A/N: I've heard people assuming that Naruto's rescuer was Mitsurugi; the question I have for you folks is, whoever said that only Mitsurugi could use Mitsurugi's style? I won't name the rescuer, but it should be obvious as to who it is in the chapter. Either way, do read and review, would you kindly?

And please, no useless comments like "all your stories suck," or "This is NaruHina, I'm not reading it anymore," or even "You are a hack writer." I don't even want to hear a combination of those remarks. If you have nothing nice or useful to say, then please do the smart thing by shutting the hell up…lest I have to stitch your mouth shut with an organic suture, a very dull needle, and moving really slowly.

…

{Play: "Nightfall" by Martin O'Donnel, from "Halo Reach"}

[Unknown Location, before chakra]

Kaguya woke up to find herself looking at a stone floor. As her view cleared, she began to look around to see clouds around. She willed her knees to stand up, only to be forced back down onto her knees with a kick to her back. The sight of halberds threatening to behead her only reinforced the message that she was a prisoner. A quick glance to her left, and Kaguya met gazes with a battle-worn Cao Cao. To her right was Ōkuni, also in the same position as the two of them. It was clear that the three of them were taken prisoner.

The last thing she remembered, she was leading the charge to push her way out of the king's assault. The push was very hard, successfully causing the battle formations before her to bulge before the breakthrough was made. After that, Kaguya recalled that the push was successful in making an opening for escape. Next thing she knew, Tomoe was frightened by a warrior, before throwing her off her back.

"Most of your men have fled with their lives." said a regal voice, the flange adding more power, "you are indeed brave souls to have chosen to save them first."

Turning to see the owner of the voice, she saw the 'king' for herself, walking in from the side in armor that made him look more bird-like: a metal cuirass that hugged his curves and had a muscular design; a scale fauld with large, feather-like plates; and a pair of greaves over leather sandals that resembled the talons of a bird. Even his feathered white hair looked like the plumage that complimented his powerful, aquiline features, made all the more clear by the sharpened nails that tipped every finger and toe.

No matter how one put it, even Kaguya had to admit that the man before her radiated even more power than she was capable of showing. From the way he carried his towering mass of lean and powerful muscle over her kneeling form, to the way he looked down upon her with golden eyes, everything about this man screamed of a power that had been earned through willpower alone. In a way, she felt that it was fitting that they were being made to kneel before this regal figure; his very presence alone was enough to make every cell in her body acknowledge his power as king.

The eagle-man's gaze had not left the three of them, not even as women sauntered into the area, their almost-naked forms revealed for the world to see through the translucent silks they wore. There were nubile beauties that had just made it to the marrying age standing alongside women that had been matured to their prime. Some had scars that told a long and storied life of battle, while others had flawless skin that hid their true potential; all of them had the sleek body of a trained fighter that seamlessly merged form with function.

Their hands quickly went to work, gently and lovingly taking off every piece of armor from the eagle-man's body. By the time they were done, he was almost naked; his muscular body was bare of any clothes save for his cape, golden anklets and bracelets, and a sort of loincloth that covered his privates. It all helped to contribute to the image of some primeval king; quite possibly even the first king ever.

With a snap of his fingers, the women had parted from their king, flanking him on both sides as a granite throne with the head of a cobra had appeared from behind him. The eagle-king sat down, and slouched in his seat. His gaze had not left the three of them. "The only question I have now is…what should I do with you?"

"Enough talk!" shouted Ōkuni, "We came here to claim this land, and then you had to come on over here with your army!"

Kaguya stared at Ōkuni with equal parts fear and anger. Fool! Does he want that man to kill us all?!

Any other words he had on his mind were cut off when someone kicked him in the back. "Speak when spoken to, dreg," said the guard that kicked him, "you are in the presence of a king. Show the proper respect as befitting of our liege!"

"Well he is not my king! And I will not bow before him!"

"I cannot tell if you are brave or foolish," said the king, "few have managed to stand up to me; even fewer have survived."

"Then I guess you can count me among those who will survive!"

"Ōkuni, what are you doing?" hissed Kaguya, hoping the cavalry captain would not do anything foolish.

"You dare challenge my power?" asked the king, with an amused smirk on his face.

