Oh dear god here we go. So, this one was a serious bitch for me. I didn't really like writing about the ministers in this chapter since the story is going to focus on the five generals more than anything else. Don't look for any real character development, these bastards are all set in there ways. Nothing is ever really going to affect change in them. Really I'm just trying to build unique characters…you'll kind of see some of that in this chapter with Axel. Really, I have no idea what the fuck Naruto is all about at this point. I mean, I know what he's after, but his personality is a friggin mystery to me at this point. I don't know whether that's a good thing or not, lol.

Right, well. I hope you enjoy the chapter. It's not exactly up to standard for me…but then again the last two weren't either. I'm trying to get better at this though. So…without further ado…

Chapter 3: The Vermillion Bird of the South

Westalia the former—and current potential—seat of world power was once considered a paradise in both its natural beauty, and its massive lacrima stores. Following a rather impressive string of misfortune and tyrannical regimes, the 'Holy Land' had lost that which had made it a paradise. The beautiful landscape had vanished, torn asunder by the hellish firestorms weaved by dragon and mage alike. Majestic mountain ranges, home to many a peaceful Fae tribe, once tall and proud structures that had weathered the tests of Mother Nature herself for scores of millennia, now crouched, humbled by the massive carcasses of great wyrms that span across several of their broken peaks. Forests were burnt, lakes desecrated with corpses of both dragons and mages; even the Great Plains of the central territories were covered in dust and cinder.

From its very beginnings Westalia was doomed to an existence of desolation and destruction. Time and again it saw rejuvenation, followed closely by absolute ruin—an endless cycle spanning the entirety of known history. Yet, the people of Westalia were hardy and strong. Despite the strife that plagued them—be it resulting from outside influence or domestic corruption—those who called the southern continent their home continued to survive. In times of prosperity, they thrived. In times of desolation, they would persist. No matter the event, no matter the magnitude of destruction, no matter if Judgement Day itself presented itself before them, the good people of Westalia—those who embodied the very spirit upon which the magical world was founded—would live on.

Who better to protect these people—these Westalians—than the man who is the very personification of the Westalians' Will to Survive? Uzumaki Naruto, the Great General, is a man of many mysteries. His origin is unknown. His relation to Westalia before his initial campaign into the continent is the subject of inquiries across the globe. The exact source of his endless power (that is to say, how he had come to acquire such power) has driven many a scholar mad. Very little is known about Uzumaki Naruto's past.

All that is truly known of Uzumaki Naruto to the general public of Earthland is that he is the single most loyal individual that the world has ever seen. Similarly, it is also known that he is perhaps the single most dangerous entity on the planet.

Said entity now returns to his favored land, he returns to Westalia, to Ignellia, to Castle Malsideous; Uzumaki Naruto returns to his empress.

Castle Malsideous Council Chamber, Ignellia, Capital City of Westalia 0300 hours since the Caracoll incident

"Where the hell is he?"

"Ah, please, Minister Haruno we-"

"Captain, correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't that blonde-haired bastard general of yours the one who called this meeting in the first place?!"

"Yes ma'am, but-"

"But nothing! It's too damn early for this! I have children back at home that need to be woken up for school! Instead of waking them and my lazy-ass husband up and making a proper breakfast for them, I'm stuck here, in these god-forsaken council chambers—where I already spend most of my time anyway—waiting for our dumbass blonde leader to show up and tell us what exactly it is that was so urgent!"

"Then, what does that blonde bastard do!? He makes us wait for THREE HOURS! Three-godforsaken-hours…that's time we could have all spent doing far more productive things than sitting around with our thumbs up our ass, waiting on one blonde douche! My kids are probably going to be late to school today—I know for sure that lazy-ass I call a husband isn't going to wake them up in time! Do you realize they have a test today—"Sakura Haruno, Minister of Medical Affairs and Chief Physician of the Empire, continued her rant for another six minutes.

