"What are you doing?" asked Nell curiously.

Naruto looked up at the twins from where he was sitting cross-legged on the floor.

"I'm about to do some meditation and light chakra exercises," he said as he placed his fingers together in an upside-down diamond shape.

"Chakra?" repeated Nell, "What's that?"

"It's like magic," explained Naruto, resolving to try and replace his use of the word 'chakra' with 'magic' from then on.

It would be too tiresome to explain, and the two basically had the same function anyway.

"Ooh, can we watch?" asked Nell excitedly.

Pell nodded as well, although he didn't seem as enthusiastic as his sister.

"Sure," said Naruto, "I can't imagine it's very interesting though."

Closing his eyes, he allowed his chakra to flow freely through his body, immediately feeling a sense of calm and oneness with the world permeating his being. To him, his chakra was no longer a mysterious thing, it wasn't a strange energy that he called on through techniques, it wasn't a muscle that he trained and used, it was more like an old and close friend, a bosom brother, someone whom he had relied on for as long as he remembered, whose bond meant it would do anything for him in a heartbeat if he so much as wished it.

His understanding of chakra had grown, had evolved. While others believed that the pinnacle of chakra mastery was to make the energy into an extension of one's self to the point where a mere thought would become action in the most rapid of heartbeats- where energy coalesced and released in a quicksilver reaction- Naruto knew this to be wrong. This was a delusion, a false wall. This limited the boundless potential chakra to the pathetically low ceiling of human reaction speed. Synapses can only fire so quickly, thoughts can only form so swiftly, decisions can only be made so promptly.

Chakra was so much more. It was the force that powered the universe. It existed in every mote of dust dancing in a ray of sun, every leaf in the oldest of ancient trees, every drop of molten iron from the blacksmith's forge, every speck of mortar and brick that held up the grandest structures built by the civilisations of old. Why do things fall to the ground? Why does water freeze? Why does light shine the way it does and why does it form shadows? Why do people die? These questions may have a rational answer, a scientific explanation, but Naruto knew that these rational answers were not the entire story. These rational answers could only exist because they are governed by a higher force, something that enforced the rules and some semblance of consistency through the world and beyond.

He had only scratched the surface of the true nature of chakra, had only glimpsed a tiny fraction of its wondrous, many-faceted face- even after so many years- but it was enough to convince him that chakra was much, much greater than any shinobi could ever hope to imagine. Not even the Sage of Six Paths had come close. Really, how humans could ever come to harnessing its power was beyond him. It had been a miracle. No, more than a miracle. Not even the power of a god, any god, could have manipulated the infinitesimal odds to bring together the strings of fate so that humans could manage to even begin to play with the power of chakra.

It was only after millennia after millennia of studying chakra, of giving himself into the chakra and witnessing it in all its glory, that Naruto attained a greater understanding of the power. It was not a living being, but it acted like one. It didn't have a mind, didn't have emotions, couldn't talk, but it could react, had preferences, could strike out, could attack. It was one huge entity that again, enforced its ultimate axiom of consistency, but at the same time, was split into an infinite amount of itself, that simultaneously attracted and repelled each other. It had a motion ingrained into itself, a grand unceasing march that spiralled in a celestial dance around the cosmos.

He hadn't learned to control chakra; he had learned to ease himself into its pattern, to join its transcendental song and allow himself to become one with it. And as such, he could start to direct the dance himself, to choreograph the chakra in the space around him, to bend that minute iota of the total power of the universe to his whim. The chakra knew it, knew him, and allowed it. It had no emotions, it didn't care. As long as it didn't violate its laws, the chakra allowed itself to be shaped and twined, and even welcomed it, for the dance was never-ending, and these tiny deviations in its unknowable steps brought character to its great and esoteric history.

Naruto felt the chakra run through his being, and coaxed it to move quicker, rougher, more powerfully. It surged through him like a raging river, a violent torrent, but retaining the serenity and calmness of a gentle stream. It flowed in and out of him at will. It ran a circuit around his body but at the same time, passed straight through him as if the borders of his body didn't exist. The power accelerated until it was no longer 'moving', and instead was simply 'existing'. It wasn't a flow of chakra Naruto was controlling anymore… he had become a being of chakra- a vessel of the stuff shaped like a person.

