1
Flash back
Ministers of all departments, Generals, High ranking police officers, nobles and other guests were all gathered in one room within the royal Palace. This room was specially designed for events such as this. People were mingling together having some fun while drinking some wine. Nobles got to talk about new ways to increase their power while ministers talked about new strategies to manage their respective departments.
These events were held every now and then. But today was one event that was being held because a new Prime Minister was being presented. Naturally, everyone else who is high ranking has to be present for such an occasion.
The Emperor was sick and his loyal Prime Minister had retired. He'd selected his successor before he left the capital to settle away with his family, however, the man he had elected was suddenly killed before he could officially assume the position of Prime Minister. Since the Emperor was sick, it was important for the prime minister to be active, hence another one was found quickly.
Naturally, with the Emperor sick, the first prince has to be the one to lead the Empire, but things weren't looking good with the children of the King since everyone wanted to lead. In this situation, the Emperor had issued an order that forbade either of his sons to lead the kingdom until they could resolve their issues.
The cheerily mood around the hall was broken when someone bust through the doors. Everyone quieted down when Naruto walked inside the hall, wearing his usual expressionless face.
''I get a message informing me that his Majesty is sick and when I return, I find you people celebrating? What is the meaning of this?'' His cold voice broke through the atmosphere, silencing everyone who wanted to say something. Not everyone would respond because some were actually scared of him.
Budo sighed; he'd expected Naruto to react like this upon finding people showing their smiles when the Emperor was sick. He wasn't exactly just arriving in the capital just now. No, Budo was aware that Naruto has been around here for about a day now; he just hasn't been in the Palace since returning. It was easy for him to move around the capital since nobody outside the Palace actually knew who he was.
The blond didn't care for nobility or anything. He spoke as he liked and saw fit. Though some nobles favored him due to the Emperor's liking for him, some didn't like his presence very much. It wasn't because of anything than the fact that Naruto had no problem in calling a noble a pig if he wanted to.
Akane shook her head as she entered the hall behind her employer. ''Just relax and enjoy yourself, Naruto. You can't expect them to be depressed always because the Emperor is sick.'' She tried to calm things down, but even she knew that it wasn't going to work given the foul mood he was already in.
When Naruto arrived at the gates of the capital, the guards actually tried to extort money from him to allow him entrance and one had suggested ''playing'' with Akane in all forms of nasty ways. Imperial Offices were saying such blasphemy before Naruto. In a true style of his no nonsense policy, he executed them for being corrupt, right there at the gates, leaving the others to clean his mess.
Someone had seen the incident and reported it to the chief of the Imperial Police, and the man had come to Naruto before he could reach the Imperial palace. A few nasty words were exchanged as it appeared that it wasn't the first time Naruto had done something like that.
Akane was forced to use her ''special powers'' to calm him down so that he didn't end up killing the commander of the police force because the man seemed to hold some grudge against Naruto and was suggesting that Naruto had some agenda with him. He'd even gone as far as to suggest his officers might not even have done anything wrong and Naruto had just killed them simply because that was what he did for a living.
Although Naruto had not done anything to the man, he wondered around the capital trying to see how the people were doing. And some of the staff he saw didn't please him at all.
''Be quiet, Akane,'' Naruto said sternly. He walked towards a table and took a bottle of wine before pouring himself some. ''Isn't anybody going to answer my question?''
This was the first time Najenda was seeing him outside the battlefield, and he didn't look much different. His eyes were still cold blue while no emotion was displayed in his face. It was such a wonder how someone as young as him could come here and take control over this gathering, despite being the youngest person here.
As in battle, he was took control of things, and was ruthless. It appeared that he was also ''ruthless'' even in situations like these. What amazed her was the fact that the ever bossy nobles had nothing to say. She wondered if it had anything to do with the fact that they respected his title as the ''Unofficial Prince.'' Regardless, they didn't seem to say anything whenever he had something bad to say.
It was not everyone who remained quite though; some were actually smiling at his presence.
There were massive egos in here, and yet he spoke like he was the strong man, like this was his house, no one seemed to be saying anything. Perhaps this kind of attitude is the reason he doesn't seem to get well with other Generals aside from Esdeath. Well, it was rumored that the Emperor calls him his son, and he was raised by Budo's family, which has been guarding the Capital for generations.
''We're having a ceremony here.'' One said, while Budo chose to remain quite despite being Naruto's commanding officer. He was rather tired of dealing with the blond. Unless he was forced to act, he would stay out of his way and Naruto would ignore his presence. It was as simple as that.
''What for?''
Honest then chose to show himself after having seen enough. He walked out to stand in front of the blond teen and spoke. ''I was the one who called this meeting and recalled all the Generals here,'' he said. But before he could continue, Naruto spoke.
''What is this thing that stands before me? The feeling it gives me, breathes in the desire to chop its head of the shoulders in one flawless swing,'' Naruto said, it was loud enough for everyone to hear him. His fingers were already licking the hilt of his one cut one kill sword.
The desire was strong, it appears.
''This is the new prime minister, Naruto,'' Akane whispered to his ear. What a way to start off a relationship with the new Prime Minister. How could the man like him when he was already talking about killing him? And Naruto wasn't joking, he was actually serious!
Naruto said nothing further. He twisted around, ''We're leaving Akane; my army needs me. I cannot stand here and chatter while the enemy lurks in an attempt to disturb the peace of the Empire.'' He started walking away without even saying anything else to Honest.
Honest was actually surprised by this blatant lack of respect towards him. To think that he would actually behave like this in front of him... Unthinkable! ''General Black,'' Honest started slowly, halting the retreating movements of Naruto. ''I'm your superior, and you will have to treat me with some respect. I am the Prime Minister, after all.''
Naruto's response was accompanied by a snicker from one of the nobles, who laughed like Honest had said something amusing.
''The only man I will bow to is his Majesty; he is the only superior I recognize. I will not bow to you, and I will treat you like everyone else. Either be a minister or of nobility, you all laugh and live safely because I protect you.''
''We will have a problem if it becomes like that,'' Honest stated calmly.
