"My name is Illya." The young albino girl introduced herself.
"Eh?" Shirou blinked.
"You'll understand who I am after I tell you that my full name is Illyasviel von Einzbern, won't you?" she smirked.
"So, this is the Einzbern Master." Rin tensed.
"That's right." Illya confirmed. "But… there's something I have been looking forward to more than obtaining the Holy Grail. And that is…" her smile turned dangerous "To get to kill you, Oni-chan." She declared.
"You… know me?" Shirou asked in confusion.
"You know, I have been waiting anxiously for this day to come for a long time now." Illya stated. "That is why I will make sure to kill you gently, Oni-chan." She grinned. "Come! Berserker!" she shouted.
At her side, a giant of a man with dark skin and a wild mane of dark hair that wore only an armored skirt materialized, radiating pure death and madness, causing Rin and Shirou to freeze in place.
"This guy… it's almost on par to what I could feel from Killer B when he used the Blood Shroud!" Naruto thought.
"I would not give him that much credit, Naruto." The portion of Gyuki, the Hachibi, within the blond ninja commented.
"Maybe, but I might need some help with him." Naruto admitted. "Kurama?"
"Go for it, Naruto." Kurama, the Kyubi no Kitsune, agreed to lend his power.
"What's wrong?" Illya taunted. "If you're just going to stand there, we're just going to take the initiative and strike first, you know! Go, Berserker! Crush them all!"
With a deafening roar, Berserker lunged.
"Master, stand back!" Saber exclaimed as she moved to intercept Berserker's descending crude stone axe-sword with her own invisible blade and then engaged the Servant of Madness in battle, though slowly being pushed back by his superior strength. "Master, now! Hurry!" she gave Shirou a significant look during a lull in the fight…
…which went completely over the boy's head.
Fortunately, however, Rin did get the hint and grabbed Shirou's hand, beginning to pull him away and run.
"We're going to have to run away now, Emiya-kun." She told him as she dragged him off.
"Eh, what?" Shirou exclaimed. "Wait, Tohsaka! We can't just leave her alone and run away by ourselves!" he protested.
"You fool, don't you understand?" Rin shot back in annoyance. "We're just getting in the way by standing there! Saber is fully capable of finding an opportunity to retreat by herself. What we need to do is retreat temporarily and think of some kind of countermeasures against Berserker. If we don't do that, we have no chance of winning this battle!"
"That might be so… but…!" Shirou began stubbornly.
"Where are you two trying to sneak off to?" Illya asked in amusement as she appeared in their path. "It's pretty thoughtless to just leave me behind by myself, isn't it? Were you planning on having a strategic meeting or something? Or could it be that you've already come up with a great idea?" she mused. "But it won't matter. You won't defeat Berserker either way." She declared. "I mean, he is Heracles after all. The greatest hero of Ancient Greece!"
"Heracles?" Rin's eyes widened in panic.
"Servants are the spirits of heroes who have been summoned to the present world. You know this as well, don't you, Rin?" Illya stated. "The extent of their existence here as spirits is influenced by the magnitude of recognition they have with the people of this time. Therefore…" Illya grinned "If the hero's name is widely known across the world, that hero's strength will be increased as a Servant! That is why there is no one who can match up to my Heracles! Your Saber and Assassin are nothing more than small fry to him!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, I beg to differ." Naruto stated as he appeared behind Illya… with a kunai at her neck.
"Assassin? I thought you were helping Saber with Berserker!" Rin exclaimed in surprise.
"Nah." Naruto shook his head. "She's a knight, you can tell just by looking at her armor. Honor and chivalry and all that, like samurai. She's more likely to attack me if I interfere in her fight."
"Even so…" Rin frowned.
"Besides, just because I agreed not to let the boy die and not attack Saber tonight, that doesn't mean I'm going to step in and save her." Naruto added. "If it was when I was alive and she was also alive, things would have been different, but we're both Servant's here. If she dies, nothing will change. Merely one less Servant for me to take out to obtain the Grail." He shrugged. "Speaking of which…" he turned his attention to Illya who had been eyeing the kunai warily, especially the coating of white energy that put her on edge. "I have something to ask of you."
