Disclaimer - I do not own Fate/Stay Night nor do I own Naruto
I need to address two things before I start:
1 - Why did Archer reveal that he was a Counter Guardian? - I accidentally deleted a sentence in that dialogue. Please go back and reread that part. It should sound a lot more natural now.
2 - "I want to attack like Rin" - I know that many people can accidentally misread that as "I want to attack Rin" but that's not what Naruto was saying. That's why, as clarification, I changed the sentence to, "I want to go on the offensive like Rin."
My sincere apologies for both these points.
"...How could you?" Naruto whispered out, his voice weak, frail and quite high pitched.
"That's what you get for interfering with my sleep," Rin coldly responded as she glared at him with frigid eyes, "Plus, you're overreacting. It's really not that bad."
Naruto, who was lying down and recovering on Rin's sofa at the moment, turned his head up and gave the black haired girl an expression of outrage.
"YOU KICKED ME IN THE BALLS!" He yelled as Rin plugged her ears in an impressive display of speed.
Rin waited for a few seconds until she was sure that the blonde boy wouldn't start yelling again before she unplugged her ears and gave him a fierce look of disdain that undoubtedly expressed something like, 'Go die in a ditch somewhere'.
"You'll be fine," She easily responded.
'Why didn't you dodge her kick in the first place?' Kurama curiously interjected,'You were able to deflect that Servant in your puny school's surprise chain attack, but you couldn't react fast enough to this brat's kick to the balls?'
'I thought that it'd be best for her to get one solid hit on me to get the anger out of her system,' Naruto explained tearfully, 'So I closed my eyes to prepare myself. But I never expected her to actually go for the balls!'
'Me neither!' Kurama laughed as the whiskered teen's expression of pain and surprise flashed in his mind again, 'But it looks like that brat exceeded my expectations! As a reward, I, the great Kyubi-sama, shall bestow upon her the title of 'Slightly Better Than The Average Hairless Ape'!'
"Hey, Rin," Naruto called out, "The giant demon in my gut wants to give you the title of 'Slightly Better Than The Average Hairless Ape'. What say you?"
"...Naruto, are you some kind of a closet masochist?" Rin asked in a clear monotone.
'...I think she likes it.'
'Obviously; it's a compliment from me after all.'
"Anyway," Rin sighed as she got to the point, "Why are you here? What reason could you possibly have to interrupt my sleep at three-thirty in the morning?"
"Yeah... to tell you that, I'm gonna have to start by explaining what exactly happened tonight," Naruto said before he took a deep breath and launched into an explanation, "So I was just sleeping peacefully when-"
"No, I'll tell her," Archer interrupted as he materialized.
"What the hell, Dragcher!?" Naruto yelled in surprise, "I thought that you were outside, flirting with Saber!"
"Please don't build any more ships," Archer calmly responded, "There are already too many... And don't call me Dragcher."
"...What?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused.
Archer shook his head dismissively, "Never mind. The reason I came back was because my lookout yielded nothing. Looks like nothing followed us back here."
"So where's Saber? Why'd she not come inside with you?" Naruto asked.
"She said that she wanted to keep watch for a little longer," Archer answered, "'Just in case', according to her."
"Ah."
"Anyway, why did you interrupt Naruto, Archer?" Rin interjected.
"Considering this guy's nature, the story's probably going to full of statements like, 'then I totally kicked the crap out of her!' or 'She tried to attack but was no match for the awesome Uzumaki Emiya Naruto!'," Archer predicted, "It's better if I tell you what happened. This guy's simply too unreliable."
"Oh yeah... you're probably right," Rin agreed, "Go on, Archer."
Naruto's eye twitched.
"...And then you kicked this idiot in the balls," Archer finished.
Rin took a moment to process all the information dumped on her before she let loose a predatory smirk, "Heh, this is good. I've been hunting that witch for some time now. Now that we know about this 'Rule Breaker' of hers, we can finally finish her off."
Naruto grinned, "Heh, my awesomeness saves the day again!"
"Awesomeness, right..." Archer sarcastically agreed.
Naruto turned to glare at the Servant of the bow, "What, you don't think I was awesome!? Were you asleep or something when I totally beat up Caster!?"
"Oh no, I was paying full attention to your 'battle' against Caster," Archer replied with a smirk, "But it's just way too hard to take a man wearing froggy pajamas seriously."
Naruto's eyes widened before he looked down at his attire and turned a bit red.
"Oi! Caster didn't really give me time to change, ya know!" He yelled indignantly.
"Yes, yes, whatever," Archer dismissed with a wave of his hand, "Let's get on to the important bit now; tell us, why did you decide to come here at this hour."
"Hey! I'm not done yet!" Naruto protested.
"Naruto... do you want me to kick you in the balls again?" Rin asked in a quiet, eerie voice.
The phantom pain flashed through his mind and he almost let out an unconscious "Eep!".
"Y-yeah, you guys are right," Naruto hurriedly decided in a nervous voice, "Let's get down to it."
Rin nodded in satisfaction and Archer waited patiently for the blonde boy to start his explanation before the main door of the Tohsaka manor gently opened and closed.
"I have completed my reconnaissance," Saber announced as she entered the main living room where the group of three were situated.
"And?" Archer prompted.
"You were correct, Archer," Saber admitted with a smile, "No one seems to have followed us."
"I'm an Archer, Saber," Archer said in a dry tone, "Being a lookout is kinda my specialty."
Saber nodded in deference, "I agree, but it never hurts to check. Even Servants are capable of making mistakes."
Archer sighed, "I guess you're right..."
Saber looked around for a second before she asked, "So, are we done here, Naruto?"
"Actually... we were just getting started before you came in," Naruto answered sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head.
"Just now?" Saber asked incredulously, 'What were you doing all this time?"
"We were telling Rin about all the stuff that happened tonight," Naruto explained before he turned to Rin, "By the way, Rin, you owe me one."
Rin raised an eyebrow, "Why? If it's about the information on Caster's Noble Phantasm, then it was you who payed me back on that one. If Archer hadn't been there to provide backup, you probably wouldn't have gotten out of there alive. We're completely even."
"Nope," Naruto denied as he shook his head, "I've repaid my debt by giving you information on Caster, but you still owe me for finding out that Shinji is the Master who set up that Boundary field at school."
Rin glared at the mischievously grinning Naruto for a few seconds before she let out a quiet 'tch'.
"Fine."
Naruto's grin widened, "Coincidentally, Shinji is also the reason I came here to talk to you."
Rin raised an eyebrow and allowed him to continue.
"So... I was thinking that to stop him and to keep him in check, we should add him to our alliance-"
"No," Rin instantly rejected as she made an 'X' with her arms, "Absolutely not. I refuse."
"At least hear me out!" Naruto tried.
"No way," Rin denied again, "There's no way that I'm letting someone like Matou Shinji into our alliance. Plus, didn't you just say that he's the one who set up the Boundary field at school?"
"Yeah, but think about it for a second; if we add Shinji to our alliance, then we can easily threaten him to dispel the bounded field," Naruto argued, "Not only that, but then we can also use his Servant to launch an assault on Caster. With three Servants against two, we have a much higher chance of winning!"