Her ire was rather warranted. A meeting had been scheduled by one General Uzumaki Naruto for 0500. The note on the memo had read: "extremely important, attendance mandatory, DON'T BE LATE!" Everyone was in attendance, all seven ministers had taken their seats, and the empress herself sat upon her raised throne, overseeing the council as was her duty. The two Chiefs of Public safety stood guard on either side of the raised dais upon which the council took their seats. Even Naruto's elite guard (a group that acted more as a royal guard for the empress rather than for the blonde himself), had made an appearance, a rarity considering how unnecessary their presence was in this particular environment.

All members were present for the meeting…all save for the blonde general who just so happened to call this particular congregation. Thus, the ire of many of those present was understandable.

"—whole workload of patients just waiting on me! Not to mention—"

"—oh give it a rest already, Billboard-brow!" Ino Yamanaka, Minister of Information and Chief of Interrogation, had had enough of her pink-haired friends "bitching," as the blonde would describe it.

"Here here!" the boisterous voice of the Minister of Wildlife Affairs, Kiba Inuzuka, joined its owner in halting the physician's tirade.

The Minister of the Treasury, Kakuzu of Metallianis, could not help but voice his own opinion. "While her voice grating and her babbling incessant—

"OI!"

"—I can't help but agree with the pink-one." A seemingly forlorn expression formed under the mummy-man's mask, "I'm losing money just sitting here doing nothing…"

"Pft, he's probably sittin' on the beach at on some random-ass island right now, slurpin' down some of them noodles he likes so much." The rough and crude voice originated from a rather gruff mountain of a man whom had his zanbatou perched upon the massive wooden table, polishing the blade lazily.

"Please Zabuza, I think we should have more faith in our head-general than that. I'm sure he is trying to get here as quickly as possible…he probably just got lost on the road of life."

The Minister of Domestic Affairs (a job he really didn't want, but was unsurprisingly excelled at) merely snorted in response to the Minister of Foreign Affairs. "Kakashi, the only reason you ain't bitchin' just like pinky over there—"

"—I have a name, damnit—"

"—is because you showed up four minutes ago…"

Kakashi responded with an eye smile that only served to infuriate the swordsman even more.

"Grr, where the HELL is that blonde bastard!" Zabuza proceeded to heft his mighty hammer of a sword and smash his section of the council bench with it.

'Troublesome.' A sigh escaped the lips of one Shikamaru Nara, Minister of the Military. It had astounded the young man, time-and-again, how exactly six of the most powerful people in the world could be reduced to mere squabbling children at a minor inconvenience. Sure, the Nara understood why they were irritated, but honestly what else did they expect from their knucklehead of a champion. If he so chose to, Naruto could easily remove them from their positions and replace the current system with whatever he saw fit. He'd done it with the former regime, what made the current one any different.

Truthfully, Shikamaru knew exactly what made this system different.

Each of those who now sat on the council had proven their loyalty to Westalia beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Ino Yamanaka had sacrificed her family's trust, offering up their private interrogation techniques and magic in order to aid Naruto and the empire. She had publicly denounced her family, an old faction supporter, and supplied the new regime with the ancient archives that the Yamanaka's had accrued over the years. After serving in the Interrogation Department for six months and reporting to Naruto directly, Ino Yamanaka established herself as an invaluable individual whom could be trusted with the upkeep and flow of information within the empire.

Zabuza Momochi swore his own loyalty after Naruto removed a tyrannical dictator from power in the swordsman's native land—Zabuza would have done so himself, however, with his adoptive son held hostage he could do naught but serve under the tyrant. Having been freed from his forced servitude, Zabuza swore fealty to Westalia and personally scoured the southern continent, intent on weeding out all attempts at rebellion. A year of destroying wannabe fascists bore great fruit for the Momochi as the blonde general personally appointed him head of domestic affairs (something the swordsman really didn't want).

