Please note: PhazonLordKaito doesn't own Naruto, Zelda, or Pokémon!

"Speech"

'Thought/Mental Speech'

"Bijuu Speech"

'Bijuu Thoughts'

"Techniques"

(Translations)

Scene Shift

Chapter 7: Year Three

"Geez nee-chan, you never told us it'd be so cold here!" complained Naruto as he hugged his snow cloak closer to his body.

The trio had made their way to Tetsu no Kuni two weeks after they left Takigakure. The country was far to the north and was always cold; so cold that it snowed almost year round.

Reina merely shook her head with a bemused smile and kept walking through the snow-filled path. Uta sighed at Naruto's complaint but she couldn't deny that he was right. It was freezing and the two had never dealt with such cold weather before. Reina was used to it due to her travels, so the weather wasn't even fazing her.

"C'mon you two, we're almost there. The sooner we get to Shiroganechō (Silver Town), the sooner we can find a warm hotel to stay in," stated the brunette as she moved on ahead of them.

As soon as the two heard 'warm hotel', they immediately picked up the pace and walked in step with Reina. "Reina-san, you never told us what was in Tetsu no Kuni or why we're spending our final year there," Uta told the woman.

"Well, Tetsu no Kuni is famous for the samurai forces that reside there. They have no shinobi force whatsoever and the samurai utilize their chakra in different ways. However, that wasn't always the case."

"What do you mean?" asked Naruto with interest.

"Well, the samurai serve the Hylia Royal Family; just as the Uzumaki once did. They worked together to protect and serve them before Uzu was destroyed. While the samurai guarded the family within its walls, the Uzu shinobi served from the shadows, did various missions for them, and were assigned as personal guards."

"Was kaa-chan ever interested in serving the royal family?"

"I don't think she was. She only mentioned the royal family in passing and never really went into detail about them. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know… Maybe they could use an Uzumaki guard in the future…"

"That would mean that you would have to forsake Konoha and devote your life to them, Naruto," informed Reina as the trio approached the main gate of Shiroganechō. "Your life would be that of service to them and no one else."

"It was just a thought…" Naruto said quietly as they made their way to the hotel for the night. As soon as they checked in and went to their room, Naruto and Uta immediately plopped on their beds and fell asleep. Reina shook her head in amusement before she went to sleep herself.

The next morning, after the trio had a decent breakfast, Reina led them to a large iron gate that had armored swordsmen standing on and in front of it. One of them approached them and questioned, "What business do you have here?"

"I'm here to see Mifune-sama," Reina answered calmly. "He should be expecting me."

"Your name…?"

"Reina Kōkai, along with Naruto Uzumaki and Uta Senritsu (1)."

The guard nodded and spoke in a small microphone in his helmet. "We have a Reina Kōkai here to see Mifune-sama… Yes… I understand." He turned his attention back to the brunette and said, "Everything checks out. However, you will still be required to have an escort within the walls."

"I understand. Thank you," Reina replied before she and the other two were taken through the gate by a different samurai.

He led them through a stone garden and into a small palace that was in the design of a Feudal Japanese home. They went through various hallways before they stopped at a set of iron doors. The samurai knocked in a sequence and a man's voice replied from within the room. "What is it?"

"Reina Kōkai is here to see you, sir."

"Very good; let her in."

The samurai opened the door and allowed the trio entrance before stepping inside himself. The room looked to be a large office with an elderly man sitting at the desk. He had long, grey hair, which almost reached down to his waist, with bandages wrapped around his head. He had black eyes with distinct wrinkles underneath them, a grey goatee and moustache and was dressed in a formal dark purple kimono.

With him were two others; both women. The first was a slightly elderly woman with graying hair, dark green eyes, and a kind visage. She was dressed in a formal blue kimono that had the Hylia Family Crest on it.

The second was a blonde girl, who looked to be about two years older than Naruto; who was currently ten going on eleven years old. She had dirty blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and slightly pointed ears. She was dressed in a white dress under an elegant purple tunic that had the Hylia Crest on it, a tiara with an emerald in it, and a necklace with a triforce pendant.

"Ah, Reina-san… It's good to see you again," greeted the man who Naruto and Uta guessed was Mifune.

