Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the 'Tales of' series, the ones who do are Masashi Kishimoto and Namco Tales Studio. I also don't own any other anime, its characters, or abilities that might appear in this story except for any OC's that will appear. And so, without delay… Sit back, relax and enjoy the story.

People Talking – "I will complete my mission!"

People Thinking – ''Ludger is good, but Elle is the best! Elle Yeah!'

Spirits Talking – "This is my resolve as a Great Spirit"

Spirits Thinking – 'I'll never go back on my word.'

Skits – "All Hail Emperor Rollo"

Chapter 2

Road to Xian Du - Part 1

"Well this certainly is a surprise." Rowen said as he and the others sat around a large wooden table, all of them staring down at the large quantities of food that were spread over the table.

Morning had quickly arrived for the group as they were woken up by Verius and Aska under Naruto's orders as he wanted to speak with them before they left. The Great Spirit of Light had greatly enjoyed popping his head through the window of the men's bedroom to wake them up, especially when he heard the shout Jude let out when the human male opened his eyes to see Aska's face a few feet away from his own.

"I hope this is all to your liking, Lord Naruto hasn't prepared a meal for anyone else in a long time." Verius said as he looked at the group with what could be seen as a smile, which made some sense since the fox-like Spirit was not exactly an animal and could make facial movements like any Human. It was one of those mediocre talents that some Spirits possessed after choosing their preferred forms. "He is currently taking care of some business but he will be joining us momentarily."

"So Naruto was the one who cooked all of this?" Jude asked as he and the others looked down at the beautifully decorated plates in front of them. The medical student couldn't help but notice all of the different varieties of food that stretched from the traditional breakfasts that included eggs and pancakes to some more extravagant dishes that he had never even seen before, with a bowl of fruit and several drinks placed at the center of the table. "Where did he even get the ingredients for all of this?"

"Lord Naruto never has too much difficulty to getting what he needs, especially when it comes to cooking." Aska answered from his spot outside the door window located behind Jude and Alvin's seats at the table, the large bird's head moving close until it was hovering over the group's heads. "It has become one of his simple pleasures for as long as I can remember."

"Wow, I didn't know that Great Spirits could be chefs as well!" Leia called out in amazement as she looked at all the food in front of her, "This stuff looks just as good as anything my Dad would make!"

Milla stared down at the food for a few second before she picked up the fork situated next to the plate, stabbing it into the folded egg dish with red and green vegetables inside of it and was decorated in herbs. The others watched as she took a bite of the food before a smile grew on her face, the others took it as a sign to start eating and they were surprised at the incredible taste. While a few of them ate at a slightly faster pace than other, Leia and Alvin, everyone seemed to enjoy their meals with smiles on their faces.

"Oh wow, all this stuff is sooooo yummy~!" Teepo's shouted as Elize let out a happy hum after biting down on a powdered strawberry slice. "Elize and I can't remember the last time we had fruit this good."

"That's because of all the Mana flowing through this dimension, it makes all of the fruits and vegetable here grow healthier." Verius said as he watched everyone slowly start to finish their meals, "Gardening has been another one of Lord Naruto's pleasures."

That caught Rowen's interest as he looked up from his scrambled egg that had mabo curry mixed in. Something he hadn't seen done before in the many years he had enjoyed the curry dish, and the best part was that nothing was going into his beard. "Interesting, the more I learn about him the more surprised of how unlike you'd expect a Great Spirit of his caliber to be."

"Well it's not like we have a guide to how they usually act, most of what we have to go on are the stories passed down and our residential Lord of Spirits here." Alvin motioned a free hand towards Milla, who had been eating the most of the group. "Looks like her stomach is as bottomless as ever."

"Can you really blame her?" Jude pointed out as he lowered his utensil onto his empty plate, "According to Milla, it wasn't until she met us that she started to rely on human needs such as sleep and eating. You remember what happened at Aladhi Seahaven, right?" Alvin nodded his head as he recalled the woman collapsing from exhaustion and hunger, luckily there was an inn nearby so they were able to get some food into her before she fell asleep.

"I guess twenty years can really put a number on your appetite." Alvin replied with a shrug.

Milla soon came to a halt as she looked up from her meal, "If I had known eating was so amazing I would have partaken in it long ago."

"You've really never eaten before? Or even slept?" Leia asked bewildered at what the three had said regarding the long haired girl's past.

"But the adults in Hamil always said that Elize needed to eat healthy and get lots of sleep if she wanted to get bigger!" Teepo said while Elize nodded her head in agreement as she thought about all the times the elder had told her to eat her vegetables.

"That would be Sylph and Undine's doings, correct?" Several eyes turned to look at Verius, who was now in a seated position as he watched the group. "There is no doubt that possessing a human body and having to endure its weaknesses would get in the way of your mission, so having the Four's assistance until now was a great resource for you."

Milla nodded her head in response, "Exactly. But as I stated earlier, I've learned how enjoyable eating can be."

"… Hmph, I suppose I can agree with you on that." Aska spoke up surprising the group of humans as they turned to the large aviary Spirit, who tilted his head when he noticed all the stares he was getting. "What's with those looks? Spirits may not NEED to eat but that doesn't mean we can't, I enjoy eating Lord Naruto's Golden Salmon dish."

"Soooo, Great Spirits can eat just like us? Does this mean you guys are all bottomless pits too?" Alvin joked with a grin as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Only when it comes to our favorite meals." Everyone turned their heads to see Naruto standing at the doorway with Shadow floating behind him. Almost immediately everyone took notice to the change in the Great Spirit of Mana's wardrobe, replacing his robe and toga with a black form-fitting shirt with silver lines designs spreading over the front and baggy black hakama pants that narrowed and tucked into what appeared to be a cross between boots and sandals that left his toes exposed, and black fingerless gloves with metal plates on the backhand. Over his attire was an orange, high-collared long sleeve trench coat with black stripes on the sleeves and six magatama markings around the collar that had lines circling around them and stretching to various spots on the coats back.

"Whoa, talk about a major change." Leia said while Elize and Teepo nodded their heads in agreement. While the others took in Naruto's new attire, it was thanks to their years of experience that Alvin and Rowen were able to take notice to the way Naruto presented himself as he walked passed them… it was the posture of a powerful warrior and someone who had lead many into battle.

Naruto only smiled as he made his way closer to the table and walked towards the remaining empty seat at the head of the table, seating himself down with his three Great Spirit companions positioning themselves behind him. Due to his size, Aska was the only one of the group who was forced to remain outside of the room, though he made sure to pop his head back in so he wouldn't miss anything. "I hope you all had a nice rest and have enjoyed your breakfast."

"It's amazing, and this almost feels as if I'm eating at an actual restaurant." Jude replied with a smile.

"I'm glad to hear it. I wasn't sure at first what you all would like so I made a bit of everything, though I had Verius here help me with what your preferences were." Naruto explained as he motioned to the multi-tailed Spirit next to him.

That made Milla raise an eyebrow as she studied the blonde man sitting three feet away from her, "If that is the case then why didn't you just have him tell you what our favorites were?"

"Looking into your personal likes and such is fine up to a certain point, but since we all had just met I figured that it would not be right for me to learn everything about you all too quickly. After all, we each have secrets or details about ourselves that we don't want coming to light… at least not yet…" Naruto's answer had earned him confused looks from his guests, though a certain mercenary couldn't help but feel nervous when he saw that Naruto's gaze focused on him for a few seconds before moving back to the entire group. "But anyway, I believe you all are planning your next move, right?"