Sakura Haruno had originally been an apprentice to one of the former Westalian leaders, Tsunade Senju. The blonde, while not nearly as atrocious as her compatriots, had wasted copious amounts of the country's money, actively taking inordinate amounts of money from the treasury in order to gamble and pay the resulting debts. While originally one of the most renowned names in medicine, Tsunade forwent her duties as Chief Physician of the empire and, instead, spent her time massively depleting the empires money supply. Upon the radical regime change initiated by a certain foxlike general, Sakura betrayed her mentor, engaging the legendary blonde in combat. Six hours of hard-fought battle later saw the pink-haired doctor bringing her former teacher in to the capital city. After viewing Sakura's immense medical-skill and the tenacity she put in her work, Naruto had found a suitable candidate for a minister position.

Kiba Inuzuka had usurped the position of village chief from his own mother, taking control of the military might of one of the largest factions in Westalia and joined Itachi Alberona, one of the new generals, in his campaign to conquer the east. Kiba's knowledge of the terrain of Westalia proved a boon for the general, allowing the dark-haired general to conquer the east with minimal civilian casualties. The Inuzuka's knowledge of the Westalian landscape has aided the military of Westalia in most of its domestic endeavors since his induction into the empire. Following a rather horrific night of drinking with Itachi, Kiba found himself within the Westalian council chambers, now holding the position of minister. To this day he doesn't remember what the hell had happened…nor does he remember why exactly he was naked in the midst of a rather important conference.

Kakuzu had brought business to Westalia and personally payed off all of the empires debts. Having seen the potential Westalia had for augmentation of his own personal fortune, the mummy-man decided to stay on as a financial consultant. After viewing Naruto's own financial records and bank statements, Kakuzu stepped in, taking control of the money flow within the empire. Several years under Kakuzu have resulted in an economic boom for the country, while recession is probable and the market always vacillating, with the Minister of the Treasury at the reigns Westalia is sure to prosper.

Kakashi Hatake was a rather special case. The silver-haired, laid-back, individual hadn't always been such. As a matter of fact, Kakashi Hatake was once the champion of the old factions whom had opposed the previous regime. Famous for his lightning-make and space-time magic, the Hatake had earned cut a swath through nearly every battlefield he had been on, meeting defeat only when he had no energy left to fight. Had Naruto and the empress not returned and destroyed the old regime, it can be assumed that Hatake would have eventually led the rebellion to victory over the corrupt system. However, such would have taken years, while Naruto merely needed a few days. Kakashi, upon seeing the new system put in place, challenged the blonde for the title of general. The result was humiliation for the former rebel; he had been beaten and broken, left by his compatriots to rot in a crater. That is, until Naruto, the very man who had destroyed him, hoisted him high and declared him Minister of Foreign affairs.

Then, of course, there was the lazy Nara himself. He had turned on his best friend, his family, his entire village. Shikamaru marched the entire fighting force of the rebel faction into empire territory. With the death of Shikaku, the Nara's father, Shikamaru had been made general and head-tactician of the rebel army. He'd commanded them to march onto empire territory, proclaiming that with the massive size of the rebel army a new day was sure to dawn in Westalia. That day was known as the most horrifying massacre the likes of which have only been matched by the legends of old. As his army marched toward the capital they met the most terrifying of the four generals under Naruto's command.

Caught within a ravine with an exit that had been destroyed by the Tigress of the West, the rebel army found themselves utterly dominated by the she-devil. Sixty-thousand soldiers were reduced to a paltry five-hundred within two minutes. Choji Akimichi, second-in-command of the rebels, turned to his best friend and leader, only to find a look of regret and self-loathing. Pain erupted in the large man's chest, then he felt nothing; another body joined the sea of corpses that littered the ravine.

Shikamaru Nara, like his fellow ministers—like all of those who helped govern and protect the vast empire that is Westalia—had sacrificed a piece of himself, a piece of his humanity, in order to prove his loyalty and to protect the innocent citizens of the Southern Empire.

