Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Thundercats .
A/N
This story is entirely fan-made and fictional. Any acts that you might find offensive, disguising, inhuman, wrong or just don't like, we are not liable for. You are reading this story of your own free will and not being forced, if you don't like something we are not forcing you to stay and read it. Please leave the page and re-frame from reading the chapter and or story. All Copyrighted Characters belong to their respect owners. We don't claim anything that is not our own creation and are merely using them for fan made material.
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Chapter 1
Lion-O's screams of terror sounded like that of a female cat as Naruto grabbed him by his chest hair and threw him over his body with such force that the young King went flying. Tucking and rolling wasn't an option as he was close enough to lick the ground as he flew over the soil. Still, instincts did kick in, and he regrettably did tuck and roll. His head skimmed the ground and his entire body jerked as part of it slowed to a crawl while the rest continued with the motion of flight. The end result was Lion-O being laid out on the ground hard as his entire body flipped and simply smacked into the ground with a resounding thud.
Naruto turned and easily kicked Tygra in the gut before the young tiger could do anything to him. Tygra may have been a good fighter and someone that had studied war games and other tactics, but those went out the window when you faced someone that moved like water through every little plan you had or just bullied his way through everything you could come up with. Interestingly enough, his strength was beyond anything Tygra could also even go against. No plan would work even if they did manage to somehow get a hold of him, they couldn't do anything to him. It was like his feet were nailed to the ground or he simply had enough strength in him to just shove one of them, or both of them, off of him with a single push.
The air left Tygra's lungs as he doubled over and clutched his gut from the pain of the blow. Naruto was also fast. If he was still holding back, he might have been faster than Cheetara, and for a fox, that didn't seem possible.
Aggravated, Naruto picked the tiger up with his leg as he clutched to it for support and brought him down hard. Tygra screamed as he hit the ground and clutched even harder on Naruto's leg. His claws could do nothing. His skin was very tough or he had an undercover armor suit under his pants because Tygra was certain that he should be seeing blood right now.
Naruto applied only a minute amount of pressure before spinning and throwing the former prince into his brother, resulting in a mess of tangled limbs and billowing curses from the two.
"Are you two going to leave me alone now?"
Lion-O tried to form a response but his own wounds and his hunger stopped him as he finally succumbed to it all and collapsed, unconscious, on top of his older brother. Tygra growled as he tried to move him, but he too soon suffered the same fate as hunger, fatigue, and his injuries kicked in. One could only ignore their pain for so long.
With the two real problems out of his way, the blond fox turned around and walked back to where he'd been sitting only a moment ago. WilyKit and WilyKat sat patiently waiting his return. The two were spaced apart enough for him to sit between the, but they were still close enough that he could easily reach out and grab them if they did something he didn't like.
Silence and peace restored, the three tailed animals sat and just watched the sun slowly begin to set. None of them really wanted to talk, instead focusing on the setting sun as the sky became ablaze with a rainbow of color. They were undisturbed for a couple of hours before Lion-O woke up ready for another fight. However, instead of fighting physically, he tried fighting verbally which ended with a fist fight and him being dragged off by his brother that had also woken up not soon after the verbal spat began.
After those two left, Cheetara arrived, eyed the two kittens that were sitting close to the strange fox, and then just decided that it might be better to talk with him and help him move on than actually fight him. Obviously he was strong, but as to how much so was a mystery. If he could handle Lion-O and Tygra, it was pretty obvious that he was powerful, but adding in his ability to walk up a wall and jam the sword straight in the ceiling with enough force to keep it from coming out. That alone was reason enough to see him as a very skilled and dangerous animal, far more so than your average Fox.
After giving it much thought, she walked over to the younger female kitten and sat down to enjoy the view. Of all the places that she had explored thus far in the fabled Tower of Omens, this spot had the view for watching the sun set. Maybe he really was as old as he said. He sure didn't seem like it with the way he fought or the way he spoke. He sounded nothing like an old Cat. Then again, he wasn't a Cat either. He was a Fox and an unusual one at that.
"Did this Mumm-Ra person act alone, or did he have help?" Naruto asked suddenly. His gaze never left the setting sun as it slowly began to dip beneath the rolling hills and thick forest.
"He had the Lizards and Grune. Tygra won't admit it, but I think he was shocked by his betrayal."
"I don't care for that. Who was it that killed Claudus directly?"
"Mumm-Ra. Why? Are you planning on hunting him down?"
