What's up bitches? You know what I didn't plan on doing this summer? I didn't plan on working three jobs just to get enough rent money to cover expenses until my student loans kick in, but here I am, literally slaving away for pennies just to get by, isn't life a cruel world?

Now that I've made most of you lose complete interest in my personal life with how shitty it is, let us move onto more enjoyable things, like this chapter.

Disclaimer-I do not own Naruto, but I'm starting to think that it owns me because I spend so much time writing and reading fanfiction, isn't that a fucking plot twist?

(Mercurius Halls: With Naruto)

Naruto yawned as he walked through the main halls of the castle. It had been late by the time he had finished his conversation with the head of the Heartfilia family and the man had been gracious enough to offer him a room for the night. Normally Naruto would have declined such an offer but he had felt completely drained after his meeting with Lucy, thus he had decided to rest. He had woken up at the crack of dawn and left before anyone had noticed he was gone and he set a killing pace to get back to the castle with his cargo safely sealed away.

Naruto patted his kunai poach with the sealing scroll inside of it to make sure it was still there. He knew that the container was firmly attached but the very thought of losing something as important as Zeref's Shadow Amulet made Naruto ill.

Tatsumaki wasn't a fool and had made sure to inform Naruto in great detail about the horrible man that Zeref was. That included the many artifacts that the man had left behind when he disappeared in his self-induced isolation. The amulet itself was incredibly dangerous, housing a powerful shadow demon that had the power to blend in with shadows and drag victims along with it.

Naruto didn't know what his master was going to do with the cursed trinket but he was sure that Boruto knew of the proper way to handle something like this because as hard as it was to admit, something like this was over his head.

"What do you mean you won't send troops?! We haven't heard from them in over a year!"

Naruto stopped mid step as he heard his master's voice all but yelling at someone from around the corner. He had never heard Boruto yell, let alone sound as furious as he did right now. Slinking up to the wall, Naruto soundlessly worked his way to the end of the hall to see his master arguing with a rather short older man wearing royal robes who held a pensive look on his face.

"Keep quiet Boruto. You can huff and puff as much as you like, you have no say in this matter."

Naruto could hear Boruto growl at the man in front of him as the air became saturated with static. The hairs on Naruto's body started to stand on end as Naruto felt his master's magic leak dangerously throughout the room.

The shorter man did not look impressed as he defiantly glared at the Magic Advisor. "We both know you won't do anything so put an end to this ridiculous show Boruto. I will not change my mind on such a matter. There is no point in sending troops to investigate this backwater village that hasn't paid any of their taxes. It would cost more to send out a brigade than what we would collect in revenue."

Boruto's magic quickly vanished from the room but Boruto's face was still one of rage as he stared down the man in front of him. "Listen to me Darton, you cannot place the value of our citizen's lives on a scale of how much you collect in taxes from them! You have an obligation to protect every citizen of this country, not just the ones that provide this castle with large donations!"

The now identified Darton huffed in annoyance at Boruto's outcry, still not caring much for the racket the powerful mage was making. "And yet that is what I do every day. Do you think this castle runs so efficiently because of all the charity work we do? Of course not, we have to balance our resources carefully and allocate them to the most important and necessary areas, this village doesn't meet either of those criteria."

Boruto looked down so his hair would shadow his eyes before he responded, the man nearly shaking in rage at what he was hearing. "I managed to get a copy of the troop deployments. You're sending two more battalions to guard Harogen. Why would you send more troops to defend the most protected port in the country?" The man spoke in a whisper.

Darton quirked an eyebrow at Boruto's admittance to taking classified documents but let it slide, nothing would come of someone like Boruto taking restricted documents. "Because there was some concern that bandits may try to raid the port, reinforcements were necessary."

At that Boruto's head snapped up as he glared at Darton with unveiled hatred, small white sparks danced across his fingertips as his anger began overflowing. "They have over 500 men at that port already! No bandit in the world would dare attack Harogen! No, you were asked by the merchants to provide more troops because they like feeling safe and secure, there was no report about bandits or anything else for that matter. Don't lie to me Darton!"

Darton gave Boruto an even gaze before he turned and began walking off, his footfalls seemingly much louder than they should be for a man his size. "I'm done with this argument Boruto, if you're so concerned about that backwater village then do something about it yourself."

"Just because the merchants have more money doesn't mean they deserve to be better protected! You can't put people's lives on a scale!" Boruto yelled as he watched the Minister of Defense walk away, his anger leaving him as the catalyst left. When it came down to it, nothing would be able to change Darton's orders, save a direct command from the King. But even with all of the influence that Boruto had with his longtime friend, when it came to non-magical military matters he trusted Darton above all else.

Darton himself had become corrupted and cynical over the years. In the past, the man would have tried to space out the army to make sure all citizens were protected, now however, he was far too pragmatic for his own good. Balancing a military budget wasn't easy, as such Darton had begun rationing where he sent his troops. More times than not he placed them in areas of high economic value as a way to gain extra revenue from the upper class in those areas that enjoyed the extra protection.