All seven ministers, the twelve captains, the five members of the Guillotine Brigade, the five generals, even the empress herself, all had sacrificed in order to protect Westalia and her people. So perhaps, Shikamaru Nara could forgive the squabbling of his fellow ministers. He could forgive Westalia's champion for his tardiness. Hell, he could even forgive himself for his lack of control over any the military, the very thing he was assigned to govern. Such could be forgiven, for he, just like each and every one of his compatriots, could never forgive themselves for what they had done in the name of peace.

So he, and his fellow council members, would sit here, waiting for the arrival of their champion. They would eagerly await this new information that had their strongest general so excited. They would gladly do their jobs as the governing body, because that was the only thing that alleviated the self-loathing; work was a necessity, lest their own demons rear their ugly heads; they had sacrificed a great deal of themselves in order to attain these seats—in order to play a role in keeping Westalia strong. Honestly, for most of those present, this was the only thing that kept them from a padded cell—the only thing that made them sane. So they would wait.

Typhus, an island off the southern coast of Westalia Heatrique Ice shelf 0250 after Caracol Incident

The people of Khrono, the sole encampment upon the glacier that was Typhus, hadn't been having the greatest century. First they had been invaded and abused by the old regime of Westalia, forced to pay tribute to the corrupt governing body. Upon the discovery of massive lacrima stores below the surface of the glacial island, the townsfolk had been forced to toil endlessly in the mines that the empire had subsequently created. Fifty hard years of forced labor seemed to finally come to an end with the removal of the old government, however, the arrival of officials of said regime only served to intensify the suffering of the Khronoans.

Two former generals and the dethroned Prime Minister utilized their own personal armies (whose ranks were extremely limited in number and efficiency) and the minute magic they possessed to conquer the rather submissive people.

A decade and a half under these tyrants stirred the ire of the sole inhabitants of Typhus. Truth be told they were exactly two days from staging their own planned rebellion. They would be free of these oppressors, they would rebuild, they would offer their services to the new regime, and they would have prosperity.

Unfortunately just as they were to begin their uprising, the lacrima refinery disappeared. Well, it didn't just "poof" out of existence…it moreover just EXPLODED!

What followed next would forever be ingratiated into the minds of the surviving Khronoans. Six, loud gunshots were heard and half of Khrono evaporated. The main base of the invaders from the old regime stood tall and proud, surrounded on all sides by massive, smoking craters that were once prominent establishments on Typhus.

From the bastion that was the old regimes hideout, two individuals in the guise of generals strode forth. One was a rather tall, graying man who—

KRAM!

—exploded into tiny chunks alongside his partner—whose appearance could not be gleaned due to the velocity in which it turned to ash and dust.

The next three hundred seconds saw the utter annihilation of the remainder of Khrono and her tyrannical oppressors. The natives (whose number was reduced only by a paltry three) would have rejoiced at this new turn of events. After all, their freedom was now guaranteed…it only cost them their livelihood, their village, and all rations. Oh, their dignity was also in the shitter at this point due to the ease in which their overlords had been neutralized. Years of planning had, quite literally, gone up in flames. Now, they were at the mercy of whomever it was that decided to "save" them.

Musing and bemoaning was cut short by the arrival of the one individual within their immediate vicinity that could have so readily caused such utter destruction and degradation. Marching towards them out of the mist and smoke was a figure garbed in the uniform of Westalia's highest military position. The bright vermillion hair and the lazy gait by which the individual strode queued the Khronoans as to the identity of this specific general of Westalia. The condescending smirk and green triangular tear-like tattoos below his eyes only further confirmed the fears of the Typhus natives. Only one individual would have garnered more fear from them, luckily she was currently in western Westalia.