"I'd rather not, but I can't just let this lay. I have to do something." Standing up, the blond dusted his clothing off and inhaled deeply through the nose. "A long time ago I thought nothing of peace or war. I lived in an era of peace. Sadly, that peace was shattered and battles grew to be the norm. My master, the one that had trained me how to fight, had told me that peace came through understanding one another. I never knew what he meant at the time. He had killed many in his younger years. How he handled it, I have no idea. But he, like everyone else in the world, aspired for peace. Sadly, everyone wanted peace but could never have it. Revenge was a brutal circle. Someone kills someone, and then they are labeled as a killer. Then someone kills the killer for revenge and our labeled a killer. That sort of thinking was what drove us back then."
"So nothing changed?" Kit asked while looking up at him.
Naruto shrugged. "I haven't a clue to be honest. I never kept up to date with what was going on outside of Thundera. I just went about my life trying to fight as little as possible. The most I ever had to worry about was the occasional thug or something like that. Otherwise I was actually fine. I can happily say I haven't killed anyone in over sixty years. The first twenty I spent getting used to the world again and facing strange people that wanted me dead for what I owned."
"What do you own?" WilyKat asked, sounding eager to see something shiny.
Naruto eyed the two kittens as their tails waved back and forth in glee over what he might have. Shrugging them off, he turned and made his way for the tower entrance with the three Cats following. Not sure what to expect, they followed with caution as he walked through several chambers before coming to a stop in front of another odd chamber. It wasn't hidden or anything. In fact, the door was ajar. Inside they found weapons that had either rusted with age or were still in the process of being crafted. Most were strange knives with a circle end with leather over the handle and a short doubled sided blade without a guard.
Naruto grabbed one of the strange knives and began twirling it in one finger. It was rather scary to see him casually grab one and just start playing with it as he began sifting through all of the other strange weapons. Nothing that used technology could be seen, but they weren't going to put it past him to have something of that nature in here. When the twins asked if they could have a look around, Naruto just shrugged and told them to be careful.
As soon as the kittens were away, Cheetara sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm still waiting on an apology so you know."
Naruto just stared at with a look of confusion on his face.
"When you asked for me to get naked," she clarified. A stupid grin crossed his face and she bristled at it. "I know I'm a looker and I've had a lot of male Cats practically clawing at me to go out with them, but you're not even in my species list."
"Male. Female. Cat. Fox. They're all the same as far as I'm concerned. Though, I like to know the people I'm sleeping before sleeping with them. It's a thing I've got. Won't sleep with anyone until I know they're safe."
"Perhaps for you but not for some of us."
"Well if that's the case, you can't date anyone other than a cheetah if what you say is your law. So have fun fighting all those urges with the guys. I'm sure that will be fun. You, the only grown female on the team, with three guys, two of which are obviously foaming at the mouth over you; I'm sure you're going to have fun enforcing your rules or laws on them."
Caught, the cleric could only growl in protest. He had her there. If she went by species in general she had to date another cheetah. There wasn't any problem with Lions marrying Pumas or actual Cats. It was in their nature to do these things. But even with that, there was still a bloodline code and if you were someone of great prestige, well, bloodline rules applied. You had to marry another of your species directly. No deviation.
Naruto walked passed her, patting her on the shoulder. "It's okay. Have a few moments to clear your head. I'm going to go find the two kittens and see if they'd like something to have. Have fun clearing your head." Naruto waved and went after the two kittens that had obviously found something they either weren't supposed to find or something cool that even the fox had forgotten he had. What a weird animal.
(-)
The strange trench coat wearing person with no name continued to work on the ThunderTank with Panthro in the hopes of giving a bit more life to the power source that he been supplied. Panthro refused to believe that the original power source he had found was unstable. He had showed no signs of being unstable. But the man with no name continued to say that it was unstable and would ultimately kill him. After seeing some of the other things they had for "Useable Power Sources" he really had no other choice but to question it.
The Librarian gave out a willing sigh as he was forced to lead Panthro into his less than private study and show him some of the data on some of the artifacts. What Panthro found shocked him. There were several locations that had been spotted with these artifacts and the geological changes that they supplied were impressive to say the least. Some areas saw an increase in sickly animals, new illnesses, and an advanced growth rate that increased size in certain animals and shortened their life expectancy. Other spots were reduced to barren wastelands or had weather problems of their own.
Of all the places that he had visited, some of these spots were worse for wear now then what they were for these reports. Some of these reports were way out of date. The writing was also very old and, while readable, was very old itself. The form was something of an older dialect that wasn't used anymore, but it wasn't something that you'd forget either.
"New species were produced from the object and are highly dangerous. Adaptive and cunning, these things reproduce asexually and carry over twenty eggs, which only five will survive past the first winter." A picture went alongside the report and Panthro had to shack his head. He'd fought this thing before, though it was obviously an ancestral version of what they were today. It was long, tall, and looked like the idea of a dragon without wings. It stood on two massive legs with its arms curled forward at all times. "No name. Still pending."