But with an influx of troops in one area, other areas that needed those troops soon found themselves unprotected. This had been happening for years and they had lost all communication with some of the fringe villages in the country as a result.

There were rumors that those villages had been completely wiped out. Other rumors said that because the King had turned his back on them, they had turned their backs on the Kingdom. Regardless of the situation, nothing good could come from Darton's actions.

"Master?"

Naruto walked out from his hiding spot and eyed his master carefully. Naruto could tell that the man was still clearly enraged by the way his magic was fluctuating, even if he could visibly hide it well.

Boruto sighed as he saw his apprentice observe him carefully. Of course the boy could sense his magic and by proxy his emotions. He had been so wrapped up in his argument that he never noticed his apprentice, just how long had he been there? "Ah, Naruto-kun, it's good to see you.

Naruto just stood there and stared back at his master, not really sure if he should ask about what just happened. Boruto seemingly noticed Naruto's hesitance and decided to answer the unasked question. "I'm sorry that you had to see that. Darton and I don't always see eye to eye and sometimes our arguments get… heated to say the least."

Heated would be putting it mildly in Naruto's honest opinion but he decided to keep that to himself. No point in poking the bear sort to speak. "Master, why were you arguing about a village? Did something happen?"

Boruto didn't say anything for a moment, obviously debating with himself if he should even tell Naruto about it. After a few seconds Boruto shook his head and made a motion for Naruto to walk with him. "I had received a report from someone I trust in the military that they hadn't heard anything from a village that rests on our northernmost border in over a year. No taxes, no messages, not even a request for additional crops, which is something that they used to ask for on a regular basis to deal with the rocky landscape the village was built on. To have this village go completely off the radar with absolutely no warning… it is troubling."

Naruto walked in silence with his master as they made their way through the castle. As they reached a flight of stairs Naruto raised another question. "What are you going to do about it?"

The question was innocent enough but one that didn't have a simple answer. The military wasn't going to do anything and he couldn't just up and leave to visit a fringe village. It was vexing for the old man to be tied on an issue that he knew he could do something about. "I'm afraid I cannot do anything my boy. My hands are tied on this matter, as loathe as I am to admit it."

The two continued to walk as they neared Boruto's study on the top floor. Just as they reached the door Naruto grabbed the door's handle and looked at his master. "If you can't do something then maybe I can. Send me to investigate."

Boruto internally smirked to himself as Naruto opened the door. Boruto walked past his apprentice and over to one of the dozens of books spread out across the desk. "Perhaps you can but not now. There are other things that we need to discuss. The artifact, did you retrieve it?"

Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled out the scroll and unraveled it on the table. With the quick application of his chakra, a small plume of smoke rose from the scroll and left a small chest in its place.

Boruto moved over to the chest and opened it and peered at the dark amulet within. The artifact radiated foul magic and Boruto's frown remained on his face as he reached out and grabbed the trinket. "This is very troubling."

After examining the amulet for a few more moments, Boruto returned it to the chest before shutting it. Boruto then placed his hand atop the closed chest and channeled his magic into it. Instantaneously runes began to spread out across the box until they covered nearly every inch of it.

Naruto stared at the runes in fascination. They were so similar to the seals back home and yet so different. The rules that runes played by were completely different from seals. While both could produce nearly anything with the right combination of runes/seals and enough magic/chakra, how they functioned couldn't have been more different.

Naruto didn't study seals a lot back in the Elemental Nations, Jiraiya had only briefly gone over them with him before he was sent here. What he did know however was that seals could be used for anything. Sealing, explosions, chakra and gravity manipulations, barriers and everything in between. The possibilities were nearly limitless with enough practice.

Runes on the other hand were more of an area of effect type of deal. A set of runes usually involved encompassing a designated area and influencing all those inside that area to play by the 'rules' that the runes established. Tatsumaki had mentioned that with enough expertise, those runes could be limited to the confines of a person's body, either dramatically improving the user or possibly even killing their opponent.

"The runes will prevent anyone other than myself from opening the chest. It's not a perfect solution but it will do until I can dispose of this appropriately. You did well Naruto-kun."

"Thank you Master." Naruto watched his master as the man pulled out another book and began scribbling things down on a random piece of paper.

The man continued writing without so much as glancing at his waiting apprentice. He merely turned a paper in the book and continued to write things down. "I will have you investigate what happened to that village Naruto-kun, but not right now. You have a prior engagement that cannot be put off any longer. In two hours you are meant to meet your new team in the training grounds. They are very… eager to meet you."

Naruto groaned internally at that. He had completely forgotten about the team he had handpicked the day before. Was Boruto really going to make him do this? Sure he had picked the most interesting out of the group but to be completely honest they all sucked. It was like watching raw Academy Students that had passed the first Genin Test. He had absolutely no interest in babysitting three teens his age.

But all the same he had chosen them and he would at least meet them. In a way he at least owed them that since he had inadvertently taken the position that they were gunning for. Maybe they would all attack him because of that? It would make it interesting if nothing else. "Very well, after I meet with them I'm leaving, we need to know what happened to those people."