"Yeah, I'm challenging you!" shouted Ōkuni, before a devious grin had creased his face, "Or are you too chicken to do anything without your sluts and your goon squad? I'll bet they're actually incompetent without you in charge!"

The king said nothing; the amused smirk had turned into a frown. He fired a cold glare in his direction before turning his attention to the warriors holding down Ōkuni; single nod was all that it took for the bodyguards holding down Ōkuni to gently lower their weapons and step aside. As he stood back up, he was soon engulfed in a bright blue light. When the light had cleared, Kaguya saw that the captain of her cavalry was looking at his hands in curiosity. Gone was the slouch of tiredness, and all the wear and tear from the day's battle were healed as if nothing had ever happened. She then watched as one of the guards threw a sword to the floor in front of him; it was a cavalry saber, his favored weapon.

"I have restored you to the strength you had before you fought today." said the eagle-man, rising from his throne. As soon as the throne had faded out of existence, the apparent servants had stepped aside, each one taking position by a column that had surrounded the area. Cao Cao and Kaguya were forced to stand up, and then pushed in such a manner that they were able to see what was unfolding.

"You now have no excuse to cry over your defeat." continued the eagle-man, folding his arms in front of his chest, "Since you have seen fit to challenge me, it is only fitting that I show you your place. Show me your best, warrior."

…

[Konohagakure no Sato, present time]

His shock knew no bounds. Naruto had wondered what this old geezer was going on about. "Why do you know about my path to kingship?"

"Because I wish to know what kind of ruler you will be." said the old man.

"I'd wait until later before questioning Naruto-kun any further." came a voice from behind the old man. It was a silver-haired shinobi with a dog mask that marked him as an ANBU operative. He wore a black tank-top under a lightweight flak jacket, and gray pants. "After all, as commendable as you were in saving him, you did just commit murder. And before you even think of escaping, you're already surrounded."

The old man didn't even bother to take a good look around; he simply gave the area a glance-over and scoffed. But what Naruto saw was enough to worry him. All around, there were shinobi with bone-white animal masks surrounding the area. Each of them looked ready to draw blood.

"What makes you think you can stop me?" he asked, not at all worried by the number of ANBU operatives that had just appeared. Whether this man was brave or stupid, Naruto had no idea; but from the way he carried himself with an air of confidence borne from experience, he could only assume it was the former. "Granted, given what I see, there are around fourteen shinobi in the area, and all of you are at least ANBU-level. I sense that there are four in the mix that have enough promise to make me break a sweat, one of whom could possibly take me on with a very slim chance of winning. The rest are a joke."

Most of the nearby ANBU operatives flinched, the amount of anger was obvious in the way they clenched their ninjato and kunai tightly. "Very observant," said the ANBU with the dog-mask, raising an arm to stop his comrades from attacking, "you're obviously not just an old man, especially since you were able to kill four Chūnin without any effort. Even so, who is to say that the fourteen operatives you see now will soon become thirty?"

"I do not fear the idea of wading through an army with so few notable fighters," replied the old man, folding his arms in front of his chest, "In fact, I bet it'd just make the fight more even."

"And I believe you. The only question is, how many shinobi will it take to get you to comply?"

The old man sighed in exasperation. "You're not going to let me ask my questions of the boy until I speak with the old monkey, are you? Fine, I'll go see the Hokage…but only because I respect your determination."

…

{Play: "To Victory" by Tyler Bates, from "300"}

[Unknown Location, before chakra]

Ōkuni roared as he charged the eagle-king with his saber in hand. His opponent stood with his arms folded in front of his chest. Kaguya had no idea what to make of what would happen in this fight; but whatever it was, the eagle-king seemed confident enough if he wasn't going to shift his stance. His first move was an attempt to skewer the eagle-king, but his opponent stepped aside with just the barest of movements, before weaving away from a kick aimed at his abdomen.

As both Kaguya and Cao Cao looked on at the fight before them, it was very obvious that it was a one-sided match in favor of the eagle-king. There was very little effort in any of his movements as he dodged Ōkuni's every strike; ducking under high kicks, sidestepping overhead slashes, and tilting his head away from punches and stabs. All throughout the duel, there was no indication that the eagle-king had to ever unfold his arms; as though he'd been fighting for a long time.