"I've never taken the time to name something that I haven't seen with my own eyes again. I only saw one and they weren't very safe to be around." The Librarian announced. "However, I'm sure you now understand just how unstable these things are, correct?"
Panthro held a wade of papers and shook them. "I suppose I can see why you said they were dangerous. Mutations, viruses, weather changes, and sound waves or smells that sent any sentient animal or person into a random set of emotional patterns; these artifacts were something else. Why would someone create these things if they're so unstable?" Panthro placed the documents on the table and folded his arms over his chest. "Why are all of these so dangerous? Why create them?"
"During war time, there is no such thing as a limit. To bring about peace, my master was willing to go to great lengths to ensure that it could last as long as possible. We lived in an era of violence and distress. No one wanted to kill anymore, but we still killed for the sake a false peace. To bring about a true peace a great amount of sacrifice was needed. The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few. However, in order to make this peace last longer he needed more power. He created many artifacts to try and keep it going, but all were complete failures. Though," he grabbed a report and handed forked it over, "not all of them were bad. New creatures came about and brought about new ways of making medicine. So even the most inhumane and cruel things can bring about great change and progress for the future. Don't tell me that your people never learned something new when they tried to create something that could be used as a weapon."
Panthro kept quiet and continued looking over some of the other papers. Nothing was truly easy for him to understand. A lot of numbers and big words were connected to a lot of the things in the reports with not enough data to know whether they could be stabilized or not. In the end, Panthro couldn't deny that maybe some, if not all, were actually dangerous and shouldn't be in anyone's hands, let along Mumm-Ra's.
The trench coat wearing figure sighed as he messed with the brim of his hat and began the slow process of packing things up. When the panther gave him a curious look, the man merely said, "Naruto will think long and hard about this, but the outcome has already been decided… He will travel with you and I will want to take notes on where the other artifacts might have gotten to. The notes I have may not help us at all, but I believe they will be needed."
"If he comes with us, you think we can expect more fights between him and the two brothers? No offense to Naruto, but I don't want to have him onboard if he's going to be a problem."
"I have a feeling that he won't be much of a problem soon. If you get hit every day for doing something, eventually you will change the way your approach."
The old general smiled. He could understand that metaphor pretty clearly.
(-)
WilyKit resisted the urge to touch the long sword that Naruto had resting beside him. The sword wasn't that strange, but it was the fact that he wielded a sword that was sort of confusing. All Foxes actually used magic as their primary weapon and skill set. They had no use for swords. They may have the occasional small sword or something more akin to a dagger. They never used a sword though.
The sword, however, wasn't something they usually saw. It was a katana, and it was an elegant one at that. Naruto had said it was a gift from Claudus after he had heard about the stories of the Kusanagi, a legendary sword from Naruto's time. Obviously they had gotten it wrong, but Naruto wasn't going to ever look a gift horse in the mouth.
It was black and gold with a blade that was black and a handle and guard that was gold. The blade was almost a bit too long for it to be a standard katana and the curve was also a bit too much as well. It was a katana, just a rather longer variant. But the sheath was very beautiful. It was black with a golden pattern that looked like leafs falling down it.
If it was a gift made for the stories Naruto told, then it was a good gift.
"So how long until the food is done," WilyKat asked.
Naruto shrugged as he poked the food with a stick before shrugging. "Honestly, I have a pretty good immune system so I don't ever really get sick. I can eat just about anything and not have any ill effects. Kind of handy, but it does get kind of annoying at times."
"How is a bad thing? I'd love to have an immune system that made it to where I never got sick!" Kat said while waving his arms around. Kit nodded as she finally decided to poke the sword. Naruto smiled and handed it to her. "Why can she look at it?"
Kit smiled as she examined the sword. After giving it a few looks she handed it off to her brother and he repeated the same process. The sword was then passed back to the blond and was placed in his lap as he checked over the food again. One poke later and Naruto declared that it was done and the three happily began munching on the meat that had been placed over the fire. The twins didn't know what it was and Naruto didn't seem all that eager to actually tell them what it was. All they knew was that it was good and very salty.
"So who taught you how to use a sword?" Kat asked between bites.
"No one. I'm self-taught. I don't usually use a sword for combat. I find that an armed traveler picks up fewer threats than an unarmed traveler. Besides, I don't ever travel with this sword. The real sword I use is sealed away in this." Naruto rolled a scroll between his thumb and forefinger. They gave him a look that told him they didn't believe him. The blond just shrugged it off. He didn't care if they didn't believe him or not. "The reason I brought this sword out for a simple reason that you'll learn in a few minutes, maybe an hour depending on how long it takes for someone to learn something."