"Indeed it has, Mifune-sama," she greeted back while bowing, prompting the other two to do the same. "I'm glad that you received my letter concerning our arrival."

"Ah yes, so these two are Naruto and Uta, I presume?"

"Yes, this is my godson, Naruto Uzumaki, and his friend, Uta Senritsu. I was wondering if you had enough time to consider my request concerning Naruto."

While Mifune nodded his head and closed his eyes in thought, the two women in the room widened their eyes in surprise at the name 'Uzumaki'. It was rumored that the Uzumaki Clan had been wiped out many years ago, so seeing one before them was quite a shock.

"Yes, I did consider it and I will honor it seeing as I am still in your debt for your services here many years ago."

"Thank you, Mifune-sama. I'm sure that he will be one of your best students."

"Student?" asked Naruto in confusion.

"Yes, young man. Reina-san here had sent me a request to have you taught some swordsmanship during your stay here. While I normally wouldn't consider teaching an outsider, let alone someone who wishes to be a shinobi, Reina has earned my trust and I owe much to her and your clan. It would be dishonorable not to help a member of your clan after all they have done for the Hylia Royal Family and the samurai."

Naruto nodded in understanding and bowed in gratitude. A thought came to him and he asked Reina, "What about Uta-chan? What will she be doing?"

"I'll be helping her during the year. I won't just let her do nothing while you're training."

"That's good. I didn't want her to feel left out," Naruto said with a smile, making Uta smile at his care along with the adults. The Hylia girl merely watched the interaction with interest. The Uzumaki boy was a curious individual and she wanted to see just who he was.

"Alright then Naruto-san, we will begin your training tomorrow since I still have business with these women here. Meet me at the gate of this building tomorrow at 7am sharp."

"Yes sir," replied the redhead with a bow. The other two followed suit before they were escorted out of the building.

"Well, now that that business is finished, what was it you asked of me again, Kiara-san?" asked the Head Samurai.

"We were mainly wondering if anyone has been able to remove the Shukun Ken (Master Sword) from the shrine."

"Unfortunately, no one has been able to even make the sword even shift within its pedestal prison. Many have tried, but none have succeeded."

"Why not have that Uzumaki boy try?" suggested the youngest in the room.

"Zelda-hime, surely you jest. He is just a boy. While he may be an Uzumaki, that does not guarantee that the Shukun Ken will accept him," replied Kiara.

The newly named Zelda stared straight at her escort/caretaker and responded, "Maybe he is just a boy, but what's the harm in letting him try to remove the sword? Either he doesn't succeed and we wait for the chosen one, or he does succeed and we won't have to search anymore." She then turned to Mifune and continued, "Is this an issue for you?"

"Not at all; I'm actually curious as to what will happen. Of course, I'll teach him for half the year first, to get him used to handling a sword, and then I'll take him to the shrine."

"Thank you, Mifune-san. Please inform me when you will take him. I wish to see his attempt for myself."

"Of course, hime-sama."

With Naruto

The redhead was checking out the sights of the town and was interested with the various shops and stands that filled the market area. He saw a smithy, a large stable, many exotic foods from various countries, and an antique shop.

Suddenly, a familiar song filled the air and he stopped in his tracks to listen. The melody and tempo was so familiar that the name of the song easily came to him.

"Minuet of the Forest… But who's-?"

"Hey, there's a familiar face!" came a voice, cutting off Naruto's silent question. The redhead turned to see that the voice belonged to the man that sold him his ocarina two years ago.

"Hey mister, I didn't know you sold stuff here too!" he said with a smile.

"Of course I do; this is my hometown. So, what are you doing here, kid?"

"I'm gonna learn from Mifune-sama about swordsmanship."

"Well now, that is quite the surprise. How did you get the man to agree to teach you?" asked the man in surprise.

"Actually, it was my godmother who got him to. Apparently she earned a favor from him and he said that he wanted to help the Uzumaki Clan."

The man raised a brow at that. "What does that old clan have to do with this?"

"Simple; my name is Naruto Uzumaki," replied the redhead with a grin.

The man almost fell back in shock. "Y-You mean that you're a member of the Uzumaki Clan?" Naruto nodded. "Well, no wonder I had such high expectations for ya. Only an Uzumaki would be able to get my support so easily," the man said with a small smirk.