This was of course taking into consideration that Ōkuni was a devastating combatant with a saber, and that he was a very skilled duelist. Few could compare to his aggressive swordplay, and yet here was a total stranger that exceeded all expectations by fighting him with a weapon he knew all too well. And what seemed to be even more humiliating for the cavalry captain was that the eagle-king was not even using his blue and red crystal blades in the fight.

After a good ten minutes, Ōkuni began to slow down, and his movements became sloppier. He was getting tired, and the eagle-king was noticing it as well. He looked on at Ōkuni with disgust in his eyes as he stood panting and glaring. "If that is your best, then I am sorely disappointed." he sighed, "I gave you every advantage, and yet you are not able to match me. I suppose now is the time for me to show you how real kings fight when dealing with fools such as yourself."

For the first time in the fight, the eagle-king unfolded his arms and put them up to guard his front, while hunching slightly forward. His weight was now shifted onto the balls of his feet. "Come at me if you wish."

Ōkuni summoned up the strength he had left to charge, continuing the fight with a downward slash. The eagle-king ran forward to meet him head-on, block the sword strike, and counter with a quick jab to the face. Once Ōkuni began to recoil from the quick shot to his nose, the eagle-king followed through with a heavy kick to his side to knock him down. Ōkuni managed to stand back up, nursing his face as he watched the eagle-king slowly advancing towards him with his guard lowered. The Ōtsusuki clan member attempted to continue the fight with a jump kick only for his leg to be grabbed by the ankle before the eagle-king placed his other hand on his thigh to throw him in the opposite side. As soon as he got back up, he attempted a three-hit slash only to be dodged and punched in every weak point in his offense with the force of a mountain, followed by a knee to his solar plexus, and getting knocked back by a backwards straight kick. The eagle-king rushed Ōkuni quickly, lifting him by the crotch and the shoulder, flipping him around so that his head was to the ground, and then ending by dropping Ōkuni onto his outstretched knee.

The eagle-king rolled him off his knee, horrifying Kaguya and Cao Cao with how badly beaten Ōkuni was. He stumbled back up, working very hard to shake off the fear that he felt from the beating he'd just taken. As he took a look around, he saw the guards and female attendants step aside, revealing that he was near the edge of the floor; it was a long way down. As he turned his attention to the front, the eagle-king took slowly walked closer. There was no hesitation in his step, as he inched menacingly towards him, and every approaching footfall seemed to increase the frequency at which Ōkuni felt his legs tremble. His grip on the saber was anything but steady, the tip of his blade shivering from the overwhelming fear he felt.

There was no point to fighting anymore. He dropped his saber weakly. "I surrender."

"You may insult me as you wish, I will have no qualms." said the eagle-king, stopping just a few feet in front of Ōkuni. "Insult my subjects on the other hand, and you will know pain."

"A-and I realize my mistake." he said, trying his hardest to placate his adversary. "Please, I beg of you to accept my apologies, and let me live."

Kaguya and Cao Cao could feel no satisfaction in the eagle-king's eyes as he looked upon Ōkuni's pathetic form. It was as though he were looking through his enemy with a scrutinizing glare, trying to get a feel for him. Whatever it was that the eagle-king was seeing in Ōkuni, it was clear to them that his answer would not be good, and they knew it. Their prediction about the cavalry captain's fate was confirmed when two words left his mouth: "I decline."

There was no end to the desperation that Ōkuni felt. "Why?"

"I see no reason to explain myself to scum like you. All you need to know is that you are going to die."

"You're insane!" said Ōkuni, his voice barely a whisper, "YOU'RE A MADMAN!"

There was no change in the eagle-king's expression. "Madman?" he asked, before he raised his voice angrily. "I AM KING!"

Ōkuni could only scream as the eagle-king landed a powerful side-kick in the chest, knocking him over the edge of the tower. His screams of terror gradually faded into the distance as he fell down many stories.

…

[Hokage's office, present day]

It was at night, and it was tiring as both Naruto and the old man sat in front of Hiruzen, with a number of ANBU guarding them. This was something that the Hokage had wished would happen in the daytime, but this set of news he received just had to take place at night. And just as he was about to settle down at home too! Wasn't life grand? But still, something as serious as an outsider slaying four chūnin without an ounce of effort was something he couldn't ignore. Said chūnin also just so happened to be teachers in the Ninja Academy. Something he couldn't explain was that Naruto was able to kill two of his attackers by accident.