"So why bring out the sword then if you're not going to use it?"
"Curiosity really does kill the cat, huh?" The twins offered flat looks and the old fox smiled while ruffling the little girls' hair. "How about we talk about something else? I have a few things I'd like to ask you. Why are traveling with them? You both don't seem like the warrior or mystic type. So why travel with them if you're not one of these types?"
"We're actually traveling with them to find the City of Eldora." The male twin said. "It's a city filled with gold and other treasures. Our papa used to tell it to us as a bedtime story. Our papa died in terrible storm and with no money coming in, we decided to go find the fable city to make it so that we could fend for them and our younger siblings."
"So you're looking for lost treasure? I suppose that's understandable. When was the last time you saw your family?" Silence answered him and he felt he understood. "I see. You have my sympathy for your family. It would be my wish to meet them if at all possible. You two are truly amazing and remind me of my old self."
"What do you mean by that?" WilyKit asked.
"Maybe I'll tell you one day." Naruto got up and smiled while gripping the sword. "So you're finally going to come out. While you're at it, why don't all of you come out?" Almost as though they were being commanded by him, Panthro, Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara appeared like phantoms from the darkness. The man with no name appeared a moment later. "So are you here to fight me again or do you intend to beg for food?"
"I'm here for the food," Panthro answered. He happily began munching on the food once he found a place to sit down after grabbing some of the grub.
The two brothers gave him withering glares before their stomachs growled. Deciding that fighting was obviously not a good idea at the moment, the three sat down and began munching on the food. It seemed that all past grudges were lost after the first few bites, though Naruto seemed to be the only acceptation to this. After a brief moment of silence, Tygra asked, "So where'd you get the sword?"
Raising said object up, Naruto smiled fondly at it. "This sword was a gift from Claudus for telling him stories. He tried to craft the sword I spoke about to him in one of them. It was a legendary sword that killed in one move, or so the story says. It was called the Kusanagi and the story around it was very interesting." Unsheathing the sword just enough to show metal, Naruto's expression turned sour for a moment until he sheathed it again. "I never once saw the sword," he lied, "but somehow I don't think it would look like this. I even told him that myself but he said that stories tend to exaggerate things and change them over time. So who knows, maybe he forged a sword in design just like that of the fabled Kusanagi."
"Sword of Omens is better," Lion-O chimed off.
The Fox sighed and rubbed his temple in irritation. Tygra was snickering as a result of this as well. Irritated, Naruto stood up and unsheathed the sword he had brought. Lion-O and Tygra tensed and began slowly reaching for something to defend themselves with. Naruto smiled and swung the sword off to the side. For a moment nothing seemed to happen and then a tree fell to the ground with a loud thud. Sheathing the sword, the blond sat back down and stared at the two brothers.
"Let's get one thing clear, just because you've been told that the Sword of Omens is strong, doesn't make it the strongest sword in the world. Never give in to the idea that your sword will make up for your lack of skills." No one dared to say anything. "All the strength in the world is meaningless if you don't know how to use it."
"I guess that means that you do?"
"Can you cut a tree down without letting the blade touch it?" He paused just long enough for them to think on it before adding, "Of course you can't. The Sword of Omens has nothing of that capability. Not even using the long-range beam it can use will do what I just did. The Sword of Omens may be powerful, but it has many flaws to it."
"You couldn't beat me while I'm using it," Lion-O proclaimed. Naruto laughed softly. "What's so funny?"
"I'm a storyteller, that much is true, but I'm also a fighter. I fought in more battles than what you could understand. I've seen things no normal animal should see and forgotten more about fighting than what you could ever understand. You haven't a prayer of winning a match against me." Naruto tossed the sword he was holding to Lion-O with a confident smirk. "The two of you will attack in unison against me with swords. I know that Tygra has better swordsmanship than you."
Scroll in hand, Naruto summoned up another sword. This one near identical to the other one, but instead of being black and gold, it red and blue with a red blade and a blue handle and guard. The size and shape were a bit off as well as this one was a just a tad bit shorter and the curve was less pronounced. The sheath was ordinary and bland.
Tygra took the offered weapon, gave it a few test swings and moved away from the fire for the fight. Lion-O followed after putting on the Gauntlet of Omens.
"What about you?" Tygra asked. "Aren't you going to use a sword?"
The blond smiled and retrieved yet another sword. "The one you hold in your hands, Tygra, was another sword crafted for me, though it wasn't done by your father. It was actually done by a blacksmith in Thundera. I wanted to learn how to make my own weapons and he was more than happy to show me. That sword is a combined effort of him and me with more of his skills than mine. This, however, is my sword that I built without help from anyone."