He smiled, and the chakra 'smiled' with him. It wasn't quite joy that the chakra was exhibiting, for joy was a human emotion, but the chakra did welcome him. He was its child, its supplicant, its contemporary, its dearest lover. He was the blessed lamb of its fold and its crown jewel. It loved him more intensely and in more ways than any human would or could.

He may have been the shinobi world's Chosen One, its Child of Prophecy, but that was nothing compared to what he was now. The shinobi world was gone, its choices forgotten, its prophecies lost. Now he was the beloved of chakra itself, one who had been baptised by it and clasped in its all-consuming embrace. And that touch was eternal.


Nell watched in fascination as Naruto closed his eyes and furrowed his brows, obviously concentrating on something. She could feel something… a tension in the air, an unnatural stillness that hung around her and pushed down on her shoulders like a heavy mist. She shivered.

"Nothing's happening," whispered Pell.

"No, something's happening… we just can't see it," replied Nell, her eyes remaining transfixed on the cross-legged figure in front of her.

Pell made an irritated sound, but nonetheless continued to sit next her as she watched. He remained there for a few more minutes, shifting where he sat every now and then, before he had finally had enough and got to his feet.

"I'm going to watch Mister Chef make breakfast," he announced, "You coming? Or are you gonna keep watching and hoping something interesting happens?"

"Look!" said Nell, "His marks have disappeared!"

"What marks?"

"The ones on his cheeks- the ones that look like whiskers. They've faded!"

Nell pointed to Naruto's cheeks, where, indeed, his distinctive whisker-like marks had thinned to mere lines.

"So?"

Pell sounded decidedly unimpressed.

"Anyway, you coming?" he said.

"No, I think I'll keep watching."

"Suit yourself," shrugged Pell, walking off.

Nell tore her eyes away from Naruto for a second to shoot a confused glance at her brother. Wasn't he excited? This was magic being moulded right in front of him, and he didn't care? What?

Turning back, she continued to watch, noting how Naruto's chest rose and fell with each deep, measured breath. Feeling a little foolish, she folded her own fingers into an imitation of the same diamond shape that Naruto's were in. She almost giggled at the absurdity of it all, but it died in her throat when she realised what she was seeing wasn't just her imagination.

Naruto was blurring.

It wasn't her eyes. Everything else was crystal-clear- it was just Naruto. The edges of his body, his skin, his hair, his clothes- they were starting to blend in with each other, as if someone was mixing watercolour paints together on the canvas of the world. Nell leaned in closer, trying to get a better look, but even as she approached, she couldn't quite decipher what was happening. She just couldn't quite see.

This… this is magic! she thought excitedly.

Her eyes sparkled as she realised there was a slight pressure on her skin, a humming, vibrating sensation that tingled and raised gooseflesh as it passed. Nell clenched her fist and poked out her tongue as she tried to absorb everything that was happening and commit it to memory.

She couldn't help but feel like there was some momentous event happening behind the scenes, even though she couldn't see anything except the slight haze around the person in front of her. It was just a feeling… a feeling she couldn't quite shake.

Biting her lip, she crossed her legs and placed her fingers back into the diamond shape, noticing they were trembling slightly. Giving Naruto's serene expression one last long look, Nell shut her own eyes, and imagined with all her might that she, too, could use magic.

Unbeknownst to her, at that moment, a tiny blue spark jumped from the space between her joined fingers for the merest of moments before disappearing into nothingness, like a candle in the ocean.


"Naruto!" called Barnholdt as he lumbered into the room, carrying a large box, "I've got the supplies you wanted! Well, most of them… we'll have to go pick up the metal later in the day."

"Splendid!" Naruto said, springing up and relieving Barnholdt of his burden, "Thanks a lot! How much do I owe you?"

Barnholdt watched in bemusement as the younger man picked up the heavy load effortlessly with one arm and braced it against his hip as if it weighed less than a feather. He shook his head with a smile.