''That is likely to be the case, but until the Emperor tells me to bow before you, I will not. You just do your job in insuring that the people I fight to protect out there are well provided for, and I will do my job. If you choose to have a problem with me, then do something about it. If you can that is.'' After saying those words, Naruto continued his movements, and disappeared from the hall with Akane.
''He still has a mouth I see,'' one of the nobles stated mildly.
''He has become colder though. But it is nothing. I have no complains with him as long as he does his job perfectly in eliminating our enemies.''
The party returned to normal and people continued their chatter. The minister of health walked up to Najenda, who was standing alone. She smiled when she'd reached the woman. ''An interesting person isn't he?'' she asked.
''Sorry..?''
''General Black, I mean.''
Najenda didn't deny it. ''That indeed he is.''
''What do you think of him as a General?''
Najenda became thoughtful for a moment. She'd worked with him on a few occasions, and she couldn't complain about anything. ''He is a good General who looks after his army, and does his job to perfection. Despite not seeing light with other Generals, most soldiers actually think highly of him as he seems to show the normal soldier respect more than their commanding officer or anyone for that matter.''
The Minister nodded. ''As a person?''
''I couldn't say, I don't know him that much,'' Najenda responded quietly. What she did know was that he was always wearing an expressionless face. The only time she as ever seen him smile was when he was addressing his army or talking to his assistant who also looked like his handler more than anything.
''If there was an opportunity to get close to him, would you take it?''
Flash Back End
It wasn't that Honest could know everything that occurred during that night, but that day had been his first meeting with Naruto. He'd only heard things of him before then. It was hard to see him since he always spent time in the battle lines swinging his cursed blade.
Honest always laughed when he recalled such a memory; no one had the backbone to speak to him like that, and even to nobility. Honest once heard that before he was even a General, just a Colonel, the nobles tried to get him to bend them over their will, but his response was, ''you have no control over me, nothing whatsoever on me. Noble or just a mere civilian, you're all the same. You depend on my strength for safety. I do not live because you do anything for me, but I keep you and everyone else safe. So tell me, why should I treat you any different from a random civilian, if you all look to me for protection?''
The Emperor was said to have only been amused when Naruto gave such response. However, what the nobles didn't know about was that Naruto was actually of nobility in respect to the fact that he was raised by Budo's family, which has always been the closest family to the Royal family. Well, they did find out eventually and stopped any funny business with him.
It was lucky that by the time Makato was born Naruto had already started fighting in the battle lines. If it wasn't like that, it wouldn't have been easy to make the boy listen to him. He was also fortunate that Naruto had chosen to distance himself from the race to the crown. If he hadn't done that, things would've surely taken a different turn.
It was no matter now, Esdeath had killed that fool. It was such a shame too since he could use his power. Still, he had his Ice Queen, as long as she got what she wanted, Esdeath would do anything he requested of her. Life was much easier with that fool dead and buried. It was a pity they could also not retain his blade. If they had done such, they would have a powerful weapon in their possession.
Night Raid had become a nuisance with killing the people in his payroll though. He would get rid of them soon. It was only a matter of time.
Honest looked up when he saw his guest coming up to him - he was inside his quarters, sitting beside the dining table. The Minister of Health and Public Welfare was here to see him. He smiled looking at this beautiful purple head woman; she wore a silk purple dress - it was a bit revealing above her chest and on the side of her left hip. She was only in her late 20s, yet she was the nuisance aside from all the ministers.
He had attempted to get her on his payroll countless times, but each time she refused him with a simple no. Even when he threatened to frame her for some crime she didn't commit or just have her killed, she still said no. Now Honest knew that there was something she had her trust on, if not she wouldn't refuse him when she knew he had many killed or imprisoned for refusing him.
He tested the waters by sending assassins after her, but the next day, this woman was still alive. He didn't attempt to get her killed once, no, in numbers, it was in seven occasions over the previous 3 and a half years that he'd sent assassins after her. Honest could never figure out who protected her because whoever he sent never came back.
What frustrated him the most was the audacity of this woman to come to him and tell him all about it even when she knew he was trying to kill her. If it wasn't for the fact that she disappeared without a trace whenever Esdeath returned, she would've already been dead by now. Even if he gives her an order to remain, she will disappear when Esdeath comes back.
''Minister of Health, please sit down,'' Honest said smiling, not bothering to stand up to greet the woman. They didn't like each other, even though they were always smiling. ''What did you want to see me for?''
The woman smiled at Honest, ''You're not the one for chitchat, and I was hoping we'd kill some time before I return to my mansion.''
How could Honest forget? This woman wasn't just a minister, she was also of nobility. She was the only child to her parents, who passed away years ago. Being that she it was only her in her house, she has control over her family's wealth. Money wasn't something she lacked, and for this reason, Honest never attempted to bribe her with money.
''You must forgive me, but I have many duties to fulfill, so I don't have much time,'' Honest a bit too nicely.
''That is understandable, you're the Prime Minister after all,'' the purple haired said. She took out a file and pushed it towards Honest's side. ''Take a look at that file.''
''What is it?'' Honest wasn't going to open it while this woman was still here.
''I came to you when the attempts to take my life started. I told you that I didn't trust the Imperial Police chief because I think he is a corrupt official, and I could only trust you since I thought you'd wish for my best as I was the one who saved your son,'' the words just left her mouth smoothly.
''I promised you I would look into it but I haven't been able to find any luck,'' Honest responded calmly.
''I know, but it doesn't matter as I was able to get some valuable information.'' Honest's eyes glued at the woman. ''We were able to catch one of the assassins alive from the last attempt. After months of struggling, I was able to develop a truth serum, and got him to tell the truth. He told us who hired him.''
Honest was 100% sure there was truth serum and this woman was just saying to screw with him. She already knew that it was he who had sent the assassins. She also knew that he knew she knew everything.
''I will take a look at it and insure that proper measures are taken. I will handle it personally since you believe the Police Force is corrupt and won't do anything.''
''Thank you, prime minister,'' the woman stood up. ''I will hear from you.'' With that, she excused herself from Honest's presence.
Once the devil was sure she was out of sight, he opened the file, and saw his image. He laughed madly for a few seconds. ''What kind of game is that woman playing?''
