Maelstrom EXE.

"Normal speech"

"Tailed Beast speech"

[Talking from the PET]

Chapter 7: A Knightly Duel with Shadows

Naruto was currently jumping along the thatched roofs of the huts as he searches for the second half of the Moon Tablet to advance to the next stage, however he couldn't help but wonder about the explosion that he saw no sooner he crossed over the wall into the castle town.

"It must have been one of the competitors, goes to show how powerful they are. So you better be ready should you encounter them," said Kurama.

"Roger that Kurama," thought Naruto, he heard the clanking of metal and looked down below to see a squad of cyber knights and smirked to himself. He silently landed on the ground and stealthily followed them from behind, Naruto was right behind one of them and grabbed his selected target right as they went round a corner and pulled it back before stabbing it in the back with the Vorpal blade as it dispersed into blue pixels. Next he took to the roofs and went ahead to hide behind a barrel for them to pass, once they did he tackled the one at the back into alleyway and took it down as well. However it appears like the remaining knights had noticed that their brethren were missing and split into different directions.

"You need to go after them before they put the whole castle on alert, making it a bit harder to move around," said Kurama.

"I was thinking the same thing, Shadow Clone jutsu!" a small group of clones appeared before "Head them off before they can sound the alarm!"

"Okay boss!"

The clones took off while he ran after the cyber knight he saw last and was leaping through the rooftops once more, soon he caught up with his quarry by tracing the clanging sound of metal, he created a pair of cyber kunai and threw them to strike the legs, causing the knight to fall to the ground before he leapt off the roof and dove towards the fallen knight with the Chakra blade brandished and took it down. He waited for a few moments before feeling memories of his shadow clones flow into his mind.

"My clones were able to stop them as well, talk about lucky. Now I can get back to-" suddenly the sounds of bells echoed throughout the area much to Naruto's surprise and confusion "What? But I stopped the knights from sounding the alert, so what gives?"

"My guess is that someone else was the cause of it, we're running against the clock now. Find the other half of the Moon tablet and get out of here before we get overrun,"

Naruto heard something whistling through the air and dashed to the side before turning around to see another group of cyber knights with some wielding crossbows, they fired a few more bolts at him as he quickly deflected them with his Chakra blade.

"A bit late for that one, I need some fireworks!" said Naruto.

"Got it, Miniboom battle chip in, and download!" C-Naruto slotted a battle chip into the PET then a spherical bomb materialized in Naruto's free hand before he threw it at the knights' feet which then exploded, giving him the opportunity to make his escape. Naruto ran down the winding streets with the knights pursuing him, so he summoned the Aurum blade and several handful of shuriken to and fire and throw them respectively to slow them down till they lost sight of him, Naruto found a barrel nearby and quickly dove into it, waiting until the knights ran by before he could poke his head to see if the coast was clear.

"Heh, kinda takes me to back to when I would be chased by the Shinobi for my successful pranks," said Naruto with a look of nostalgia.

"I was always amused to see trained ninjas unable to catch an academy student, making your title of being the most unpredictable to be well earned," said Kurama "But now's not the time for flashbacks,"

"I know, I know, I'm getting a move on," Naruto cautiously wandered through the streets whilst keeping both eyes and ears out for signs of enemies or competitors, he arrived at what appears to be a bazaar but the stalls were obviously closed but searched for clues only to find some cyber knights showing up and so quickly behind one of the stalls for a bit until they left "Man, these guys are everywhere, making the search troublesome as it is," he left the bazaar back through one of the narrow streets when he picked a sound…it was a feminine voice whimpering in fear which was more than enough for him to rush to the source of the sound, in a dark alleyway where he saw cyber knights with their backs to him.

Peeking through the gaps, Naruto could make out a black silhouette of someone crouched the corner of the alley, quivering in fear with the knights slowly approaching her much to his growing anger so he called them out to catch their attention as they turned towards him "I don't know what's going on here, but I do know that ganging up on a girl ain't gonna fly with me!"

The knights unsheathed their swords and charged towards Naruto who charged right back at them whilst summoning his Aurum blade, he weaved and parried the incoming strikes till he was at the other end of the alley with the mysterious girl looking at his back, the archers reloaded their crossbows and opened fire upon them.