"It's covered with the gold coin you paid before," he said.

"Supplies? Are you going somewhere, mister?" asked Nell.

"Call me Naruto," Naruto said kindly, "And yes, they're supplies for travelling- I'm planning on leaving Zaun soon… at the end of the day, maybe."

"Oh… I see…" said Nell, feeling a pang of disappointment.

Her brother, knowing her almost as well as she did, took her hand wordlessly and shared a consoling look with her. Feeling a tell-tale prickle at the edges of her eye, Nell blinked furiously to try and keep her tears back. Somehow, she couldn't bear to be seen as weak and childish by her saviour, even though all she wanted to do right now was cry into her brother's shoulder.

Abandonment… even though Naruto probably didn't mean any harm and Nell didn't expect him to take care of them forever (she felt he had done more than enough and was extremely grateful), she couldn't help but feel a little betrayed and hurt that he would leave so soon. It was like the death of her mother all over again- it was again just Pell and her together by themselves, against the cruel and unforgiving world.

No, perhaps it was even worse, because Naruto had saved them, had given them hope, had proven to be such a fine upstanding person, a role model… someone who didn't treat them as trash, or even as children, but as equals- a friend.

Pell squeezed her hand.

"Will you come visit?" he asked softly.

Naruto blinked at him.

"Oh," he said, palming a fist.

"You haven't asked them yet?" asked Barnholdt in surprise.

"I knew I was forgetting something," laughed Naruto, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

He turned and bent down to get on eye-level with the twins.

"Hey, Nell, Pell… do you guys want to come with me on my travels? I don't have much experience taking care of people, but I'll do my best. We'll be going all over the place, so if you prefer to sleep with a roof over your head you're welcome to stay in Zaun… old man Barnholdt said he could arrange a place for you guys if that's what you choose. It's up to you."

Pell shared a glance with his sister, an excited smile growing on his face. He knew her answer before his eyes even met hers, and upon seeing the sparkle in her eyes, knew there was no questioning their answer.

"Oh, please let us come with you!" he said happily, while his sister nodded along frenetically.

"Great!" grinned Naruto, standing up and rocking back on his heels, "That's sorted!"

Barnholdt smiled at seeing the little scene. In the short time they had known each other, Naruto had grown on him as a cheerful and friendly person, something that was unfortunately all too rare in Zaun. And the twins too, were cute and adorable little spirits that didn't deserve an iota of the terrible history that haunted them. So he was glad that things were shaping up as they were. The twins would be in good hands with Naruto, and he in turn seemed to care about them and enjoy their company.

"Alright, to celebrate your departure, how about I cook up a special meal?" he announced, pulling on his apron.

"Woohoo!" whooped the other three, enthusiastically showing their approval.


"Come and visit once in a while, won't you?" said Barnholdt, pulling the twins into a warm hug.

"Of course!" chirped Pell, while his sister smiled beside him, "We'll come keep you company every now and then."

"And you," Barnholdt turned to Naruto, offering his large paw to shake, "Take care of them… and yourself. You know if you ever need anything, you just have to ask, right?"

Naruto gripped the proffered hand and shook it firmly.

"Will do. You're a good man, Barnholdt. We'll drop in whenever we're in the area."

"Haha," laughed the older man gruffly, "Now off with you lot. You've not got a lot of sunlight left in the day, and I've got a working day to prepare for tomorrow."

And so, the departing group started to make their way to the city gates, waving back and smiling as they started their journey. Little did they know, the next time any of the members would once again visit the small restaurant as promised, it would not be a happy meeting, and great tragedy would have befallen each and every one of them.

But that had not yet come to pass, and the three of them left the Zaunite restaurant sector with naught but hope in their hearts and smiles on their faces, looking forward to the future and the fun they sought to have.

They didn't know the terrible things fate had in store for them, and for the moment, they didn't care.


The trio were now moving through the less populated areas of Zaun, where the dark buildings did not quite blot out the sky or sit crowded around each other as much as the inner city. The road was less wide here, and instead of walking three abreast with Naruto in the middle and a twin to either side, Naruto was now leading the way with the two children trotting at his heels.