Axel Lea lazily approached the now village-less Khronoans. Their defeated and/or irritated gazes only served to widen the red-heads annoyingly handsome grin. Oh how the stench of utter devastation and humiliation excited him. He was almost tempted to skip the rest of the way to the once-villagers, but decided against such due to the imminent arrival of his superior.

Honestly, it wasn't that he was afraid of what Naruto might think, but rather he was terrified of giving the blonde any dirt on him whatsoever. Considering how Itachi had been cowed into wearing the female general uniform for a month by the blonde…well, whatever Naruto had on the Alberona had obviously been more humiliating than having the general dress up and act feminine for an entire month. The sheer amount of meetings that all of the generals had been forced to attend for that one month…dear god it was amazing for the red-head. It was also terrifying, serving as a reminder of how dangerous the blonde could be even in his pranking.

Regardless, Axel wasn't going to give the blonde any more ammo than he'd already procured. He just knew the Uzumaki had been there the night he and Minister Inuzuka had what had now come to be known as The Great Tequila War…

Digressions aside, Axel had a job to do. A job he loved oh so very much! Popping a quick drawl from his hip flask, the general practically skipped the last sixty yards to his targets.

He stopped abruptly in front of the gathered crowd, initiating a stare down that lasted roughly two minutes. For two minutes he watched the trepidation and fear flit across each and every face of those gathered. They were unnerved—rightfully so, after all there were roughly only five beings that were currently stronger than him on the entire planet…well, five beings that he knew of at the very least. Once he deemed a sufficient amount of fear and apprehension was present, Axel moved on to his second favorite part of any "imperial outreach program," taunting the native—err, negotiating with the locals.

"Attention all savages," he grinned at the glares he received, "my name—the name of your liberator and hero—is Axel. A-X-E-L, Axel, got it memorized? Good, I expect the spelling to be correct on the mural you will undoubtedly build in my likeness." The red-head suddenly directed his gaze at a suddenly cowed boy who had attempted to throw a snowball at the general. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the outcome of what might have happened), the snow had immediately sublimated before it could get within six feet of the rather amused Lea.

"Oi, what's eatin' at ya kid?" The condescending tone was really grating on the villagers' nerves, but what could they do?

"My dad died…you didn't get here fast enough. He was crushed in the mines. It's all because you bastards didn't get here fast enough! We suffered for years because of people like you! My dad died because of you! What gives you the right to waltz in here and 'save' us?! What?!

Axel strode over to the boy, the crowd parting for him. Placing a hand on the young boys head and ruffling his dark hair, Axel crouched in order to meet the boy eye-to-eye. "I'm sorry." The condescension was gone, replaced with genuine-sounding regret. "We only just found out about this place. Really, had I known about your people and your suffering…I would have been here a lot sooner."

The entire crowd was silent, awed by the emotional turmoil that seemed present on the face of the Vermilion Bird of the South. Axel's frown turned into a light grin at the boy's wide-eyed wonder. "I'm sorry for not getting here sooner…and I'm sorry for the loss of your dad. But you know what?"

The young boy slowly shook his head as he gazed into the bright green eyes of what might be his new hero.

"As a consolation prize…I'm not gonna blow the rest of you dirty-ass savages off the face of the planet." Instantly the anger and resentment had returned tenfold. Axel's amusement was cut short by a light-hearted tone that immediately shut-down any and all laughter that resulted from the red-heads insincere tendencies.

"Ara ara Axel-kun, that wasn't very nice, now was it?"

Ah hell.

Turning on a dime, the red-headed general immediately addressed one of the very few individuals who had garnered his respect and admiration. Standing just six feet behind the Vermillion Warlord was the Beast of Westalia himself, Uzumaki Naruto. Axel sighed in slight annoyance at the interruption his mentor and best friend had caused. Really, he had been expecting the blonde to intervene at some point, but to have stolen his thunder during such a hilarious moment…dick move, man.