In a flash of smoke a third sword appeared. This one had no elegance to it. It had a brutish thing about it. The curve was even less pronounced in it. The entire handle was white with clothing wrapping and the guard was almost none existent as it was of the simple oval type. The blade was longer than the other two and serrated from either poor smithing or upkeep. The sheath was all white as well, wrapped in cloth and stained black in some parts.
"I made this sword not too long ago and showed it to Claudus. Considering that I had been working on these skills for over twenty years, this is actually my pride and joy."
"It looks like a piece of junk," the tiger said with a snicker. "It looks like it will break under the strain of just one of these swords."
"Well let's put that theory to the test, shall we." Eager to fight, they charged but were stopped when the blond raised a finger. "Not yet. I wanna lay down some ground rules. First is no killing. Obviously if you kill me you won't get the sword back." This made Lion-O pause. "Second rule is for me. I won't attack you. I'll simply block all of your strikes. The last rule is how to win. You simply have to hit me, by any means, once. Does that sound fair?"
"Sounds too fair, to be honest."
Naruto nodded and gripped the sword in his hand loosely. With a nod they charged and in a dazzling display of swordsmanship skills, the three became a blur with Lion-O offsetting the show with his barbaric skills. He hacked and cleaved the air wildly as he tried to hit the fox, but to no such luck. Naruto was too fast for either of them to hit and blocked or turned each attack with relative ease. How he did it they didn't know, but somehow Naruto was holding off the two with just a single katana.
Tygra swung high and Lion-O swung low. Naruto jumped over them and smiled, raising his own sword in a mocking gesture. The two brothers stepped back to come up with a better tactic. Obviously fighting him straight forward wasn't a good idea. He could easily counter them with that slightly longer sword and even then, his skills far outweighed their own.
Still, even against a superior foe, the two had him outnumbered and could easily flank him.
Tygra ran forward as Lion-O circled around slowly while attacking every few seconds until he was finally behind him and attacking with a blind frenzy. Still, even against this new situation, Naruto managed to evade and block their strikes. They grew bolder and bolder with each failed attempt to wound him until Lion-O made the mistake of getting too frisky. In a blinding flash of speed the blond haired fox shoved the ThunderCats' leader away with a hard swing.
Lion-O screamed as he was thrown backwards and sent skipping along the ground. Getting up, the young male lion could only glare at his opponent as his brother charged in with blind swings and lots of yelling. Naruto just grinned as he blocked each strike and then sent the young tiger sprawling onto the floor with a hard swing that sent him flying back as well. Now that both were on the ground, the blond could only chuckle as he watched them flail about while trying to get up.
Annoyed, they both charged him once they were back up and began the process all over again. Lion-O's only complaint came when Tygra tried to kick the blond. This brought about another form of fighting. Lion-O began fighting with both his hands and his legs. This prompted Naruto into using his free arm and legs to block as well, but only when he absolutely had to. With the new part of fighting seemingly learned, Lion-O was able to get ever closer to hitting Naruto until the blond did something they didn't expect.
Lion-O stabbed his sword through Naruto's chest and the blond seemingly exploded into a cloud of smoke after Lion-O's proclamation of joy. Short lived, the two brothers began frantically searching for the fox only to find him back at the camp with the others just munching on the food.
"When did you…"
"That took you two longer then even I expected." The blond smiled at them and then motioned for them to sit. "You never hit the real me, so you know, which means you don't get your sword back. Tough luck! That was one of my abilities and I'm going to let you know that while it was a dazzling display of skills on your end, you both leave much to be desired. If you'd like, I could teach you a thing or two."
"I hit you so therefore I get the sword back!" Lion-O un-ceremonially stabbed the sword into the ground without putting it back in the sheath, something that Naruto noticed but didn't make a comment on. "I want the Sword of Omens back, now!"
The blond grunted and made a hand gesture for the sword. Lion-O picked it up and pulled it back so that it was out of his reach. Naruto smiled and motioned behind him. Lion-O turned and was face to face with the blond and had the sword snatched away, along with the one that Tygra had been using. Stunned that there were two, he hastily stepped back and prepared for a fight only to see it vanish in a cloud of smoke.
"Rule number one when dealing with me, there is never just one of me." Swords now in his possession, the blond quickly made them vanish and motioned for them to sit. "Besides, didn't I just say that you never hit me? So if you never hit "me" you don't get your sword back. However, a story is in order. I trust you have enough patience to last long enough for a simply story?"
"Not interested in a story. I want my sword back just as you promised me."
"The sword isn't going to go anywhere. Now sit down and listen. Stories are more than just stories, obviously."
Grumbling, the two brothers found a seat and stared at him waiting for a boring lecture or a story that would be too farfetched to believe.