Naruto rubbed the back of his head sheepishly and would have said more, but the two heard a woman cry out for help and saw a cloaked figure holding a struggling child ride away quickly on a horse. Without a moment's hesitation, Naruto ran to the stable and jumped onto a random red horse with a blonde mane.

He grabbed the reins and slapped the horse, making it whinny before it took off in full gallop. Naruto followed the cloaked kidnapper throughout the town and outside of the main gate in hopes of getting to the child before the figure escaped.

"C'mon, let's go! Hyah!" Naruto called out to his horse before he cracked the reins and made it pick up speed. Soon, Naruto's horse was running side-by-side with the kidnapper's and the redhead tried to reach out for the struggling child. The kidnapper moved their horse, and the child by extension, away from Naruto's range and had the animal run through the snowy forest surrounding the town. Naruto didn't hesitate to have his horse follow and quickly caught up to the kidnapper.

The redhead slowly rose to a standing position on his horse's saddle before he jumped off and tackled the kidnapper, making him and the child fall off the horse. The kidnapper's horse continued to run off while the kidnapped child was able to get away from her captor. She ran behind Naruto and hid behind the horse that came to a stop behind the redhead.

"Damn brat…" muttered the kidnapper as they rose to their feet and had the hood of their cloak fall down, revealing a scarred man's face. "You should've just minded your own business!"

"And let you steal a little girl away from her mother? Forget it, pal!" Naruto retorted with narrowed eyes as he flipped through handseals. "Fuuton: Ikiryō Naku!" he called out before he released a high-pitched shriek that came out as a concussive force and crashed into the man. The man flew back from the blow and crashed into a nearby tree, disoriented and in pain, before he turned to his side and puked.

Naruto capitalized on his opponent's inability to fight back and grabbed the girl before he got back on the horse and rode back to town. As soon as they made it through the gate, Naruto had the horse come to a stop before he got off and helped the girl down. The child's mother quickly ran up to her child and hugged her as the girl cried. "Thank you, young man," said the mother gratefully.

Naruto nodded with a small smile. "It was no problem, ma'am. I'm just glad that I was able to get to her before that guy went too far."

The mother once again thanked him before she led her daughter back home. A large man soon walked up and gave Naruto an irritated look. "Boy, do you know that you just stole my best horse?"

"Hey, I did it to get to the girl in time! If I didn't, then that guy would have gotten away!"

The man growled at the kid and would have yelled some more, but Mifune and two samurai approached them. "What is going on here?"

"This boy stole my best horse!"

"I did it to stop a kidnapper who rode away on their own horse!" retorted the redhead.

"It's true, sir," said the shopkeeper Naruto was talking to earlier. "I saw the whole thing. This boy took a horse and rode after a cloaked figure that had a struggling girl in their grasp. The boy's a hero."

Mifune turned to Naruto and gave him a scrutinizing look, which made the boy nervous. "I believe you," he said, surprising the Uzumaki. "Gerald, I know that Epona is your prized horse, but Naruto-san here needed her to catch a criminal."

Naruto turned to the horse that stood beside him and gently stroked her maw. "So, your name's Epona… Thanks for helping me." The horse simply nuzzled into Naruto's arm, making him smile, before it licked his hand.

The two men saw the whole interaction and Mifune smiled to Gerald. "Well, it looks like Epona has found a new friend. Perhaps you'd be willing to sell her to you Naruto here."

"Sell my best horse?! Why on earth would I do that?!"

"Because you could easily raise another horse to be just as good as Epona is. Plus, I believe young Naruto deserves some kind of reward for saving a young girl today."

Gerald grumbled silently before he sighed and nodded in agreement. "Fine, I'll sell the kid Epona…for 100 yen. Normally, I'd sell her for 200, but I guess the kid can have a 'hero discount'."

"Deal!" exclaimed the redhead before he ran up to the stable manager and handed him the money. He then got on his new horse and yelled, "Thanks!" before he rode off to the hotel he was staying at.

One Month and Two Weeks Later (Ten Months left in the year)

Naruto was kneeling before Mifune, sweat mixed with blood pouring down his face. Mifune may have been an old man, but he was ruthless in a sword battle.