The teasing grin the blonde general wore did nothing to dampen Axel's ire. Had he not known any better, the red-head might have popped off a few Explosion Bullets at his superior in all but actual rank, but he'd much rather keep his legs in working condition.

Of course, that's not to say that Naruto was particularly malicious in disciplining his compatriots and subordinates. Quite the opposite really, it's just that the blonde was never that great at holding back when he got...excited.

Axel shuddered, that last statement was true on multiple levels. As a matter of fact he'd heard the Empress herself trading war-stories with certain—ahem—ladies of the court involving one blonde general (really the only one) in particular. Dear god were they explicit and graphic in nature.

Digressions (once again) and feelings of sexual inadequacy in comparison to his blonde compatriot aside, Axel was still slightly pissed. All that thunder he'd worked to accumulate, gone with one sentence from the only man who genuinely terrified the ever loving crap out of him. The blonde even had the gall to walk right by him (at this point due to the red-head's inactivity) and address the little savages that he had just spent a good two minutes putting in their rightfully deserved place.

Kneeling down to the level of the sobbing boy that Axel had just humiliated, Naruto smiled kindly, patting the boys head. "Don't mind him, kiddo. He's just stupid." For his trouble, the Champion of Westalia received a swift kick in the shin and a slight head-butt, neither of which hurt him in the slightest, but left the aggressor regretting his actions.

Naruto's smile never left his place as he stood to full height, gazing down at the hurting lad. "You've got some spirit in ya! Kinda remind me of a young red-haired punk I trained a few years ago. Then he went and left me, trying to make it on his own; only to come crawling right back a few years later."

"Oi, I didn't crawl back!"

"…I was talking about the other red-head…"

"…Oooooh."

Naruto, having enough of messing with his vermillion companion, turned his attention to the recently displaced Khronoans. Giving a charming smile, Naruto addressed the now homeless people. "Hello everyone! My name is High General Uzumaki Naruto! Due to unforeseen setbacks and a lack of information you are now homeless…and we take full responsibility." The fact that the speech sounded rather practiced made the natives sweat-drop. To be perfectly honest, this was not the first—nor would it be the last—time that the Uzumaki had given this very speech.

"As such, you will be readily compensated for your troubles. Each of you will be given a pension for damages caused after appraisal...well it would be based on damages caused, were there any reference material left." Naruto gave a stern glare at Axel who was whistling a jaunty tune and taking shots from his flask. "That being the case, you all will be awarded a small fortune upon which you may live comfortably for the next five years."

Naruto once again glared at Axel. Said vermillion visibly gulped.

He knew that look. It was the that pension is coming straight out of your booze fund you red-headed little bastard stare. Well, looks like those three poor bastards that were the captains under his command were in for a rough few months. Axel snorted. Wouldn't be the first time.

Turning back to his captive, and rather gob smacked, audience, Naruto gave a sheepish smile and rubbed the back of his head. "As for the mines and your village…we'll—uh—we'll pay for that to be fixed. If you want to stay and work in the mines, we'll pay you pretty well for it. Other than that, have a nice day!"

With his piece said, the blonde did a quick 180 and marched back into the tundra from whence he came. Axel was right behind him, leaving the Khronoans at a loss for what to do now.

Their answer came in the form of a rather angry looking red-headed beauty pulling a cart of black briefcases. She stopped ten feet in front of the displaced villages, shoving the cart an extra five feet in front of her.

"Here's your money you fucking ingrates." With that she was gone.

The Khronoans didn't know whether to be insulted or grateful. They settled for a bit of both.

Three miles North of Khrono Eight Seconds Later

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Axel wasn't exactly surprised by the presence of his blonde superior, but from what he'd heard Naruto was scheduled to be in Ignellia…like, two hours ago. The tardiness wasn't exactly unexpected, hell he and the other generals usually knew not to arrive to one of their own meetings until at least an hour-and-a-half after it was supposed to begin. Still, based on what he'd heard, Axel was pretty sure that this was one situation that Naruto was taking seriously.