"Naruto, you say that but I think you're forgetting the fact that, in the first place, our alliance only lasts until we defeat Shinji and his Servant," Rin reminded.
"And that's the other reason I'm here," Naruto said, "I want to extend our alliance to until we defeat Caster and Berserker."
Rin put a hand on her chin and gave the idea some thought.
"Why?" She asked after a while.
"Well, like Dragcher said, in a one on one battle, Berserker could probably defeat every other Servant in this war," Naruto explained, "Our other target, Caster, has Assassin to back her up. Or is it that Assassin is the main fighter and Caster's the back up...?" He trailed off before getting back on track, "Anyway, so yeah. All these enemies of ours have different advantages over us. We can either fight amongst ourselves or we can respond and gain the advantage of numbers over them by extending our alliance and adding Shinji to it."
Rin closed her eyes in thought, "The idea has merit... Taking on quality with quantity, eh? Our quality's not so bad either, to be honest. Still... this is Shinji we're talking about..."
Naruto sweat-dropped, "Do you really hate Shinji that much?"
"Obviously," Rin replied with zero hesitation, "But... I guess your reasoning makes sense..."
"So will you accept?" Naruto asked excitedly.
Rin put her hand on her chin and thought about it for a few more seconds.
"...Fine. I accept your proposal," she said as she held out her hand, "I look forward to working with you for a little while longer."
"...Wow, you're pretty formal," Naruto noted as he took the black haired girl's hand and shook it.
"Thank you," Rin thanked with a polite smile, "Now that that's over; get out."
"Eh? I-I'm sorry, I don't think I heard right," Naruto said, a little confused and more than a little nervous, "I just heard 'get out' but-"
"You heard completely right," Rin interrupted, the polite smile still on her face, "Get. Out."
"R-Right away!"
Even with his Kyuubi chakra cloak, he didn't think that he had ever moved faster in his entire life than now.
Haku...
"When a person... has something truly important to protect... that's when they can become truly strong."
Hyuuga Neji...
"These eyes of mine show me many things. One thing they've shown me… is that people's limitations are set, fixed, and unchangeable. Only a fool wastes his time trying to become something he can never be! The only destiny that everyone shares… is death."
Senju Tsunade...
"It's because to be Hokage… is your dream… isn't it? One last time… just one last time… I place the odds on you."
Jiraiya...
"You never did get it, a real ninja is one who endures no matter what gets thrown at him… Let me explain something to you, there is only one thing that matters if you are a Shinobi, and it isn't the number of techniques you possess. All you do need, is the guts to never give up."
Haruno Sakura...
"I beg you! Please... Please bring Sasuke back!"
Uchiha Sasuke...
"Naruto... Just what the hell are you?"
Uzumaki Naruto...
"I'm your friend!"
These people...
They aren't from this world.
I know that.
It's obvious.
I don't know where he's from, but I do know this...
He's not from this world.
Yet...
"It means we're friends!"
There's no doubt about it...
"A hero always arrives at the last minute, and you're an ancient hero aren't you? I have faith that you'll arrive just in time to save me."
Wherever his friends are...
"I'll show you around, it's a great place!"
That's his entire world...
"Didn't we bump fists? What kind of a friend would I be if I treated my friend like a tool?"
And that's why...
"H-huh? Y-yeah, I'm fine."
He's drowning... in a sea of despair.
"Hey, are you alright, Saber?" Naruto asked in concern as he set a plate of scrambled eggs down in front of her.
Saber subtly flinched as she snapped out of her thoughts, "Y-yes, I am perfectly fine."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, but when Saber refused to elaborate, he dropped the issue and headed back into the kitchen to cook some for himself.
"By the way," He started, "I had a dream about you last night."
Saber involuntarily felt her mind provide her with indecent context and, as a result, blushed a bit, "A dream... about me?"
Naruto laughed as he poured his scrambled eggs onto his plate, "Yeah. There was this Merlin guy who kept warning you about something and then you pulled out a sword and then you were crowned king. Yeah... I think it was something like that."
Saber's eyes darkened, "Ah... that."
"Say, that was your past right?" Naruto asked as he set his food down and sat on the table, "That weird priest told me that stuff like this would happen."
"Yes, that was no doubt my past," Saber said, her voice tinged with something heavy.
Naruto raised an eyebrow and took a bite.
"You don't seem to like your past a lot," He noted, his voice a bit muffled due to the food residing in his mouth at the moment.
"It's not like I necessarily don't like my past... it's just that, the part of my past that you saw, is the one part that I intend to change," Saber revealed.
"The one part... that you intend to change?" Naruto repeated.
"Yes," Saber confirmed before she took a deep breath and powered on, "That is what I want from the Holy Grail. That... is my greatest wish."
"Why? Did you not like the sword?" Naruto asked curiously.
"That sword signified kingship, and I was more than happy to get a chance to repel my country's enemies, the Saxons, and bring back peace to my land. Yet... it was a mistake. I should not have pulled out that sword, nor should I have become king, for I... I led my country to destruction."
"Did these 'Saxons' win against you guys?" Naruto asked.
"No. In fact, we successfully repelled the Saxons and brought peace to our land," Saber answered, "Albeit, with many sacrifices."
"Then how did you 'lead your country to destruction', as you say?" Naruto asked, thoroughly confused.
"In the end... I was betrayed by my own knights," Saber revealed, her voice unbearably heavy, "The king could not understand her subjects' feelings and therefore the king was betrayed and the entirety of the country, obliterated."
"And that's why..." Naruto trailed off, his shoulders sagging as if weights had been strapped on to them.
"Yes. That is the reason why I want to redo the selection of the king," Saber confirmed.
The two let themselves let a grim silence permeate the air for a few moments before Naruto spoke up again.
"...Are you sure that you were a king?"
"Yes, I am confident that I was a king, I don't think that I would've mistaken something like that," Saber dryly responded.
"Well... you just... talk more like a hero than a king," Naruto hesitantly revealed, "You said that you want to redo the selection of the king but you never said anything about getting a second chance to rule your country better or something like that. It honestly sounds like you're trying to save your kingdom rather than lead it away from destruction."
Saber's eyes widened as Iskander's words flashed in her mind.
"You saved them but you never led them!"
She clenched her fists, "Why...? What did I do wrong? What is so wrong in saving your people? Why must I be a tyrant in order lead my country!?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes, "I never said anything about being a tyrant... This rebuttal... it isn't for me, is it? Those eyes... they're looking at someone else."
Saber grit her teeth and closed her eyes in grief, "In the last Holy Grail war... I had a discussion with Rider. A discussion on what it means to be a king. He... he said something similar to your statement."
"What did he say?" Naruto asked curiously.
Saber opened her eyes but kept them fixed on her empty plate, "According to him, a good king must be greedier, must laugh louder, and must rage harder than everyone else. He said... he said that I was simply a little girl who kept saving my country without leading them."
"Did you?" Naruto asked.
"Did I what?" Saber asked back hesitantly.
"Did you only save rather than lead your country?" Naruto clarified his question.
"...Perhaps. I look back, and perhaps that was my mistake," Saber lamented, "Perhaps, if I had ruled like Rider had said, then maybe my country would not have massacred itself."