"Barrier battle chip in, download!" C-Naruto slotted in a chip for a transparent dome of energy to engulf both Naruto and the girl to deflect the incoming projectiles "Here's a follow-up, Shockwave battle chip in, download!" a pickaxe materialized in Naruto's hand that he used to strike the ground, sending a wave towards the enemies which knocked them into the air. Naruto took aim with the Aurum blade and fired rapidly till they were all dispersed in blue pixels.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief as he put away the Aurum blade "That takes care of them, they won't bother you…anymore?" he turned to speak to the girl only to see her gone without a trace "Where did she go? There's only one way out of here,"

"It's quite similar to those two Alice, but much stealthier," said Kurama.

"True that…hey what's that over there?" Naruto saw something sparkling on the floor and slowly approached it before his eyes widened in recognition "Hey, it's the second piece of the Moon Tablet! She must have left it behind for us,"

"Good to see, I suggest we get out of here before using the Moon tablet to return to the academy,"

"Okay, though I kinda wish that she stayed long enough for me to say thank you before leaving," Naruto put both pieces away and leapt to the rooftops and was soon making his way towards the castle gates. Back in the alley, there was a slight distortion before the black silhouette reappeared and looked in the direction the blonde had gone to.

"That's really nice of him, I hope miss BB won't be mad at me for wanting to help him. Maybe we can talk the next time we meet," the girl mumbled timidly to herself before fading away from sight.

Naruto was flipping and dashing multiple times to avoid the incoming barrage launched by the archers as he jumped along the roofs, apparently there was a tight security at the castle gates so Naruto resorted to using his shadow clones to serve as distractions while he made his escape. The young Shinobi was running up the castle walls with fired arrows narrowly missing him until he arrived at the top and flipped over it to dive into the forest. He leapt through the trees before stopping in the middle of a small clearing for a breather.

"Phew, that was a close one. Now to head back," Naruto took out the pieces of the Moon tablet and was about to put them together when there was a rustle from the bushes behind, he sharply turned around with a pair of cyber kunai in hand as the person walked into the clearing for him to see only to be surprised "Saber Lily, fancy meeting you here,"

Saber Lily smiled in return "Same could be said here, though I would venture to guess to you're the reason for the uproar in the castle town,"

"Well not at the beginning, but partway," Naruto became more serious "However I'm willing to guess that you have a piece of the Moon tablet?"

The white knight became just as serious "Indeed, and you have a piece as well, so we both know what this means,"

"Yeah… duel for the piece of the Moon tablet," Naruto slowly backing to one end of the clearing while Saber Lily walked to the other side then a holographic screen of Barrette appeared with the same going for C-Naruto at Naruto's side.

[I certainly hope you and your NetNavi would battle us with all of your might] said Bazett.

C-Naruto smirked in response "Right back at ya, we're gonna win no matter what-ttebayo!"

Saber Lily smiled in excitement as she crouched slightly and stretched a hand out for a white glow which faded to reveal a beautiful broadsword "Here I come, Maelstrom-san!"

"No holding back, Saber-san!" Naruto mirrored her stance while drawing out the Chakra blade, then both dashed towards each other and clashed in the middle to mark the beginning of the battle.

Music Start: Dissidia: Final Fantasy OST; Those Who Fight Further (FFVII)
Both combatants jumped away and faced down each other, waiting for either to make the first move…Naruto was the one to do so as he conjured a handful of cyber shuriken and flung them before dashing close behind them. Saber took a step forward and her sword swished around in a blur to knock them before parrying a horizontal slash from Naruto's Chakra blade and retaliated with her own. Naruto hastily backed away barely getting in the torso then summoned Aurum blade to unleash a salvo of plasma bullets at the same time flinging the Chakra blade like a boomerang. Saber Lily's body emitted a white aura and dashed forward with a loud sonic boom as the aura was actually deflecting the bullets and the Chakra blade much to Naruto's shock and quickly raised the Aurum blade to block, however he wasn't expecting the impact to be so powerful to the point that he was sent flying and crashed into a tree trunk.

"Guh! Feels like I got sent flying by Tsunade-baachan's finger flick again," Naruto groaned in pain, he quickly snapped out of it and took to the air just in time to avoid an incoming slash from Saber Lily which instead felled a tree in place. Naruto landed nearby with the Chakra blade returning to him and crossed the middle and index fingers each hand as he called out "Shadow Clone jutsu!" there was a puff of smoke which cleared away to reveal a small group of clones as they brandished any of the three bladed weapons and charged at Saber Lily. The white knight braced for their approached and began dodging or parrying their strikes from different before lashing out with attacks of her own. Most of the clones were able to keep up the pressure but were slowly losing their ground for Saber Lily's strikes were becoming more critical throughout the battle, Naruto rushed in with an overhead slash only to be blocked but switched to a low sweeping kick to which Saber Lily avoided by leaping into the air, one of the shadow clones grabbed Naruto by the arm and spun around to use the momentum to throw him towards her.