"Couldn't I ask you the same thing?" Ah hell, that's right, there was a meeting scheduled in the Thrones of Sovereignty later wasn't there? Well, he wasn't ever particularly early like some metal-kissasses. Damn Northern Tortoise was always on time. Stupid bastard was always waiting for two hours anyway.

"Yeah, well my boss is kind of an ass. He calls these meetings but always shows up late." The humor was all in good fun, still Naruto did seem to be taking this seriously, so that meant Axel better get his ass in gear…in about thirty minutes. Though he did have a question lingering in his mind. "Say, why did you come here yourself? Why not use a thought-projection or something?" Well, he should have known the answer by now.

"A thought projection can't kick your ass for destroying an entire town!" A swift punch to the stomach saw the vermillion dropped to the snow. "Now pick your sorry ass up, buy some booze, and get to the Thrones!"

Axel would have done just that right at that very moment, had one of his prized captains, Tayuya, not swiftly kicked him between the legs. "That's for making me carry all that shit through eighty miles of blizzard, maggot-fucker!"

A tear rolled down Axel's face.

Council Chamber Five Minutes Later

"…"

"…"

"…"

"You don't think he destroyed Caracol, do you?

"…"

"…"

"I invested a lot of money in a Mango Gelato stand there…"

"…"

"…"

"…it's not there anymore, is it?"

"Nope."

"Probably not."

"Hell no."

"Troublesome."

Kakuzu sighed. "I really hate you people."

Before anyone could respond to the downtrodden mummy-man, the doors to the council chamber burst open, flying off their hinges and partially crushing the table at which the ministers sat.

Naruto sweat-dropped and sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Whoops." Turning to no one in particular the blonde spoke. "You mind fixin' that up for me Asia-chan."

A petite blonde garbed in the holy robes and habit of a nun squeaked out a cute "yes sir" before heading over to the massive broken doors. A green light emitted from her small hands, casting an ethereal glow over each door. Bright light blinded all present signaling the end of the healing process. When the light died down all was as it had been mere moments ago.

No, the above was read correctly. The young-blonde quite literally healed the door.

Idiocy aside, Naruto, having made his presence known, addressed the assembled crowd. "Sorry I'm a bit late, everyone." This was, naturally, met with several angry responses, some of which were louder than others (cough Sakura cough).

Waiting patiently for his companions to settle down, Shikamaru Nara decided to voice the question on everyone's minds.

"Tell me, is my Mango Gelato stand okay?"

Unfortunately before the Nara could actually put voice to his question Kakuzu made his own concerns known.

"Hm, what?" Naruto rose a brow in confusion, that is, until realization dawned on his face. "Oh, that old dude? Yeah, no his stand was blown to smithereens…"

'Damn it all! Why was Kami such a bi—

"—yeah, but I helped him relocate and rebuild. That's kinda why I'm so late."

My, oh, my Kami was just wonderful! Such were the sentiments of the mummy-man.

Shikamaru sighed. Why was Kakuzu here again? "What's this all about Naruto?"

Said blonde stood straight, a serious expression making its way onto his face. "Alvarez is making its move."

"What of it? Didn't we predict they would begin mobilizing within the next few years?" Sakura made herself prominent once more, inquiring as to the exact relevance of such information.

The serious expression never left Naruto's face. Giving a quick nod, he continued, "that we did. I believe it was Shikamaru and Kakashi whom we have to thank for our preparation."

"So…what exactly does the coming Alvarez-Ishgar War have to do with us?"

A feeling of dread washed down the spines of a select few ministers at the ferocious grin that flashed across Naruto's face. It was there for but a fraction of a second, but it had been present nonetheless.

"Why, everything Sakura-chan." A calculating gleam entered the cold blue eyes of the Uzumaki. "An Alvarez war is one Westalia simply cannot afford to pass-up. Especially considering the nature of the coming conflict."