"That's right. Milla's legs and mana lobe have been restored, so the first thing we need to do is get back to the clinic to make sure that everything checks out for her." Jude said as he glanced over at Milla, who was looking down at the empty tray of food in front of her with a thoughtful expression. "We don't want to head out later if something is wrong before heading out later today."

The multi-color haired blinked a few times at that before turning her head to look at Jude, "I don't recall saying that."

"I've gotten used to how you think." Jude replied with a slight grin.

"Heading out?" Leia questioned in surprise. "You're planning on leaving so soon?"

"Well Jude isn't wrong, now that my body has been healed I will need to continue on toward Fennmont." Milla stated making Naruto let out a hum as he closed his eyes.

Opening them once again, Naruto clenched one of his gloved hands tightly. "You are going to go after this new Spyrix device, this Lance of… Kresnik… Heh, that's a name I haven't heard in a long time. Glad to know its still remembered long after death."

"Wait... Are you saying that you knew Kresnik, the Genesis Sage?!" Jude exclaimed as he rose to his feet with the palm of his hands pressing hard on the table. "He existed thousands of years ago, one of the most important people in history."

"And yet… history has forgotten so much about what life was like during that time… Though I suppose it is expected given the circumstances," Naruto let out a chuckle as he reach out for one of the remaining fruit bowls and picked out a watermelon slice. "But I honesty thought that people would have kept one important detail about Kresnik."

"An important detail, you say?" Rowen repeated as he crossed his arms.

"I swear, how anyone could forget that human female is beyond me." Aska said to himself while turning his head to look away from the group.

Alvin blinked a few times before speaking, "Wait… Are you saying that the Genesis Sage… was a woman?"

"That's right… But I can tell you more about that later. Going back to our earlier part of the discussion, do you have any plans on how to get to Fennmont?" A few took notice to the slight pause Naruto made before he quickly changed the subject, the Great Spirits behind him were glancing at their lord briefly before returning to the conversation at hand. "Though it's been a while since I been on Rieze Maxia, I do believe the only ways to Fennmont is either by ship or through Fort Gandala."

"My, you are well informed." Rowen mused as he brought a hand to his beard, turning his gaze to Milla and Jude. "I believe our previous visit there didn't had left you both with the option of passing through it, not unless you plan to force your way through."

"I will do what I must."

Elize shook her head several times at Milla's response, "But it is filled with soldiers, not to mention those Golems."

"Remember Milla Maxwell that it was because you acted recklessly that left you in that wheelchair yesterday." Thanks to his ability Verius had complete knowledge of what had occurred during the group's time at the large fortress, as well as Milla's encounter with King Nactigal. "You need a proper plan to avoid needing medical attention again, especially since Lord Naruto is planning on going with you."

"…"

"Hmph, a mistake if you ask me. But I guess since I'll get to enjoy seeing Jude's cute face more it works out."

"Wait. Hold on. What do you mean going with her? Are you saying he's coming back with us to Rieze Maxia?" Leia called out in surprise which was mirrored by the others in the group. "But what about the World Tree, don't you have to stay here and watch over it?"

"This dimension we are in can only be accessed by myself and a select few that I have given permission to enter, not to mention the barrier surrounding it that is fueled by both the tree and my mana. The World Tree will be safe while I am gone for a short time," Naruto replied as he turned his attention back to Milla. "So do you have any problems with me joining your group?"

"It is no issue with me, you will be a great asset to making sure the Lance of Kresnik is destroyed. But if you don't mind me asking, why?" Milla's question was simple and yet contained a lot of emotions as she studied Naruto's form.

"… I guess you can say that I've decided to do something about this troublesome issue. You were right on how dangerous the Spyrix are and if this new weapon really did absorb the Element Four then it needs to be taken care of before it can be turned towards the rest of Rieze Maxia, most likely resulting in the deaths of both Humans and Spirits." Naruto explained as he narrowed his eyes at the thought, "I was one of the Primordial Spirits along with Maxwell when we appeared before this world, and like Maxwell I had sworn to protect both Human and Spirits from any threat."

The room went quiet for a while before Jude spoke up, "Well… Like Milla, I don't have any issues either. Any help you can give us would be appreciated Naruto."

"Two powerful Spirits accompanied by three of the Elemental Spirits, quite the party you've got honor student." Alvin smirked as he glanced over at Jude, "I don't think you'll have much to worry about whatever you go up against with that much power on your side."

"Though back to the manner at hand, how exactly do you plan on getting to Fennmont? It would be easy for Verius, Aska or I to teleport there and hide ourselves from detection thanks to our powers, but Lord Naruto is different." Shadow said before turning his head towards the blonde Great Spirit, who looked as though he was about to say something. "Lord Naruto, you may be able to conceal yourself even better than I ever could, but we both know that you won't leave these two by themselves."

"Very true, and going through Fort Gandala would be an issue since it would alert the Rashagal Army so going by foot is dangerous." Naruto noted before glancing up at Aska's head, "I would suggest that Milla Maxwell and Jude ride on Aska while I fly next to them."

Aska let out a scoff, "As much as I would love to have that cutie ride me all the way to Fennmont, the thought of the hussy isn't so appealing."

"Not to mention that he would be seen very quickly once you would get closer to Fennmont. Given Aska's large size and appearance, it would attract too much attention, and I don't mean any offense when I say this." Rowen added as he bowed his head at the Great Spirit of Light, who nodded his head as he understood what the Conductor was saying. "I would agree that traveling there by flight would be the best option, however without any access to such methods leaves you limited."

"Well there not many options that we can choose from, if only I still had the Four by my side. I could've used Sylph's wind to fly over to Fennmont undetected like I did before." Crossing her arms, Milla shook her head as she thought about the situation of her comrades being trapped in the giant Spyrix.

"… If they were still by your side then you all wouldn't be here. But maybe this is a sign that you were taking them for granted," Naruto commented making Milla turn her head to look at him. "I'm not saying that to point fingers or anything, it is only a comment. From what I've heard from Verius you haven't let this stop you from continuing on."

"Of course not, it is my duty to the world to help keep it safe. The moment I stop or have any hesitation is when I can no longer call myself the Lord of Spirits." Milla replied with a determined look on her face, "It is my responsibility as Maxwell."

"And you were very lucky to run into Alfred here to teach you swordsmanship." Verius added.

Alvin cleared his throat at those words, "I was just surprised on how quickly she managed to master it, kind of scary… And could you just call me Alvin, ya know."

"… Everyone has the potential to get stronger Alfred, it just depends on their will and the strength of their hearts."

Ignoring the sigh coming from the mercenary and Verius' amused chuckle, Naruto continued to speak. "You have gotten very strong on your own since being separated from the Four, and I agree with your mission completely. Like I said before I made a promise to protect both, and I refuse to let either suffer because of the stupid choices of idiots… That is why I've decided to go with you to destroy this device."

"I see, then you have my gratitude." Milla said with a nod of her head as a small smile grew on her face.

Rowen couldn't help but chuckle, "Seeing the two of you showing such determination make my old wounds act up, bringing up so many memories from the past."

"You are talking about the dying wish of Cline Sharil and your connection to Nachtigal, correct?" Verius spoke up making the old butler turn his head to look at him, "I've been sensing the conflict in your heart regarding the two. It has been troubling you ever since you went to Fort Gandala."