"Firehit battle chip in, download!" C-Naruto slotted a chip in for Naruto's free hand to ignite in flames before launching a straight punch, a white aura emitted from one of Saber Lily's gauntlets which she then used to block the fiery punch and countered with a one-handed slash but Naruto blocked it with his Chakra blade, then one of the clones jumped into the air next to him and kicked her in the torso to sending her flying away from the original as both landed back on the ground and squared off with smirks on their faces.

"Most impressive, you certainly are strong!" said Saber Lily with a smile.

Naruto smiled "Same to you too,"

[I must agree, but now it's our turn to strike. Stepsword battle chip in, download!] Bazett slotted a chip into her PET, Saber Lily's blade glowed white before disappearing from sight. Immediately after, every one of Naruto's shadow clones began disappearing rapidly then he himself felt something slice the side of his waist, inflicting great damage. Naruto looked around rapidly in search of his opponent but could only see bursts of dust around him.

"Man she's fast, kinda reminds me of Haku and Bushy Brows' crazy speed but I gotta find a way to catch her or stop her from moving around," said Naruto.

"Hang on, I got something for ya. AntiDmg and Bronze Fist battle chips in, double download!" with another pair of chips inserted, Naruto's body glowed faintly then got slashed only to disappear in a puff of smoke and reveal a miniature doll of himself. Saber stopped and looked around in confusion, suddenly the ground underneath her feet burst open for a fist to emerge and slam into her face with an uppercut which launched her into the air before crashing to the ground.

Saber Lily rolled back to her feet and retook her stance against her opponent, this blonde NetNavi is unlike any she has met before. He has no battle style whatsoever but rather reacts instinctively with unskilled swordsmanship and creates strategies while in the heat of the battle and his NetOp seems to provide him with the tools needed for such plans, almost as if they knew each other's thoughts and intentions like that of twins which makes them unpredictable. Same could be said for Bazett, at first glance she thought that the two were in over their heads, but now she can see the reason why they have been chosen to participate in the tournament…however it changes little to accomplish her goal.

[Recov80 battle chip in, download!] A white pillar of light came over Saber Lily, restoring most of her health before taking out another battle chip and slotted it in [Air Sword battle chip in, download!] wind swirled around Saber Lily's sword to the point that Naruto couldn't see it with the naked eye anymore, causing him to tighten his guard for the incoming attacks. Sure enough, Saber Lily charged at him and unleashed a combo of slashes upon him, Naruto sent away the Aurum blade and unsheathed the Vorpal blade in a reverse grip to parry the strikes then retaliated with his Chakra blade "Wing Air!" wind surged from the sword as she swung upwards to launch a powerful gust which sent Naruto flying high into the air before he could react.

Naruto righted himself in midair and put away his weapons to summon a shadow clone next to him as he stretched a hand out for the clone to weave his hands around the open palm then a blue spiraling sphere took form. The clone grabbed Naruto and spun around before flinging him straight at Saber Lily with the jutsu ready to strike her "Take this, Rasengan!"

[I don't think so! Avalon battle chip in, download!] Bazett quickly slotted a battle chip into her PET, Saber Lily stretched out a free hand for something to appear before her. It is a hollowed scabbard made of gold and blue enamel, Naruto was confused at first but lashed out with the intent to break through and strike his target but no sooner it struck did the scabbard knock him back with the Rasengan disappearing before breaking up into golden particles and was absorbed into the blade with a golden aura. Saber Lily dashed up to Naruto with the sword raised above her head "Caliburn!" and unleashed a powerful slash to send him crashing through the trees.

Naruto painfully got back to his feet, but could tell that he is seriously damaged from the counterattack "What the heck was that? It somehow absorbed my jutsu before I got hit hard,"

"From what I've observed, that technique serves as a powerful defense which then instantly becomes a counter," said Kurama, sending his chakra through Naruto's body to heal it.

"Well this calls for some payback, and I know just how to do it," thought Naruto with a smirk, he crouched slightly before running straight at Saber Lily all the while flinging shuriken and kunai along the way as he got closer. The white knight deflected the incoming projectiles with little issue, but can't help and wonder just what this young NetNavi is up to. Naruto was soon upon her and lashing out with his cyber kunai in both hands rapidly, Saber Lily channeled energy into her sword again to knock the kunai from his hands, leaving him open for an attack of which she initiated…however she noticed that the opponent's eyes as if he was…smiling, then she realized what's going on.