Shikamaru sighed. There were murmurs of disbelief and dissent. Hell, Haruno was berating the blonde. Really though, the decision was entirely up to one individual, an individual who trusted the blonde with her entire country.

"Shikamaru," the angelic voice of the empress called for a cease in all other sound, such was the respect and reverence all had for the female monarch, "what are your thoughts?"

Damnit all! With yet another weary sigh Shikamaru spoke, not as the lazy Nara, but as the Minister of Military Affairs, "Despite every fiber of my being screaming to prolong Westalia's peacetime...as one of the superpowers it's only a matter of time before this war becomes our own. We might as well get a head-start and accrue as much of an advantage as possible. A war of attrition isn't exactly favorable for us."

"I see…and there are no alternatives?"

This time Kakashi answered. "There are, but this is ultimately the most favorable for Westalia. It's like Shikamaru said, no matter what, we're gonna get dragged in one way or another."

"Very well then, everyone is dismissed. Kakashi, Shikamaru, and Zabuza, I want the three of you to confer and return to me with the necessary information and stratagems. I want a full detailed report on how we will be handling this war. Everyone else are to return to their posts and await my summons. We shall reconvene when an apropos stratagem has been proposed. Until then I'd like to be left to my own devices.

Several polite self-dismissals later left only two occupants within the room. A pregnant silence reigned for several moments.

"She's strong…your daughter, that is. She's strong and beautiful…just like her mother," Naruto smiled, watching his empress take in this new information. The slight shudder of relief, muddled by a trace amount of sorrow, brought forth the impulse to console the beautiful monarch, yet his station demanded no action be taken, at least none while outside of private quarters.

"You are dismissed." The normally regal voice of the female sovereign was edged with sorrow, but overflowing with gratitude.

Naruto presented a rather charming smile to his empress, bowing before making an abrupt about-face. His next destination: the Thrones of Sovereignty.

"Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto paused as he reached the large oak door. He couldn't help but smile broadly.

"Of course, my goddess."

A smile and blush took up place uopn the beautiful face of Layla Heartfillia.

Chapter End

Damned if that wasn't a friggin bitch to write! I'm sorry about the abrupt ending. You can definitely see how the writing became rushed near the end…but damnit it's been too long since I've updated and I really needed to get that damn ending out there! So…yeah…that happened. That felt a bit rushed…but yeah. Layla Heartfillia! Empress of Westalia! Haha, I honestly wasn't exactly expecting that while I was first thinking up this story…but you know now that I have it mapped out in my head it kind of works. So, obviously she didn't really die on 7, 7, X777…and the significance of the day hasn't exactly been revealed yet but you know how it goes. Gotta make do with what you're given. Anyway, I hope the reveal of the Empress was enough for everyone. The next chapter introduces the other two generals, one of whom is gonna seem like he's an OC. I don't want to give much away, but I'll say he's definitely not. His identity will probably be hinted at, and some will without a doubt correctly guess who he really is.

Uh, yeah. There was a bit of history here regarding the Ministers and all…really don't expect too much out of them. They may appear in passing, but the only ones you're going to be seeing more of is Shikamaru and Kakashi and Zabuza…and maybe Kiba in omakes. Speaking of which, the Kiba and Axel go to Grandineey Bay. Well, the title is a work in progress for that one…sigh. I'm trying here guys, but writing certainly ain't easy. Especially not when you're worrying about financial aid paying for another year of college…damn Twenty-First century job market. Right, well thank you for reading the chapter! If you want feel free to leave a review. I'm sorry if it was weak, once again this is a foundation chapter for my benefit, but if you liked it than that's awesome.

Ah, before I forget. Axel is supposed to be an irredeemable jackass. I hope I hit that well enough. It'll probably be shown more later on in the story. It kind of focuses on him and the other general's interactions with the main cast of the series…well, one of the main cast in particular.