After too long a moment of silence, Tygra growled, "Well?"
Naruto shook his head. "Sorry. Was dozing off there for a moment. You two almost bored me to death back there." Tygra shot up and was launching into rant when Panthro forced the tiger back into his seat. "Some people just can't take a joke. Then again, I've been kicking your asses for nearly two days now. So I suppose you do have a reason to hate me." Poking the fire, the blond stared into the burning embers with a sly smile. "I'll tell you the story that I first told Claudus. You two kittens might get a kick out of this."
Eager for a story, the twins smiled and waited.
"A very long time ago there was a village that had taken in many animals. All manner of species rubbed shoulders here. They were powerful and feared for their strength. Unlike any other village, they respected their comrades viewed their safety over any mission. Because of this, they were known as the strongest village of the Five Great Nations." Naruto made a wave as if he were presenting something before them. Smiling, he continued. "However, this village was not without its own problems. So many different animals rubbing shoulders and working together could cause tension, and a single spark could set it off. Luckily for them, the wars that they fought in kept this from happening because they were more focused on protecting their home than their political rights."
"This village was formed from the unison of two great tribes. The first was a tribe of a Wolverine that was known for their magic over fire, ferocity while fighting, and their gifted eyes that allowed them to hypnotize you. The second was a tribe of Bear Tribe that had the ability to commune with nature. They were able to harness the power of life and grow plants with but a thought. These two tribes had been at war for years and finally, as if they understood that fighting was pointless, they came together to form the first of the Five Great Nations."
"When it came time to crown the leader for the village, the animals that had overseen the foundation for the village stepped forth and declared that the leader of the Bear Tribe would take over as leader of the village. The Wolverines' leader wasn't pleased with this, but conceded if only for the moment. Years passed as the two eventually came to a great disagreement that ended with the Wolverine leaders' death. After the death of the village leader, a new leader was chosen, this one being the village leaders' brother. War broke out and he too soon fell, but not before electing his student, a soon to be legendary monkey warrior, to the throne."
"Once peace resumed its natural course, things quieted down if only for a short while. War soon came again, but the monkey was now old an incapable of leading his troops into battle. His sights were turned to a rising warrior, a powerful and deadly blond haired Cheetah. This Cheetah lead his pack through hordes of enemies, but only killed when necessary, making him an even stranger Cheetah. As the war continued, his fame grew bigger and bolder with his more daring acts coming to light. No job was too dangerous for him or his soon to be wife, a lovely red haired vixen with nine tailed. These two laid waste to all enemies that would threaten their village, but killed only as a last resort."
"When the war was over, the Cheetah was elected to be the next leader. He took the position and married the nine tailed fox. Together, they had a kit with blond hair and blue eyes. This kit had his mothers' appearance with his fathers' attitude. However, the day of this birth, a great tragedy fell on the village. The Wolverine that had died at the hands of the Bear had come back for revenge, bringing with him the power of an even stronger nine-tailed fox. Together they ravaged the village with the fox doing most of the damage. The Cheetah, desperate to save the life of his mate, rushed her to safety while she held and cried over her new born kits' life as she lay wounded from the surprise attack she had suffered while birthing him."
"The Cheetah fought valiantly against his enemy. In one small swoop, he wounded his opponent and made him flee while the fox continued to destroy everything in his sight. Realizing his own weakness, his mate returned and brought about the final moments of the fight him. Together, they were able to best the powerful fox and destroy him, but at the cost of their own. The newborn kit, now orphaned, was left to the protection of the former leader that had now taken his place again."
"The Wolverine Tribe was the first to suffer, as word had spread to the old leader that they had somehow been a part of it. Sadly, they weren't and were hated without reason. Constricted, they were forced to try a coup d'état that ended with their destruction, all but the youngest brother of the one they had sent to eliminate them. This act of random violence would haunt the younger brother for years to come, and his hatred for his older brother who did this would cause him to seek vengeance. He suffered, but he was sadly not along in this."
"The kit that had been born on the day of the attack was hated for what he was. They believed him to be just as evil as the fox that had attacked. So they hated him without getting to know him. Desperate for attention, he strove to do what he could to get the much needed attention he so desperately wanted. He resorted to pranks and evil acts to get attention, but it never came to be. He was hated even more. Alone and scared, he didn't know what to do and suffered for it. To try and fix it, he joined the military ranks, along with the sole surviving Wolverine. Together, they bonded as rivals. The Wolverine was cold and uncaring. The Fox was excitable and could never stop moving. They were two very different people."
"Years later they were put on the same team and-"
"What were their names?" Kit asked.
"Huh?"
"Their names! Surely these two had names? A story isn't a story without names!"