"It's a trap!" she thought panicky.

"Antisword battle chip in, download!" C-Naruto inserted the chip into the PET, the moment Saber's sword touch Naruto's shoulder, he moved in blurring speeds to unsheathe the Vorpal blade and slash across her chest to inflict critical damage. Both combatants jumped away and faced each other.

[That was quite a risky move, which you both pulled off] said Bazett being mildly impressed.

"You're pretty strong too, but we're gonna win no matter what-ttebayo!" said C-Naruto with a smirk.

[I too have a wish to be fulfilled, which is why we shall attack with everything we have!] The chip's effect on Saber Lily's sword finally wore off as she took a stance with it and her whole body surging with the white aura.

"It's appears she's going full force, suggest you do the same here," Kurama spoke up.

"Gotcha, good thing I've been reserving this," Naruto unsheathed the Chakra blade with the Konoha symbol glowing blue and tapped it for the chakra stored within to surge strongly before preparing for the next clash.

The combatants clashed once more and were rapidly attacking each other with ferocity, Naruto slashed several times before performing a backflip and creating a trio of shadow clones to rush in ahead of him as he swung the Chakra blade rapidly to launch a barrage of crescent energy waves towards Saber Lily, said knight was defending against the clones, she took out the first with a dashing horizontal slash and followed it up with a spinning slash to take out the remaining two which were coming in from different directions. Saber Lily turned to run towards the original in a zigzag pattern to evade some of the crescent waves while deflecting others and was upon Naruto to engage him in close combat once more. Naruto was getting pushed back from Saber Lily's techniques and lack of training in kenjutsu but his instincts were at least helping him keep up with his opponent. He ducked under a swipe from Saber's sword and unsheathed the Vorpal blade only for him to drop it to the ground much to Saber's confusion and wariness.

"What could he be up to?" she thought.

"Can't believe I'm using that bastard's trick, hope this works," Naruto lashed out with the chakra elongating to increase his attack range, forcing Saber to leap into the air with him in pursuit. They clashed blades multiple times then pushed away from the other when Naruto kicked to launch the Vorpal blade much to Saber's surprise and was barely able to avoid the projectile with it slice cutting a part of her waist.

[Saber Lily, are you alright?] Bazett called out to her worriedly.

"No need to fear Bazett-san, I'm still capable of fighting," Saber Lily replied then towards Naruto "An impressive strategy Maelstrom-san, none would have expected such an attack,"

Naruto nodded in response "Thanks, I borrowed it from a certain 'friend' of mine,"

"I see…what say we end this wonderful duel with our most powerful attacks?"

Naruto glanced at his Chakra blade in contemplation for a few moments before responding "You're on, let's see who comes out on top,"

Saber nodded in affirmation before taking a stance with the sword pointing skywards as she called out "Sword of Selection, grant me power! Cleave the wicked!" the blade began focusing energy to a single point.

Naruto gripped the Chakra blade with both hands and reared back "Gonna give all I got!"

"Caliburn!"

"Overslash!"

Both swung their blades forward to launch a large wave of golden or blue energy which clashed in the middle and struggled for dominance, Naruto and Saber Lily to fuel their respective attacks with their energies. The struggle continued until the opposing attacks ended in a massive explosion which covered about a mile radius. The smoke cleared a bit to reveal a large crater from the explosion's aftermath, a hand burst out from the ground and pulled itself out to reveal Naruto covered in dirt and bruises as he struggled to his feet then limped across the burnt field to the other side. There he saw Saber Lily in a similar condition with pieces of her armor broken apart and her sword was broken.

Music End

The white knight smiled upon seeing the blonde NetNavi "It appears that this duel…ends in your victory,"

"How so?" asked Naruto.

"By using the true name of my sword to perform its most powerful attack, it will break…with its restoration requiring a lot of time…and you appear to be capable of continuing battle despite both us suffering similar injuries, not to mention that you also seem to be healing as well," Saber Lily replied, Naruto couldn't say anything in his defense for she was right about most things thanks to Kurama healing him with his chakra as he always did.

"You're right, but if not for my ability to heal…you would have beaten me, if I didn't use Kurama's chakra," said Naruto with his faceplate deactivating.

[Even so, a loss is a loss. Both of you are the winners here today] said Bazett with a tone of disappointment in her voice.

"But you gave it all you got," said C-Naruto.

"We appreciate the compliment, hopefully the next time we meet outside the tournament…things might change," said Saber Lily.