"To order Berserker to die?" Illya's eyes narrowed.
"Nah. If Saber doesn't kill him, I'll fight him head on myself. I may be an Assassin, but that doesn't mean I'm a coward. I have a Bravery skill for a reason, you know." Naruto assured her.
"Huh? That's… surprising." Illya blinked in confusion. "What do you want, then?"
"The Grail." Naruto smiled. "Specifically, the Lesser Grail that the Einzbern are supposed to provide for each War. I'm aware it's useless to me until the other six Servants are dead, but I would fill much more comfortable if it was in my hands, given that, from what I've read in Rin's father's journal, the reason the Third Grail War was another failure was due to the Lesser Grail being damaged at some point."
"Then, it would be best to remove this knife from my neck." Illya smiled thinly.
"Why? Because you would refuse to answer?" Naruto tilted his head.
"Because I am the Lesser Grail." Illya replied. "The Einzbern agreed with you, that the Lesser Grail should be kept safer, so rather than an inanimate object, starting from the last War the Lesser Grail was a person, capable of defending herself."
"…Irisviel von Einzbern." Naruto said in realization. "So that was he role in the last War, what with one Emiya Kiritsugu being the actual Einzbern Master."
"Dad was what?" Shirou exclaimed.
Everyone turned to eye him curiously.
"You didn't know?" Illya asked in surprise.
"The Magus Killer was your father?" Rin asked in shock.
"You really are completely clueless of everything in the supernatural world, aren't you, kid?" Naruto shook his head.
Before any further conversation could take place, an explosion occurred and when the dust settled they say Saber in a small crater.
"Saber!" Shirou shouted in panic.
"Master…please… run away…" Saber uttered as she began pushing herself up.
It would not be in time, however, as Berserker approached to finish the job, his axe-sword raised…
Only for Shirou to jump in front of Saber to shield her at the last moment, causing Berserker's strike to tear a chunk from the left side of his torso.
"Eh… what… is this…?" he wondered out loud, looking down on the blood pouring on his left hand. "Ah, I see… I tried to push Saber away from Berserker's blow…" he realized as he collapsed in Saber's arms.
"Master!" Saber screamed in shock and panic. "Master, why have you done this? Master!?"
"Emiya-kun!" Rin exclaimed in shock.
"You know… for someone getting exactly what she wanted, you don't look that happy with this." Naruto whispered to Illya who was staring in incomprehension at the scene.
"It's… not what I expected." Illya admitted.
"Revenge is what guides you, isn't it?" Naruto mused. "Yes, I recognized that look in your eyes, that desperate drive. I saw it too many times in the eyes of my best friend, my brother in all but blood. He threw everything away in his quest for revenge on his older brother, dedicated his entire life to it since he was a seven-year-old kid… and when he finally achieved it, he was left empty, with almost nothing and it drove him to madness, further increasing his hatred… because that was all he had left." Naruto sighed sadly as he remembered Sasuke, glancing at his left palm where the black moon sigil lay. He had automatically received it upon Sasuke's death at Kaguya's hands, a safety measure left by the Sage of Six Paths to ensure that even if one of them died, the other would still have the tools to seal the Rabbit Goddess. "Of course, finding out after he murdered his brother that everything he had done was for the sake of his little brother, to protect him… well, that didn't help his mental stability any." He admitted.
"What are you trying to tell me?" Illya demanded.
"That getting revenge… tends to leave you empty." Naruto shrugged. "Tell me… when the Grail is completed, what will happen to you?"
Illya looked away.
"I see." Naruto frowned in displeasure.
"Naruto, do something!" Rin called out in panic.
"No." the blond said simply.
"What?" Rin demanded.