"Fine point, but Claudus never demanded a name. They are named, however. The Fox was Kurama, and the Wolverine was Sasuke!" Happy that they had named, Kit sat back down again and began to happily listen to the story. "Now, Kurama, wanted attention and strove to prove he was a great warrior. Sasuke was already a great warrior, but he was cold and didn't care about anyone. Their third teammate for this little team was Sakura, a beautiful bird. Kurama always had an eye for her as she was a very pretty bird, and as it was, Sakura had her eyes on Sasuke because of his past and the fact that he was adorable." Naruto made a face and smiled. "Their teacher was a famous war hero and a powerful one-eyed Silver Owl. He was their Farseer, the only Owl of his kind to see the future."
"This small team, brought together by their pasts, could do nothing to stay together. They almost failed their training exercise to pass and not return to the academy, which they all hated. Still, they somehow managed to do the impossible and stayed together long enough to get the job done when they needed to. But Sasuke was an avenger. The death of his clan at the hands of his older brother had wounded him dearly. Compelled by revenge, he did the unthinkable and left his village and abandoned his team."
Panthro shook his head. "I take it this Sasuke person was court martialled when he was found?"
Naruto shrugged. "The story on Sasuke is a wildly unknown on. What I do know is that a team was sent to get him, but they failed to retrieve him as powerful enemies got in their path to keep them from getting him. The curse for more power was what did him in. A power Snake or Lizard had actually coxed him with a great power and he succumbed to that desire for more power. The team survived, but at near fatal costs. In the end, Kurama was deeply scared to know that someone like himself had left. As such, he made a foolish choice. When his master, a wise and powerful warrior, told him that he would take him to be his apprentice, he told his master that he would choose the life of a fool rather than the life of a warrior because he wanted to save his friend."
"Why would he do that?" Lion-O asked. "Why remain the fool when he could simply move on?"
"Kurama had no one growing up. The fact that he finally was able to make a bond with someone, evil or not, was something he couldn't just sever that easily. Sasuke was still something of a brother to him. Even when they fought at the Valley of the End, he admitted to this and fought so hard to retrieve him that the land was scarred. It would forever show their marks of their fight. You see, the team that had gone had been made up with people they both grew up with. One by one they slid off to fight the team that had come to stop them until only Kurama remained."
Naruto smiled and began poking the fire again. The hot senders took off and then flared into nothing. When the silence that had overtaken them had finally grated on Lion-O enough, he said, "So is that it?" The Fox nodded. "And what was the point of that story. It made no sense."
"You're not very good at listening or understanding, are you?" The lion gave him a fierce growl. "Do you know the true purpose or a story? For that matter, do you know the meaning of being immortal?"
"Immortal is someone who can never die!" Tygra said flippantly. "What do stories and immortals have in common?"
"They're both immortal." Cheetara answered. When she got a funny look from the tiger, she added, "So long as a story is remembered, it, like the people in it, will never die. Though a story can easily be retold over and over again, and maybe the story can easily be changed over the course of retelling, but they will forever be remembered and as such, immortal." Naruto nodded. "The story you told, though, is very confusing. Even I don't understand it."
"That's probably because you're not thinking the way a normal animal would think. My story was all about unification. They may have had issues at the beginning, but each animal species that lived in this village, while having their own issues with others, did get along. In times of hardship and war, you may be surprised to know that animals that you could never get along with will rise up and fight with you, side by side, to defend what their right to live. No one wants to die. Everyone wants to lives. So when it comes to living, everything and everyone will do what they see fit to survive. Whether that is side with your enemy or work hand in hand with your rival. Cats and Dogs can get along if the situation requires it."
"But why tell us the story of Kurama and Sasuke if you didn't have to?" Kat asked.
"Well, their story is unified by bonds. Two very different animals working together to try and overcome all odds that were placed against them, two that understood the pain of loneliness and loss, and two very powerful animals that were brought into the circle of hatred and loss by a Wolverine with a vengeance. Why tell a story half-way through when you never knew the beginning? So if you were reading this from a book, it's clearly the prologue."
"So there are other stories?" Cheetara queried.
"Yes. The tale of Kurama was a wildly known and popular story back in my time. He was a Fox unlike any other. He was strong, swift, and brave. But he was hated and cursed for something he never did. In all my time being alive before I was sealed away, I learned that you don't need a reason to fight. No. You need a reason to live. A reason to fight is still just fighting. But a reason to live is so much more. I've seen what a reason for fighting can cause. Having a reason to live is so much more."
The ThunderCats gave him a curious look before the twins smiled brightly and pounced the blond fox. "So if there are more stories, will you becoming with us?"