"Same here, only next time it will be much more intense," said Naruto with a foxy grin, causing Saber Lily to feel strange as she looked at him, for he emits the aura of a warrior of gallantry and yet a sunny disposition to attract others around him.

"Very well then, we hope to see you after the tournament…Maelstrom-dono," Saber Lily's was engulfed in a pillar of white light before disappearing along with it, leaving Naruto alone in the crater.

"Her kenjutsu was quite formidable, wouldn't you agree kit?" asked Kurama.

"Yeah, guess my experience against sword users back in Konoha helped out a bit. She's pretty strong and beautiful…wait did I just say that out loud?" Naruto blushed at what he said.

"Hahahahaha! That you did, and here I thought you swung for the other team. Turns out that you're more of a late bloomer, it's only a matter of time before the Toad Hermit's perversion completely takes over!" Kurama laughed out loud.

"Shut up, I'll never be a second Pervy Sage! Let's just head back to the academy," with a red tint on his cheeks, Naruto took out the two pieces of the Moon Tablet and clicked them together to activate the portal for him to step into and was transported to the entrance of the Sakura Labyrinth. He barely took a step when he heard two voices gasp from his left and turned to see Nero and Tamamo looking at him with shock.

The fox girl immediately ran over and started examining him all over while the red swordswoman walked to them "Maelstrom, what happened for you to end up like this?" asked Tamamo worriedly.

"I ended up fighting against Saber Lily in the forest area of the second stage," Naruto explained.

"Judging from your appearance, she was a formidable opponent," said Nero, getting a nod of affirmation from the blonde.

"Save the storytelling for later, we need to get you to the infirmary for Sakura-san to heal you!" Tamamo began jostling Naruto to the school with Nero following them looking amused and a bit worried about him as well. They eventually arrived at the infirmary, where Sakura was about to greet them but was taken aback upon seeing Naruto's condition. She quickly had him lay down on the cot activating the regenerator to heal him even though he had almost fully recovered along with his armor being fully repaired as well.

"Your health has been fully restored, Maelstrom-san," said Sakura, getting sighs of relief from Tamamo and a nod of approval from Nero "What sort of battle did you have to end up this way?"

"Maelstrom-kun was fighting against Saber Lily, and managed to win in the end!" said Tamamo happily.

"But it just goes to show how this tournament's difficulty rises, I also heard from that arrogant Gilgamesh that he had also defeated Lancer as well," said Nero.

Naruto sat up from the cot with his eyes wide in shock "Lancer lost?!"

"Yeah, now it's down to the six of us remaining," said Tamamo.

"I wish to warn you all that from the fourth stage onwards, Gate Guardians will begin to appear and you would have to defeat them in order to proceed," said Sakura worriedly.

"Gate Guardians?" asked Naruto confusedly.

"They're known to serve directly under BB and are one of the strongest in the tournament. Many that went up against any of them would be defeated, only a few others well fortunate to avoid them all entirely to reach the Moon Cell for their wishes to be granted,"

"They sound pretty scary," said the fox girl worriedly.

"Apparently there are opponents whom one must tread lightly with," said Nero looking thoughtful.

"Think we would be able to handle them?" thought Naruto.

"It only depends if we run into them to begin with, it would be interesting to see exactly powerful they are," Kurama responded.

"Good point," Naruto turned to the others "I guess we'll just have to wait and see then,"

"You may have recovered, but I advise that you rest in your room for the rest of the day," said Sakura rather sternly, reminding Naruto of when Shizune would stand in for Tsunade when healing him.

So Naruto nodded to her while smiling fondly "Yes ma'am," causing Sakura to smile as well but Tamamo and Nero glared at her a bit. Naruto got to his feet and was leaving when Tamamo offered to escort him but he politely refused, saying that he could manage on his own much to her hidden disappointment. Naruto had just gone down to the second floor when suddenly he was surrounded by two familiar people.

"We found you!" said both Alice from the front and back simultaneously.

"It's you two," Naruto gazed at both of them warily, with what happened last time he needs to be cautious and try to find a way their distorted mindset.

"Why were you sneaking around like that?" asked Black Alice.

"Hey, let's play! We've even made up a new game! That's right, this time there won't be some stupid grinning cat to help you out," said Alice happily "Promise that you'll come and play!" then she ran off down the hallway.

"Another deadly game I'll bet," thought Naruto.

Black Alice giggled at him "Remember, you promised," she followed after the other Alice afterwards.

Naruto let out a sigh of resignation "I might as well go after them,"

"You do know that their 'games' could kill us if we're not careful?" said Kurama.