Naruto turned to leave and when he reached the door Boruto's voice made him stop. "The reason why I picked you as my apprentice wasn't because you already had a strong grasp on your magic. It was because I could see that deep down you truly care about people, even those you've never met. Never lose that part of yourself Naruto-kun, that's more important than any magic you'll ever learn."

A smile graced Naruto's lips as he stood in the doorway before he walked out into the hall, shutting the door behind him. "Wouldn't dream of it."

(Mercurius Halls)

Without anything to do for the next hour or so Naruto opted for wandering the halls of the royal castle, finally having a moment to himself to actually explore the magnificent structure. With everything being as go-go-go lately he really had never had a chance to learn where anything was aside from the Throne Room, Boruto's Study and the Royal Garden.

With as vast as the castle was, Naruto knew that it would take weeks to fully map everything out but the overall design was rather simple. The castle itself was divided into four separate quadrants that were connected to each other and the main portion of the castle by large hallways. Branching out from the main quadrants were sub quadrants that included living spaces for those assigned to that portion to the castle as well as more specified areas for that overall branch. Sitting in the middle of all the quadrants and their tributary sections sat the Main Hall and the Throne Room.

The four main quadrants were designated by a service that the Kingdom provided. The Northwest section was dedicated to bureaucratic needs, such as taxes and lawmaking. The Northeast quadrant was assigned for the judiciary needs of the Kingdom, both Civil and Criminal. The Southwest was the smallest quadrant, which was home to the King's Magical Advisor.

The Southeastern quadrant was home to the Kingdom's military force and was also where Naruto found himself roaming around. The main area looked like all the rest, swarmed with important looking people going about their daily business, not paying attention to anyone around them as they ran about. Other than the occasional knight that would come through it looked exactly like the other three quadrants, just like a bureaucracy. For some reason Naruto expected something more akin what it was like back in Konoha.

Naruto was pleasantly surprised to find that once he got past the bureaucratic front of the military district, things did look reminiscent to back home. The barracks looked the same save for the Fiore emblem being where the Leaf insignia would have gone. The training fields also reminded him of his village. Most were flat, grassy areas meant for straight up sparring. Some of them were diversified with different types of landscapes consisting of mountainous regions, deserts and everything in between.

The sounds of swords clashing against one another caught Naruto's attention and led him to the very last training field. Inside of the field were four knights dressed only in chainmail and leather pants. All four of them were wielding the same type of broadsword that had solid flat edges on both sides of the blade and at the tip giving the sword a rectangle shape. Even though the blades were clearly training swords, the swords themselves didn't seem to be any lighter than their lethal counterparts.

Three of the knights surrounded the youngest knight who was giving them a confident smirk as he inclined his head and held his sword lazily to the side. Naruto's eyes widened slightly as he noticed the knight in the middle was Arcadios.

Naruto watched as one of the older knights reached Arcadios's blind spot before the man rushed him, the other two knights not far behind the first. Arcadios quickly spun on his heel and clashed swords with the knight that was trying to flank him. But instead of merely locking swords, Arcadios used his momentum to guide his opponent's sword into the path of his next attacker, causing the two allies to lock blades.

Not missing a beat, Arcadios continued his spin to face off with his slowest but clearly strongest attacker. This time Arcadios met the man head on and even with flat edges, sparks flew from the impact. The larger man tried to push his strength advantage as he used his weight to try and force Arcadios to his knees. Unfortunately, Arcadios had no intention of letting that happen as he moved the interlocked blades to the side while kicking the larger man below his knee. The force from the blow caused the joint to buckle under the pressure and Arcadios continue his assault by kicking the man in the side of the ribs.

As the bigger swordsman toppled over from the kick, Arcadios brought up his newly freed sword to block two downward strikes from his remaining opponents. They stalled as the three men fought for dominance before Arcadios smirked at the two younger knights. In a motion that was too fast for them to follow, Arcadios shoved both of their swords into the air before striking them both in the chest with a horizontal slash, sending both men hurtling to the ground in a motionless heap.

All three men groaned in unison from their respective spots on the floor as Arcadios casually strolled over to a sword cabinet on the wall and returned his borrowed blade. "That wasn't bad, not bad at all." Arcadios said out loud before continuing. "For cadets that is.

Another chorus of groans was heard by Naruto as he watched the four men interact. Arcadios was surprisingly strong for someone who couldn't use magic. Naruto knew that one could train their body to be a literal living weapon, looking at Gai and Lee was a testament to that. But even so, it was strange watching Arcadios handedly dispatch three 'enemies' at once.

Naruto never took Arcadios seriously as a threat because he never thought that someone from this world that couldn't use magic could be a threat. It never crossed his mind. Even though Arcadios was clearly a skilled fighter, Naruto still thought the man wasn't a threat. But Arcadios was young, at least his age and if Arcadios was this strong already, there could easily be someone out their far stronger with the same circumstances as the wayward knight.

But that was neither here nor there at the moment. Yesterday still loomed over Naruto's head as he reran the interaction. Arcadios was out of line, there was no doubt about that. But his own reaction to the knight was far beyond what was called for. Even if he didn't like the knight, which he didn't, it wouldn't do him any good to stay on rough terms with the man for the foreseeable future.