Naruto craned his head upwards and gazed at the ceiling, "You know, I come from a village. A village called Konohagakure no Sato. The head of my village was called the 'Hokage'."
'...Hokage... Yes, If I recall correctly, that is what you strived endlessly for...' Saber remembered.
"My dad was the Fourth Hokage," Naruto continued, "Sadly, he died saving the village right when I was born. With the death of the Fourth, the Third Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, took on the mantle of Hokage again and led the village right up to his death."
He grinned and closed his eyes, "Heh, if someone were to ask me what the perfect ruler would look like, my mind would immediately go to Sandiame-jiji. Sandaime-jiji was busy but he still made time to interact with the denizens of the village. He was exceedingly kind, yet he still made cold-hearted decisions for the sake of the village. Admittedly, he wasn't able to harden his heart enough to kill his evil student, but hey, he was still human, ya know? Sandaime-jiji... he was a role model, a grandfather figure, a wise old man, a friend, a great ruler, and so much more!"
He brought his head down and locked eyes with Saber, "I don't really know the full scope of the argument that that Rider guy made, or what duties the kings of old had in the history of this world, but, in my opinion, the only duty that a ruler has... is to lead his people to happiness. Different people may forge different ideals of what a ruler must be or do, but in my mind, to lead their people to happiness... that is the only job a ruler truly has."
"Do you think that Rider's beliefs led his people to happiness?" Saber asked, her eyes brimming with fiery curiosity.
Naruto shrugged, "I don't know. I agree with his views on how a ruler should lead his country instead of simply saving them. I mean Sandaime-jiji saved people too, but that was only when things were so bad that there was no one else to save them. Saving your country is fine, but I don't think that only saving is a good thing. You need to help them walk on their own two feet, ya know? A ruler's job is to make a path for those feet to follow. On the other hand, I don't really like his statement about laughing and raging harder than everyone. One day, the mantle of ruler will be passed down to the next generation, and when that time comes, the next generation will follow the teachings of the old. I can't really agree with the example that a ruler like Rider's ideal ruler will set."
"Regardless of Rider's vision of an ideal ruler, the fact that I kept saving my subjects means that all I brought them, was unhappiness, doesn't it?" Saber asked, her voice hollow.
Naruto's lips twitched slightly upwards, "I wouldn't say that. The fact that your country went through such a brutal coup d'état suggests that the love that your people had for you... was probably unimaginably great."
Saber's eyes widened, "What? How can you say that! After everything that I told you, how can you come to such a bizarre conclusion!?"
"I once met a Sage called the Sage of the Six Paths. This is what he once said, 'The greatest of love can transform into the greatest of hate,'" Naruto revealed as he recalled Kakashi's retelling of his conversation with the Sage of the Six Paths when Sakura was unconscious and Sasuke and he were heading to the Valley of the End for their epic clash, "Well that's what he basically said. For a coup to be so bloody that it actually destroyed the country... your country must have loved you dearly before their rebellion."
Saber's lip trembled, "Could that... could that really be true?"
"There's no doubt about it, I promise," Naruto promised as he grinned.
Saber averted her eyes and tried her best to stop the tears from forming in her eyes.
To Naruto's immense surprise, she was actually moderately successful.
Saber's eyes were watery and anyone who looked at those emerald orbs would easily be able to tell that she was on the verge of crying.
But Saber held out. She did not let herself cry.
With a few deep breaths, Saber calmed her emotions down and the only sign that she had just suffered through immense emotional turmoil were, to anyone who knew her, the out of place sagged shoulders.
'The King of Knights, eh? If I told her to cry, then I'd probably wound her kingly pride,' Naruto thought to himself as he silently let Saber recover, 'Just being here should be more than enough.'
Saber quickly wiped the tears that were threatening to slide down her face and let out a faint smile, "I honestly did not expect you to support my wish in redoing the past, Naruto."
Naruto shook his head, "Oh, don't get me wrong. I absolutely do not support that wish of yours, and after this little debate of ours, you should be having second thoughts as well. I just held off on it because we got into debating another matter entirely."
"What problem do you see in me redoing the past?" Saber asked in a subdued manner.
"Way too many," Naruto easily answered before he reached out with his hand and forced her forehead against his, thereby causing the Noble Servant to widen her eyes in surprise, "But Saber, one of the largest things that you should think about, is the comrades that fought and died for you. If you go back and change the past... you'll be spitting on every single one of the sacrifices that your people made for you."
Saber's eyes became even wider as Naruto fiercely glared into her eyes.
He let her head go and drew his own back, "Saber... your country may have faced destruction... but... for you to selfishly decide to replace the deeds of history's heroes... that is something that I absolutely cannot forgive."
Saber's eyes clouded up as she recalled all those that had died and killed for her before she she gently closed her eyes and smiled, "Did you know, Naruto? Rider also said something similar to that."
"Did he now?" The whiskered teen asked, a little surprised, "Well, that's one more of his points that I agree with."
"He was also somewhat similar to you," Saber told him, "I believe that you two would've gotten along splendidly."
"Yeah, I would've liked to meet him," Naruto agreed, "If he was similar to me, then he must've been a really cool guy."
"Yo, Shinji," Naruto called out he spotted his purple haired friend walking through the crowded front gate of Homurahara academy.
"Hm?" Shinji responded as he turned around, "Oh, if it isn't Emiya. Didn't get lost on the way to school? My, my, color me surprised."
Naruto's eye twitched, "Are you calling me stupid!? I'm gonna-!"
He stopped himself as the original purpose of calling out to his dickweed of a friend flashed through his mind.
He closed his eyes and took a few calming breaths before he opened his eyes and started speaking again,
"Shinji, come with me. We'll probably be late for class, but what I have to say to you is much more important."
Shinji raised an eyebrow but shrugged and followed the blonde haired teen nonetheless.
"Wh-What's the meaning of this, Emiya?" Shinji asked with an air of nervousness masked with false ease.
The two Masters were standing isolated inside the student council room and the bell had rang around two minutes ago.
"Relax, no one comes here during class time," Naruto assured, "At least, that's what she said."
"That's what who said?" Shinji asked, his panic growing by the second.
"Me," Rin dramatically announced as she stepped into the room.
"T-Tohsaka!" Shinji exclaimed as he took a nervous step back, "Wh-what are you doing here?"
"Shinji," Rin spoke up in a frosty voice, "We know that you're Rider's Master and that you were the one who set up that Bounded field in this school. Release it. Now."
Shinji felt cold sweat run down his back and shivered as he took another step back, "Wh-what!? What are you talking about!? I didn't-!"
In an instant, a purple haired figure garbed in black materialized and flung her weapon towards Rin.
But Rin did not even flinch.
Because she knew...
She knew that her Servant would be there to protect her.
Archer materialized in response to the hostile action and deflected the dangerous silver blur heading towards his Master with a flick of his sword, Kanshou, and moved in for the kill with his other sword, Byakuya.
'CLANG!'
But Rider wasn't one to go down that easily.
Before Byakuya could even make contact with its target, the silver blur that had just been deflected away, found itself back in its Master's hand and locked the black blade in a contest of strength.