"I heard that you've killed four of my shinobi." said Hiruzen, working through his weariness to stay on task. "Were it not for the fact that they apparently tried to murder a child, I would've charged you with manslaughter, and the murder of shinobi. What I want to know is why you came to Naruto-kun's defense."

"I felt that I had to honor an old friend of mine." began the old man, "He once said that his successor would rise to take his place as king; I would guess the second someone found his weapons Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. To that end, I swore that as soon as his successor was found, I would teach him to be a proper king."

Naruto's eyes had widened in surprise as he heard the two names as he looked at the old man that had not turned his gaze away from Hiruzen. He looked like he'd been caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar. "How do you know about Soul Edge and Soul Calibur?"

"Because I once fought the warrior that wielded them." answered the old man, "I know that the Soul swords grant you the memories of the people that once used them, or were killed by them. If you don't believe me, then try very hard; see if you remember me."

Hiruzen watched as Naruto tried hard to remember, as per the stranger's command. It took a few seconds, but there was soon recognition in his eyes as he turned to face the old man. "You! I know you!"

The amount of surprise that Hiruzen felt upon hearing those words. "Naruto, who is this man, and why do you know him?"

"Jiji, we never met, but I know who he is." said Naruto, with certainty in his voice, "And in all honesty, except for that dog-masked shinobi we met, I don't think anybody in this room has a chance against him. Not even you."

Hiruzen was disturbed by the tone of voice that Naruto had taken. The boy was known for his pranks, and so it was a given he would say anything to avoid getting punished; but when he was actually serious about something, that was a cause for concern. He turned his attention to the old man. "Who are you?"

"It doesn't matter who I am." replied the old man, calmly reclining in his seat. He'd had his sword checked in at the front desk before coming up to the office, but Hiruzen did not feel any safer. "What matters is what you wish to ask of young Naruto."

Working up the nerve he had left, Hiruzen gulped. He needed to be stronger, even if the man he was questioning was clearly beating him in that regard. "What is he talking about, Naruto?"

Naruto looked as if he were debating with himself as to whether he should tell him or not. After a moment's deliberation, he took a deep breath. He related to Hiruzen a story about finding a cave a little while ago, and eventually finding some chamber with a glass statue of a man that knelt in front of a sculpture of a sword stabbing into a one-eyed creature. After pulling out the sword, Naruto was attacked by both the creature and the sword, blacking out. "…and then I heard some voice saying 'child, walk your own path to kingship.' I don't know how he wants me to do this, but I promised him that I'd be best king one day."

"And Soul Calibur and Soul Edge?" asked Hiruzen.

"I'm still trying to learn how to use them, but I know they are a part of me now." answered Naruto, "So far, I can't seem to get them to form."

"Which now comes back to my question about your path to kingship." said the old man. "I will make my next move depending on your answer."

Hiruzen looked at the old man with suspicion in his eyes. "And if he gives the wrong answer?"

"We will go from there." replied the old man, before regarding Naruto. "Are you ready for the question?"

There was a moment's pause as Naruto seemed to contemplate his decision. After a few seconds, he made up his mind. "Go ahead and ask."

"What does it mean to be king?"

Naruto began to ponder the meaning of the question. Why did he want to be king? If Algol had not named him his successor, why would he want to be king? And judging from the old man's expression, he needed to think long and hard about the answer. But Naruto had an answer that he knew was a reason he wanted to be king. "A king must live to serve his people, and show them the way. He protects those who are important to him, and works to make his people great. That is what it means to be king."

The old man looked at Naruto with an appraising gaze. After ten seconds of silence, a smile could be seen under his beard. "Good answer. I was afraid you'd break under the pressure and give me a bad one."

"What would've happened if I gave you a bad answer?"

"I'd have chopped your head off, and saved the world from a tyrant." said the old man. The casual way in which he admitted his desire to cut off Naruto's head for giving a bad answer was disturbing. "However, since you gave me a good answer, I will be mentoring you personally in the art of combat whenever you are not in class."

Naruto seemed excited by the prospect of being the old man's protégé. "Hokage-jiji, is it okay?"

"I really don't know." he said, "I do appreciate that he saved you, but he still killed four shinobi. Who's to say he won't go out on a killing spree?"