Honest shrugged; he would get her eventually, and he would take care of her. She was a desirable woman; he would surely have fun with her, when he does get her.
Night Raid
The people in here were much more joyful than Tatsumi would have thought for a group of killers who raided the streets of the capital during the night. While he was forced to come here, Tatsumi found himself at comfort under the warm smiles of the Night Raid members. They weren't so much of bad people as some in the capital painted about them.
He hadn't expected the leader of such a fearsome group to be a woman like Najenda. The gender wasn't the surprise, no; she just seemed too kind for someone who leads a group of wanted killers. The first poster he'd seen in the capital was Akame's, and he'd really thought that these people were nothing but a bunch of killers, but that wasn't the reality of things.
Leone suddenly smacked him on the shoulder, causing him to hastily turn around - a glare was served at the blonde on a silver platter. But she was only amused by it.
''What did you do that for?'' Tatsumi shouted. Aside from the fact that he was forcefully pulled out of his thoughts by the hit, it actually hurt.
''You'd spaced out, that was a good way to bring you to us, don't you think?'' she was ready to smack him again just for the fun of it. But Tatsumi quickly make some distance with the woman to avoid being hit again.
Unfortunately for him, when he backed away from Leone, he ended colliding with Mine. Well, the obvious result was the pink haired girl hitting the ground since Tatsumi had more built than her.
Mine furiously got up from the floor. She was more than ready to teach the newbie a few lessons. That was just blatant disrespect to her as an experienced assassin. No, the boy wasn't even a member of their group yet. They were just keeping him because he'd seen their faces and their policies were against the killing the innocent.
''Let me just kill him already! He isn't one of us and has seen our base, let me just get rid of him,'' Mine's hands were already twitching towards, Pumpkin, where it was supposed to be. She didn't carry her Teigu all the time, but right about now, she wished she had her weapon to blow some holes on the newbies forehead.
Aside from Mine and Tatsumi, everyone else within the room was deathly silent, but the two didn't notice it.
''But you dragged me here!'' Tatsumi shouted, staring straight at Mine; both hands held in a defensive manner. He didn't even want to be here in the first place. The big guy, Bulat had dragged him here under Leone's orders. He was basically abducted! So it wasn't his fault that he'd seen their base, it was theirs for bringing him here.
''Yeah, Akame should have just killed you back then.'' Mine paused when she suddenly realized that there was an eerie silence out of hers and Tatsumi's world. Her silence also caught her partner's attention. Mine noticed that everyone's eyes were glued at one direction; the entrance of the room.
There was a blond man standing there silently, hands folded across his chest, and his blue eyes were just void of anything; they were purely empty. The hair reached down on his shoulders, it was spiky at the top and bangs cover each sides of his face; a few short bangs over covered his entire forehead, reaching down just above his eyes.
He was wearing a long-sleeved black shirt. The shirt was tight around his body, showing some fine muscles. He wasn't overly muscular like Bulat, but it was something. On top of the shirt, he wore a long sleeveless black coat, completely made of cotton. The coat hanged around both his shoulders; it was without collars and it also reached down at his ankles, but never touched the floor. Red flame patterns were imprinted along the hemline of the coat. To complete the attire, he wore black cotton trousers that seemed to tighten up from the knees downwards. His fingers were covered in white bandages.
The strange thing he wore was his shoes; he was wearing black shinobi boots.
The thing that shocked them was that no one had sensed him appear, not even Lubbock who had set up traps around the hideout, not even Akame who was an assassin by 'nature' had sensed him appeared. Neither did Leone who had the senses of Lionelle did not sense him.
Najenda had the most shocked expression from everyone. It was the kind of an expression someone wore when they saw a ghost. The former general was glued onto her seat as her mind tried to process whether she was starting to see things or not.
Weapons were ready by the Right Raid members, ''who are you, and how did you find the location of this place?'' Akame demanded, hands already on Murasame's hilt, ready to be deployed for action. More importantly, how did he even manage to get so far close to them without anyone noting it? She expected such traits from an assassin.
The blond man merely tilted his head a little to the left. Akame noted that though he was looking at her direction, he wasn't looking at her, but her blade. He still didn't answer her question after his gaze left her blade.
He took a few steps forward, and not a sound was made by his footsteps. Not a damn sound. It was like the guy was walking on air. His silent movements were forced to come to a halt when Akame and Leone flashed right in front of him. The latter was in a crouched position, claws ready to rip out his intestines; the former was standing straight with a narrowed look on her face; her blade was supposed to be dangerously pressed against his neck.
"Supposed," being the key word.
The second finger after the thump of Naruto's left hand had stopped her blade from reaching his neck. How the stranger had moved his left hand to bring it up was a mystery to Akame. She had not seen a thing. The last thing she saw of his hands before this was that they were both folded across his chest.
That wasn't the most surprising thing though; he had stopped Her blade from reaching his neck, with just his finger. She could argue that she'd not swung it with the intension to cut through his neck or anything. However, the fact that it didn't reach his neck meant that he'd stopped it from doing so because she'd aimed for that. And Akame could feel some resistance through her blade.
If so then he stopped it, how was he not cut? Why is he not bleeding?
The look on his face didn't change, even for a second. Even in this close distance with him; Leone couldn't get any feeling from his presence. She couldn't pick up his scent - it was like he didn't have any. Without the change of expression, his body showed no violent reaction to their movements.
He wasn't even looking at either of them.
Just what the hell is this guy? Who dared block a swing of a blade by a finger like that? Not even Esdeath would be stupid enough to do something like that. Knowing Akame's ability, Leone had expected him to be cut down and bleeding. But none of that had happened; he was still standing as though nothing had happened.
Finally, he spoke. ''Naje-chan, your subordinates are trained well,'' his voice was just smooth, calm and relaxed. And it washed over the room like a cool breeze.
The thing that caught everyone off-guard was ''Naje-chan''
That was the first time anyone had ever heard someone calling their boss like that, even Lubbock, who knew Najenda the longest had never heard had anyone call her like that. All eyes turned to the boss, and finally, they were able to see her shocked expression still glowing joyfully on her face.
''Naje-chan,' where did that come from?'' Lubbock demanded, glaring at the side of the blond who dared call his Najenda Naje-chan. unfortunately, the green haired was shamelessly ignored by the blond who was standing in front of Najenda.