"I am not surprised that you are able to figure it out… Nachtigal is one of my oldest friends and Lord Cline's dying wish to save this country means that I would have to fight against him, which makes me wonder if I am even capable of doing so." Rowen bowed his head as he looked between Jude, Milla and Naruto, "But as you said Naruto, this is something that I cannot afford to turn a blind eye too anymore… even so, I am at an impasse."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Then what if you come with us and decide for yourself when we get there." Milla said to Rowen, who was now confused. Taking that as a sign for her to continue, Milla crossed her arms. "I understand that you are confused on the issue, but time of the essence and hesitation can be a common Human failing until you decide to face it."

Naruto let out a sigh and shook his head several times at Milla's words, "While I wouldn't put it so bluntly but I do agree with her that hesitation is something that needs to be overcome." The blonde Great Spirit smiled warmly as he closed his eyes in thought, "Though I do know that Humans can do anything they set their minds to, so the only thing you need to do right now Rowen is continue to move towards the future."

"Continue to move towards the future." Rowen repeated before he let out a chuckle, "I must admit that you both are correct. Worrying and having doubts only waste the remaining time this old man has left in him."

"So does this mean…?"

Rowen nodded his head at Jude's question with a faint smile, "Yes. Please allow me to accompany you three."

"And don't forget about me." Alvin called out making everyone's heads turn to the brunette, who was rubbing the back of his head as he looked away. "My last job didn't pan out as well as I thought it would after departing from your group, not to mention I still have some money left from last time that I didn't work off. So you lot are pretty much stuck with me."

"You're coming with us?!" Jude blinked in surprised as he stared at the man, who he remembered said he didn't want anything to do with protecting a client who didn't care about their safety.

"Of course, it'll be just like old times."

Elize looked around at Rowen and the rest of her friends that were going to Fennmont. It didn't take a second to pass before she spoke up as well, "I'll come too!"

"Sorry Elize, but you should head back to Sharilton to Driselle. She'll be worried if neither you nor Rowen returned at all." Jude replied as he gently tried to turn down Elize's request, knowing the journey would probably be too dangerous for the young girl.

"But, I…" Elize didn't finish her sentence as she looked down at her empty plate on the table with a crestfallen expression, everyone focusing so much of their attention on her that they didn't notice the brief shine in Naruto's eyes as he stared at the girl.

"Actually Miss Elize, I need you to deliver a message to the young mistress for me. Tell her that-"

"You're going to come with us as well." Naruto interrupted making Elize and Rowen's heads turn to see Naruto had gotten out of his seat and was moving towards them until he was standing behind Elize's chair. "From what I can sense, you've got a lot of Mana in you despite being so young. Not to mention you know how to use it as well."

"I can keep an eye out for her too, so there no harm there," Alvin added as he crossed his arms with a smirk.

"Looks like you're stuck with us, butler!" Teepo shouted as he chomped onto Rowen's head, to which the old man tried to pull the stretchy, stuffed toy off in vain.

Jude couldn't help but smile at the scene, happy that for once the floating toy was not chomping on his head, before he turned back to Elize and the Great Spirit of Mana. "Are you sure it is a good idea? I don't want Elize to be put in anymore danger."

"Don't worry Jude. I will personally make sure that nothing bad happens to Elize on our journey, and I always keep my promises." Naruto replied as he reached down as gently rubbed the top of the girl's head making her giggle at the warm feeling coursing through her body just like the night before. "Now then, I think we should all return to Leronde. I imagine that your families must be worried about you and Leia."

"Good point, my mom and dad must be freaking out." Leia replied with a nervous tone as she thought about what her mother might do to her for disappearing so suddenly. Though that quickly died down as she had another thought going through her mind. Once they returned to Leronde, Jude would be leaving soon after to go on his journey with his friends… while leaving her behind.

As everyone watched Rowen continue to try and remove Teepo from his face, Verius quickly took notice to the shift in Leia's heart and turned to look at the now quiet girl. "Hmm…"

(Leronde)

For a few seconds nothing seemed out of the ordinary as Ellen finished looking around the room for any clues as to what happened to her son and the other people that had the room as well before they had disappeared. The room that Milla had been recovering in only had one exit besides the window, though she seriously doubted that an honest boy like Jude would risk his friend's safety to go out that way, and none of the patients waiting at the desk yesterday had seen them leave. Naturally she began to worry when Jude didn't return for several hours and when she had gone to see Erin and Warrick, Leia's mother and father, but neither had seen Leia or Jude. Last thing Ellen saw as she was leaving the lodge, Warrick was being chased down by Erin with a broom waving in her hands… to think, that was an everyday occurrence for her. Opening the door to Derrick's office, the black-haired woman was taken out of her thoughts as a bright flash of light enveloped her husband's office, making her cover her eyes, before it quickly died down allowing her to lower her arm.

Ellen was shocked to see Jude and his friends standing at the center of the room, perfectly fine. Relief overtook the woman as she ran towards her son, "Jude!"

"Mom?" Jude blinked as he felt his mother wrapped her arms around him and hug him tightly.

"Are you alright?" Ellen quickly asked as she moved Jude back a few inches to get a proper look at him, "Is anything broken or bleeding? Where on earth did you go? We were so worried."

"I'm sorry Mom." The black-haired teen replied as his gaze diverted to the others for a second as he noticed Naruto was standing in the back with Milla, the latter being held up by both Naruto and Leia. "To be honest, it happened so fa-"

"Jude!" Derrick's voice called out into the room as the man ran inside towards his son with a deep frown, his wife moving out of the way to avoid collision. Jude was so surprised by his father's sudden appearance that he didn't notice Derrick's incoming hand until it came to a stop an inch from his face.

"I think that's a little much, don't you?" Alvin said calmly as he held Derrick's arm from hitting Jude, normally he wouldn't have interfered since he figured the man had been worried about his son. But on the other hand, it wasn't Jude's fault that they were teleported away so quickly. "Especially since what happened wasn't his fault, so why don't we all calm down."

Derrick turned his gaze to the owner of the hand that was holding his arm, only for his eyes to widen as they met Alvin's. "What're you doing here?"

"I traveled around with your son for a while and came to visit. Isn't that right, honor student?" Alvin said while letting go of Derrick's arm, turning his head towards Jude to flash him a grin. Derrick went silent as he lowered his arm to study the brunette before looking back at his son.

Jude nodded his head to confirm the mercenary's words, "Yeah. We're old traveling buddies, though it looks like that might change soon."

"… So where have you all been? Disappearing off with a patient is such a condition…" Derrick questioned angrily as he stared down at his son, who averted his gaze away from his father's as soon as he started speaking. "Do you have any idea-"

"Please don't be angry with him Derrick," Naruto spoke up as he made himself known within the small group. "It was Verius that took them away so suddenly."

The older Mathis turned his head to the voice that spoke up and took a step back with his eyes widened, "Lord Naruto!"

A few surprised looks appeared on several faces as they looked between the two for a few moments before Jude finally spoke up, "Wait a minute Dad, you know who Naruto is?"

"Of course I do, I didn't have his book in my studies for nothing." Derrick replied as he regained his composure and placed his hands behind his back, "But to think Verius would actually bring you all to him."

"Heh, is it any different from when you and I met." Naruto laughed as he placed a hand on his hip, "I still remember a certain someone that was so overwhelmed by Shadow and Aska's presence that he could barely get a sentence out in the beginning."

Jude and the others were surprised at that as Derrick let out a heavy sigh while next to him, Ellen was laughing softly into her hand. "Please don't bring up such an embarrassing moment. That was a long time ago."

"Cleary," Naruto chuckled before shifting his attention to the Mathis matriarch. "It's been a long time Ellen, glad to see the years have been good to you."