"I know, but they're gonna keep pestering us with more until I put my foot down…once and for all,"

"Good to know, they're probably waiting in the forest of stage one,"

"I'll be heading there now, hope the others won't get mad about not resting," Naruto went down the stairs and out of the school till he arrived at the entrance of the Sakura Labyrinth. He willed the gate to transfer him to the first stage and passed to enter the forested area. He ran through the trees towards the small clearing where he had first met Alice and sure enough, they were there waiting for him.

Alice perked up upon seeing him "I knew that you would want to come and play with us!"

"You're the nicest, mister," said Black Alice.

"Sure, but I wish to talk to you after this is over," said Naruto.

"Okay, but first it's playtime! Alice will create a brand new playground in just a second!" Alice started to perform some sort of sequences of poses with Black Alice in perfect sync "Birds are just birds here…"

Black Alice followed next "People are just people here…"

"Welcome to Alice's tea party!" just Alice spoke, the entire atmosphere suddenly changed and a multicolored mist fell over the forest around them.

Naruto looked around in confusion "What the? What is this?!"

"Careful kit, their technique seems to alter the reality around you!" said Kurama in alert.

"At Alice's tea party, no one can remember their names. Not even Yamada or Suzuki. You won't be able to remember anybody's names. You'll see in a minute, mister," said Alice with a smile.

"Nuh-uh, it goes like this. First you forget your name and then you forget who you are and then…the end! And you won't have to waste time in that silly tournament," said Black Alice.

"Isn't it fun?!"

"Not in the least bit," thought Naruto angrily.

"All right, let's all play tag now. You're 'It', mister!" said Black Alice.

"Are you ready? Ready, set, go!" then both of the girls ran into the forest to start the game.

"Time is against you, catch them before you lost your memories!" said Kurama.

"Already on it!" Naruto took off after them, he weaved around the trees while keeping an eye out for the girls until he found them running along the path "There they are!" the two Alice saw him and continued to run all the while giggling at him, Naruto took to leaping along the tree branches and quickly caught up with them, he was just about to grab one of them when Black Alice suddenly turned around and fired an energy sphere which caught him off guard to knock him back "Nice try, but I'm not going to let you get away!" The blonde ninja got back to his feet and was in pursuit once more, they ran around the trees for a few moments until Naruto put on a burst of speed to leap right over their heads and landed in the Alice's path to stop them.

"Alright you two, the game's over," said Naruto.

Black Alice giggled "I got caught…?"

"Wow, you're really fast and can jump high, mister!" Alice looked at Naruto in awe.

"But he can't probably remember his name anymore,"

"You can't remember your name, can you mister?"

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the question "Of course I can remember my name, it's…my name is…what is my name?" he tried to remember but was coming up with blank results and can't even remember their names either.

"-! Stay focused, don't let them get the best of you or it's over!" said Kurama.

"Oh okay um…fox-san?"

"Dammit it's getting worse,"

"You gotta catch us, or your body will go bye-bye next!" said Alice, then Black Alice then waved her hand which caused them to disappear elsewhere.

Naruto went after them again, Black Alice launched more energy spheres at him but he would use the Vorpal blade to deflect the incoming projectiles as he drew closer to them, Naruto created several shadow clones to corner them to a large redwood tree so they wouldn't run anywhere.

"I got you now!" said Naruto.

Alice looked intimidated "Mister, why are you being so scary? Are you mad at me…?"

Black Alice was giggling "Why are you mad? Uh-oh, is it cuz your body is going bye-bye?" Naruto raised his hands in front of him and was stunned to see them being transparent which meant that his entire body is in the same condition.

"Stop this, it isn't fun at all!" shouted Naruto.

"I'm scared, why is he so mad?" Alice looked fearful at Naruto's anger.

"I dunno Alice, we're only playing," Black Alice again teleported them away and were on the run again from Naruto for the second time.

"You don't have much time left -! Hurry up and catch them! I'll even channel my chakra to make it quick!" said Kurama.

"Ok fox-san!" Naruto felt a sudden surge of energy flow through his energy, he crouched low then shot off like a bullet and instantly caught up with the young duo "Enough is enough!"

Alice looked at Naruto with tears brimming in her eyes "Why are you so mad *Sniffle* I just wanted to play…,"

"That's because you're hurting me with this game of yours!" said Naruto.

"Then perhaps we've overestimated how good you are at playing our games," Black Alice scoffed at the blonde

"I'm…hurting you?" asked Alice confusedly.