"He either has a death wish, or he's too stupid to live." Naruto looked hard at the bloodied teenager. "That boy has no self-preservation whatsoever. If I had to guess, it's from the survivor's guilt of living through the Great Fuyuki Fire he an Kotomine spoke about in the Church. If so, he's going to allow himself to be endangered again and again throughout this war. I'm not going to babysit him just to make sure doesn't jump in front of another Servant's attack if he survives here." he said firmly.
"B-But…!" Rin stuttered, glancing towards her Command Spells.
"Plus, he's going to be fine." Naruto added, as an afterthought. "If you look at his wound, you'll see it's slowly closing."
"Eh?" Rin did so and, sure enough, the massive wound was healing.
"Now, with that out of the way, and with Saber to busy to look after Mr. Suicide over there…" Naruto moved away from Illya and towards Berserker. "I finaly get a shot at Berserker here."
"You actually want to fight Berserker head-on?" Illya asked incredulously. "What kind of stupid Assassin are you?"
"One your Heracles is very badly matched against." Naruto cracked his knuckles. "After all, Godslayers like me tend to have a certain advantage over Divine beings, even just Demigods like him." He declared.
"Naruto, stop revealing your secrets, damn it!" Rin admonished in annoyance, having calmed down now that she knew Shirou will survive this.
"You're one to talk, using my name freely like that." Naruto shot back.
"Your name is Naruto?" Illya asked. "I've… never heard of you." She admitted grudgingly.
"I would be very surprised if you did. I lived in the era before what you call the Age of the Gods." Naruto shrugged.
"Before the Age of the Gods?" Illya asked incredulously. "Than… nobody knows about you! You fame boost should be near zero!"
"True. Good thing I always relied on my own power first rather than power boosts, eh?" Naruto grinned. "Of course, since Servants are connected to Akasha through the Grail, they can get information on the other Servants once they have a name… shame you have an insane Berserker then, eh? All he would tell you is gibberish."
"You…!" Illya huffed in annoyance.
"Now, let's do this!" Naruto disappeared and so did Berserker as he was punched away with such strength he was blasted into the sky.
"What the…?!" Illya gaped as Heracles, her Berserker that weighted over 300kg, was smacked away like a fly.
Everyone there still conscient watched from the ground as far away and high into the sky, where Berserker had been sent and where Naruto pursued, there was a sudden flash of golden light that lasted for a few seconds before it died out, at which point Illya gasped in shock and horror.
"N-No…! Berserker!" she whispered, tears forming in her eyes.
"I'm afraid he's dead, little lady." Naruto admitted as he landed in a crouch a few meters from them, the asphalt cratering under him.
"But… he had twelve lives! He was immortal!" Illya protested.
"I noticed, he was already healed by the time I caught up to him." Naruto admitted.
Flashback
"What the hell?!" Naruto wondered as he reached the same altitude as Berserker and noticed that the caved-in chest that had crushed his heart had already completely healed. "Even I don't heal that fast! This is on par with the restoration ability of the Edo Tensei!" he realized, grimacing as even as they began reaching the highest point of their 'flight' Berserker turned to glare bloody murder at him. "Well, if he's anything like the Edo Tensei then I have something that negates that kind of regeneration." He decided "Six Paths Senjutsu!" he declared, not worried of being overheard all the way up there, not even by Berserker who had the wind in his ears.
In response to his words, that particular Noble Phantasm activated, allowing him to enter the Six Paths Sage Mode that changed his attire to black pants and undershirt with a golden jacket of chakra on top, his body also energized by the Six Paths Senjutsu chakra, and with ten black orbs manifesting behind him like a halo.
At his mental command, two of the orbs flew at Berserker who futilely tried to block with his stone weapon only for the two Truth-Seeking Balls to make holes through the thing and continue on not even slowing down. One went through Berserker's chest, destroying his heart, while the other turned into a disk that beheaded him.
Naruto watched warily, prepared to used the remaining eight Truth-Seeking Balls to defend himself if the attack proved insufficient even as he mentally recalled the two he had used, but to his relief the body of Berserker broke apart into prana and faded, signifying his final death.