Even though the two of them were using bokken, Mifune still struck hard enough to break skin and make Naruto feel like one large, bloody bruise.

"Get up, Naruto! This can't be the extent of your drive!" ordered Mifune as he stood in a ready stance.

Naruto groaned as he used the bokken to help him stand. He stood in a wobbly stance before he took a calm breath and readied himself for his current teacher's attack. Mifune was teaching Naruto how to react to, block, and evade strikes from an opponent without the use of chakra. When Naruto asked why, the samurai explained that his forces only used chakra with Shape Manipulation and as a stimulant.

Basically, they used chakra as a 'shell' for their blades, for ranged sword strikes, and to increase their physical ability in a split-second.

Mifune sped toward the redhead and went for an overhead swing, making Naruto react by raising his bokken to block the strike. The sound of cracked wood filed the area before Mifune's bokken smashed through Naruto's and smacked into his head. Naruto fell to the ground unconscious and Mifune had a medic take care of him.

'While he lacks the needed strength, his reaction timing is increasing exponentially. With more practice, and lots of physical exercise, his swordsmanship will be quite high by the end of the year.'

Two Months Later (Eight Months left in the year)

"Again!" ordered Mifune to his student as Naruto stood in a small ring with his eyes blindfolded. In his hands was a ninjato while surrounding samurai swung logs held up by rope at him. Naruto's body twitched before he swung behind him and sliced a log clean in half. He then swung left, right, forward, and then stabbed straight into the air above him, resulting in three more sliced logs and one stabbed by his blade and held above him.

Naruto swung his sword and flung the log off of his blade, making it split in half when it landed. "How was that, Mifune-sensei?"

The Head Samurai nodded and replied, "Much better, my young pupil. Your speed is increasing bit by bit and your strength has grown exponentially."

During the times when Naruto wasn't training in swordplay, or hanging out with his new horse, he spent the time physically pushing his body to its limit. What he did mostly was push-ups with a large boulder carefully placed on his back. This was to increase his strength and balance simultaneously. He would keep going until he could barely keep himself from being crushed. Then he would have Epona mule kick the boulder off of him before she, literally, dragged him back to the hotel for the night.

While Reina was pleased with his determination and the results, Uta was worried that he would push himself too far and hurt himself. Of course, Naruto and Reina told her that he needed this training to help his swordplay, but she wasn't happy with how they were going about it.

Zelda was also an observer of the redhead's training. Many times, she thought that he would quit and just g home, but he just kept going without any signs of giving up. It impressed her, and intrigued her at the same time. Where did his drive come from? Why was he pushing himself so much? She wanted to know, but she decided to remain patient and see if he was worth further observation after his attempt to remove the Shukun Ken.

Two Months Later (half a year left)

Within a small shrine of Shiroganechō, there was a small stone pedestal with the Hylia Crest on it that had a sword's handle sticking out of it. Beside it stood Zelda along with her escort and Mifune, waiting for the Uzumaki to try his luck at removing the blade. Naruto stood at the entrance of the shrine, with Uta and Reina behind him, dressed in new clothes that he said 'felt right'.

He was dressed in brown boots, black pants, a grey long-sleeved shirt under a blood red tunic, fingerless black gloves, and a waistline belt over the tunic with a golden buckle in the design of an Uzu Spiral. On his back was his ninjato with the handle right behind his right shoulder for easy access.

"Naruto Uzumaki," began Princess Zelda, "you have been asked to try your hand at removing the Shukun Ken from its pedestal prison. Please note that, should you be unable to remove the sword, there will be no consequences."

"And if I can remove it…?"

"Then a desperately sought out truth will finally be revealed to us," she answered with a straight face. She and the other two stepped aside and allowed the Uzumaki to approach the pedestal.

Naruto felt his stomach clench when he stood before the trapped blade. 'Man, I've never felt this nervous about anything before… What do you think my chances are, Kurama?'

"Why are you asking me? Just try to pull the sword out already! You're acting like the fate of the world will be determined by this…" replied the fox. 'Even though it kind of does…'

Naruto took a calming breath and moved his right hand to grasp the handle, making a gust of wind flow from the blade and rush out of the shrine. He closed his eyes and braced himself for resistance before he yanked his hand upward.