Naruto nodded in affirmation "As the time went, I wasn't just forgetting my name but I began to forget other things which were really important to me. My heart began to hurt badly, it is crying out to me…telling me that I'm missing a part of myself that truly makes me who I am. I felt something all too familiar and I'm sure you know it…the feeling of loneliness,"

Alice gazed into Naruto's eyes and let out a gasp upon seeing the light in them which she personally liked slowing dimming "He's just like me in a way,"

"But do you what the worst thing is? I also forgot the name of the person whom I promised to play with…and it hurts just as much, because it makes me feel like I failed to keep my promise to them," Naruto looked down at the ground sadly. Tears flowed out down Alice's cheeks, she didn't want this, she just wanted to have fun with her new friend and yet she is hurting him with her games. She was about to speak up but Black Alice beat her to it.

"But the game still goes on and it doesn't end until you beat it, so can you remember your name yet? Even though you're almost out of time," like Black Alice said, Naruto is just about to fade away entirely…when suddenly unbeknownst to them, a white orb of light emerged from Naruto's back and touched the back of his head.

Naruto suddenly felt a certain memory flow into his mind where he saw himself hiding behind a tree with a large scroll in his hands and nearby were two men with one lying down wounded and the other poised to kill him, Naruto wasn't able to hear them speak then he heard the wounded man speak with great clarity.

'That is how beasts are…but that is not who Na- is, -ru-o is one of a kind, works hard and puts his whole heart into it. Sure he messes up sometimes and everyone jumps on him, but his suffering only makes him stronger. That what separates him from being a beast, so you're wrong, he's nothing like the nine tailed fox. He is Na-to Uz-ma-i of the Village Hidden in the Leaves!' the wounded man declared before the memory faded away.

Naruto slowly reached to his forehead and untied the headband to look at the symbol into the metal plate "I remember…he was truly the first to acknowledge me for who I really am. My name is…Naruto Uzumaki!" with his declaration, the atmosphere shattered like glass with the forest returning to normal and he could remember everything now.

"That was a close one, kit," said Kurama.

"Sorry about that, Kurama," thought Naruto apologetically as he retied the headband back on, getting a grunt in return.

Black Alice took a step back in shock of what just happened with Alice feeling the same along with the sense of relief "You were able to dispel the nameless forest…"

Naruto slowly approached them "Alice-chan, I can understand why you do this to avoid the hurt that you felt in the past. But you must understand that not everything is a game and that one must face reality to see a lot of things,"

Black Alice stood in the way with a frown on her face "Alice doesn't need to stop playing games, she's managing just fine and I'm her one and only friend,"

"That won't change the fact that she still feels loneliness, you can't do it alone. Let others in to broaden her horizons in reality,"

"No! They hurt Alice and I won't let them do it again, I'm going to make you go away…forever," Black Alice took a fighting stance.

Naruto frowned at this before taking a stance of his own "Then I have no other choice than to make you see that what you're doing is a mistake…cause I want to help Alice-chan!"

Black Alice started off by rapidly firing a barrage of energy spheres at him, Naruto darted from left to right whilst using the Chakra Blade to deflect those he couldn't evade in time till he was upon her and lashed out a punch, Black Alice parried it with a backhand and launched a punch of her own for Naruto to catch it with an open palm but was surprised at her level of strength when he got knocked back a few feet before skidding to a stop.

"Whoa, she's strong despite how she looks," said Naruto "Even so, I don't plan on losing here. Shadow clone jutsu!" he summoned a small group of clones to rush at their target.

Black Alice started going through a series of poses "The Plains of Winter!" she thrust her hands out to unleash a large gust of cold air which slammed into the clones encased them in a frozen cocoons, she rushed forward to punch each of them with her fists to shatter into pieces. Then she into the air towards Naruto, ready to engage him in close combat. Naruto parried a punch from her and lashed out with kick only for Black Alice to catch his leg and swung him around to fling him towards a tree. Naruto quickly summoned a shadow clone to grab him by the arm and pull him with back with her along before flinging at one of the trees like Black Alice intended. Naruto landed on the tree trunk with his feet then slammed Black Alice to it then both landed back on the ground.

"Frenzied March Hare!" Black Alice thrust her arms forward to launch a powerful blast of wind at Naruto who looked ready for his next move.

"Areasteal and Airshot battle chips in, double download!" C-Naruto slotted two chips into the PET, Naruto disappeared before the wind made impact and reappeared before Black Alice with his right hand morphed into an arm cannon then he fired a sphere made out of air to slam into her torso to send her flying "Cyber shuriken!" Naruto conjured a handful of said throwing weapons and launched them at his opponent.