Flashback end
"But that did not make him immortal, merely very durable. Trust me, I've fought immortals before, I know the difference." Naruto told her.
"No way…" Illya collapsed.
"Why don't you take a nap now, hm?" Naruto suggested as he appeared behind her in a burst of speed and upon pinching a nerve cluster in her neck, knocked her out.
"What are you going to do with here?" Rin inquired.
"You heard what she said, she's the Lesser Grail. We can't leave her running around unsupervised." Naruto explained. "After we've dropped off Saber and the idiot at his place, we're taking Illya here back to your house."
"Wait just a minute there, Assassin…!" Saber began.
"Of course, if you think you'll have better luck against me than you did against Berserker, feel free to try to claim her from me now, Saber." Naruto challenged.
Gritting her teeth, Saber back down. As much as it galled her, fighting someone that had apparently killed Berserker twelve times in half the time it had taken Berserker to beat her into the ground was more than merely unwise, especially with her Master still nearby and in mortal peril.
"Very well, we shall fight another day, Assassin." Saber scowled.
"I'm busy tomorrow, so maybe the day after?" Naruto offered.
"We shall see." Saber narrowed her eyes.
It was a tad difficult to get the bloodies Shirou home without being seen, but they managed it and then Naruto all but dragged Rin back to her mansion.
"What's the big idea, Naruto?" Rin demanded.
"We were being watched." Naruto said flatly. "And, since this person seemed more interested in Saber, I decided a tactical withdrawal was in order."
"What?" Rin asked in surprise.
"My clones saw him watching from afar. He seemed intrigued that I managed to take out Berserker so quickly, but it was far enough even for him to see just how I did it so he returned his focus to Saber. I doubt he will attack her, though. The way he looked at her seemed… possessive." Naruto concluded.
"Who was it? What did he look like?" Rin asked even as he set Illya down on a couch.
"Unless I am very much mistaken, he is the Archer your father summoned for the last Grail War, Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes." Naruto revealed. "He certainly matches the description, both in the power he holds and his appearance, even if he is not wearing his golden armor at the moment."
"What? There's no way! Even with Independent Action skill that all Archer's have, he can't have survived a decade without a Master!" Rin exclaimed.
"Well, given that after the battle he headed towards the Kotomine Church, he might have had a Master all this time, especially since Kotomine was working with your father in the last War. Which also explains which Servant Kotomine controls." Naruto admitted.
"I… see." Rin frowned but nodded slowly. "Gilgamesh had a high Independent Action skill. After my father was killed here, he probably went and formed a contract with Kirei."
"You father was killed here?" Naruto asked in surprise.
"Yes, the bounded fields were breached and he was found dead in his study. Killed from behind." Rin scowled. "And given that Emiya Kiritsugu is known to be capable of doing such things and that he survived in the war at least long enough to destroy the Grail…"
"Wait, wait, hold on!" Naruto explained. "He destroyed the Grail?" he asked incredulously.
"The one of the Fourth War of course." Rin explained. "Don't worry, the Einzbern provide new one each War."
"Yes, it's Illya here this time." Naruto nodded. "But, I meant why?" he demanded. "If he was close enough to destroy it, he must have been close enough to claim it! Who in their right minds would throw away a wish like that?"
"I don't know, but the aftermath of this was the Great Fuyuki Fire. The contents of the Grail spilled and set the surroundings on fire, killing everyone in a few blocks radius. It's why this War is happening so soon; the prana accumulated in the Grail was not dispersed like it normally would, merely spilled back into the Ley Lines and fed back into the Grail System." Rin explained. "At least, that's the best conclusion I could reach."