"Arcadios-san!" Naruto called out to the man as the group of knights began to disperse. The other three men paused in their steps to look at the only mage in the room before glancing back to their superior. Word traveled fast in the castle and yesterday's exchange had reached almost everyone. Though the validity of the tale was up for questioning since no one told the same story.

With a quick glare, Arcadios wordlessly dismissed his subordinates before beckoning Naruto over to himself. Arcadios didn't want to deal with the new mage at the moment but it appeared he had little choice, he wasn't going to run and hide like a coward. "Naruto-san."

They stared at each other without saying anything, their pride preventing them from saying what they knew they had to. It was Arcadios that broke the silence with a heavy sigh. "I… must apologize for my actions yesterday Naruto-san. I was out of line. For that I am sorry."

Surprise showed on Naruto's face at the unprovoked apology. It was clear that it took everything Arcadios had to apologize. But there was something else that Naruto saw that made him frown. Arcadios didn't apologize for what he said, he merely said he was out of line. "You meant everything you said yesterday, didn't you?" Naruto questioned the man.

If Arcadios was surprised at Naruto's insight he didn't show it, he only glared back at Naruto before addressing him. "Nothing I said yesterday was a lie. I only apologize for the poor timing of my words, nothing more."

And there it was, any hope that Naruto may have had of getting past this with Arcadios was gone in an instant. The man despised him, for all intents and purposes there would almost be no way of reaching him. The look in his eyes wasn't one of an irrational man. He was firm in his decision, completely believing he was in the right.

"But I have done myself and my King a great dishonor by approaching you the way I did yesterday and a simple apology will not suffice. You may ask me of one thing and I will do everything in my power to make sure your request is fulfilled."

Arcadios's face never shifted from the intense stare he was giving Naruto. The man was completely serious in his offer.

Naruto was caught off guard by the gesture. A few seconds ago he was getting ready to go to blows with the man and now, well he didn't really know what was happening now.

A few seconds passed and impatience was clearly showing on Arcadios's face. The man was expecting an answer, an answer Naruto didn't have. His hand brushed against the cold steel of the blade on his hip and then it struck him. For all intents and purposes Naruto knew he was stronger than Arcadios, but he knew nothing of how to use a sword, but that was the one thing Arcadios knew more about then Naruto probably ever would.

Naruto grasped the blade and pulled it from its sheath and held it between Arcadios and himself. "I was given this sword because it had chosen me as its master. The thing is, I have no idea of how to use it. If you insist on making amends, then teach me how wield a blade."

Arcadios examined the sword in front of him with a scrutinizing eye. The sword radiated power as it glowed. A small growl escaped Arcadios's throat at he looked at the sword. Of all things, Naruto now had an enchanted sword, one with extreme power at that. He could easily recognize one of Bosco's holy blades. The blond truly had no idea how lucky he was.

Arcadios schooled his features before resigning himself. He couldn't back out now that Naruto had made his conditions known. Arcadios grunted to himself before walking over to the sword cabinet in the room and retrieved two blades. "Very well, I will teach you how to fight the only way I know how, as a knight of Fiore."

Naruto quickly sheathed his sword before he caught the practice blade that Arcadios had thrown at him. Naruto saw Arcadios take up a fighting stance and Naruto tried to match it with something that he vaguely remembered Jeremiah using.

"Prepare yourself. I will not hold back. I must see what I am working with before we can begin in earnest. Here I come."

Naruto could only blink as Arcadios was upon him, the man's sword already in full swing. Naruto brought his own sword up as he tried to block Arcadios's strike. The force of Arcadios's attack caught Naruto off guard as his arms bent at an awkward angle from the attack. Naruto quickly jumped backwards, back flipping as he used one hand to push himself even further away from his opponent in an attempt to create some much needed space.

Naruto felt the muscles in his arms scream at him for nearly snapping them when he had clashed blades with the knight. He had no idea Arcadios was that strong. He would find out just how strong the man was though as he was on top of him again, this time coming down with a vertical strike.

Not wanting a repeat from last time, Naruto swung his own sword from his side to parry the blow to his right. Arcadios's sword continued traveling on its altered course before it collided with the ground, smashing the stone floor and leaving a small crater in the ground.

Not wasting a second, Arcadios put all of his weight on the hilt of his sword that was implanted in the ground before he pushed off of it and kicked Naruto in the ribs, sending the shinobi rolling away.

Naruto caught his balance and brought up his sword immediately just to see Arcadios pull his sword from the ground and charge him again. The man wasn't kidding when he said he wasn't holding back!

Without the use of his magic or chakra the two were physically on an even playing field. Arcadios was physically stronger than Naruto but Naruto was faster, if only by a small margin. That small margin was the only thing that kept Naruto from losing his head as Arcadios stabbed forward with his blade.

Naruto brought up his sword to divert his opponent's blade slightly to the side. Sparks flew from the two swords as they grinded against each other, Arcadios's sword still going forward even though the original target was out of reach.