"Hngrh!" Archer made a grunt of exertion as the two Servants tried to overpower each other. He tried to add Kanshou to struggle but found himself unable to move his other sword from its outstretched position. In fact, he actually felt himself being pulled away by Kanshou, thereby reducing the power he could add to the struggle.
"What?" The Servant of the bow growled as his eyes narrowed.
"That's a pretty fast Servant you've got there, Shinji," Naruto praised from where he was standing; a position that he had yet to move from since the start of the entire confrontation, "Rider managed to wrap her chain around Dragcher's blade and used the curtain rod as a makeshift pulley to reduce the power that Dragcher can put into this contest of strength, all in the single second that Dragcher took to deflect Rider's stake."
"He-hehehe," Shinji laughed as his confidence returned, "Check out my awesome Servant, you two! You guys think that you you can defeat me!? Don't make me laugh!"
Rin aimed her arm at him and charged up a Gandr shot while Naruto opened his mouth and casually asked, "You sure about that?"
"Huh? Can't you see what's happening right in front of your eyes?" Shinji asked as if he were explaining a complicated concept to an especially dumb person.
Naruto shrugged, "Servants are a lot more powerful humans, ya know? Any second now, that curtain rod will break and Dragcher will be able to use his full strength against Rider. You're her Master, so she'll try and save you, but she won't be able to do a single thing if I use you as a shield against her."
Shinji paled at the implications of his fellow Master's statement before an important thought struck him, thereby causing the colour to return to his face.
"Servants are much more skilled than humans!" He riposted with a menacing smirk, "She'll simply use that chain to rip you away from me!"
"Oh, then I wonder what will happen to her?" Naruto easily returned with faux-curiosity, "If she uses her chain against me, then I don't think that Dragcher is just going to stand by and let an opening like that go."
"You keep calling me Dragcher, and I just might," Archer interjected, still trying to overpower Rider.
"Plus," Naruto continued, gracefully ignoring Archer's comment, "At the moment, Rin has a Gandr shot aimed at you, not to mention the fact that our Servants can't even properly fight in this place. If you were closer to Rider then maybe you would've still had a chance."
Naruto gave Shinji a wide grin, "Now though... there's absolutely no way for you to even escape."
The purple haired boy felt his his confidence drain away again as he slumped to the floor, "Wh-what to do you want from me?"
"Order your Servant to dispel the Bounded field," Rin ordered from across the room, "Now!"
Shinji looked up at Naruto with a desperate smile and tears leaking out of his wide, fear filled eyes, "Y-You guys wouldn't really kill me. W-would you?"
Naruto leveled a dark glare at the cowering boy on the floor, "...No. But we won't hesitate to beat you up so badly that you'll end up in a coma for the next twelve days."
"B-but I need this bounded field!" Shinji exclaimed, "It's for my protection! It's just intended to be threat so that you guys don't try to kill me! I never wanted to fight in the first place!"
"Liar!" Rin yelled, causing Shinji to flinch, "If that was true, then you'd have gone to the church instead of doing crap like this!"
"Th-the church?" Shinji asked, "What are you talking about!?"
"You don't know?" Naruto asked, surprise taking over his features, "If you want to withdraw, then all you have to do is break your contract with Rider and ask for asylum in the church."
The blonde haired boy paused for a bit before he smirked slyly, "It's a good thing that you know this now, right? All you have to do is break your contract with Rider and give us your Command Seals, and boom! Instant safety! It's not like you intended to fight in this war in the first place, right?"
Naruto reached for Shinji as Shinji crawled backwards, "W-wait! No, stop! I'll..."
the purple haired Master took a glance at the curtain rod and paled as he caught sight of it deforming away from its original straight shape and bending into a parabola under the pressure of the chain.
"I'll dispel it!" He gave in with a desperate yell, "I'll dispel it so please... please don't hurt me!"
"Order Rider to dispel it now!" Rin commanded.
"Rider! as soon as Tohsaka calls her Servant off, dispel the bounded field that you've set in the school!" Shinji complied hurriedly.
"...Very well," Rider quietly assented.
With that Archer and Rider both disengaged at the same time and Archer dematerialized his swords before he himself dematerialized.
Seeing that the threat had left, the purple haired Servant brought her chain back to her and raised a hand. A sharp red light sprung from her hand and engulfed the entire room.
The three Masters present all closed their eyes in response and wearily opened them a few seconds later to find that their world had been tinted red.
"This is-!" Rin exclaimed as she took a glance out the window.
"Yes, the Bounded field is dispersing," Rider confirmed, "Unfortunately, it is quite conspicuous and you told me to disperse it immediately."
Rin shook her head, "No, don't worry about it. The church will handle the cover up. If I had to guess though, I'd say that that fake priest will probably come up with some kind of crappy story about an accidental chemical problem or he'll make them forget the incident with magic. Either one would work."
"A-are you happy now!?" Shinji asked from his position on the ground, "You got what you wanted right!? So let me go now!"
"Not yet, Shinji," Naruto denied, "There's still another thing we have to talk to you about."
"Yeah, even though I hate this idea, Naruto wanted to ask you something," Rin added before she powered down her Gandr shot and lowered her arm.
"Wh-what?" Shinji nervously asked as he got up from the ground, "What more do you want from me?"
"We want you to join our alliance-"
Rin loudly cleared her throat at that.
"Fine. I want you to join our alliance while Rin reluctantly agreed to my idea," Naruto corrected, "Happy, Rin?"
"Considerably so," The girl in the red overcoat chirped.
"Why the hell would I join your alliance," Shinji asked derisively, "You both just saw how amazing my Servant was; there's absolutely no reason for me to join you people. Although, if you beg, then I guess there's some room at my side for you two after all."
"Wouldn't that just bring us to the same result?" Naruto murmured to himself before he raised his voice to an audible volume in order to address Shinji, "Shinji, honestly, you joining us is the only way that you can get through this war alive."
Shinji raised an eyebrow, "Oh? How're you so sure of that, Emiya?"
"Let me share some free info with you, Shinji," Naruto said with an amused smirk, "Did you know that Caster went ahead and summoned Assassin as her own Servant. That means that she can easily outnumber your Servant and defeat her, and even if they can't, they still won't have any problems in sending one Servant to distract your Servant and the other to kill you."
"That's the only reason you've got?" Shinji asked, his confident countenance fading a little, "The enemy has more people and that's why I should join you guys?"
"Let me finish," Naruto said, unfazed by Shinji's retort, "Next, there's Berserker. I'll tell you right now, Berserker's probably the strongest Servant in this war. Rider will be ripped to shreds before you can even blink. After that, there's us. If you don't want to form an alliance with us, then we'll instantly attack you in order to remove another possible threat. Even here, the same conditions as Assassin and Caster apply; we'll simply outnumber your Servant, and if we can't defeat her even then, then we'll have one Servant distract her while the other one will take you down. There's no way that you won't lose and I didn't even add Rin in that scenario. Trust me, if you refuse, Rin won't hesitate to hold back."
Shinji started sweating again, "Y-You're forgetting lancer!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Do you know where he is? I guess Lancer is another possible ally for you, but Lancer hasn't shown his face to any one of us since the first night. My guess is that he probably wants us to weaken each other before he can move in to attack."