"Thank you Lord Naruto, but honestly I am jealous of you Spirits. You look exactly the same as you did almost eighteen years ago." Ellen smiled as she bowed her head, "It is wonderful to see you again though, and I have never forgotten what you did for me and Derrick all those years ago."

"The fact that the both of you have had a wonderful and healthy life together and had a son to top it off is enough for me." Naruto said with a smile of his own as he and the two doctors looked back at everyone else, focusing on Milla as Leia helped her back onto the bed so she could sit down.

"I take it you managed to help that girl with her injuries?" Derrick commented already knowing the answer.

"Yes, I have restored her Mana Lobe and her legs. She is still recovering to get used to having both again, luckily Jude will be there to help me out with her recovery exercises." Naruto turned his head back to the two as they snapped their heads to give him their full attention. "My method of healing is much greater than anything the people of Rieze Maxia are capable of, as such her recovery time is shorter."

"Be that as it may, why did you mention my son?" Derrick questioned with a firm tone, showing that despite his actions he was still a protective father even when up against a Great Spirit on Naruto's level.

"This will take some time to explain, for now I think everyone should be getting ready for the journey ahead. Get any supplies and equipment you think you'll need, we'll be meeting up at the Seahaven in two hours." Naruto stated as he looked back at the others, who nodded their heads in agreement. Rowen and Elize followed Jude as they went outside with a surprisingly quiet Leia a few feet behind them, but just as Alvin was about to walk out the door Naruto called out to him. "Actually Alvin, I think we need to have a talk before anything else."

"Oh really, about what?" Alvin replied as he tried to feint innocence.

That didn't work as Naruto's gaze went cold as he stared at the mercenary, "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Derrick, can the four of us borrow your office? And by four, I mean the three of us and Milla."

"… Very well, Ellen can you take care of everything while we are in my office. This might take a while." Derrick said as he looked over at his wife, who nodded her head in understanding.

"Of course. Today is one of our slow days so I should be able to handle things very easily. If anything I can get Jude to help." Ellen nodded her head before walking out of the room, closing the door behind her as she left.

Sensing the tension building up in the room, Milla studied the three males in the room before speaking. "If you don't mind, I would like to know what you three are talking about."

"It's pretty simple Milla, I'd like to introduce you to Alfred Vint Svent, or Alvin as you know him as, and Derrick Mathis, members of Exodus and former residencies of Elympios." Naruto explained as he motioned towards both men, the younger of the two surprised at how quickly Naruto revealed his identity to Milla. The only female in the room was shocked as she stared at Alvin and Derrick with wide eyes and an open mouth. "Well, to be more precise, Derrick is a former member."

"… So I take it you've been spying on me this whole time for Exodus then?" Milla questioned Alvin as she recomposed herself quickly and narrowed her eyes, her body tensing itself to prepare for a possible fight.

"Wait, wait. Hold on now!" Alvin called out as he waved his hands in front of him, "It's true that I do work for them but it's not by choice."

"Then start talking, before my blade runs you through." Milla threatened as she unsheathed her sword and pointed it at Alvin, who pulled out his gun and mirrored Milla's actions.

"Well, this certainly wasn't how I wanted things to go today." Alvin commented in a serious tone.

"I'm sure it's not." Derrick commented as he walked passed the two and secured the lock on the door, "I've been doing my best to stay out of your squabble for almost eighteen years and I intend to keep it that way. So I'd appreciate it if we can all avoid fighting in my office thank you very much."

"Don't worry Derrick, we're only here to talk." Naruto said as he raised his hands in both Milla and Alvin's directions, and to their shock two of the black balls hovering behind Naruto's back instantly appeared next to their raised arms and smacked the weapons out of their hands. "There's a reason I brought the four of us in here to talk, so no violence is allowed until we're done."

"Alright, I know when I've been dealt a bad hand." Alvin said a few seconds later as he held his hands up in a surrendering position. "So what exactly did you want to talk about?"

"I only want to talk about two things. The first is you current and future involvement with Exodus," Naruto held up a hand with his index finger being the only one pointing out before it was joined by a second finger. "The second is something that I am sure you'll want to talk about, and depending on what is said after this will tie into the first subject."

"… And what would that be?" Alvin asked with a raised eyebrow.

Naruto waited a few seconds and took a breath before he spoke, "If I completely heal your mother and get rid of her illness, would you consider betraying Exodus to fight with us?"

NMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMM

"So we're going to take a ship to Auj Oule, huh? It's been a long time since I've gone there." Naruto commented as he stared at the ship from the top of the stairs leading to the docks. "I take it your planning on going to the Lakutam Seahaven and then head to Xian Du, right?"

"Hoho, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that you figured out what I had in mind." Rowen replied with a laugh as the group walked over to the station in front of the ships to retrieve their tickets. "I do believe it would be the ideal course of action for my plan to succeed."

"I suppose your right about that, it would be the best choice to sneak into Fennmont territory unnoticed." Moving his hands behind his head, Naruto let out a hum as he looked off onto the ocean.

"Any idea what they're talking about?" Jude whispered to Alvin as they watched Rowen and Naruto as the two conversed.

"You got me kid, I'm sure they'll let the rest of us in on their little plan once we're on the ship." Alvin replied with a shrug with a frown as he focused on Naruto's back.

Elize looked up at Milla to see that the older girl was moving her head back and forth as she seemed to scan the area surrounding the Leronde Seahaven, "Is something wrong Milla?"

"Hmm… I was trying to see if Leia was here. I wanted to thank her for everything before we departed," The buxom female replied as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Hopefully I will find the chance to thank her later down the road."

"I'm sure you'll get the chance, you're buddies now after all!" Teepo exclaimed with a smile as he wiggled back and forth in front of Elize.

Milla nodded her head with a smile, "I suppose you're right."

"Is everyone ready?" Naruto spoke up getting everyone's attention, "We all know the majority of Rowen's plan is taking place in Auj Oule, and from what Verius has informed me regarding your previous journey you all have past experiences there in some way or another. I hope you all know what to expect, especially the few of you originally live there."

"… We've all come this far, it's not like we can turn back now." Jude was the first one to speak before he glanced over at Alvin, "Though I'm sure you have your own plans."

"Ouch kid, you really know where to make it hurt." Alvin replied mockingly as he placed a hand over his chest, "I didn't think a good kid like you had thorns, maybe I'm more of an influence on you than I thought."

"I certainly hope not." A few heads turned to see Derrick was walking up to the group with a small bag in his hands, Jude averted his gaze away as his father stopped in front of him. Staring at Alvin for a few seconds, Derrick reached into his coat with his free hand and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a wanted poster with a crude drawing of Jude on it. "From what I've seen already, you've already gotten in some trouble. Care to explain, Jude?"

"Not really, it's nothing for you to be worrying about." Jude answered quickly as he lifted his gaze from the floor, "And I've already made up my mind Dad, I'm going with them."

Derrick's frown grew as he stared at his son, "You don't even know what that Milla girl really is… But it doesn't matter what I'll say since you would leave anyway." The doctor lifted up the hand holding the sack up to Jude, "In here is a good supply of medicine, with your current knowledge you should be able to at least be able to use it for minor issues."

Jude looked at the bag in surprise as he slowly took it from his father, staring at the back in his hands before looking up. "… Dad."

"Remember this Jude, part of becoming an adult is taking responsibility for your actions." Derrick said as he moved his hands behind his back, "Now that you've decided the path you want to walk down, follow it through to the end."

"… Right… Goodbye." Jude nodded his head at his parents before he turned around and started to make his way towards the ship, Elize and Teepo following after him silently.