Not enjoying being on the ass end of this ass kicking, Naruto jumped forward and kneed Arcadios in the stomach before spinning in a circle, using the momentum for a powerful slash at Arcadios exposed side.

But Naruto's movements were unrefined, he was clumsy with the sword in hand and it negated his slim speed advantage over the knight. Arcadios was easily able to track the movement and brought his own sword up to block Naruto's attack.

Arcadios dug his feet into the ground as the force behind the attack pushed him back. His feet were sliding on the ground as Naruto continued to push his advantage.

Naruto pressed forward and in his new found confidence, he missed the smirk on Arcadios's face as the man apparently fell backwards, allowing Naruto's sword to harmlessly pass over him.

Instead of falling backwards like Naruto thought, Arcadios had merely bent backwards, showing a level of flexibility that Naruto didn't think that man had. Snapping right back up from his awkward position, Arcadios slammed the handle of his blade into Naruto's stomach, forcing the air from his lungs and causing Naruto to drop his sword.

Arcadios didn't stop as Naruto hunched over from the hit. Arcadios brought his arm up and wrapped it around Naruto's neck before he lifted him into the air and slammed him into the ground. Spinning his sword in his hand, Arcadios then slammed the pointless tip of the blade into the ground next to Naruto's face, ending any action the mage was about to try. "It's over."

Naruto lay on the ground panting heavily as he tried to catch up to everything that had happened. It had been so long since Naruto had fought only with his body. Using his chakra and even his magic to augment his body's physical capabilities had become second nature to him. Fighting without using those enhancers was far more taxing than the blond wanted to believe.

But here he was, gasping for breath as he lay defeated at the feet of a man who looked only slightly winded. How badly had he been slacking on his physical training? That was something he was going to rectify very quickly.

Arcadios was surprised to say the very least. He hadn't expected the blond to do half as well as he had without the use of his magic. He was clumsy with a sword, that much was clear but he knew how to fight. His footwork was superb, in all honesty it was the only thing that kept him in the fight for as long as he had. The blond also had some semblance of how to use a sword. After their first exchange his learned that he couldn't fully block Arcadios's strikes. Instead Naruto parried and at sometimes just straight up dodged his attacks.

Arcadios wasn't sure if it was just battle instincts or if he had actually learned something from the Bosconian Templar but regardless, the basics wouldn't take Naruto long to master.

"You're better than most that have never fought with a sword. You have the instincts and the footwork to be a great swordsman, but that's about it. You're clumsy with a blade, your technique is non-existent and you take far too much time to attack when you finally get an opportunity."

Naruto didn't say anything at the dressing down he was receiving. He could tell the knight was enjoying it. The entire fight Naruto could tell Arcadios wanted to do more than just test his abilities. The man wanted to vent on Naruto and used the fight as a disguise. Still Naruto took in everything the man was saying. He didn't sense any deceit in the man's words.

Arcadios finally removed his sword from the side of Naruto's head and helped the blond to his feet. "You're rough around the edges to say the least but I'll turn you into a true swordsman before I'm through with you, you have my word on that. Every day at this time we'll meet, I hope you know what you've gotten yourself into."

Naruto nodded to the man before making his way out of the military wing of the castle. His muscles ached from the fight but he had a smile on his face nonetheless. Every day? He could live with that.

(Magical Training Grounds)

"Doranbolt, I wish you would at least act like you had some kind of interest in this position. At the very least sit up." The bespectacled eighteen year old said as he adjusted his glasses.

"There's nothing to be excited about Lahar, you should know that." Responded the prone form of Doranbolt. The man was of average height with nearly shaven black hair. He was wearing a red shirt with orange stripes and dirt yellow sleeves. He had on dark green pants with white and black shoes.

The older teen sighed at his best friend's negative attitude. Standing no taller than his friend. Lahar wore a plain light blue shirt with white pants that were held up by a simple belt. His black hair was tied up in a ponytail while two separate bangs framed the sides of his face.

The third teen in the room watched the other two with a wary eye, not sure what to expect from either of them or the current situation.

Kama knew he was the youngest of the three gathered there sitting at fifteen. The purple haired teen was the last one to be admitted to the castle to train under what he thought was the supervision of one of the most well-known mages in Fiore.

What the slim built teen didn't expect was to find out that there wouldn't be any supervision, only other hopefuls training their asses off trying to gain Raitoningu-sama's notice. Not once had the man come to see any of them and with the current rumors going around he didn't think the trend would change.

The young man adjusted himself where he was leaning against the wall, his skin tight, black padded armor moving slightly as he did so. His grey eyes continued to watch both of his seniors with more curiosity than scrutinization. He had never interacted with any of the other candidates and this was his first time being so close to any of them.

"Lahar, you don't honestly believe any of us are still in the running of getting the apprenticeship do you?"

Lahar once again sighed at his friend's persistence and shook his head. "I've told you countless times already Doranbolt, if Raitoningu-sama had already selected an apprentice we wouldn't be here any longer. The fact that the rest of the candidates have been sent home and the three of us remain should be more than telling that we're still far from being dismissed."