How he got past Akame and Leone was a mystery. Neither felt anything, they just blinked and saw him standing there with her.
The blond then sat on Najenda's lap, facing her right. He twisted his upper body to face the purple haired woman. ''I miss you, Naje-chan, I ready do.'' His face fell between Najenda's breasts, and both hands got behind her for a hug. What was noticeable was that he was slowly rubbing his face against her breasts.
Mouth of the males hung wide open. How Najenda could permit such perverseness was mystery to everyone who'd come to know her.
It wasn't long before the Boss Chop fell down onto the blond. The hit sent the blond crashing towards the wall in a heap. The previously thought strong man was now suddenly weak.
Lubbock's eyes became wide when he saw that Najenda was buttoning her top silently. How did that freak did that? And when did he do it? Did that mean that there was nothing standing in the way when he was rubbing his bloody face against Najenda's chest? Does this mean that he was actually feasting on the real deal?
Unbelievable. Totally unbelievable!
''You are dead,'' Najenda stated in a cold voice. It was more of a statement than a question, even though the person she was speaking to was clearly alive and right within her sight.
Lubbock, neither Akame had ever heard Najenda's voice so cold. Bulat had known her from the military, but even he had never heard her voice so cold and lifeless. It actually scared him. However, the woman didn't seem that lightest furious about anything. She'd just lost her happy expression, like it had been just sucked out of her.
The atmosphere was quiet tense. Tatsumi's heart was beginning to pace around more than it normally does because of this kind of pressure that had formed when Najenda spoke those three words. The village boy was thinking that perhaps ''you are dead'' meant that she was going to kill him for his earlier actions. Her lack of actions has proved that there is more to those words.
The stranger regained his composure and leaned against the same wall he'd hit; his hands were put inside the pockets of his pants. The same look he was wearing was still planted across his face.
''Reportedly,'' it was just a continuation to Najenda's ''you are dead.''
Najenda turned her gaze towards the blond and silently stared at him for a good minute without so much as blinking. She turned away from the blond and looked at her subordinates. ''Stay here,'' it was an order. The woman stood up and walked away from the room. The blond stranger was nowhere to be seen by the time Najenda exited the room.
''How does he do that?'' Tatsumi wondered aloud before asking. ''What was all that about, do you guys even know man?'' The evidence and actions of both Akame and Leone would suggest that they too didn't know who he was, but you could never know.
''Your one of a kind welcome,'' Mine said clearly sarcastic. She was rather frustrated at the lack of knowledge in anything that had happened. She didn't have a clue to who that man was, and his actions towards their boss meant that he was closer to her.
Najenda didn't even seem angry at his perverseness despite hitting him on the head. Normally, anyone who got a little closer would have been beaten to a pulp. However, not even a pervert in the form of Lubbock had the guts to attempt something like that. Yet than blond had done it, in front of them all, while saying he missed her. Mine didn't pick out any emotion to his tone since there wasn't anything to read.
''Does anyone know that guy?'' Bulat questioned. He'd already racked his brains before, but he couldn't figure out who that man was. He couldn't even begin to understand what happened between them for Najenda to greet him with ''you are dead.''
''I don't know him, but I think I may. I just haven't been able to figure where I know him from.'' Akame said, trying by all means to figure where she'd seen that face. She'd seen him before, but she couldn't quite place where. ''Regardless, Boss will tell us about it when they return.''
They didn't keep secrets from each other, even if it was their Boss. Najenda always told them everything, well not everything, but she was always honest with them. Akame couldn't think that she wouldn't explain things to them after she'd finished sorting whatever she wanted to deal with.
''Is anyone thinking what I'm thinking?'' Leone asked quietly. No one responded though. ''A stranger shows up, calls our boss ''Naje-chan'' and played at her bosom while sitting on her lap. Our boss responds by saying ''you're dead,'' don't you guys think that perhaps he might be an old boyfriend?''
Everyone looked at Leone for a moment before Lubbock exploded. ''Hell no!'' the green haired shouted. He has known Najenda for far too long, if she had been in a relationship with him, he would have known. He had invested much time and effort in her to miss something so important.
Leone grinned at Lubbock, ''Are you perhaps jealous Lulla?''
''Hell no, there is no way...'' he trailed off when he recalled something. ''Jealous'' jogged his memories a bit. There was a time he felt really jealous when he saw a framed picture in Najenda's stuff. He only saw the picture once, and has never seen it in quite some time.
The picture he saw was a face of that man and Najenda. They looked ready close, and they'd been younger, perhaps in their late teens when the picture was taken. Najenda was wearing a smile that Lubbock had never seen from her, even though she still smiles today, that smile she wore in that picture seemed special. The green haired had felt it when he saw the look on her eyes.
''Well, I'll be dammed...'' Lubbock mumbled.
''What, did you remember something?''
A Little away from the Night Raid Base
Najenda stared deep into Naruto's eyes trying to search for something, something that could explain all these, but she couldn't see anything, other than a blue pit of nothingness. As far as she knew, he was dead. She had even seen his dead body. Esdeath had paraded his corpse like a trophy in front of every General after he was killed. It was an example that was set for any other who was having thoughts of rebellion. The woman had gleefully gloated about murdering him, she'd gloated that she made him cry and beg for mercy.
Najenda had been shocked to learn that Naruto was killed. Even though Esdeath said she was the one who killed him, Najenda had not quiet believed that she could have done the deed alone. No, it was said that Budo was there when the two battled. She'd even gone to the area they'd fought, and made a discovery that even Budo had fought.
With Budo and Esdeath, and the corpse to prove it, Najenda had not doubted that he was killed. The only thing that was missing was his blade. Honest had very much used the opportunity presented to him to threaten everyone. He told them that regardless of how strong they were, they would always fall in the same casket as Naruto. The incident had only made Esdeath position as the strongest in the capital grow.
For these past years Najenda had believed without single shed of doubt that he was dead. She believed that Naruto had been killed by Esdeath and then buried behind the Imperial Palace as an honor for all the work he'd done for the Kingdom. Only those in Military were affected by it since no one from the public actually knew that the blond was a general. Some nobles were affected, but didn't show any of it to avoid being killed.