"Such a heartwarming farewell." Alvin commented with a shrug before following after the three. Rowen bowed his head at the Mathis parents before also heading onto the ship, leaving Milla and Naruto as the last ones to remain behind.

"Don't worry, you're doing the right thing." Milla said to Derrick and turned her attention towards Naruto, "Will you be alright going on the ship? Most Spirits aren't too keen on being confined to an area for so long."

"I'll be fine. It's not the first time I rode on a ship." Looking back at Derrick and Ellen, Naruto smiled at the two and patted his fist against his chest. "Jude will be just fine, I'll make sure he returns here safe and sound."

"Thank you Lord Naruto." Ellen replied while bowing her head at the Great Spirit, Derrick only nodded his head as he watched the two humanoid Spirits walked passed the gate and took the stairs leading towards the ship.

Once the two had reached the entrance of the ship, they noticed Jude was standing at the rail staring down at his parents in the distance. The ship's horn blew as it signaled for its departure and soon left the port, leaving the group to watch as Leronde slowly started to become a fuzzy inage in the distance.

Skit: Heading Out to Sea

Alvin: You okay, kid? Leaving your home like that can't be easy, especially after being there for less than a month.

Jude (Nodding his head): I'm fine, it's not like this is the first time I left Leronde.

Rowen (Looking to the side with a serious expression): True, but even season veterans can still get that uneasy feeling from leaving their loved ones behind. You do not have to keep a strong front for our sakes.

Naruto (Placing hands behind head): It's not good to bottle things up too much, trust me when I say that.

Jude (Smiling lightly before he looks away): Don't worry about me you guys. I'm fine, honestly.

Teepo: Everything will be alright. Cause Jude's got his buddies to help him out.

Elize (Making tiny fists in front of her determined face): That's right. All of us are here for you if you need to talk about it.

Jude (Blinking in surprise): Everyone… Thanks.

Mila (Going into a thinking pose): There was a book that I recall reading once about this sort of situation, it was called "Leaving the Bird's Nest". I never really understood it but I remember it saying that it was a big moment in one's life.

Naruto (Sweat-dropping): Isn't that the romance novel about a girl falling in love with the leader of a foreign nation.

Rowen (Chuckling): Yes, now that you mention it I do think I recall Lady Driselle reading that book once. I'm am surprised you know about it Lord Naruto.

Naruto (Shrugging his shoulders): Of course I would know about it, I helped the person write it.

Elize (Moving closer to Naruto with Teepo): Wow, really? That's amazing.

Naruto: Not really. Believe it or not, I've help hundreds of writers with their works whether it involved

Jude (Leaning closer to Milla and the others): I had no idea that Naruto was such a big influence on humanity. But I guess seeing the book about him in my dad's archives is only proof of his abilities.

Milla (Cocking head to the side): Humans certainly like to record all sorts of information, and even I was impressed on the types of books that your father had.

Rowen (Placing hand on his chin): Oh? I had no idea that you were such a book lover Lady Milla.

Milla: It's been my way of learning more about the world. Despite what humans believe, even Great Spirits such as myself and Naruto are not omniscient beings. It is an idea that humans had created due their own imperfections and desire for power, sacrificing lives to hold onto the ridiculous idea of such a being.

Alvin: Wow, you sure don't beat around the bush… But I suppose there is some truth to that.

Milla (Looking away): At least, that's what I've read in a book.

Jude, Alvin and Rowen all sweatdrop at her statement

Milla (With a disappointed look): I didn't manage to read most of the books, but I did see something that caught my interest. It was a handwritten book that had the title, "Jude Mathis: Developmental Diary."

Jude (Shocked with mouth open): Wait, WHAT?!

Milla (Not noticing Jude's expression): Jude's mother called me for dinner before I had a chance to look at it, but I do remember that it was placed in a weird spot.

Alvin (Smirking widely): Oh really~?

Milla: Yes, it was place right next to "Bedwetting: Causes and-

Jude (Quickly interrupting): I-I think that's enough talking about Leronde, we've got to get ready for when we arrive in Auj Oule!

Milla, Naruto, Elize and Teepo (Who turned their heads at his outburst) stared at an embarrassed Jude with question marks above their heads while Rowen and Alvin only laughed to themselves.

(On Route to Lakutam Seahaven)

"It's been a long time since I've ridden on of these things." Naruto commented as he leaned back on the ship's railing, his eyes closed as he took in the sea air, "Sometimes it's nice and take things at an even pace. Makes you enjoy the little things in life."

"I'm with ya on that one." Alvin said with a small grin as he copied Naruto's movements and propped his arms on the railing. "Gotta have a little fun from time to time, remember that Mr. honor student."

"I can understand you being a go with the flow kind of guy Alvin, but it's kind of weird seeing a Great Spirit seem so… mellow?" Scratching his cheek, Jude looked back and forth between Naruto and Alvin.

"Believe me, being a Great Spirit is awesome and all but it can be a pain when people make assumptions about us because of our powers. We still have our own personalities and characteristics that make us unique. Though I'm sure you already found that out from meeting Milla and getting 'acquainted' with Aska." Naruto couldn't help but chuckle as he watched the black-haired teen's body shiver at the mention of the Great Spirit of Light.

Rowen let out a chuckle as he moved his hands behind his back, "Though I am sure you are more than capable of taking care of yourself if you're on the same level as the Lord of Spirits and the other Primordial Spirits."

"You don't have to worry about me at all." Naruto replied as he held out a hand and one of the black spheres hovering behind his back moved near the palm and took the shape of a long black staff as Naruto grabbed it. The black staff in his hand shifted forms again to resemble a sword, and then a giant hammer before Naruto finally released it to let it hover in the air in front of him, taking several different shapes until it returned to its default sphere form and returned to its place in the circular formation. "My orbs are powerful on their own and can take whatever form I want, not to mention I can control them with no issue at all."

"Seems like we've got a really strong ally this time around." Jude said as he studied the floating orbs, finally getting over the uncomfortable feeling he got from thinking about Aska.

"I'm just happy that we're all together again." Elize said with a smile as she held Teepo close to her chest.

"Got that right, and I'll be here to watch over Miss Elize during our travels no matter where we end up." Alvin said before turning his head to the side to look at the youngest member of the group, "Though… that little spud there… isn't exactly part of the bargain."

Teepo seemed to freeze up in Elize's arms before his head drooped down, "That is so mean Little Buddy."

"Don't call me that." Alvin replied quickly, making Elize look between her two friends for a few seconds before letting out a giggle.

"So then, Rowen. I think it's time you informed us on what this plan of yours is exactly." Milla said as she focused her attention on Rowen, interested in the plan that the old butler had come up with, "I know that whatever plan you've come up with is a good one, and it seems Naruto has already figured it out. So please share it with the rest of us."

"Very well," Rowen replied as he closed his eyes to think about his plan. "After everything that we had gone through at Fort Gandala the first time, it would be sufficient to say that trying to force our way through it now would be nothing sort of a suicide mission."

"That's putting it bluntly." Alvin commented with a shrug of his shoulders and a shake of his head. "Especially after what I saw as we were escaping from that place."

Rowen nodded his head, turning his attention back towards Milla. "Indeed. While Master Jude and Miss Elize were taking care of your injuries in the carriage, both Alvin and I had seen the fortress' security golems activating just as we made our escape."

"And those are?" Milla questioned with a cock of her head.

"Weapons made by Humans using Earth Spirits." Elize quickly answered making a few heads turn to look at her.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he looked away, "I've heard of those things. Annoying bastards that are pretty tough for anyone to defeat. If I remember correctly, they were made to be very durable too, so it would take a large number of fighter to take them down."