Doranbolt snorted at Lahar's answer, clearly not amused in the slightest. Then Doranbolt adjusted his gaze to look at the other member in the group that he had been ignoring. He knew the kid was there the entire time, he just never paid attention to the weapon class mage. The single axe the fifteen year old wielded was positioned on his back in a way that it wasn't visible if you were looking straight at him.

The kid was quiet and observant, which made him sort of creepy since if you weren't actively looking for him you could easily forget he was there. But Doranbolt didn't see the kid as creepy, he saw him in a far more dangerous light. He was someone that always listened, never spoke. No one knew how exactly he fought since he never trained when others were present, well he knew everyone else's fighting style except for his own, but that was because he never trained anyway.

Whether he was introverted by nature or he purposely kept everyone at an arm's length, it didn't really matter since the three of them were together for whatever was to come next, even if Doranbolt thought that they wouldn't be going much farther.

"Perhaps you may think it's over but you're still here, you obviously don't believe in your own assumption." Lahar said in a more annoyed tone than he had started with, his patience with his friend being grounded into dust with each passing minute.

Doranbolt shrugged as he sat up and stared at the only person in the room that hadn't said a word. The younger man met his gaze but still didn't say anything. "I don't really feel like going back to Era to do chores for the Rune Knights, staying here as long as possible sounds just fine to me. Though I'm curious, what do you think about this kid?"

Kama's sharp face didn't move as he stared back at Doranbolt. He gave away nothing as the two men studied one another. Finally Kama decided to speak, his eyes closing as he spoke. "I do not believe our journey here is over. I have seen the one rumored to be Raitoningu-sama's new apprentice. He seems distraught just by being in the castle. I believe he is hesitant to take the position. The fact that we were called here means that there are most tests ahead of us."

"You're half right, I was hesitant, but not anymore."

The three mages turned to the open doorway to see a blond mage with tan skin and three whisker marks adorning each cheek standing there looking at them.

Both Lahar and Kama stood up straighter at the sound of Naruto's voice while Doranbolt remained seated, his eyes glancing over Naruto's appearance with a sharp eye.

"If you say you aren't hesitant anymore, does that mean you are Raitoningu-sama's new apprentice?" Kama ventured.

Naruto only smirked at the question while he took in the three mages he was now 'in-charge' of. It felt strange thinking that he now had a team to call his own. Naruto idly wondered if this was how Kakashi felt when his team passed the bell test. "The one and only."

The answer only made the three mages frown more, none of them pleased with the new information. Doranbolt was the only one that expressed his displeasure vocally though. "So that's it then? You called the three of us here just to tell us that? Why didn't you just send us home with the others and save us some time?"

Naruto's grin grew as the men in front of him continued to grow more annoyed with him. "Because I found you three to be interesting, that's why."

Lahar was far from amused by the answer, taking it more as an insult that the only reason that he was still there was because an apprentice found him to be 'interesting'. "This isn't some kind of joke to us. We've been training ourselves into the ground for months. If we've been overlooked for someone else then that's that but don't stand there and play with us!"

Naruto's face loss the mirth it had at Lahar's words. It appeared that none of them thought his joke was funny. Meh, everyone was a critic. "I'm not playing with any of you, you're here because I thought you three were interesting."

The seriousness in his voice curbed the three hopeful's anger. Looking into his eyes they noticed none of the joking nature that was present just a few moments ago. That look effectively silenced any rebuttal the three had.

Seeing as he now had their undivided attention, Naruto continued. "I'm going to put this bluntly, the old man thinks that I need a team so I can learn how to be a better leader. That's why you three are here, I found you guys interesting, it's that simple."

It took them a minute to process what Naruto had said before Doranbolt gave Naruto an annoyed look. "So you want us to be apprentices to Raitoningu-sama's apprentice. That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

The sentiment was clearly shared with the other two teens in the room as they shook their heads. Lahar in particular felt more insulted than before. "I'm sorry but this is preposterous. I'm not going to be the apprentice of someone who is clearly my junior. Completely ridiculous."

"Oh? You think because of my age I couldn't teach you anything? If you're going to take anything away from this then let it be this. Age means nothing in this world, there are people out there younger than me and more powerful, the same goes for each and every one of you." Naruto explained to them as they gave him skeptical looks.

"But don't take my word for it. I'm willing to put my money where my mouth is. Let's make a deal. We fight, if I win, you join my squad. Flip side, if one of you manage to beat me, that person gets my spot as the old man's apprentice."

That seemed to do the trick as all three of them instantly became alert. All it took was the right motivation and you could get anyone to do anything and right now Naruto gave them all the motivation that they needed.

All three mages walked up to Naruto while at the same time glancing at one another. It went unspoken between them but their intentions were clear, they were all going to try and take Naruto out. The only question was who would go first?

Doranbolt's muscles tensed while he bent his knees, a smirk on his face as he prepared himself. "Who gets to go first?"

Naruto's cocky grin came back to his face as he dropped himself into his own fighting stance. "All three of you."

Doranbolt didn't need to hear anymore as he vanished into thin air before reappearing right in front of Naruto, his fist flying at the blond's face. "Direct Line!"