Things really changed after Naruto's death. Honest grew even brave, plunging the Empire into the pits of hell. Yes, the Empires people were suffering day and night, with Honest standing high above their heads eating his meat gleefully while he intoxicated himself in the scent of their suffering.
His presumed death had only strengthened Najenda's believe and resolution. Even with the odds stacked against her, the former General of the Imperial army had matched on with her convictions. It was either she succeeded or perished trying. The presumed death didn't do any harm to strong willed people like her, no it only reaffirmed her belief, while the work coward and bended down to Honest's will.
But now here she was, standing before a dead man. She couldn't really understand how he'd matched out of the pits of hell. Death was the undefeated champion of the underworld. Once it managed to drag you out of this world, there was no escape, there was no return. Yet he was here, looking perfectly fine.
He wasn't an imposter. There was no way Najenda couldn't tell the difference between Naruto and an imposter. Perhaps she should be more shocked to see him alive, especially since she saw his corpse. Perhaps she wasn't freaking out because a part of her always longed to have him by her side again.
His eyes showed nothing to her, yet a small smile was planted across his face. The look on his eyes was a clear betrayal to the smile; he was smiling, but in truth, he wasn't. Najenda didn't know which to look at, the smile or the emptiness inside of his eyes. Somehow she felt that she could understand why he looked so empty in the inside. She'd heard what happened to Miya, and heard that he may have actually lost it during his rampage in the Imperial Palace.
However, she would prefer it if he just didn't smile; his eyes and smile gave different messages.
A few minutes of mild silence passed and Najenda finally spoke. ''How are you alive? I saw your corpse, I touched it. There is no mistake about it; there body we buried was yours. How are you alive then?'' There was still no emotion in Najenda's tone. She couldn't afford to show any of it. Not after what she had to go through because of his supposed death.
Naruto was leaning against a tree trunk with his back, hands still inside his pockets. ''You've become cold, Najenda.'' The questioned remained unanswered with his response. ''I didn't think you'd offer such a cold welcome to me of all people. But I guess it can't be helped.''
''What? Did you expected me to jump all over you, clinging on you tightly like you'd just return from a five year trip?'' The mild sarcasm clicked within her tongue so joyfully. ''Forgive me if this is a little overwhelming to me. But it isn't every day that you see a dead man actually alive. I mean, we buried you, and Esdeath triple checked to see if you were actually dead.''
Naruto merely smiled in response. He'd never seen her so worked up before. Understanding that he was actually was a hard for her given that she saw his dead body. It was actually a shame that she had to be forced to witness such a thing. This was a reality that one couldn't just accept like that, not after all these years passed.
If she had believed that he was dead, then seeing him alive would be like seeing a ghost. To accept that he was actually alive, she would have to discard her belief, a belief she spent the past years accepting. Everything in her being, body, soul and mind believed to their respective cores that he was dead. Showing up alive was just shattering that belief.
Naruto walked over to the woman; he wrapped his hands around her and brought her closer to him, holding her firmly. The weight of his body pressed against her. He didn't care if she no longer had her right hand, he didn't care if she was wearing an eye patch - she was Najenda, and nothing would change that.
His right hand moved up from her back towards her head. Her ruffled up her hair a bit and absorbed its scent; nothing familiar, nothing intoxicating, and nothing to feel from such an action. ''I'm truly alive, Najenda. I have been alive for these past five years. Esdeath didn't kill me; I just made her believe that she killed me.'' He whispered down to her right ear, while still holding her closer to him.
Najenda's body couldn't remember when he felt so cold – he felt no different from a corpse. But the scent was his. She couldn't deny that it was him and he was actually alive. He once held her like this during one of those good days, the days he wasn't drunk, the days Miya wasn't closer to get in between them. However, he had something to give her those days, now, she felt like she was tied to a mummy. Nevertheless, this was General Black, her former comrade and good friend.
''How do you explain the corpse then? What did we bury then?'' Najenda couldn't believe it all without filling the blanks first. Only a stupid person would believe all these without getting some answers.
''Teigu's each have what people call a Trump card. My blade is a far more mysterious weapon than the Teigus, and I can proudly say that it is stronger than all Teigus. If Teigus have a special ability, then my blade has to have one. One of the special abilities of my blade is that it can materialize into a perfect copy of me. The drawback is it can't speak, however, it can do whatever that I can, albeit at a lower level.
The copy that is made can bleed, be wounded, however, although it has a 'heart', it doesn't actually need it. Despite the form, it is still a blade. So, if Amaterasu took my place when Esdeath was about to deliver the final blow, and stopped the functioning of all her ''internal organs'', you have a perfect dead body.
Another thing is that it has a limit, and if Esdeath had allowed anyone to play with the corpse, they would discovered some irregularities and seen that it wasn't what it appeared. Well I didn't have to worry since I knew Esdeath would never allow anyone to touch her trophy, especially if it was big as me.''
Najenda pulled away from him and stared deep into her eyes. She slapped him on the right cheek. The slap resounded around the area they were in. ''Do you know that I cried when I heard Esdeath had killed you? Do you know how much it pained me to see Esdeath parading gleefully at your death?''
''I cannot possibly know that, but I can only assume,'' Naruto responded. ''It must have been hard on you. I know for certain that Esdeath likes to gloat and she can actually do it perfectly. You'd want to kill her when she gloats. I'm sorry that you had to be in such a situation.''
Even though he tried to give a sad smile, the emptiness in his eyes just stared right back at her. Najenda couldn't tell whether he was being honest or not; there was no emotion whatsoever in his tone.
''Why didn't you say anything, Naruto? Why didn't you appear before me sooner?'' If he had told her that he was alive, she wouldn't have cried as much as she did. Her resolution to free the Empire wouldn't have wavered - she would have still made the decision she took those years when she decided to defect from the Empire.
She would have been happy knowing that he was alive, she would have never had one of those moments of fragility when she questioned if she would end up like him or be a success. Naruto was no doubt stronger than her, yet he'd fallen in the hands of Esdeath. If Naruto couldn't do it, how could she? Such questions often plagued her mind because of his presumed death.