"You're welcome to try and stop me" challenged the old man, causing every ANBU guard in the room to tense up. He did not take his attention away from Hiruzen, as he sized up the old Hokage. "From the calluses on your hands, and the way you move, I can tell you're familiar with the art of the quarterstaff. And even though your skills are dulled from lack of training, and your advanced age, I can see that the fight would been more even when you use your jutsu and your wits. You would indeed be a good match for my student, even as old as you are; however, you are much too old to be a match for me in a straight-up fight, and a good number of your shinobi lack the training and experience to take me on."

Nobody wanted to admit it, but they could feel the power in the foreigner's words. Hiruzen figured that Naruto already knew of the man's capabilities, from the memories that the two swords had given him. The Hokage didn't want to admit it, but he had a feeling that the old man was more than capable of taking down everyone in the room with just the chair he was sitting on. Thankfully, he was not sitting on a steel folding chair. He sighed defeatedly, knowing he'd lost. "Will you allow shinobi to watch your progress?"

"If it makes you feel better."

"Then I approve, so long as you have a shinobi minder that will report your progress to me."

The old man nodded. "Then we have an accord."

…

[Unknown Location]

Kurama watched as the old man and the old monkey shook hands. She of course knew who he was, given that she too had the memories from Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. "Train hard kit," she said to herself, slouching on her seat. She was flanked on both sides by Elysium and Inferno, both spirits of the swords watching on in approval to the arrangement. "Train so that when I defeat you, you will become my most favored slave of all. Barring that, I expect nothing less than a good fight before I kill you."

…

{Play: "Fateful Encounter" from "Soul Calibur IV"}

[Unknown Location, before chakra]

Kaguya and Cao Cao had just watched the eagle-king kick Ōkuni off the edge of the tower. They could hear his screams gradually disappearing as he fell down its many stories, and knew that the cavalry captain's fate would be a very messy death. He then turned to regard them with the same appraising gaze as his last victim as he approached them; summoning his throne from behind him. "Now then, what to do with the two of you?" he asked himself, settling down on his throne.

"Kill us or release us," said Kaguya, "But do not waste our time."

The eagle-king looked at Kaguya as she spoke. As their eyes met, she had a pretty good idea on how Ōkuni felt in his last moments. She felt naked as the eagle-king's gaze seemed to go through her body, but she refused to show fear. She would challenge him in one form or another. "You dare speak to a king in this manner? After doing you a favor?"

"I speak out as princess of my clan," she fired back, finding the confidence in herself to stand up to the tyrant before her, "Someone must challenge you and your tyranny, regardless of my cavalry captain's slight against you."

"Your cavalry captain thought himself your better. If I had let him live, he would have incited a rebellion that would bring about unnecessary bloodshed."

Kaguya had nothing to say to that. Even she knew of the darkness within Ōkuni's heart, but felt that he was of more use to her alive than dead. But when the time came, she promised herself that he would be first on the list when she began to rid the clan of its more corrupt members.

"You interest me, and therefore, I shall release you both out of respect." said the eagle-king, motioning for the guards to release Kaguya and Cao Cao. With a snap of his fingers, the air behind the two of them swirled before gradually opening into a large whirlpool of blue energy. "This portal shall take you both to the battlefield. Once you enter, you cannot return."

"Who are you?" asked Kaguya, looking back at the eagle-king.

"I am Algol, the King of Heroes," said the eagle-king, settling his head on his hand. "And I have one question for the maiden that was brave enough to stand up to me. It is: must the king be alone in his superiority?"

"I know not the answer," she said, "but I, Ōtsusuki Kaguya, Princess of the Ōtsusuki Clan, will find the answer to your question when next we meet."

Kaguya and Cao Cao walked through the portal, leaving Algol to his thoughts. "Sire," said one of the servant-girls, "was it wise to let them go?"

"Perhaps not," answered Algol, "but they have earned enough of my respect. I can only pray that the Ōtsusuki Princess will have found the answer to my question in the future; for her sake."

…

A/N: Again, eagerness has made me submit this chapter prematurely. But hopefully, it is up to par. I wonder who figured out the identity of Naruto's savior and mentor in this chapter? In any case, do read and review, would you kindly?

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Vocabulary:

None Yet

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Cameos/References

Ōkuni's fate─modified from the Sparta Kick scene from "300".