"An entire division of soldiers to be more precise, and that would only be if the division had come up with a brilliant strategy that was sure to succeed." Rowen added with a shake of his head, "But that brings me to what I have in mind. Since the path through Fort Gandala is closed and we are unable to use the sea route to get to Fennmont, then that leaves us with one option."

"…?! You're suggesting that we cross over to Fennmont by foot using the lands that connect it to Auj Oule!" Jude deduced.

"We'd definitely be getting our exercise in with that kind of hike, but what about the Fezebel Marsh?" Alvin pointed out making Jude nod his head in understanding while Elize, Teepo and Milla had looks of confusion on their faces.

"It's a swamp that is north of Fennmont, so large that it actually connects to both Tulea Tundra and Silea Tundra. To areas of Auj Oule that are just outside of Kanbalar, where the king of Auj Oule lives." Naruto explained before his head perked up and his gaze turned to the side where a crewman was walking to a large barrel. "Hmm…?"

"They say it's supposed to be the natural equivalent of Fort Gandala when it comes to fortification." Jude continued Naruto explanation to the girls, no one noticing as Naruto silently started to walk away from the group. "Of course, because of the severe spirit clime of that area, the marsh is said to be impossible to cross on foot."

"Most of the time that is true, but thanks to the interseasonal winds…"

Thanks to the added distance between them, Naruto was barely paying attention to Rowen's voice as he made his way closer to the barrel and managed to stop the crewman from lifting the lid. The blond spirit dismissed the man's confused expression and turned his attention back to the barrel in front of him, placing a hand on the lid… There was no doubt about it, Naruto could sense that someone was inside. Opening the lid up himself, Naruto glanced inside and blink… and again.

"… Huh, I wonder how she is comfortable enough to sleep in there." Naruto wondered out loud making the man next to him curious before he copied the Great Spirit's actions and looked inside, but unlike Naruto's calm reaction the man was a bit more vocal.

"Ah, aaaah!?"

The others members of the group turned their heads to follow the surprised yell and saw Naruto a few yards away staring into a barrel while the crewmember next to him had a surprised look. Jude was the first to react as he and Alvin got closer to the man. "What's wrong?"

"Th-There's a person in there."

Naruto turned to the group with a bored look and motioned for them to look inside, which Jude and Alvin had no problem doing… though what they found made Alvin raise an eyebrow while Jude gained a look of both amusement and annoyance. Inside the barrel was Leia, who was soundly asleep while in a sitting position.

"Isn't this that friend of yours from Leronde?" Alvin questioned as he glanced at Jude for a second before returning it back down towards the sleeping female brunette.

"Heh heh…" Jude let out a dull laugh as he looked away awkwardly, "Yeah, a real barrel of fun."

"… That pun was awful." Naruto commented as he looked at the two next to him, "Should we wake her up?"

It took them a while to wake Leia up after getting her out of the barrel, mostly because she was a heavy sleeper… and she kept hitting Jude when he tried to wake her up. After a few more attempts they managed to wake her up. Currently the girl was rubbing her head sheepishly as she glanced at an annoyed Jude, who had a bruise on his cheek, and the rest of the group standing in front of her. The headband wearing brunette then let out a soft yawn which seemed to only make Jude release an sigh as he watched the girl continue to sway side to side like she did whenever she had gotten caught by her parents after causing trouble.

"Ahahaha… Sorry, I got so bored waiting that I guess I musta fallen asleep." Leia said with an embarrassed laugh,

"Good, then you'll be well rested for the return trip home. Because that's where you're going after this ship hits land." Jude replied as he gave the girl a hard stare.

"Return trip, not a chance! I'm coming with you guys."

"This isn't a game Leia."

"I know that."

"Things are going to get really dangerous and you can get really hurt."

"And so could you."

"But I've got more experience with this sort of thing."

Naruto, Milla and the others were in complete harmony as their heads moved back and forth between Jude and Leia whenever the other spoke, it was like watching an old married couple argue with each other. But it was quickly broken as Leia focused her attention on Milla and made her way towards the older female of the group.

"It's okay, right, Naruto, Milla?" Leia asked as she came to a stop in front of the girl. "I can come along with you guys?"

Naruto nodded his head as he placed a hand on his hip. "Sure, I don't see why not."

"Hmm, perhaps… But why would you want to?" Milla replied with her own question as she crossed her arms and placed a hand under her chin.

"Wait, seriously?" Jude blinked in surprise as he looked at the two Great Spirits, or former Spirit in Milla's case.

"Your strength and determination really inspired me back at the clinic, both when we first met and then when we were transported to Naruto's home. I honestly thought that you were someone who could do anything she put her mind to and I wanted be just like you!" Leia explained as she intertwined her fingers together over her chest.

"Hmm."

"So you want to change yourself, huh?" Naruto said as he crossed his arms.

"That's right, so what do you say Milla?" Leia questioned as she mirrored Naruto's actions and stared at Milla with a determined gaze.

But it didn't seem to faze Milla as she kept a cool expression as she looked as if she was expecting Leia to say more, "Is that the only reason?"

"To be honest I thought you might say something like that. Which is why I decided to do this," Leia reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper before handing it to Milla, who opened it up to read it. "That piece of paper has all the kinds of reasons that I thought of why I should go with you guys."

"You really wrote down your reasons?"

"Yup, over a hundred to be exact!" Leia replied with a wink as she turned towards her childhood friend, but turned her head to see Naruto was about to glance over Milla's shoulder and got in between them. "Sorry Naruto, but that is for Milla's eyes only."

"Uh, sure." Naruto raised an eyebrow at the now nervous girl's expression as she glanced at the piece of paper in the Lord of Spirits' hand. While he was curious about what reasons Leia had written down, Naruto was sure he would find out later from either Milla or Verius if he wanted… what, having the Great Spirit of Heart as a loyal servant/companion made it hard to keep things from him, not to mention he had empathic capabilities of his own so he already knew that it had something to do with Jude based on the powerful emotions she was feeling for him.

After a few seconds, Milla lowered the paper down as let out a laugh. "Hehe, very well. You can come with us. I like you. You're so very… human."

"… You've got to be kidding." Jude's form began to slouch greatly as he let out a heavy sigh.

"Look at it this way…" Naruto started as Leia made her way in front of the group, "With her experience as a nurse, Leia can provide medical support if you and I are too busy with fighting."

"I suppose…"

Coming to a stop in front of everyone, Leia spun around on her feet and raised a hand high above her head. "Okay then, now that it's all official. I am happy to be joining you guys. Thanks for having me!" Despite getting various different looks from the group, Leia only smiled brightly as she cocked her head to the side.

(A Little While Later)

Time had passed by quickly and the group went to various points of the ship as they waited for the vessel to reach Lakutam Seahave. Elize and Teepo were with Alvin, talking about something involving Alvin's past jobs. Milla was currently undergoing one of the exercises that Naruto and Derrick had recommended for her after the former had healed her legs, luckily Leia and Jude were there to keep an eye on her and help out when she needed it. Naruto was current leaned over the railing located at the rear of the ship, enjoying the sight of the vast ocean surrounding the ship.

"So this is where you went Lord Naruto." Rowen voice spoke up behind him.

Despite the arrival of the old butler, Naruto kept his gaze focused on the blue waters ahead of him as he spoke. "Is something wrong Rowen?"