Black Alice quickly recovered and raised an energy shield to block the incoming projectiles before retaliating in kind. Naruto created a shadow clone and both dashed together while he summoned the Aurum Blade in gun mode to rapidly fire at the incoming fire while his clone working on forming a Rasengan with him. Black Alice's eyes widened in shock and hastily strengthen her energy shield before Naruto lunged with his jutsu with the spiraling sphere grinding against the barrier. Either side struggle with offense and defense while hoping to outlast the other. Suddenly cracks began to appear on Black Alice's shield much to her shock, she tried to reinforce the defense but it was futile as it was shattered and the blue spinning sphere was heading towards her…however the sphere dissipated at the last minute and an open palm slammed into her gut with sufficient force to send her tumbling backwards and this time wasn't getting back up.

Naruto let out a deep breath and made to approach Black Alice when he heard rapid footsteps run past for him to see Alice reach black Alice to see if she was okay before looking at Naruto with worry.

"Please stop, don't hurt Alice anymore! I don't want her to go away! I don't want to be lonely again!" Alice cried out.

The blonde stared at them and continued with his approach, Alice hugged the other tightly and closed her eyes in anticipation for the forthcoming agony…only to feel a hand on her head, she looked up to see Naruto smiling at her softly.

"I wasn't intending on doing such a thing, I know full well how much you care for each other. It was just how you went about things that I wasn't okay with it and wanted to correct you, as well as prove something to Black Alice," said Naruto.

Said person slowly rose her head to look up at him "What do you mean?"

"That I possess the strength to protect Alice alongside you, so you won't need to bear it alone. And if you let others in to be your friends, the world around you would be much bigger than you thought,"

Alice looked at the ground, feeling unsure of herself "But what if I start hurting again? I don't know if I can tough it out like daddy used to tell me,"

"Well that's why Alice is here for you, to help tough it out so you could be happy. I myself had been lonely ever since I was a baby and struggled for attention, until one truly acknowledged me after I worked hard for it. As time went, more joined in my circle of friends and I couldn't have been happier. But something bad happened and I ended up getting separated from them forever, and the loneliness was returning…but then I found new friends here too but promised myself to never forget the ones before them. Which is why I also want to be your friend and you mine as well, if you both want me too," Naruto held out his hands to each Alice.

"Will you…will you be with us forever?" asked Alice.

Naruto replied with a foxy grin "Of course I will, and I won't let anyone or anything hurt you, that's a promise of a lifetime!"

Alice looked from Naruto's hands to his eyes and for some strange reason felt that he really meant to keep that promise for her to be safe, despite what she and Black Alice did to him…he still wants to help them. Alice slowly stretched out her hand and from the corner of her eye saw Black Alice doing the same until both gripped a hand with Naruto beaming happily at them.

"Thank you for being our friend…Naruto-niichan," said Alice.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow both at her calling out his name and a brother until he recalled his proclamation and certainly didn't mind being called that either.

"I'm going to rest for a while, please watch over Alice for me, her happiness is also my happiness" as she spoke, Black Alice's body glowed brightly before fading away to reveal a picture book with the title 'Alice in Wonderland' lying on the floor much to Naruto's confusion.

"What happened to her?" asked Naruto.

"It's Alice's real form, but she changed herself to be with me all the time. This is the first time, 'Alice' changed back," said Alice before scooping up the book into her hands.

"I see, well let's head back to my place so we could rest," Naruto held a hand to Alice which she happily took as they walked back towards the exiting portal which Naruto created for them to return to the Academy for some rest.

"Mommy was right…this is how it would feel to have a big brother," thought Alice.


This Hussbek online with the latest, Naruto ventured into the castle town of the next stage in search of the second piece of the moon tablet. Something set the town into an uproar and in the midst of the confusion he rescues a cloaked girl from a group of cyber knights only for her to disappear while leaving behind the piece he was looking for. Before leaving, Naruto encountered Saber Lily and her operator Bazett which led to a fierce battle with him coming out on top but not without being seriously damaged enough to be sent to Sakura's infirmary upon jostling from Tamamo and oddly enough Nero.

Afterwards Naruto gets dragged into another one of the Alices' games which almost wiped out his very existence had it not been for an unknown intervention from a mysterious white orb secretly originating from within him, Naruto tried to sway them from their warped perspective of the world with a fight from Black Alice until he finally got through to them. With two stages traversed and two competitors out of the running, what's next in store for Naruto?

So read and review as always.

This is Hussbek from Ghana

Signing out.