The result?

Naruto fell back and landed on his butt with the Shukun Ken held firmly in his hand; out of its pedestal. He opened his eyes and looked to the sword in his grasp. The weapon was a double-edged longsword with no fuller and a dark purple hilt. The sword's cross-guard was noticeably large and elaborate, in relation to its pommel. The triforce symbol was also seen to be engraved on the base of the blade, and embedded in the cross-guard in what appeared to be a yellow gemstone.

He slowly stood up and took a few light swings with it, amazed that it felt so light in his hands. 'Wow… This blade… It feels like…like I was meant to wield it.'

'So, he really is the Chosen One of the goddesses… Heh, things are gonna be interesting from here on,' thought the Kyuubi as he rested inside of the seal.

"Congratulations, Naruto Uzumaki," stated Zelda with a small smile on her face. "The Shukun Ken is now yours to wield how you see fit." Her smile grew slightly as she thought, 'The goddesses have delivered to us our Chosen One. Not a bad choice, either. Strong, courageous, determined, and incredibly handsome… I think I'll enjoy seeing more of you, Naruto.'

Unknown Area

While the others in the shrine of Shiroganechō congratulated the redheaded Chosen One, a figure bathed in shadow felt the pulse of power that emitted from the blade when Naruto pulled it free.

'So…the Chosen One has finally revealed himself. I wonder who it is…and how I can break him,' thought the figure as bright red fangs revealed themselves in a smirking manner beneath the shadows that hid them. 'Soon, we will meet Chosen One. But not now; no, now I must continue to gain back my former strength…'

Five Months and Three Weeks Later (last week of the year)

Naruto was seen lying on his hotel bed with the sheathed Shukun Ken leaning against the wall alongside an adult shield. The shield was dark blue in color with a silvery outline and had the Hylia Crest on it. Beneath it was a large red Uzumaki Spiral that had a fuinjutsu array hidden in its black outline. What the seals did was a surprise for Naruto's enemies.

The shield itself was given to him by Princess Zelda since 'a hero may use a sword to strike down their foes, but they need a shield to hold them back'. Naruto gratefully accepted the shield and was given a surprise kiss on his cheek by the Princess before she made her way back to the Royal Castle not far from Shiroganechō. She expressed her wish to see him again in the future and Naruto promised he would with a smile.

Uta was irritated at first that the Princess so boldly kissed the one she admitted her affection to. But, she knew that Zelda wasn't the only one that had taken a liking to the redheaded hero. Midna and Fuu were noticed giving Naruto discreet looks of wanting during the previous two years. The earth-bound musical spirit sighed at this but was not too upset. Reina had explained that Naruto would be eligible for the CRA and he would be able to love all four of them. It took a long time to accept that, but she eventually did and made a silent promise to be Naruto's first should they get that far in the future.

Back to the redhead, Naruto was lost in thought while a small creature was waiting patiently for a reply to its question. The creature had light green fur, rabbit-like feet, a long tail with a spiky tip, small arms, long ears, a red gem on its forehead, and a crown-shaped head (2). This creature was known as a carbuncle, a small summon that had various abilities depending on the color of its forehead gem. It was the Carbuncle Contract that Naruto had received in Uzu and this carbuncle, Laguna, was asking her summoner if he was ready to face the trials ahead.

The carbuncles knew what their summoner was destined for, and as soon as he was seen with the Shukun Ken, they told him that he would face many trials in his future; some that may cause him to lose himself trying to complete.

"Are you ready for what will happen, Naruto?" asked Laguna.

"…I don't know. I want to say yes right away, but I know that there are still many things that I'm not ready for… So, I don't know just yet…"

"A wise and well thought out answer, Naruto… Do not worry so much about these future trials now, for it won't do you any good. Just know that you have our support so long as you always keep your mind, and your heart, open," she said to him before she left a plume of smoke.

Naruto sat on his bed and looked to the ceiling while contemplating her words. "Keep my mind and heart open… Hmm, I wonder what that means for the future…"

(End)

1~ I thought Uta needed a last name

2~ I'd like to thank Hoytti for coming up with the Uzumaki Summon Creature

Next Time: The Return! Stay Tuned!