 1992-1995.

2. Buddhism is very central to the culture in both Cambodia and Burma (Myanmar), but it is ironically probably more 'loose' of an interpretation than in places like Nepal. Temples seem to be more of an institution for transient people rather than a purely spiritual pursuit, in most cases. (this is my personal observation from visiting both recently and several years ago, any natives out there feel free to correct me).

3. Le Casques Bleu, the Blue helmets, a pretty universal name for UN soldiers because of the color of their patches and obviously helmets that are painted for recognition. A chéché is a long scarf, traditionally popular with the French Foreign Legion since its institution in the 1800's. IT is very practical as a headwrap, keeping out desert sands, as well as many other uses. Here, I am using it to refer to the shinobi's traditional Hitai-ate, which obviously does not have a direct translation, and so the locals would have improvised. I just can't see ninja wearing helmets, cuts out too much sound and sight, and they can get really tiresome to wear for long periods of time.

4. It was not the treaty of Versailles that actually banned poison gas as a weapon of warfare, but one of the numerous ones from the Hague, which as the capital of the Netherlands has long since been a center of international treaties.

5. Executive Outcomes was a very real and very famous mercenary group. Immortalized in the movie "Blood Diamonds", although I do not think they are ever mentioned by name. A few hundred of their professional soldiers assisted the government of Zaire in quashing their local rebellion. Long-term efficacy is a moot subject which I am not going to tackle here. I am not here to make any political statements, only relaying historical facts for context. The UN reaction to them is purely fictional.

6. Pretty much everything I mention about the French Foreign Legion is true, to the best of my knowledge. I may fudge things here and there as far as dates and exact phrasings are concerned, but the numbers and situations are accurate.

7. For the sake of the story, world events are transpiring on an accelerated pace. Twin Towers attack now took place in mid 2000, and the US lead Operation Enduring Freedom, invasion of Afghanistan is very late/early 2000/2001. VE day was the end of WWII in Europe.

8. Almost all of them were Saudi nationals. Look it up. Again, not trying to be poltical in any way, shape or form. Just trying to state facts for the sake of making a cohesive storyline.

9. French is obviously the official language of the FFL, but knowing it is not a requirement to enlistment. You learn fast. In Belgium they speak mainly French and Flemish (Dutch) and a little German.

10. Someone from South Africa. Under apartheid, ended in 1994, it was technically illegal to be of mixed race. Black and white dichotomy still very much exists to this day.

11. This is license. It is the Legion's unofficial slogan, and so is not marked on their gates at the base in Calví.