"Naruto?" said Pell.

"Mm?"

"Why are you wearing your hood again?"

"Oh, does it bother you? I can take it off you like. It's just a habit, I guess."

"How do you get it to be all dark and shadowy like that?" cut in Nell, "Is it magic?"

"It's chak- oh um… yeah," said Naruto, "I'm just bending the light around my face so people can't see it. It's a neat trick. Lets me get around unrecognised."

"That's so cool!" said Nell.

Naruto grunted affirmation as he turned sideways to allow a man in a similar hooded cloak to his own to sidle through. Nell and Pell followed his example, flattening themselves against his side.

"Thanks," said the stranger gruffly.

"No problem," said Naruto guardedly.

He stared at the man even as he passed the little group and headed towards the city centre.

"What's wrong?" asked Pell.

Naruto glanced down at him and ruffled his hair playfully.

"Nothing much," he said, "Let's go."

Pulling his cloak around himself forcefully, he once again started to walk briskly towards the city gates. The twins, caught off guard a little bit by the sudden departure, gave a little start before taking off in a slight jog to catch up to Naruto's longer strides.

Naruto, seeing them struggling to keep up, allowed the chakra matrix that covered the lower part of his face to drop little, revealing an amused smile as he slowed his pace. The twins looked up at him gratefully, and his smile widened just a bit in response as he turned his attention back to the road. However, neither of the twins noticed the piercing gaze he threw behind him before he fully faced ahead.

If anyone had caught the look however, they would have been rather confused, because it was directed at a completely normal section of wall. Or to be precise, a section of wall that looked completely normal. Because when Naruto sent that look, the wall rippled, and from what was moments ago just ordinary brick and mortar emerged a dark-cloaked figure- an exact copy of Naruto.

It nodded back to the one walking with the twins in response to the look, before taking off silently in pursuit of the hooded stranger who had passed them before.


Naruto's clone faded out of the shadows and into shimmering existence on top of one of the small rooftops around the twisting streets. Well, it was technically a clone, as its body had been woven from chakra, but comparing him to the shadow clones that Naruto had used prolifically before his sealing was like comparing a butter knife to a katana.

These clones were not so fragile to disperse over a single blow like their predecessors, and didn't form or disappear in a conspicuous cloud of smoke, either. They were made well enough to seem like a completely normal body under even the most expert of medical eyes, but they were woven so well within the chakra circuit- so deeply integrated- that they could manipulate their chakra body at will. They were also connected directly to the user's chakra pool, so they wouldn't run out of chakra unless Naruto did as well, and he could also channel jutsu and fight with them like an extension of his own body.

But just as he was doing now, he could also let them move independently of his will and they would do so like the old shadow clones. The information transfer from the original technique remained, but an improvement was that the new clones could also communicate with the user without dispersing themselves. They really were a masterpiece of chakra engineering and were real poster children of Naruto's research on chakra and his progress with applying it.

Hmm… I seem to have lost him… thought the clone, seeing no trace of the hooded stranger, He's better than I expected.

Despite this setback, the clone didn't seem perturbed in the slightest as it sat back on its haunches for a moment. Closing its eyes, it sat perfectly still until a thick orange pigmentation appeared around its eyes.

Wrinkling its nose, the clone mumbled "The natural energy in this place feels disgusting…" under its breath before refocussing on the task at hand.

Concentrating for a moment, it didn't take long until it found the chakra signature of the hooded man. He seemed to be in a tower somewhere… whistling in admiration, the clone realised that the hooded man had somehow made it halfway across the city in the short time since he had passed the original Naruto and the kids.

Fast… nodded the clone.

The Naruto that existed now was no mere human. His senses had always been naturally sharp (perhaps because of the Kyuubi's presence inside of him) and had only been enhanced by years of ninja training and the constant daunting pressure of war. But his centuries of living and breathing in nothing but chakra had granted him something even more.