''I couldn't. I was standing on the tip of a needle back then and my sanity was close to leaving me. I had to focus on regaining my sanity and seeing other things. I spent much of the past years locked away from civilization, to be precise; I spent about 3 years without speaking to a single human. After that, there was a lot that I had to do, and my survival had to remain a secret until I chose to reveal myself.'' Naruto said quietly.
''What happened to your army?''
It was a question that everyone within the Imperial still asked even today. No one could answer it though. Speculation and wild guesses went through the air, but there was nothing concrete. The reality of things was that Naruto's army had disappeared from the face of the world. There was no trace of their presence anywhere. It was like they'd just vanished or earth had just swallowed them.
Honest had ordered for their search for the first year of Naruto's ''death.'' However, he eventually gave up and said, ''It didn't matter since their leader is dead.''
Rumors ran wild saying the Army of Black or Purgatory had retreated to the black depths of purgatory to revive their master and would one day return to haunt down the one who killed their master. It was just a made up story that soldiers used to scare rookies within the Imperial army. Najenda found the story amusing in all truth.
The story was even told in the streets of the capital, but what the civilians didn't know was that the army of the General Black had actually vanished without a trace. It sounds unbelievable for more than 2000 men to just vanish from the face of the world, but it actually happened, and the first years were shaky for many people as they feared that the army would just appear in the name of vengeance.
But over the years, soldiers thought of no light to it.
''When Esdeath and Budo confronted me, I was heading towards my army. I knew that after I'd lost it, Honest would call for my death. My army would also be in danger because they only show loyalty to me, so I wanted to move them somewhere safe while I sorted things out.
While that woman paraded my dead ''body'', I sent a message to my army with locations of where would move to. The parade and my burial took some time to complete, and while that happened, my army disappeared after getting my message.''
Najenda looked at Naruto carefully thinking things through. ''To accept your orders, they had to have known what you were planning. I have one question, did you appear before them?''
Naruto shook his head. ''I'd sustained some injuries, and I was really tired. I couldn't reach them in time, and they would've been noticed. A message was a better option to get them to safety.''
''They must have heard that you were dead, don't you think they could've discarded the message since you were dead?'' He was the symbol of hope, a symbol of salvation, and if he was gone, wouldn't they lose their hope? Najenda believed that Naruto's army had seen what he was truly capable off, and if they were told he was dead, then they had to lose hope as an unbeatable man was defeated.
He was their pillar, so if the pillar crumbled, the hole building has to fall; that was just the natural order of things.
''Najenda, why do you think I reduced my men from 8500 to just 2000?'' Naruto asked.
Naruto's army was arguably the best within the Imperial Kingdom. They were small in numbers, compared to the other armies led by a General. However, they were the most effective. While they lacked in numbers, their quality made up for it. Esdeath army was their only rival despite the woman having about 10000 men under command. However, if the two armies were to battle each other, Esdeath's would win. The woman's army wasn't just big in numbers, they were also skilled warriors.
The Ice Queen liked the strong after all.
''Wasn't it because you didn't like commanding that amount of men?''
''I cut off the numbers because I wanted people who could follow my ideals, people I could trust, and people who could have unwavering faith in me. My army is of men who saw the wrong in Honest, why do you think I didn't like the thought of having some of them Join Esdeath?''
''That is understandable, but you still handed some of them to Esdeath, and left most of them to Heisuke. '' The ones that were given Esdeath didn't know a damn thing and some of them were killed because they didn't know anything. ''So this means your real army has men above 1000 in numbers but no more than 1500.''
Naruto nodded. ''There is something I gave to my men; it is a torch of black flames. In everywhere they camp, the torch is always put in the middle. They call it the ''Light of Black,'' I told them that as long as the fire burns, there is still hope. The flames were from my blade, and if I was dead, the ''torch'' would stop burning.''
Well that made sense. ''What more have you been doing? And didn't you say you had no allies?'' His army was his ally. With them, he could have done so much.
''There is so much that an army can do Najenda. If we were going against the entire Kingdom's army, my army would have been destroyed.'' Naruto simply responded. ''To answer your first question; I have been busy doing a lot of things really.''
Najenda got the hint, and dropped the matter. ''Where is Amaterasu? Is she buried in your grave?''
Naruto shook his head. ''I have Amaterasu,'' he said.
''How did you even find us anyway?'' This location was secure. No one from the capital knew of its location, this is why they were still hunting people such as Akame, and she didn't think he's been back in the capital for that long since she would've known about it.
''I have eyes and ears,'' he didn't give her a straight answer. ''Just so you know, I only returned about a month ago. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you sooner; I had to prepare a ball I wish to play with some nobles.''
Najenda narrowed her eyes. She didn't mistake the fact that Naruto was practically royalty having being raised under the watchful eye of the previous Emperor by Budo. There are some who called him the unofficial prince. It is one of the reasons Honest didn't like him very much. However, almost all the nobles were in the Prime Ministers payroll, so what was Naruto doing?
''Why did you come back Naruto? I know you're not part of the revolutionary army. Have you come to finish Honest and his son?''
''Five years ago, I said these words to "Miya"; I will purge evil against the Empire's people, I will continue were I left off with Syura, I will torture Honest until he dies, I will break Esdeath apart, and lastly, I will free the empire. Until I can do that, I will not step closer to your sight,' that is what I said to her, and that is my oath.''
Back with others
''They are coming back,'' Leone announced to everyone. Silence settled in as Najenda walked back into the room with Naruto beside her.
Najenda took her seat and Naruto stood on her left, leaning against the chair. None said anything as the members of Night Raid waited for answers from their boss.
''So you guys are curious, huh?'' Najenda said, earning nods from the group in front of her. ''Well this is Uzumaki Naruto. His name is not known to many. I don't think there are even five people in the capital who can say his full name. Many know him is General Black, one half of ''Black's Death.'' I know, he is supposed to be dead, but he is actually alive,'' although Najenda seemed to be happy about it, her tone betrayed it was it was actually said in bitterness.
Complete silence.
''I refuse to believe that,'' Mine said. ''General Black was, and I emphasize this, ''Was'' rumored to be fearsome warrior who was a demon in battle. He looks nothing like a demon, and I was told that he had black hair not blond.''