"It is nothing really, I was just curious on how you were adjusting to being back on Rieze Maxia after so long." Rowen replied as he moved closer to the blonde man until he stood next to him, joining Naruto in simply staring out at the ocean.

"Actually I do have prior experience with Rieze Maxia before now, not as I would hope but it has still been enough to keep an eye on this world." Naruto closed his eyes as he felt a small smile grow on his face, "I did put a lot of work into it after all."

"I see, so does this mean that the old legends of the World Tree are true? That it bequeathed Humans the ability to use Mana by forming the Mana Lobes?" Twisting his neck slightly, Rowen watched as Naruto let out a soft laugh as he shook his head.

"Hehe, in a way I suppose that legend is true. There was once a powerful tree that had bestowed a woman with unimaginable power, and it was through her children that that power became accessible for anyone who desired it. In fact, that very power continues to this very day though it is different now. In the several millennia that have passed it has mutated and changed into the Mana that you Humans are using every day." Naruto explained as he opened his eyes, "But going back to that tree from your books, it is very different from the one that you saw earlier."

"So you are saying that the original tree from the legends is-"

Naruto nodded his head as he listened to Rowen's deduction, "Long since been removed from this world. Unlike the World Tree that I had created from the remnants of the original, the Shinju was a dangerous entity that was killing the world. It was after I had destroyed the first one that I had come to realize the importance that the tree brought."

"Importance of the Shinju?" Rowen inquired.

"While it wasn't evident at first, the tree was connected to every living thing on the planet." Naruto held out a hand and created a small orange ball made up of Mana, "By destroying the Shinju I messed with the balance of both the physical and spirit world. So in order to maintain the balance connected myself to it in order to help the world survive."

"That is truly a heavy burden you had placed on your shoulders, even for a Great Spirit such as yourself." Rowen said as he bowed his head in the blonde man's direction, "It may not seem like much, but you've more than earned this old geezer's respect."

"Don't think too lightly of yourself Rowen, from what I have seen and heard through Verius, you are a very good example of why I believe in humanity so much." Dismissing the ball of Mana in his hand, Naruto flashed the Conductor a smile, "Human have the ability to grow, to adapt, to love, to bond, and so much more."

"Hmm, unfortunately I don't think I fall under any of those categories." Rowen replied as he looked towards the ground with an ashamed expression on his face.

"That's where you're wrong." Rowen looked over at Naruto in shock, "I have seen you at your best when you were with Cline and Driselle, as well as your time with Carrie before the incident twenty years ago. It is true that Human create more conflict than any other creature. If a soldier kills someone, someone else will try and kill them, and if they succeed then another will try to kill that person. In a world that have endured the cycles of Hatred, I know of one thing that has overcome it time and time again… Do you know what that is Rowen?"

Rowen let out a hum as he brought a hand up to stroke his beard. "… Such an answer would be difficult to have an immediately answer, but from my years as a soldier I do know of once such thing… Peace."

"Correct, when people can truly understand one another the hatred they feel vanishes and peace is created." Naruto replied before he looked up at the sky, "There was once a man long ago who believe that with his entire being. His land was plague with war, sacrifice and death, but that didn't stop him as he continued down his path for peace until his dying breath. It wasn't him though that achieved that peace, but his disciple who managed to bring everyone together and fight for a single purpose."

"Achieving peace when people can come to an understanding. At a first glance those words seem more like an impossible dream, but at the same time I can't help but believe that they could hold some truth to them as well." Rowen closed his eyes as an image of Nachtigal flashed through his mind, "Even so, I believe the chance for the two of us have long since passed."

"… You're talking about your friend Nachtigal, right?" Naruto questioned as he looked back down at Rowen, who remained silent instead of answering, but that silence was enough for Naruto. "… That disciple I was telling you about, he had a friend as well, and that friend was also lost in the darkness."

"Really?"

"That's right, his name was Sasuke Uchiha. He was a member of a powerful clan of ninjas that descended from one of the founders of their village. I won't go into too much detail for now, but when Sasuke was a boy, his family had planned a coup d'etat to take control of the village. But what they didn't know was that the village leaders had had their suspicions that something was wrong and planted a spy to watch the clan and report everything to them. That spy was one of the most gifted members of the Uchiha clan and one of the strongest ninjas of the village, he was also Sasuke's older brother, Itachi Uchiha." Rowen blinked in surprise after hearing that, "Despite his amazing and unequaled abilities, Itachi was a pacifist from being born during a time of war, so he instantly agreed to the leaders' requests. It was through Itachi that they had learned about the Uchiha's plans."

"Incredible, I can't even imagine what was going through his mind. Having to betray his family like that." Rowen said in disbelief.

A frown quickly formed on Naruto's face as he closed his eyes, "Itachi loved the village with all of his heart, and wanted to protect it from any dangers he could. When he had found out what his clan was planning to do, he reported it to his superiors and mentioned that the possibilities of the matter ending peacefully was impossible… but that's when he was faced with the worst outcome he could've ended up with. In order to protect his village and maintain the peace… Itachi… was ordered to kill every single member of his clan."

Rowen could help back but take a step back at this, his eyes widening greatly. "That is… no, I suppose that would make sense." The old man quickly regained his composure at that before shaking his head, "To prevent a civil war from breaking out, I suppose that was the only option they had left."

"That's right, and Itachi suffer while he was making his decision. But in the end he made his choice, he would murder his clan and become a criminal in order protect the village from the shadows. But this is where Sasuke comes in… If there was one thing that Itachi loved more than anything in the world, more than his parents, more than his friends and clansmen, even more than the woman he loved and the very village itself, that was his precious younger brother. So just before he carried out his mission, Itachi had gone to the village leader and beg him to spare Sasuke's life." Naruto turned his body around completely and leaded back on the railing, propping his arms on the post as he looked up at the sky. "His request was approved and Itachi went to work, not leaving a single member of the Uchiha Clan alive no matter who they were. It was his parents that were the very last to fall to his blade, and as soon as his task was finished, Sasuke had arrived to find everyone dead. Even as it was killing him inside, Itachi knew that Sasuke had no idea about the coup and continue to play the villain. It was his actions that night that sent Sasuke down the path of an avenger."

"Yes, I suppose that would make sense. It is a dark path indeed, one that Lady Driselle or I could have walked ourselves after Lord Cline's death."

"The darkness in Sasuke grew as his desire to grow strong enough to kill Itachi fueled him, so much so that Sasuke eventually left the village to join one of its greatest traitors in exchange for power. The disciple had done his best to try and prevent Sasuke from leaving, but Sasuke was set on cutting his bonds with everyone. The two of them fought, Sasuke held nothing back as he even tried to kill his friend, while the disciple did everything in his power to subdue Sasuke… Eventually the battle ended in Sasuke's favor and he left his defeated best friend on the battlefield." Naruto lowered his head down until he met Rowen's gaze, "Years passed and soon Sasuke was ready to kill Itachi, and he succeeded… But it was after that battle that Sasuke had learned the truth on what happened between Itachi, their clan and the village. The desire for revenge in Sasuke remained and now pointed itself at the village, angered by the sacrifice that his brother had went through for a village that branded him a traitor."

Rowen did nothing as he continued to listen to Naruto's story, "Such a troubled young man."

"He definitely was, and when his old friend had found out about some of the horrible actions Sasuke had committed in his desire for revenge, he couldn't believe it. He thought that Sasuke would've returned to the village with his brother dead. The disciple knew that he would eventually have to do something about Sasuke, but with his disbelief and strained heart he was confused on what sort of action he should take." One of Naruto's hands tightened into a fist as he closed his eyes, "So he decided to confront Sasuke one more time, to fight him one more time… and find his answer."