"I might. I'm still not sure."
"Don't lie to them, Naruto. It's not becoming of you." The figure with no name stepped from the shadow, book in hand. "Kit, your answer is yes. We will be coming with you. The artifacts that are out there need to be brought in and contained again. They can't be left to their own any longer."
"So you're making the choice for me?" Naruto asked. "Last time I checked, you go wherever I go. So if I choose to stay here, you'd stay as well. And to be perfectly honest, I don't really feel- I'm in! But I have one request. You all leave me to my own devices and I get to sleep with the cute little blond." Tygra stood up and Cheetara slowly grabbed her staff for her own protection. "No need to get so defensive. I'll win you over sooner or later. I have that kind of effect on everyone I meet."
The blond stood up and gave the adults a nod and left with the kittens in tow as they clung to him begging for more stories. As soon as he was out of earshot, Lion-O turned and glared at the mysterious person. "So if he's coming along, I take it that means you're coming along?" Without waiting for an answer, Lion-O launched into his own rant and conditions for their joining, "If you two are coming with us, you will sleep in different place at all times. Naruto will give me back my sword before we leave and will remain fifteen feet away from me at all times. If he tries to take my sword again, the two of you will leave our group immediately. Do I make myself clear?"
"No. Even if Naruto takes the sword, you will still need to get it back again. We both know you haven't the skills to do that. We are traveling with you because Naruto will go to the same lengths to ensure Mumm-Ra is defeated or denied what he wants. You may not like it, but even I can see that you need us. Now, there is a village not far from here that has the supplies that you will need for your tank, Panthro. They will have a new power source for you to use. The new one you are using will only last for a bit longer, so we must leave very soon. I would assume that because we are in a hurry, you will all get your things packed."
"You don't give the orders! I do!"
"I'm not ordering. I'm making a helpful and logical observation. I would suspect that even you don't want to be stranded here while your archenemy is out there doing whatever he wants while you're stuck here, unable to do anything to stop him." The Librarian gave a small nod and walked off with his book in his pocket.
Panthro nodded and looked at his King with a sly smile. "You know you should listen to him. He only has his own interests at heart, but those artifacts that are out there are no joke. He showed me the reports on them. Some of them are in places we've actually been to and seen firsthand. As much as I'd vote against taking them with us, Naruto is a good fighter and I've heard a few of his stories when I was around Claudus so I know he's a good Fox. He's not going to trick us. If Claudus liked and trusted him, you can to."
Patting his King on the shoulder, he gave a grin and then walked off to find his baby. Cheetara and Tygra shrugged and realized that they weren't going to be going without the fox. This decided, they got their gear and began loading it and whatever else they needed into the tank.
Lion-O growled at this and charged out to find the blond. He didn't have to go far as Naruto appeared with the two kittens still clinging to him and laughing as he told them something about a female blond fox that had loved playing pranks. Though, that wasn't what got the King's attention. In one hand Naruto held the Sword of Omens, while the other carried his scroll that held the swords.
"I'm going to prove something to you, right now." Tossing the sword to him, Lion-O looked grateful until Naruto motioned for the twins to run and hide for a moment. "The Sword of Omens might be powerful, but you fail to know how to use it. Now attack me with it!"
"Fine!" The sword lengthened and Lion-O swung at him. His attack stopped short of his head and Lion-O just gasped at what had stopped it. Naruto had used one finger to block the sword. "But… but how?"
The smirk on his face was enough to send him into a blind frenzy. Each strike was blocked by Naruto's finger. Blind with anger, Lion-O tried stabbed him only to have the sword stop inches before it could get to his throat. Clasped between his middle and index finger, Lion-O was in a stupor state until Naruto tore the sword from him.
"You're not getting the sword back just yet. I'm coming with you, so you'll have plenty of chances to get it back." Naruto made the sword vanish and Lion-O dropped to his knees in fear. "Don't worry. In due time you'll have your sword back. Right now, you can say I'm still grieving and don't see you as a viable wielder." Patting him on the shoulder, the blond knelt down and offered a sad smile. "But I promise I will make you stronger if you let me. I imagine that you understand just how I felt. I was powerless to save Claudus. Had I known that he was in danger, I would have come to save him. But I think I know why Jaga sent you here to get the book. It was because he knew how I'd react when I learned that Claudus was killed. I don't take the death of a friend too well. I can only imagine what you're going through, but I think you know what I'm going through right now. So buck up, will you?"
The lion closed his eyes and felt Naruto's hand leave and then his presence. In that moment Lion-O felt like he understood what Naruto was getting at. The story wasn't just a story about someone who had betrayed their village for revenge; it was a silent plea for help so that he didn't make the same mistakes as Sasuke did.