There was just no way this man could be the infamous General Black. There was just no way. The man was an idol to many, even though not many knew of his real face as he always hid away from the public eye. Only those in the military could give a clear picture of him, but many tended to exaggerate.
Some said he was cruel and sadistic like Esdeath while others said he was nothing like the Ice Queen. The problem wasn't helped as those who truly new the man refused to speak up. Regardless, General Black was a legend within the Imperial Military. His feats were nothing short of miracles.
Najenda was saying that this man was General Black? Lubbock could understand why she looked so shocked to see him and it would explain the picture he once saw. It wasn't a secret to him that Najenda and General Black were friends. But still, how was he alive? Najenda had looked so broken she heard that he was killed in battle by Esdeath. Her tears were real; they weren't faked back then.
Did it mean that she didn't know that he was alive? Well, it would explain why the first words that came out of her mouth were ''you are dead'', and those words were said in a cold tone. It explained a lot. Najenda believed this man was the real deal, so he was must be. If she wept because he died, then she must know him.
Bulat had been told many contradicting stories by his own former commander about this presumed General Black. However, what he did know was that his General held no love for the man. Liver rarely spoke anything good about the man who was somewhat seen as a legend in the military forces. Even though he never got to see him, his name was never forgotten within the military camps.
General Black; the man was said to be only second to Budo in military rankings. This means that if he was still in the military, if Budo died any time soon, he would be the highest ranking General within the Military forces.
Many stories were said about his death in the hands of Esdeath. Some things just became wild rumors that had no truth in them. Usually when a rumor starts, it starts from the truth, just like a myth. However, people took things to another level sometimes. However, what was known to anyone in his ''death'' it was that he was killed by Esdeath.
This of course only raised the untouchable Ice Queen further above. Because Esdeath was said to be the one to kill black, the General of Death, her power was elevated. Some even got to the point of saying that if she could defeat Naruto, then she could defeat Budo. Rumors aside, the woman's reputation became fearsome because of it.
It wasn't that she didn't deserve any of it.
What would happen though, if it came to light that he was actually alive?
''That man? He is a cruel bastard who cares for nothing but crushing his enemies. He is a cold hearted soldier; sometimes I even think he is worse than General Esdeath. If you see him fight, you will know that he is indeed a demon as people say he is.
What infuriates me the most is that when he is the presence of the King, he is all smiles and respecting towards the old man. But he never calls anyone with respect. There is no General that receives respect from him, not even Budo. That is not my problem though, but I just hate that when all general meet together, he is capable of ignoring everyone else, and is always next to the Emperor. He is arrogant and doesn't acknowledge any General weaker than him to be a real ''general.''
People say he is great and everything. But that man only shows kindness to the Emperor, and is very disrespectful. I hate him.'' Liver had once spoken those words to him, and the ''man'' he was talking about was a 16 year old boy-general. Despite everything Liver said about Naruto, he never called him a boy, despite his age.
The fact that this man was actually alive would explain why his army suddenly disappeared from the face of the world and why no one was ever able to catch their scent. This could only mean that he was somewhere else plotting.
His iconic hatred towards Honest was never a secret to anyone.
''I've heard stories about you from my former commander and I've always wanted to meet you and confirm what was said about you,'' Bulat said with a small smile. Naruto nodded.
Before Naruto could say anything, Akame spoke. ''Bulat, you don't seem to have any doubt that he is indeed The General Black,'' it was not a question. Even though they couldn't feel anything back then, she could now feel something off him. And those empty eyes weren't of anybody. ''Now I remember why your face seemed familiar.''
Najenda sighed tiredly and narrowed her eyes at Naruto for a moment; he seemed to be carefully looking at her subordinates. She still didn't know what he was doing here aside from coming to see her. There had to be a reason he was here. ''I assure you, this is him; I should know better.''
''How is he alive then?''
''You shouldn't ask questions that are bigger than you, little girl,'' Naruto spoke, looking directly at Mine. There was some coldness in his tone that just froze pink haired girl from saying anything further.
Najenda coughed to gain everyone's attention. ''Introduce yourself to Naruto,'' she ordered to everyone.
Naruto waved his right hand. ''There is no need for that; I already know them all.'' He said. ''Bulat, Mine, Leone, Sheele, Lubbock, and lastly Akame the assassin,'' Naruto spoke all their names to prove that he knew them all.
''What about me?'' Tatsumi said feeling a bit left out by the fact that Naruto had looked at everyone but him. He didn't even say his name, and he was here in the room for Christ's sake! No wait a minute, he didn't look at Akame even though he said her name.
''You've yet to even join us, and you're still a newbie. No wonder you're not known,'' Mine retorted towards Tatsumi. She was a little ticked off by Naruto's response, and since she couldn't take it out on him, Tatsumi was the easy target.
''I just said I was joining a few moments ago before he came,'' Tatsumi stated. He then grinned. ''Perhaps you were a little too short to hear me...'' he teased gleefully earning a tick mark on the pink head's forehead. However, before she could even say anything, Naruto spoke.
''You're Tatsumi,'' Naruto stated. ''The reason you find yourself here is because of your naivety that allowed Leone to scam you all your money. Without money, you had nowhere to go and ended up being picked up by filthy pigs. The chain of reaction followed suite and here we are.''
That was what happened. But how did he know about all these? He knew their names and knew this place without either of them telling him. They didn't leave any traces for him to follow and they always made sure that they never left anything behind.
''How do you know all these, Naruto?'' Najenda questioned curiously. There was no suspicion in her tone, just plain curiosity.
''We'll talk about it later before I leave,'' Naruto said before turning his attention to Leone. He walked towards her before standing inches away from her. Empty eyes stared into the smiling blonde. ''You call yourself protectors of the people, yet you scam people. Tell me Leone, would I have been wrong to kill or punish you for swindling Tatsumi?''
Leone blinked. He was being deadly serious. ''Aren't you a little too serious?'' She asked nervously.
''Tatsumi was just an innocent village boy who didn't know anything about the cruelty of the Empire. Do you know who made him experience loss and how harsh this place is? It was you. Shouldn't you have been the one to rescue him from people trying to rob him rather than be the one to rob him? Aren't you a defender of justice?''