Before his sealing, he had already unlocked an ability to sense 'hatred' and other negative emotions after wrestling control of the Kyuubi's power away from it. And while he hadn't lost the power by any means, he found that using it after being freed into this new world was more trouble than it was worth. This world was so much bigger than the Elemental Nations that he was used to, with a population much, much larger, and more densely packed. Trying to take in and sort through the countless spikes of negative energy, especially in a city like Zaun which was largely lawless outside of the city centre- even without taking into account his enhanced chakra senses- would only serve to give Naruto a headache.

But that didn't mean that he was wandering around completely clueless.

Although he wasn't actively searching for malice, Naruto had refined the ability to passively work in a small radius around him, and instead of only detecting and reacting to malevolent intent, it now served to give him a 'snapshot' of nearby people, revealing a small insight into their nature and background. It wasn't perfect system by any means, and the results were more often than not quite ambiguous.

But when that hooded man passed him, Naruto had felt, quite clearly: 'steel', and 'death'. Putting aside the suspicious code of dress (hooded cloaks actually seemed to be quite common in Zaun, where drawing attention to yourself was most likely going to be a bad thing), the way the man moved was something that drew Naruto's attention. Instincts that he had thought long forgotten had flared to life when he had been in close proximity to the other man. He immediately noticed small things that he couldn't ever remember learning, but had been ingrained in him by a system long forgotten.

The way the tread was measured so that the weight was balanced and spread evenly across the balls of the feet to be ready for combat at any moment. The careful slouch that concealed the posture and hands so that a weapon could be drawn and swung with as little notice as possible. The almost unconscious tensing of the muscles when coming close to another person, staying wary at all times. The positioning of the hands and body- making sure any hidden blades wouldn't clink as he moved.

There was little doubt in Naruto's mind that this man was an assassin. And a good one too. Very professional, that much was for certain.

However, when he added the slightest drop of youki into his coils to confirm the intent, he found that he could only sense the merest hint of negative emotion in the other man. But before he could make sure, he quickly expunged the demonic chakra from inside him. In that short instant, he could already feel the enormous ocean of pain, envy, hatred, sorrow and spite packed into the rat-infested city threatening to overwhelm him. He had trained his body to accept and manipulate almost any amount of chakra imaginable during his sealing, but he wasn't able to train to handle emotions, with none but his own fast-disappearing ones at hand. Trying to grasp the depth of human suffering in this city without preparation might be enough to drive even him crazy.

But his small foray into that murky, dangerous world had yielded him answers already.

For an assassin to harbour such apathy, that meant one of two things.

Either he didn't mean to be an assassin and was forced into the profession through necessity or factors beyond his control…

Or…

He was so practised and comfortable with his craft that he had effectively distanced himself from the deed, and could kill so emotionlessly that dealing death had become an action no different from plucking an errant weed.


While keeping half an eye on the chakra signature of the hooded man using the enhanced abilities granted by sage mode, the clone got up to move. However, there was a sudden surge of movement, and it belatedly realised there was another presence in the room with the assassin.

He's going for the kill already? the clone thought in panic.

There wasn't enough time to think. It rapidly gathered chakra, and even destabilised its own arm to power the jutsu it had in mind. Normally it wouldn't need to do such a thing, but as its body was an already-moulded chakra matrix, it was much faster and efficient to utilise the present energy without manually gathering it and shaping it from the core. And its next move wasn't exactly a simple jutsu, after all.

With the remains of its arm swiftly unravelling itself into black strings of blocky particles, the clone waved its remaining hand, ordering the chakra it had gathered to coalesce around it, forming blue ribbons of protective light that shimmered around its body like glass.

Then, in an instant, the unstable arm shuddered in the air before exploding outwards, sending tendrils of black wrapping around the clone. The dark energy spiralled around it, growing and spreading until it covered the area around the clone in a box shape. The inky space glimmered in the weak sunlight, before abruptly shrinking into non-existence, taking the clone with it.


Talon lurked in the shadows next to the window, watching the target reading some reports behind his desk. Careful not to make a sound, he shifted closer into the room, his dark eyes darting around the space and making sure there wasn't anything he had missed. No traps, no bodyguards. Perfect.