"Something is seriously fishy here." Naruto scowled. "Emiya Kiritsugu used every dirty trick in the book to win the Grail. Had a substitute pose as his Servant's Master, bombed a hotel to kill the enemy Master living on the top floor and who knows what else, and then he throws the Grail away? I need answers. And I need them now, damn it! Rinnegan!" his eyes flashed, turning purple with rings in a ripple-like pattern and three black tomoe on each of the innermost two rings. He turned toward Illya, pulled her hat off and grabbed her head with his right hand. "Human Path." He calmly uttered as he grasped Illya's soul… and his eyes widened at the wealth of knowledge that came from it.
It was not just Illya's own accumulated memories. No. Rather, it was all the memories of every Justeaze model homunculus that had been coined prior to Illya's birth, starting with the original, Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern, the Holy Maiden of Winter that had helped found the Holy Grail War and became the very core of the Grail System.
Much to Naruto's disappointment, however, Illya did not know why Kiritsugu, her father, had destroyed the Grail, and largely she did not care. Rather, she hated the man for never coming back for her and taking her from the clutches of the Einzbern where she suffered a decade of operation after operation, each shortening her lifespan in exchange for making her a more suitable Lesser Grail and Master for the Grail War. As things stood, even if she survived the War, she did not have more than another year to live. She also hated Kiritsugu for adopting Shirou, seemingly replacing her with the boy.
What's more, Naruto also learnt of the true workings of the Grail and the Greater Grail System. How the Grail would materialize upon absorbing the power of six Servants, but in rare cases some Servants would be more powerful, enough to substitute another sacrifice, something that had happened in the last war when the Grail materialized when the Archer and Saber, Gilgamesh and Artoria Pendragon – who also happened to be the Saber in this War also, explaining Gilgamesh's interest – were still alive and fighting over it. And how the true purpose of the Command Spells was to force the Servant to commit suicide, feeding their power to the Greater Grail to activate the Heaven's Feel Ritual and create a gateway to Akasha.
All in all, the only irregularity he could see was that the Einzbern replaced the Berserker Class during the Third War in their attempt to summon the Divine Spirit Angra Mainyu, the Zoroastrian God of Darkness, but it failed and the resulting Servant was weak, being killed early on in the War.
"Damn it." Naruto scowled, letting go of Illya's soul and turning off his Rinnegan.
"Assassin?" Rin asked in confusion. "What did you do?"
"Basically, I grabbed her soul and saw all her memories. It's all copied in here now." He tapped his temple. "The problem is, Illya doesn't know why her father, Emiya Kiritsugu, destroyed the Grail. Doesn't care much, either, given she will die when the Grail is completed and if not then, then in a year. The Einzbern have experimented on her to make a more compatible Master and Lesser Grail for a decade, drastically shortening her already short lifespan." He frowned.
"I see." Rin gave the girl a look of pity. "What now, then?"
"Well, you will be pleased to know that the Saber of this War is the same as last time, King Arthur, or rather Artoria Pendragon. Also, Shirou most likely has Avalon, the sheath of Excalibur, implanted in him, giving him that regenerative power. It's probably how he managed to summon her in the first place." Naruto explained.
"Well, that's… unexpected." Rin blinked a few times. "King Arthur, a girl." She muttered. "Anyway, think you can beat her?"
"Not a problem. She doesn't look to have been summoned at full power." Naruto shrugged.
"Good, good. And, about the Grail?" Rin asked.
"Well, isn't it convenient that Matou Zouken, one of the founders of the Grail War, is still alive and living in this City?" Naruto smirked.
Later that night, after Rin had gone to sleep and was under the watchful eyes of a dozen clones, as was Illya, Naruto sneaked outside and under a tree on the Tohsaka's property before siting in a lotus position and closing his eyes once he made a few more clones to alert him in case of an attack on his person.
His time in Sage Mode earlier had been brief, but even so he had felt it all too well. The sheer, undiluted hatred the World, Gaia, had for humans was staggering, beyond even that of Kurama at his most unpleasant point. Had it been him during life, Naruto would not have been able to handle it, never mind simply ignore it while went ahead and used Senjutsu without a worry.
But this him, the Heroic Spirit whose legend stated to have conquered the hatred of the whole world… well, that was another thing entirely.