''I may have swindled him, but it all worked out - no harm was done.'' Leone defended herself. However, even she knew that if Tatsumi hadn't been picked up by Aria, things would have turned into another angle.
''Is that your excuse?'' Naruto asked. ''I do not like hypocrites. Do you know what could've happened if a slave driver had found him bundled in a corner, naive as he is, hungry, with no one to turn to?''
''I didn't take his money to drink with it; I gave it to someone else who needed it.'' There was no time for playing; this guy was deadly serious and her boss didn't seem like she was going to step in the line to save her.
''So you are saying that Tatsumi didn't need it...'' it wasn't a question. He was merely stating a fact. She had said she took the money from him because she wanted to give someone who needed it. By that reason she means to say that Tatsumi didn't need it.
''No that isn't what I'm suggesting,'' Leone held her hands on front of her in a defensive manner.
''You didn't care about Tatsumi because you didn't know him. That is why you stole from him to feed those you cared for. If he wasn't good with a sword, you would've watched Akame kill him. Correct me if I'm wrong.'' Naruto paused for a moment to see if she would object. ''You scam them, and then you watch them get killed. Are you really a defender of the people?''
''Naruto, that is enough!'' Najenda finally stepped her foot down, having heard enough. This, it only meant he was back to his former no nonsense-self. Ah, this was going to be a pain. ''I'm sure Leone will not do it again. Won't you find better alternatives to feed those people, Leone?''
The blonde nodded. ''Of course, I will.''
Najenda smiled at Naruto, ''Is there is a problem?''
''You're acting like a protective mother, Najenda.'' Naruto said, returning to her side. ''I must warn you though; if she does it again and the Army of Black sees her, they will take her away. I do not like people who paint themselves as knights of justice while their insides are rotten.'' His army was not operating that way, but some of them were just present, having travelled with him. They'd come here to see their beloved ones. But they would be leaving, soon.
''Did you come here with your army?'' Najenda asked lightly. She wasn't going to question him on what they'll do if they do catch Leone in her acts again. She was also 110% positive that he was dead serious and would punish anyone who wore a mask of justice while corrupted inside. Even if she tried something, in this state, he wouldn't listen to her.
''Only a small group,'' Naruto said, turning around to face Night Raid members again. A tiny smile found its way into his face when he looked at Sheele, yet the look in his eyes remained empty. ''Hello Sheele, pleasant to see you again.''
Sheele never got to respond as she was assaulted by a question from Lubbock. ''You two know each other?''
Sheele nodded, ''In a way,'' she said quietly.
''Najenda, why don't we go out on a date? I haven't done that in 5 years, and I'm sure you haven't,'' Naruto said smiling. It was a complete flip of his personality. His eyes still remained empty though.
''No,'' Najenda responded. ''You're still dead. But if you feel alive enough, search for Esdeath, I'm sure she wouldn't mind.''
Somehow, Lubbock felt relieved that she turned him down. Regardless, it seems like he's gained a rival. And things didn't look set for his favor!
''You're so cold, Naje-chan,'' Naruto said. ''Well, anyway, walk me out,'' another flip. It was about time to leave this place. He had to play politics with some nobles before leaving, for a few days. He'd gathered enough Intel already.
''Fine,'' Najenda said standing up. ''Don't wait up; I might return tomorrow.'' She said to her subordinates. ''Don't worry, everything is alright.'' she added seeing their looks.
''Ara, I didn't think you were this eager to spend the night with me, Naje-chan,'' Naruto said smiling.
''In your black dreams,'' Najenda responded as the two made way out of the base.
Before they could disappear Lubbock spoke. ''Don't you need a body guard, boss?'' He asked nervously. He just wanted to make sure that nothing happened between those two. If Naruto was going to spend the reminder of the day, and the whole night with her, then something he didn't want to think about would happen.
''No,'' Najenda responded. ''You stay here and insure that this place is safe.'' The leader of Night Raid said as she disappeared off with Naruto.
Once they left, Tatsumi spoke. ''Is it just me or did that guy just ignore Akame?''
Mine nodded. ''It isn't just you; he ignored her presence. He gave a slight nod to Bulat when he was leaving. He'd already spoken to us, either directly or indirectly. But more importantly, I hate that guy.''
''What, he doesn't seem so bad. I may actually like him,'' Tatsumi said. The first person, who told him that he was swindled by Leone, had said it was his fault for being too trusting. But that attitude was not right; it wasn't the thinking of just people.
''You're only saying that because he was defending you.'' Leone responded quietly.
''Well, you did scam me, so I would say he isn't that bad.''
''No, that guy is the worst. He left with Najenda. Who knows what he is going to do to her?'' Lubbock said, looking as though he was ready to follow the two who'd left. ''On the other side of things; he did make a good point Leone.''
Leone didn't get to it; she turned her attention to Sheele. ''How do you know the infamous General Black anyway?''
''I don't quite remember.''
That concludes entry 1. I've brought Naruto's oath into something simple to understand. So, I don't think anyone will be questioning just what his oath is. Some characters may appear oc; I'm afraid I can't draw them out all as they are in cannon.
Naruto will not be a member of Night Raid; he has his own army – The Army of Black. However, he will still hang around some of the members, Najenda especially.
Naruto's character will be a bit psychotic at times. But as the story progresses, I'll stabilize his mentality. The Emptiness in his eyes is who he is, and what is in inside his heart. The flashback was just showing how Naruto was like before he allowed Miya to enter his life and change him.
I will not comment on pairings; I've yet to decide which I will go with. I was thinking of Sheele or Najenda, but eh… I will see what I'll do. It is unlikely with how "empty" Naruto is that he will actually love someone. His actions towards Najenda in this chapter are irrelevant since that is not his "true self," ultimately, he isn't being honest.
I wish Honest was dead, but he isn't and that is the way things are. Well anyway, Naruto will not kill Honest in the same way Leone did in the Anime - No, there won't be any satisfaction in that way. When he does kill him, it will be worth the wait. I don't know when it will happen, but it won't be at the end of the story.
Thanks for your awesome support.