He slowly, ever so slowly, allowed his main blade to retract from where it was hidden in his sleeve, swathed in cloth to prevent it from making any noise. He lifted it to a position where he could thrust it forward, and then carefully lined himself up to point the tip of the razor-sharp weapon at the target's throat.

Then, eyes flashing, Talon lunged forward, his feet propelling him across the space in a heartbeat. In his head, he could already feel his knife plunging into soft, unprepared flesh, could hear the wet gurgling, and was already looking for a way out and calculating how long it would take until someone noticed.

But to his surprise, just before the blade made contact, there was a violent explosion of space between him and the target, and then a ridiculous force threw his arm to the side, skewing his aim. Talon's dagger sank into the wall along with his fist, but he ignored it for the moment, his eyes immediately shifting around the room to try and absorb the situation, to comprehend what had just transpired and to see if the mission was still salvageable, or if he would need to flee, or fight.

The source was immediately clear to him.

A dark figure was in the centre of the space, standing on top of the demolished debris of the target's desk. The newcomer was clothed in deep black, and had a strange hood which somehow obscured all of his features, leaving only shadow. He also only had one arm, but the stump of the missing one was oozing some kind of strange black smoke.

The combination of the strange cloak that seemed to absorb the surrounding light and the cowl which showed no face sparked a memory from Talon, and he immediately recalled the same man alongside two blond twins- a boy and a girl.

However, he didn't say anything- as befitting an assassin of his calibre- and instead allowed his eyes to roam a little more.

The target was cowering against the wall, ostensibly after having been shoved there by the newcomer. His fear and surprise quickly told Talon that the other man was not a hired bodyguard or anybody the target knew. The new adversary's hand was outstretched, having deflected Talon's strike away from the target and into the wall.

Talon unobtrusively wriggled the fingers of the hand stuck in the wall, hearing the tell-tale crackling of rubble and drywall shifting. Good, he wasn't stuck. While being careful not to actually remove his hand, he twisted his wrist to dislodge most of the surrounding debris, and slightly widen the hole, ready to withdraw at a moment's notice.

His other hand quickly sought out a few of his throwing knives. If it came to a fight, he would first toss out his projectiles in order to misdirect and distract, before pulling his dominant hand out from the wall, freeing up both offensive power and mobility, and then attack with his main blade. It was one of his standard patterns of attack when he was forced into an actual fight, which usually occurred when his element of surprise had been lost due to detection or after completing his assassination.

His cursory analysis of the enemy didn't reveal much. He was missing an arm, which gave Talon an advantage in a straight-up fight, but that wasn't the end of the story.

The properties of the cloak and hood the newcomer was wearing meant that his opponent was either a skilled mage, or was rich or powerful enough to have the services of one. Judging by the way he had teleported in, the former was more likely.

A skilled mage- there weren't too many of those floating around, especially ones that would stick their necks into something like this. Traditional mages didn't really like Zaun as a rule- too much hextech and techmaturgy in the place… which meant he was here for a reason. The mage was skilled enough to stop him, even for a moment, so it was most likely not some run-of-the-mill self-taught magician.

These two points put together… if it was a mage of this level of skill, it was most likely to be from one of the two main magic-centric city-states, Demacia or Noxus. And if he were here, it probably meant his mission was to interfere with Talon's. Again, this pointed to either Demacia or Noxus being the culprit.

No, actually, this narrowed it down even further. Rather than just limited it to being someone that had been trained in Demacia or Noxus, if this mage had been ordered to stop Talon, it meant he was currently employed in their service.

Which meant it was far larger than just a simple grudge. If it was Demacia, then Talon would be obliged to report to the Noxus High Command, who'd probably order a retaliatory strike. If it were Noxus, well, then, it meant that one of the other families were making a move on the Du Couteau, in which case Talon would personally have to investigate and give a warning to the offending group.

But, back to the matter at hand…

Talon allowed the corners of his lips to curl up grimly.

How arrogant…

A mage, no matter how skilled, was susceptible to being taken out before they could cast their magic. That was their moment of weakness. And if assassins excelled at anything, it was doing as much damage as possible in a small window. It then stands to show that a mage's worst enemy is an assassin.

And Talon was certain he was the best assassin out there.