Shinji clenched his fists while Rin smirked menacingly, "Don't worry, Shinji. We'll give you until school ends to decide."
She turned and started to walk out of the classroom before she stopped at the doorway and addressed Shinji without looking at him, "Oh, and don't worry about finding us to tell us your decision. Naruto will stop by your house to hear your answer. If you aren't at home until five, then we'll consider that as a refusal. Don't forget."
With that, Rin flicked her hair back and proceeded to head back to her class (The class that she was absolutely late for).
Naruto and Shinji waited in silence for Rin's incriminating footsteps to die down before Shinji opened his mouth to speak,
"Why are you still-"
"Were you the one who attacked Mitsuzuri?" Naruto interrupted in a deadly quiet voice.
"...It was my Servant that did it," Shinji answered, his tone holding a bit of anger due to being interrupted , "She's hard to contro-"
Neither Rider nor Shinji noticed Naruto's fist flying towards Shinji's face until it was too late.
'THWACK!'
"Ha, you actually punched him in the face?" Rin asked as she laughed, "I'm proud of you, Naruto."
"Thank you very much," Naruto thanked as he gave the black haired girl a mock bow.
"So, do you think that he'll agree?" Rin asked as she popped the cap on her iced tea and took a large gulp, "Ah, that hit the spot."
Naruto sat back down and unwrapped the Bento that he'd bought from one of the numerous convenience stores that littered Fuyuki city before he spoke, "I can't be sure, but judging from his expression, probably yeah. Shinji's a lot more scared and nervous about this war than you think, ya know?"
'If what Kurama noticed wasn't wrong, of course,' he mentally added.
'I don't make mistakes,' Kurama growled.
'Right, that's why you ended up being controlled by Madara and ended up being sealed into three different people,' Naruto sarcastically replied.
Kurama clucked his tongue but didn't respond.
'Heh, looks like it's my win this time!' Naruto cheered.
'Savor this victory... 'cause it'll be the last one you'll ever get,' Kurama threatened.
'We'll see about that,' Naruto confidently replied.
Rin raised an eyebrow, "Shinji's a lot more scared and nervous about this war than I think? How do you know that?"
Naruto unleashed a giant toothy grin, "Gut instinct."
Rin's eyebrows climbed higher while Kurama face-palmed,
'Very funny.'
'Isn't it?'
What should I do?
It's a question that almost everyone has asked at least once in their lives.
It was also the question that was dominating the mind of a certain purple haired womanizer of a Master who was sitting in his chair and gently massaging the bruise on his face that had some clean white gauze taped over it.
So deep in thought he was, that even the boisterous laughter and conversation from handful of students who had decided to stay in class for lunch could not pierce through his fog of concentration.
'Wh-what should I do!?' Shinji asked himself as his breathing became increasingly erratic, 'If-if I choose the wrong option, I'll probably end up losing my life!'
He took a few deep breaths to stop himself from hyperventilating,
'Calm down... calm down. First, I have to figure out whether that info Emiya gave me was true or not,' He thought to himself, 'I know that what he told me about Caster and Assassin was true, since Rider already told me that and it's also true that I have no idea where Lancer and his Master is. The only way that Lancer's Master and I can team up, is of Lancer's Master approaches me. I have no way of approaching him.'
"Senpai!" One of Shinji's 'ahem' friends called out in an overly cute manner as she walked in.
The girl looked pretty much the same age as Shinji, maybe a year younger. She had short black hair that she left open and loose and a moderately attractive face and body. One would not call her one of the most beautiful girls ever, but if someone were to ask for a list of above average looking girls in Homurahara academy, her name would be on there for sure.
'I don't know what Emiya and Tohsaka will do if I reject this offer, but...'
Shinji used all his strength to suppress an incoming shiver as he recalled that frightening cerulean glare that had pinned him to the ground,
"...No. But we won't hesitate to beat you up so badly that you'll end up in a coma for the next twelve days."
He shook his head a little to reclaim his focus,
'To be honest, the only information that I can't be sure of, is the information on Berserker. Considering that all his other info was on the dot, there's no reason that this one will be a lie-'
"Senpai!" She called out again, noticing that the purple haired boy hadn't reacted to her call at all, "Senpai, you promised that you would eat lunch with me tod- Senpai, your face! What happened!? Are you okay-?"
Shinji gnashed his teeth and gave the girl who was calling out to him a fierce look of disdain,
"Go away! What I'm doing right now is much more important than your stupid crap!"
The girl flinched at Shinji's out of character (at least, to her) behavior and took a step back in surprise,
"S-Senpai?" She asked weakly.
"I said, GO AWAY!" Shinji yelled maniacally, "What the hell is wrong with you!? Are your ears blocked or something!?"
The girl took another step back before she started sniveling,
"B-but Senpai I-"
"Do you want me to repeat myself a third time?" Shinji asked menacingly.
The girl couldn't hold it in anymore.
Tears escaped her eyes as she turned around and ran out of the classroom, all the while, sobbing.
The other students who had stayed back in the classroom for lunch pitied the girl, but unfortunately, they knew that they didn't have enough information on the situation to actually come to a conclusion.
So, they turned tail and ran.
No, I'm serious.
Quite uncomfortable with the new atmosphere in the classroom, the five or so boys ran away.
Well, they didn't literally run, but their gait sure as hell wasn't slow and steady.
The tortoise would not be happy.
Ha, get it?
...I'm sorry.
Anyway, this left Shinji alone in his classroom and, with his attention brought back to the outside world, he noticed this too.
No matter, what he was thinking of right now was much more important after all.
'What should I do?'
It's a question that everybody asks at least one point in their lives.
And this was the very same question dominating Shinji's mind right now.
Only... it hadn't started today.
This question hadn't demanded his focus just today.
It had first appeared when the Holy Grail War first started.
He hadn't been selected as a Master, but his sister had.
He'd always known that he was special.
That's why...
That's why she had caved in so quickly when he had requested control for her Servant.
Sakura may have thought that she was special, but...
He was above her. There was no doubt that he was much more special than her.
He would prove it by winning this Holy Grail War.
But...
'What should I do?'
He was scared.
Ever since he had gotten Rider, after a moment of brief elation, terror had gripped his entire being.
Everyday his throat tightened and his stomach flip-flopped, all in the fear of dying.
He didn't want to die.
He was scared of dying.
So terribly afraid.
But...
He couldn't quit.
He couldn't give up.
Because...
He was special.
School had ended and, just like everyday, the setting sun had painted the entire setting a vivid red. Naruto and Rin were both walking down a street devoid of all presence except them and Naruto was asking a question that had been bothering him the whole day.
"I seriously don't get it, how did that curtain rod even last that long under the pressure of not just one, but two Servants?"
"Oh, that? That's because all the curtain rods in this school are fitted into the walls," Rin explained in a manner reminiscent of a teacher, "When the current director of school was appointed, he made a number of changes to Homurahara academy in order to make it a "Safe Haven of Learning". installing the curtain rods into the walls was one of those changes."
"..."
"Wh-why are you looking at me like that?" Rin asked defensively, "Just because I know all this stuff doesn't mean I'm weird okay?"
"..."