"I see... may I ask what course of action did he take? Did he save his friend, or kill him?" Rowen questioned as he thought of the similarities that this Sasuke and his friend had to him and Nachtigal.

"It was taken a lot of time and effort, but eventually the disciple was able to reach Sasuke. I can't say whether or not your situation will be the same Rowen, but all I can say is that you will find your answer." Naruto answered with a shake of his head before he pushed off the railing and placed a hand on Rowen's shoulder, "You might find it now or at the exact moment that you confront Nachtigal, but no matter what decision you choice you must stick with it to the very end.

"Thank you for your advice Lord Naruto, it is a great help for this old man and his problems." Rowen bowed to Naruto, who nodded his head before he walked off to leave the man to his thoughts. Rowen turned his attention back to the ocean that shined from reflecting the sun's light, "… This is a truly beautiful world Nachtigal, and despite the changes in our lives it is still the one that we grew up with… the world that we wanted to protect for our kingdom."

NMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMM

"So this is Lakutam Seahaven, it's certainly different from the Leronde spirit clime." Leia commented as she and the others walked off the boat and headed towards the stairs. "I'm so glad I get to really see the world now and how different it is."

Jude couldn't help but laugh at that, "Yeah, it was a big change for me as well during the first few weeks I stayed at Fennmont. It was like night and day in comparing them, literally." The medical student paused as a thought came to mind and he glanced over at Leia with a frown, "But even, you can't just sneak onto a ship. That's against the law."

"Oh, really? Is that so, Mr. Rashugal's Most Wanted." Leia replied with a deadpanned expression.

"She does have you there." Milla commented with a small smile which made Jude let out a sigh as his shoulders slouched.

"I'm surprised they didn't try to charge us for a ticket when they saw you." Naruto said as he looked back towards the ship to see several of the sailors holding slips of papers in their hands.

"That was easy, instead of money I gave them free coupons for my parent's lodge."

Naruto raised an eyebrow after hearing that and look over at Leia's smiling face, he could hear Shadow's voice speak up as he stared. 'A few coupons equaled the price of a voyage ticket? Just how much does her parents charge for rooms there?'

'Lord Naruto, I don't suggest you stay a night at their lodge. Who knows how much they'll charge you for it!' Aska's voice called out making Naruto nod his head in agreement.

"By the way, how were you able to figure out that we were headed to Lakutam Seahaven?" Rowen asked as he tried to figure out how Leia figured out his plans.

"Hehe, funny story." Leia replied as she rubbed the back of her head.

Naruto's head perked up as he heard Verius say something to him and felt a sweatdrop form behind his head. "You went on a ship you thought was going to Sapstrath and ended up on our Lakutam-bound ship?"

"That's right! How did you know?!"

Jude blinked as he stared at his childhood friend, "So you got on the wrong ship, and found us purely by chance?!"

"Dumb luck is truly a frightful thing." Rowen muttered to himself, though Naruto managed to hear him and only nodded his head in agreement. The blonde knew from personal experience how much luck could really help out when you least expected it.

"Hey, isn't this place near Nia Khera. Did you want to go visit them or something?" The group came to a halt at the top of the stairs at the male brunette's words while Alvin turned his head toward Milla, who crossed her arms over her chest as she narrowed her eyes at the mercenary. "It's been a while since you've been there and I'm sure the villagers there are worried about you. They do worship you after all."

'Nia Khera huh? It's been a long time since I been there.' Naruto thought to himself as he noticed the tension between Milla and Alvin, knowing that it mostly had to do with the latter's revealed affiliation with Exodus. Not that his comment just now helped with her suspicions of his true objective. 'Hopefully that will change soon.'

"I do appreciate your concern for the well-being of the villagers, but we don't have time for detours." Milla said as she turned away from Alvin, who rolled his eyes at his actions.

"By going through the northern exit, we will reach the Lakutam Highroad. If we continue following its path north we should reach the city of Xian Du." Rowen explained as the group reached the exit, "The spirit clime's shift into Ragnome has effected all of the monsters in the area, so we shouldn't run into too much trouble as we cross through the highroad."

"And that includes the Lord of Lakutam? That isn't a monster we want to mess with." Alvin pointed out while he narrowed his eyes at the thought of the rumors regarding the beast.

"My, you are well informed. But you have nothing to worry about, the Lord of Lakutam will become positively timid just like any other monster during this time of year. We shouldn't have anything to worry about, the beast will no doubt try to avoid the highroad." Rowen explained as he placed his hands behind his back.

"See, little buddy? No reason to be scared!" Teepo teased as looked over towards Alvin with a giddy expression.

Alvin shook his head as he waved his hand in a dismissive motion, "Just for that, don't expect me to be the one to pluck you from between the monster's teeth, spud."

Elize let out a laugh as she watched the two converse, while Naruto and the other shook their heads in amusement. The Great Spirit of Mana turned his head towards the exit, "Regarless we should all be on guard as we head through the highroad, because there's no guarantee on what we'll come across while we're in there."

"Right." Everyone else in the group replied before they continued to head towards the exit, Milla remaining still as Alvin walked passed her.

"Hmm…" The female Lord of Spirits narrowed her eyes deep in thought as she glanced at Alvin's back, though he seemed to ignore her gaze. Feeling a hand place itself on her shoulder, Milla turned her head to see Naruto staring at her and turned her head away from him. "He's planning something that much is certain."

"Maybe, but that is probably because he doesn't trust that I will stay true to my word. Until I prove that I can follow through with what I said I could do, he will continue to focus on his own agenda, but that should be changing once we reach Xian Du." Naruto explained as they watched the group reach the exit and turn to face them once they noticed Naruto and Milla were not among them.

"Let's hope that he does change, because I will not let him get in the way of my mission." Milla replied as she turned around to face the exit, but she looked back to face Naruto. "I suppose you are going to say that is wrong."

"You already know the answer to that, but I know that won't change your mind. All I can say is have faith that things will work out." Naruto said with a grin while Milla only tilted her head at his words.

"Faith? This is one of those Human words, isn't it? I don't believe simply having hope or being positive will do anything for me or my mission. Only action and my determination will create any progress or move me forward, such things like faith or hope is something Humans turn towards to believe that everything will turn out alright."

"There is nothing wrong with having a little hope. Because that is what makes you Human, right?" Milla's eyes widen slightly as Naruto continued to smile at her before he walked ahead of her.

The woman looked down and brought a hand up to her chest, right over her heart. "… What was that strange feeling just now? Why did I feel that pain in my heart when he said that?" After a few moments Milla shook her head to dismiss the feeling and followed after Naruto to rejoin the group. Once everyone stood at the exit of the Seahaven, they made their way onto the highroad, with Alvin having one last thing to say as they stared out at the mountain terrain.

"On the bright side, we'll get some nice scenery in while we're being attacked by the monsters."

NMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMMNMM

And with the second chapter done, the group's journey to Fennmont starts with traveling to the city of Xian Du. Read and find out what happens next chapter. Like always with all of my works be sure to leave some nice reviews, but remember that all flames and insults will be IGNORED, so don't bother writing them. I hope you enjoyed reading and I hope to see you again.

A/N 2:The next story that I am currently working on is Red Threads of Fate and then I will work on my Fairy Flame Dragon story.

A/N 3: Lately I've been wanting to see what it would look if one of my stories was written with that Reading/Watching Genre that been getting very popular lately. I don't know who would be interested in doing it with one of mine, but I really hope someone could give it a try.

Until Next Time!