With a sigh, he sank into the initial state of the Six Paths Senjutsu, allowing only his eyes to change beneath his eyelids as he drew into himself the heavily tainted natural energy. He circulated through his body, and then separated it in two distinctly uneven portions as he expelled it back outside his body via his hands.
Through the white sun Yang symbol in his right palm came out purified natural energy, free of any taint whatsoever, while through the black moon Yin symbol in his left palm came out the taint that had contaminated the energy he had taken in, with just barely any energy at all attached to it, merely an ugly black mist that began to swirl into a sphere in Naruto's left palm.
"It's going to be a long night." Naruto thought as he mentally ordered a few of the clones he had already created to set of a barrier that would obstruct sensory abilities.
Timeskip – that morning
Rin was not worried when one of the clones of her Servant told her that Assassin was outside meditating. Why should she be? Given that both her and Illya were clearly being kept protected by the clones and he himself was nearby, why should she worry about?
Hence why, upon leaving the house and nearing him, she dropped to her knees and gagged, throwing up the breakfast she had just eaten upon unknowingly passing the boundary of the barrier the clones still maintained.
"N-Naruto… wh-what is that?" Rin asked, staring in horror at the gigantic sphere of swirling darkness that her servant held in the palm of the left hand he had raised above his head. The thing was several times larger then her house and whatever it was that had prevented her from feeling it until she got close was likely the only thing keeping the whole Fuyuki City from seeing it.
"This, Rin, is a large portion of Gaia's hatred for humanity." Naruto sighed tiredly, a sad smile on his lips. "You see, as a Sage I have the ability to draw on the world's natural energy, the mana as it's called these says, to empower myself. But with it comes the will of the world, which in this case is a hatred for the humans that are destroying the planet." He explained.
"How… how can you stand it?" Rin whispered.
"I was exposed to a lot of hatred from the moment I was born, and it only got worse later on. But, I managed to overcome it and thanks to my legend that states that I have overcome the hatred of the whole world – which was actually due to me being the catalyst of bringing peace after a millennium of continuous conflict – I can do it now as well, despite this hated being much, much worse then anything I had to put up with in the past."
"I see…" Rin muttered. "What are you going to do with that?"
In response, Naruto smirked as his Rinnegan activated again before closing his right eye as he focused his left on the giant sphere of spiraling hatred. A pinprick of light appeared within the black sphere and, slowly but surely, the sphere of hated shrunk and was eventually fully sucked into what was revealed to be a small golden portal that closed once its job was done.
"Where did you send it?" Rin inquired curiously.
"To the Reverse Side of the World." Naruto replied. "No humans live here, and the creatures there will be unbothered by hatred focused on humanity as it won't affect them in the lightest." He got up and stretched. "And, to think that was just about a quarter of Gaia's hatred for humans. The next three nights are going to suck." He concluded with a groan.
"You're going to do it again?" Rin asked, surprised.
"Until it's all gone, yeah." Naruto confirmed. "This is not my time, so it would not feel right to make any tangible changes… but lightening the weight on humanity's shoulders is something I feel I can do at least."
"I see… you know, you never told me what your wish for the Grail is." Rin realized.
"I want another chance at life. Back in my day, I had the odds stacked against me and people out for my blood since before I was even born. I worked my ass off, day in and day out, to not only survive but also save the world and bring peace. And, in the end, I apparently managed it… but I never got to enjoy any of it, did I? I went out with a bang." Naruto chuckled bitterly.
"So, you want to be incarnated? Or to change the past?" Rin asked.
"Neither." Naruto shook his head. "What's done is done, I won't spit on my own achievements and the sacrifices I and my friends made to reach them. Nor would living in this era feel right. I could fit in, I know I could do so easily, but I don't want to. No, what I want was to be reincarnated in my time period as an Uzumaki Naruto in a world parallel to my own while maintaining my current power and knowledge and still be able to grow beyond that if I train enough. Preferably in a world where I would have an easier time actually living." He added as an afterthought before shrugging. "It's a selfish wish, I know. I could wish to cure hunger or for world peace, but having already achieved the later I know its value and won't cheapen it through a wish. If the humans of this era want peace and prosperity, they'll have to earn it." he said firmly. "Taking Gaia off their backs, at least for a while, is enough help already."