"I-I'm really not!" Rin exclaimed, "I only know this stuff because I researched every aspect of the school!"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Every aspect of the school? Why?"
Rin put her hands on her hips and scowled, "Isn't it obvious that I would? My mansion and Homurahara academy are the two places where I hold the home-field advantage. It's important for me to learn about every little thing that I can about those two places so that I know what I can and can't use."
Naruto nodded in understanding, "I see, I see-"
His eyes widened as a thought flashed through his mind.
"Hey, Rin," he started slowly, "you remember that time when you held me at Gandr-point on the stairs?"
"Yes?" Rin answered hesitantly, unsure of where this was going.
"At the time, what route did you expect me to take to try and escape?" Naruto asked, his words drawn out a little longer than usual and his wording still slow, as if he was afraid of her answer.
Rin raised an eyebrow, "Through the classroom closest through the stairwell, obviously. Why are you asking?"
Naruto felt a drop of cold sweat run down his back but didn't let his face indicate that anything unusual had happened,
"I-it's nothing. I just wanted to know."
Rin gave the blonde haired boy a suspicious look but did not delve deeper,
"I see..."
The two Masters let a comfortable silence settle over them as they continued walking and, noticing this, Kurama took his chance to speak.
'What was that all about?'
'What was what all about?' Naruto asked, confused.
'That escape route thing,' Kurama clarified
'Ah, that,' Naruto nervously laughed out.
'Yeah, that,' Kurama dryly responded.
'You, uh, know how Rin said that she found every single piece of info on the school, no matter how insignificant?'
'Yeah, and?'
'Well, when she said that, it got me thinking,' Naruto explained, 'Back when Rin had cornered me on the stairs, I told you that even if I didn't threaten to summon Saber, I could still escape by going through the classroom located nearest to the stairwell. But, if you think about it, there's no way that someone who knows so much about the school, to the extent that they also know how the damn curtain rods are fitted, can overlook such an obvious escape route.'
'I see...' Kurama nodded in understanding, 'So that's why you asked.'
'Yeah...' Naruto confirmed as he recalled the standoff in question, 'Her answer confirms it; had I tried to escape, I would've easily lost to Rin.'
'What an impressive girl...' Kurama praised, 'To put you in such a predicament; that girl is no doubt an incredible ally, and...'
Kurama narrowed his eyes at the image of the gracefully walking Tohsaka heir,
'...an incredibly dangerous enemy...'
"..."
"This is where we part ways," Rin said, snapping Naruto out of his conversation with the nine tailed fox.
He looked up and noticed the road diverging into two in front of him.
"I really don't care whether Shinji joins our alliance or not," Rin continued, "But make sure not to die, okay?"
Naruto thumped his chest with his fist, "Don't worry, I'll come back alive with Shinji in tow. I promise!"
Rin let out a small smile, "Very well. Goodbye then, Naruto."
Naruto gave her a cheerful wave as she turned and walked down the left lane, "See ya!"
'Didn't you have to be at that purple haired ape's house by five?' Kurama asked with a sigh, 'Don't tell me you're gonna screw up with this too.'
'Don't worry so much,' Naruto dismissed, 'And what the hell do you mean by 'too'! When have I ever screwed up something!?'
'You got all day?'
'Sh-shut up!' Naruto yelled as he turned a bit red, 'I'm just gonna change my clothes and pick up Saber! We'll be there before five! I guarantee it!"
"You're late," Shinji accused.
"Shut up," Naruto spitefully responded.
His words weren't directed to only Shinji either.
Once again, Naruto was wearing his orange hoodie, which he left unzipped to display the black t-shirt underneath, dark blue jeans and grey sports shoes.
Accompanying him was Saber in her normal white shirt which was complimented by a blue string tie, underneath it she'd put on a blue skirt, and black tights.
"So that's what your Saber looks like..." Shinji mused as he gazed at Naruto's Servant, "Well, come in then. I've got my answer for you."
Saber maintained her stoic expression but on the inside, her mind was racing,
'Inside? Were he to decline our offer for an alliance, he could have set up traps inside in order to kill us without any trouble. Should we accept his offer? What if-?'
Her mental debate was suddenly interrupted when Naruto put his arm around her neck and leaned down to her height,
"Don't worry so much," he whispered, "If he attacks us, then we'll just escape. Physical traps don't work on you Servants and your Magic Resistance is ranked A, so even most magic traps are out."
"What about you, Naruto?" Saber asked worriedly.
"Didn't I already explain it to you before?" Naruto asked back, "I have faith in you."
Saber's eyes widened and her heart soared as Naruto pulled away and walked inside the creepy looking mansion of the Matous.
Once again the words that her Master had said on the first night of this war resounded inside her,
"A hero always arrives at the last minute, and you're an ancient hero aren't you? I have faith that you'll arrive just in time to save me."
"Very well, Naruto" She whispered even though Naruto could not hear her, "I will not let you be harmed."
She looked up and glared at the dark and overbearing mansion in front of her,
"No matter what happens."
Once inside, Shinji had led Naruto and Saber to a room where there were two sofas facing each other with a bit of space and a coffee table separating them.
Naturally, the blonde duo sat on one side while Shinji sat on the other.
Once everybody was situated and comfortable, Shinji snapped his fingers and Rider materialized behind him.
She stood like a bodyguard. Firm, unwavering, and ready to move at a moment's notice.
Naruto gazed upon Rider's form and observed her appearance with curious interest before he greeted her cheerfully,
"Yo! My name is Uzumaki Emiya Naruto, nice to meet you!"
Rider couldn't stop the surprise that she felt from showing, but she recovered her passive expression abnormally fast,
"Greetings. You may call me Rider."
'So this is the boy that deflected my stake...' She thought to herself as she took in the brightly grinning blonde boy's appearance, 'He certainly looks normal enough...'
Naruto nodded at her greeting before he turned his head towards Shinji,
"Alright, let's get straight to the point! Shinji, are you with us or against u-?"
"Wait," Shinji interrupted, "first tell me why your Servant is sitting there. She's just a Servant isn't she? When the hell did I give her the permission to sit there-"
Naruto unleashed a cold glare that glowed against the darkness of the room and put a silent pressure on Shinji that made the purple haired Master's mouth taste like ash,
"She doesn't need your damn permission."
White hot anger lit up Shinji's stomach and gave him the strength to push through Naruto's pressure, "Oi, Emiya. Don't get too cocky. This is my house and I'll do damn well as I please."
The two vastly different Masters locked their eyes in a silent battle of wills before Saber sighed and spoke up,
"Please put an end to this childish display. Dragging this affair on will only hinder us in the long run."
Shinji broke away from his current staring contest and redirected his glare to the golden haired Servant,
"And just who the hell gave you the right to-?"
"She's right," Naruto interrupted, "Let's stop with this stupid crap. Just tell me Shinji; will you join us?"
Shinji closed his eyes and hardened his resolve,
"...Fine. I'll join your damn alliance."
He smirked arrogantly,
"Make sure that you don't drag me down."
Naruto responded with challenging grin,
"That's my line."
"Eh? Senpai and Saber-san? You were here?" Sakura asked, quite surprised.
The group of four (Which, to a normal observer, would look like a group of three, since Rider had already dematerialized) were just leaving the Matou grounds when Sakura walked in through the front gate and called out to them.