Knowing a bit about each of the three men in front of him paid off as Naruto half expected the attack and caught the fist well before it could make contact. Using Doranbolt's own momentum, Naruto hefted the teleportation mage over his shoulder and threw him across the room without so much as breaking a sweat.

"Doranbolt, age 18, not really motivated to do anything. Primary magic, Teleportation Magic supplemented by skill in hand to hand combat." Naruto parroted what he had read in the man's folder the night before. From the angry look on Doranbolt's face, Naruto instantly knew it was the right decision to memorize parts of their files, it was just too funny.

Naruto leaned backwards as a large axe passed over his head by mere inches, the axe leaving a large gash in the wall that Naruto had moved away from. Naruto rolled backwards from the attack and brought his foot up to catch his attacker in the chin in one fluid motion.

Kama moved the pole end of his axe to cross over his chest, blocking the offending foot before Naruto could kick the axe user. Kama's block only resulted in him being knocked back several feet. "Kama, age 15, quiet but motivated, if not a little secretive. Primary magic, Weapon Magic, most notable proficiency is with axes."

A glowing light from below him caused Naruto to leap to the side as a light blue rune appeared where he was standing and exploded in a burst of electricity. Rolling away from the attack, Naruto slammed into an invisible wall. Cursing to himself, Naruto regained his footing before turning to see his last opponent with his arms out stretched and a smile on his face. "You're caught."

"Lahar, age 18, focused and incredibly loyal. Primary magic, runic magic supplemented by a strategic mind." Naruto reached out with his hand and brushed the invisible wall and saw the impromptu barrier ripple all around him, creating a dome to keep him trapped.

Lahar smirked at the now trapped blond, thinking he had won the challenge. "So you've memorized our files, smart but it made you over confident, you've lost."

Naruto let out a low chuckle before channeling his magic in his stomach. "Wind Dragon's Roar!"

Tornado strength winds collided with the barrier and within seconds the winds had torn through the magical barrier before blowing Lahar across the room. "Naruto Uzumaki, age 16. Primary magic, Wind Dragon Slayer Magic. Most notable for being awesome all the time."

Lahar was shaken from the overpowering wind attack that had ripped through one of his strongest barriers like it was tissue paper. Hitting the back wall had also rattle his bones. He wasn't accustomed to being on the receiving end of attacks. He could always maneuver his opponents into one of his barriers with the use of his runes and at that point he never had a problem detaining them.

The only training partner he hadn't been able to lock away was Doranbolt and that was simply because Doranbolt couldn't be trapped by regular barriers. But to have someone destroy his barrier with brute force alone… Naruto was on a completely different level.

Finally able to reach his feet, Lahar looked up just in time to see both Doranbolt and Kama attack Naruto simultaneously, quickly realizing that they couldn't fight Naruto one on one. But neither of them knew just how powerful Naruto's magic was, they haven't been hit by the winds of a dragon. "Doranbolt! Kama! Get back!"

The warning came too late as Naruto batted away both Doranbolt's fist and Kama's axe with two sweeping arm motions, leaving both mages wide open. Moving too fast for either of them to react, Naruto gathered magic around both of his fists and lunged at the two men that were standing side by side.

"Twin Gauntlet's of the Wind Dragon!"

Gusts of wind flew off of Naruto's fists as he landed between his two standing opponents. A look of shock washed over both men's faces before Naruto planted a fist in each of their solar plexuses. Naruto removed his fists and watched as both men doubled over from the attack.

Naruto then looked over at the last man standing and saw the look of resignation on his face. It appeared that was that then, he had his team.

Naruto waited for Doranbolt and Kama to recover before he began talking again. "That was… about what I was expecting to be honest. You three have potential but you're wet behind the ears. I would honestly put you at the same level I was when I was twelve, which isn't bad… just means you have a lot of work to do."

The three remained silent as they experienced a small dressing down from their new squad leader, disbelief still on their faces at how easily they had been dispatched.

"The three of you did the same thing that my old team did back in the day. Our squad leader pitted us against each other to earn a spot on the team by fighting him at the same time. We went in one at a time and got thoroughly trashed every way you could imagine.

Naruto paused for a moment as he watched his new team take in the information he was giving them. For the most part it appeared that they were listening to him, if not still upset about their defeat. Naruto still had his doubts about being in charge of his own team but he knew the only way he had a chance of making this work was to at least look like he knew what he was doing.

"I'm going to be leaving on a mission later tonight so we'll begin training as a team when I return. It shouldn't take me more than a few days at the longest. Get comfortable, you guys are gonna be here for a long time."

"Naruto-kun!"

All four men in the training field looked up into the balcony area at the sound of a feminine voice calling out. Leaning over one of the railings was none other than Princess Hisui who was currently waving at Naruto trying to get his attention.

A look of shock and then horror crossed over the faces of Doranbolt, Lahar and Kama as they realized that the princess had probably been watching the entire time, the shame of being thrashed by one person so soundly returning full force.