"Wait, when you said 'take Gaia off their backs'…" Rin's eyes widened and proceeded to cast a spell, gasping at the resulting fireball. "The rejection of magecraft has been reduced! If you keep this up, magecraft will be as strong as in the Age of the Gods!"
"That so?" Naruto smirked. "You're welcome, then. Now, if you excuse me, I need to take a shower after a whole night of community service. I feel dirty. My clones can guard you safely to school, and I'll catch up soon anyway."
"Right, it's getting late!" Rin realized upon checking her watch and getting back to her feet, dusting herself off. "And Naruto. Thank you for this, I really mean it." Rin smiled.
"My pleasure." Naruto waved over his shoulder.
After his quick shower, however, Naruto did not go to school. He had sensed it, when he was submerged enough in Sage Mode and after the natural energy around Fuyuki and its surroundings had been purified. The same pure evil he had sensed within Kotomine Kirei and to a lesser extent in Matou Sakura existed deep under Mount Enzou, exactly where the Greater Grail System had been inscribed. It was clear to him, now, why Emiya Kiritsugu had destroyed the Holy Grail he had sacrificed his wife to obtain: it had been corrupted, somehow.
Thus, Naruto had to act quickly, while he still could do something to fix the situation and certainly before the Grail materialized in its corrupted form. He had checked Illya's body and the Lesser Grail in her was not corrupted but it was connected to the Greater Grail that was. If enough Servants died, the taint could spill into her as well and corrupt her Lesser Grail also.
Thus, Naruto needed to act. He could not go under the mountain yet, not when he had no idea what he may encounter there, so he first had to gather information.
Matou Sakura was first on his list. True, she had the less taint among those contaminated, but that might just make it easier to discern what it was. And at the very least he could do something about it. Hence why, upon finishing helping out around the school's Archery Club before classes started for the day and having changed back into her school uniform, Sakura found a hand covering her mouth preventing her from screaming followed by a pinching sensation on her neck, and all she knew was darkness.
Naruto, meanwhile, prepared an examination area in the middle of Rin's living room, having had the clones clean up the mess from his summoning and fix the roof to the best of their abilities.
"What are you doing?" Illya asked, having woken up and been fed breakfast before being led to him by the clones keeping an eye on her.
"I'm preparing to examine a girl that is infected with the same thing that the Greater Grail is." Naruto said simply, drawing more and more seals on the floor.
"Infected? What do you mean?" Illya demanded.
"There is something evil in the Greater Grail under Mount Enzou. I felt it last night while using an ability of mine to sense the whole city. It's probably why your father destroyed the Grail in the last War, it infected it also." Naruto replied.
"A-Are you sure?" Illya asked.
"No. Which is why I'm investigating those also infected with it before I try to do something about the Greater Grail. I have never even imagined something so vile existing." Naruto shook his head with a grimace.
"So… who is this girl?" Illya asked, siting down on a nearby chair.
"Matou Sakura, the true Matou Master why summoned the Rider of this War. He stepbrother, Matou Shinji, is acting as the Master and giving Rider orders, but Sakura has the actual Command Spells. Only two, though, so she probably used one to make Rider obey that asshole Shinji." Naruto explained.
"You're… surprisingly forthcoming with information." Illya remarked surprised.
"That's because I have an offer for you, Illyasviel von Einzbern." Naruto smiled.
Half hour later, the kidnapper clone arrived carrying Sakura after discretely making its way there and set her down in the middle of the Fuinjutsu array Naruto had drawn on the floor.
"Let's see what we have here…" He activated his Rinnegan to gaze upon the unconscious girl.
A.N.: And the second one.