"Oh, Sakura!" Naruto noticed, "I didn't see you today!"
"Tch, Sakura," Shinji muttered quietly.
Sakura smiled demurely and apologetically shook her head, "Sorry, Senpai. I was really busy today, so I didn't have the time to meet you."
"Nah, don't worry about it," Naruto said, "Sorry, but I can't really stay and talk."
"Are... are you three going somewhere?" Sakura asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, we have to go to Rin's house for some important work," Naruto explained before he realized that Sakura might not know who Rin was, "Ah, do you know Tohsaka Rin? She's in my grade. I think."
'-!'
"Yes, I know Tohsaka Rin," Sakura said in a subdued voice.
"Naruto, I do not wish to interrupt but it would be wise to leave for Rin's house now. You do remember the consequences for waking her up mid-sleep, don't you?" Saber spoke up before she gave Sakura an apologetic bow, "I am sorry Sakura, but we must take our leave."
"No, no," Sakura politely responded, "If it's important, then please go on ahead. I shouldn't keep you from your work."
'Oi, Naruto,' Kurama spoke up, 'That Sakura girl is pouring out an unbelievable amount of negative emotions.'
'An unbelievable amount of negative emotions?' Naruto repeated, 'What kind?'
'There are a lot. Hate, jealousy, sadness, guilt. The list is pretty long,' Kurama informed, 'It all started pouring out when you mentioned that Tohsaka brat.'
Naruto furrowed his brows,
'I see...'
"Naruto," Saber urged.
"You guys go on ahead," Naruto said, "I'll catch up."
Saber looked ready to protest but one look at her Master's serious face convinced her otherwise.
"Very well," she allowed.
"Don't hold him up for too long, Sakura," Shinji ordered disdainfully before he turned to glare at Saber with the same expression, "Let's go."
Saber nodded stoically, completely unfazed by the purple haired Master's glare.
Shinji clicked his teeth and the two (three) of them left the Matou mansion.
Once Sakura was sure that the other two (three) had left, she turned towards Naruto and tilted her head,
"Senpai? Is there something you want to talk to me about?"
Naruto unknowingly made an impassive expression as he tried to figure out what to say,
"...Sakura, are you okay?"
'Good job,' Kurama complimented sarcastically.
"Yes, I believe so?" Sakura answered confusedly.
Naruto gave Sakura a nervous smile as he rubbed the back of his head,
"A-ah, is that so? I was just a little worried, but if you're fine, then I'm happy."
Sakura's eyes widened a tiny bit and her chest tightened.
"I-I see. As you can see, there is no need to worry."
"Y-yeah, that's great."
"..."
The two teenagers stood there in awkward silence before Sakura spoke up again,
"Anyway, I'm sorry, Senpai, but I really must get going. I have lot of work to do. Goodbye!"
With that, Sakura practically ran inside her house.
"Yeah... goodbye," Naruto responded, even though Sakura was well out of hearing range.
"..."
'...Smooth.'
'Shut up.'
'No, really. I was actually only half sarcastic. The potency of her negative emotions actually did go down.'
'R-really?' Naruto asked hopefully.
'Why the hell would I lie about this?' Kurama asked rhetorically.
Naruto let out a sigh of relief, 'I'm gla-'
'Heads up!' Kurama warned, 'Another fleshbag just appeared behind you and this one's packing some crazy negative emotions.'
'-!'
Naruto leaped forward and spun his body to face where his back was at the same time. He skidded a centimeter or two back as soon as he landed due to momentum, lowered his stance, and took the chance to fully analyze the potential enemy that he was facing at the moment.
"My, my, such an extreme reaction to an old and frail man," The wrinkly figure commented in an amused tone.
"Who are you?" Naruto asked in a low voice.
"Me? I'm the master of this house, Matou Zouken," The old man introduced.
"Matou... Zouken?" Naruto repeated as his stance eased up a tiny bit.
"Yes, that is my name," Zouken said, "I'm also Sakura's and Shinji's grandfather."
"..."
Unsure of what to believe, Naruto took a cautious step forward and loosened his stance a little more.
"What do want from me? Why meet me only now?" He asked.
The old man raised a non-existent eyebrow, "Isn't this the first time that you've been in my house?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes a tiny bit,
'Tch, he's right. This is the first time that I've been here.'
"As for your other question, I want nothing from you," Zouken continued, "I merely wanted to gaze upon Sakura's and Shinji's friend with my own two eyes."
Naruto gave Zouken a look full of suspicion, "Is that so?"
Zouken responded with a toothy grin that somehow looked incredibly threatening, "Of course."
'You said that this guy was packing a lot of negative emotions, right?' Naruto asked Kurama.
'Yeah,' Kurama confirmed, 'He's out of my range at the moment, but there's no doubt about it, that guy held some serious negative emotions.'
'What kind?'
'There were a lot, but out of them all, sadism stood out the most.'
'Sadism, huh...'
"Well, this has been an interesting meeting, but I'm afraid I must leave now," Zouken said, "I have a certain... important thing that I must attend to."
With that, Zouken turned around and leisurely entered his own house.
'...That guy gives me the creeps,' Naruto told Kurama, 'And the way he said 'important thing'... it gave me insane chills. What do you think it was?'
'How the hell should I know?' Kurama asked rhetorically, 'Besides, I think you should focus on catching up to your pathetic party of fleshbags lest you end up arriving to that Rin brat's house too late. You don't want to get kicked in the balls again, do you?'
'Oh, crap! You're right!' Naruto exclaimed as he realized just how long he had spent talking to the two Matous.
He crouched down and shot forward like a rocket.
'Full speed ahead!'
"Ha! Right on time!" Naruto exclaimed as he caught up to Saber and Shinji (and Rider), who were just about to knock on the Tohsaka mansion's door.
"Oh? that's a first," Shinji mocked.
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," Naruto retorted as he walked up to the door and rapped it with his knuckles thrice.
The group of three (four) waited for a few seconds before Rin opened the door with a bang.
"Oh? That was fast-" Naruto started to compliment but stopped when he realized that Rin had walked past him and out the front gate of the Tohsaka mansion.
"Tohsaka?" Shinji tried but, same as Naruto, was completely ignored.
The group of three (four) followed her example and spilled onto the road. Once outside, they looked to their left and caught sight of Rin raising her arm in a position very familiar to the two Masters present.
"Gandr!" Rin exclaimed as she fired a Gandr shot at the air.
Shinji was about to laugh out loud at her useless waste mana when, suddenly, the sound of impact hit his ears.
His eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of a small figure being obliterated by the red orb.
"Wh-what was tha-?" Shinji started to ask before he realized that Rin had fired two more shots out into seemingly random areas.
Two crashes were heard in a succession and, after a few seconds, Rin lowered her outstretched arm an let out a satisfied nod.
Shinji opened his mouth to speak again, "O-oi, Tohsaka what was that?"
"Familiars," Rin answered as she turned to face the the group of three (four) behind her, "I just got rid of three different familiars which were following you."
"Tch, I didn't even notice," Naruto complained as the now group of four (five) walked inside the Tohsaka mansion.
"Of course not," Rin said, "They were following you from pretty far away. if it wasn't for Archer, then even I wouldn't have noticed. Not that I needed to, of course. They were probably going to retreat anyway."
"Eh? Why?" Shinji asked.
"It's because my home is surrounded by a bounded field," Rin explained, "No familiars can get through it. Seeing this, all these people who decided to spy on us would've probably decided that they had already gathered enough information anyway."
Saber clenched her fists, "How could I not have noticed have these familiars following us?"
"Don't worry about it, Saber," Naruto comforted, "Like Rin said, Dragcher's probably one of the only people who could notice something like this."
Saber looked downcast, "Still..."
"Shinji," Rin chose this moment to bring the group's attention back to herself, "Materialize Rider. It's time to discuss strategy."
Shinji felt anger poke at his stomach from being ordered around, but complied nonetheless,
"...Fine. Rider, appear. It's about time that these guys told us what exactly they want to do."
Rider materialized behind Shinji while Naruto agreed with Shinji, "Yeah, it's about time that we told you about who we're going after."
"Go on," Shinji prompted with a confident smile.
"It's Caster," Naruto informed, "Rin has already come up with a plan of attack."
"Caster, huh..." Shinji mused, "Fine then, Tohsaka. Lay this plan of yours on me. Let's see if it's any good."
'Shinji, you fool,' Zouken berated in his mind as he rocked in his rocking chair in a room lit by candles in the Matou mansion, 'You've been completely defeated. There's absolutely no way for you to win now.'
He stopped his rocking and slowly brought himself up from his chair, 'No matter what you do now, you'll always be kept in check by that Emiya brat and Tohsaka girl. You've been reduced to the status of a simple tool. Not even a particularly useful one at that; as soon as you show a hint of rebellion, Rider will be killed. You've already lost, Shinji.'
His eyes narrowed, 'That Emiya brat... Sakura seems to be infatuated by that boy... I could use that. If I could use that boy to incite Sakura into action, then there's no doubt that I'll gain an unbelievably powerful card to play. If I combine that with that strange Assassin that I can make mine and the fact that Shinji joining Emiya and Tohsaka allows me to get an idea of their movements, then the hand that I'll gain in this war will be incredibly overwhelming.'
He grinned maliciously, "Yes... it seems like I shall be joining this war after all..."
"-!"
Illya's head, which was resting on the armrest of a luxurious red sofa in the Einzbern castle, suddenly snapped up.
"Ojou-sama, did something happen?" Sella asked concernedly.
"...Rin just destroyed the familiar which was following Naruto," Illya informed with a mature smirk that, oddly enough, did not look out of place on her face, "Well, I was just about to pull away anyway, so it really doesn't matter."
"Did you get any information?" Sella asked.
"Yep!" Illya answered cheerfully as she jumped off the couch, "Looks like Rin, Naruto, and Rider's Master, some guy named Shinji who apparently belongs to the Makiri family, have all teamed up!"
"Do they intend to attack us?" Sella asked, a little worried by the prospects of facing three Servants.
Illya shrugged carelessly, "Maybe. One of my familiars spotted Naruto being taken to Caster's hideout last night though, so maybe they want to attack Caster?"
"Nevertheless, we should strengthen our defenses," Sella suggested.
Illya shrugged again, "Go ahead. It won't really matter against Servants, though. So it'll be kinda useless."
"Even so, we must-" Sella started to protest before Illya interrupted her,
"Plus, it's not like they know the route to this castle. This large forest should be enough protection for now."
Sella's frown deepened, "Ojou-sama..."
"Whatever happens tomorrow, it looks like it'll be really, really interesting!" Illya announced excitedly, "I can't wait!"
"It looks like that detestable Archer's Master caught my familiar," Caster mumbled to herself as she looked over the stone steps leading into her territory.
"Does it look they'll attack?" Assassin asked from beside her, more than a little excited at the idea of facing Saber again.
"Obviously, you fool," Caster answered disdainfully, "They have teamed up with Rider and her Master. There is no doubt in my mind that intend to use their superior numbers and information to launch an assault on us."
Assassin glanced at Caster out of the corner off his eye, "You know, most people would be worried by now."
"I am not 'most people'. Caster responded, "Let them come. Tomorrow, I will make sure to crush any hope of victory that they have before I kill them."
With a graceful turn, she left Assassin's side and reentered the temple.
'Not to mention that Uzumaki brat. You may have outmaneuvered me last time, Uzumaki, but this time... this time I shall obliterate you in such a way, that you will be begging me for mercy until the moment that you die!'
"Assassin!" She called out without turning around, "Prepare for war!"
Assassin smirked.
"Hm, that Archer's vision is certainly impressive," Kotomine praised from in front of the altar of his dimly lit church, "I was certain that my Familiar more than far enough."
"Oh? Did your familiar get caught, Master?" Lancer asked from behind him, purposefully and spitefully drawing out the word 'Master'.
"Yes," Kotomine answered, quite unfazed by the enmity that his Servant was showing him, "But I have already gained more than enough information, so I do not find this to be a problem."
Lancer raised an eyebrow as Kotomine smirked in glee, "Looks like tomorrow... is going to be an interesting day."
"...And if that happens, then we'll use the back gate to retreat," Rin finished explaining, "Got it? And, before you ask, no, I'm not going to repeat myself a third time, Naruto. Ask Shinji if you're still confused."
"Nah, don't worry, I got it down," Naruto assured.
Shinji put a hand on his chin and smirked pompously, "Heh, this plan isn't half bad. Let's see how this actually goes."
Rin's eye twitched.
"Well, thank you," She thanked, her voice filled to the brim with sarcasm.
Naruto fist-pumped excitedly, "Alright! let's go, Homurahara alliance!"
Rin flicked her hair back, "That's our name? Sounds lame."
Naruto visibly deflated, "Oi."
Zouken smirked malevolently as he stood beside Sakura, who was watching the worms in the worm pit, and mumbled to himself,
"Looks like that Tohsaka girl is closest to victory out of all the seven Masters."
Sakura's heart ached as she clenched her fists.
"I wonder why she teamed up with that Emiya brat though..." Zouken continued to mutter to himself.
Sakura's nails dug into her palms deep enough to draw blood.
Naruto's worried face and the words that he had said to her tonight flashed into her mind,
"A-ah, is that so? I was just a little worried, but if you're fine, then I'm happy."
Her voice was too quiet for anyone to hear, but the weight that it held... was unbearably heavy,
"Senpai..."
Author's Note - After writing this chapter, I realized something: Shinji is insanely hard to write as character.
The problem lies in the fact that his character is WAY TOO DAMN DEEP! He has so many damn layers that, even after rereading through the VN three more times, I still have no idea what layer of his I should show or express. If he was poorly characterized in this chapter, then I sincerely apologize. I just can't get a firm grasp on him.
Next point, I know that this chapter didn't have a lot of action and was kinda boring, but most of this stuff was absolutely necessary. I tried to spice this chapter up with numerous standoffs, but I really don't know how well of a job I did.
RadioPoisoning - I'm sorry that I didn't put in that hair thing that you wrote about, but I'll make sure to try my best to add that in in Naruto's later interactions with Rider. If I find the chance, that is.