A smile crossed Naruto's face before he turned back to his new team. "And that's my queue, I'll see you guys when I get back." With that Naruto gather chakra into his legs before he leapt into the air and landed next to the smiling princess. "You called?"

Hisui giggled into her hand at Naruto's overdramatic entrance. She gave him a bemused smile while the two teens began walking through the castle. "Perhaps if you could take a moment from being 'awesome' all of the time you could join me for lunch?"

Naruto blushed and looked away from the grinning princess as they walked. "Hehe, I think I could find some time. What are we having?"

(Mercurius Dining Hall)

The two teenagers sat in relative silence as the castle's servers bustled about, bringing in different dishes that Naruto had never even seen before. For what was meant to be a rather low key meal, it was quickly turning into a 7 course dinner.

"Uh, Hisui-hime, they know that we're the only two eating right?"

"Of course they know, this is just how our chef is. He always goes above and beyond with everything, including small lunches."

The way Hisui laughed at what Naruto could only assume was an inside joke for those that knew the chef made him frown inside while he awkwardly laughed with her. The amount of food that was brought out was more than enough to feed six people and then some. He could definitely eat his share of the food but there was no way that Hisui was eating more than two plates.

All of the food that he knew was going to go to waste made him annoyed at the princess for a moment before he quickly squashed it. It wasn't her fault that the chef was wasting so much food. It probably wasn't even directly the chef's fault. He was in the climate that he always had to please the royal family which in his mind probably meant making a diverse and plentiful meal every time.

The entire system was flawed and no one in the castle actually saw who it hurt. All that wasted food could've gone to people who needed it just to survive. Naruto had seen first-hand just how impoverished some of the villages in Fiore were. Naruto could only guess how badly those villages could use an extra supply of food.

"Naruto-kun, is something wrong?"

Naruto shook himself out of his thoughts before they led him down a different path. Now wasn't the time for such things, he could worry about it later. "Sorry Hisui-hime, my mind was on other things."

The emerald haired girl frowned at Naruto's answer. Even after their talk Naruto was still more distant than she would prefer. Naruto was good at acting happy, a strong bubbly personality that could make almost anyone laugh. But it didn't take much for someone to realize that there was a lot of stress on the blond, if only they looked a little deeper.

Hisui wasn't sure if he did it on purpose but Naruto was a very distant person. It was hard for him to let others in, he kept people at an arm's length while trying to make it seem like he was an open book. It was ingenious in a way, pretending to be so inviting while not trusting anyone around you with your true emotions.

But all it did was make Hisui sad, sad at the fact that he still didn't trust her completely, sad that he had to carry unknown burdens by himself. But mostly she was sad because of what must have happened to him in the past to make him like this.

"You don't have to keep everything to yourself Naruto-kun, you can trust me; you don't have to keep me out." She said in her usual quiet tone.

Naruto stopped eating and looked at his food with a solemn expression. He silently cursed his own foolishness for letting his mind wander the way it had. Hisui was an incredibly sheltered girl, a kind girl but sheltered all the same. They were raised in completely different worlds, figuratively and literally.

The way he saw the world was something completely alien to her. She wouldn't understand what he had been through, before and after he had come to Earthland. She couldn't understand what he was, what someone like himself was meant to represent.

Hisui herself was looking down and let her bangs cover her eyes which made it nigh impossible for Naruto to tell what she was feeling. A part of Naruto didn't need to see her face to know how she felt. The sadness she felt was practically rolling off of her. He wanted to tell her that there was nothing to worry about. He wanted to say that she was just imagining things but he couldn't. Naruto couldn't bring himself to lie to the emotional princess and for the life of him he didn't know why.

"I'm not trying to keep you out Hisui-hime." Naruto saw her disbelieving gaze and continued. "It's just… you wouldn't understand. There are so many things that you don't know about me, things you wouldn't believe if I told you."

"Like that you aren't from Seven?"

Naruto looked up at Hisui to see a surprisingly passive look on her face. The way she said it was like she was stating something that was common knowledge, like the weather outside or the grass being green.

Hisui's mouth formed a small smile at Naruto's shocked expression and elaborated. "Don't be surprised. Both my father and I have known you weren't from Seven. I've met plenty of diplomats from there, you don't look anything like them, your name is a complete oddity from either Fiore or Seven and you don't have any trace of an accent from the country, even though most natives of Seven have an incredibly thick accent."

Naruto was at a loss of words for her thorough break down of his pitiful back round story. When he had initially told them where he was from he assumed they took his story at face value. Seven rarely did trade with anyone, a true isolationist country if there ever was one. Naruto was counting on that fact to remove any suspicion of his origins since most people never met anyone from the secluded nation.

"Why haven't you or your father said anything yet?"

"Father has known Boruto-sama for nearly his entire life, he would trust him with his life. If Boruto-sama thinks that your true origins aren't an issue then my father trusts that judgment."

Naruto carefully examined Hisui, trying to judge what she was thinking. He had built a special friendship with her, one that he cherished more than most of the bonds he had made in Earthland and he felt that saying the wrong thing here could ruin that bond. "And you?" Naruto ventured after a moment's hesitation.

Hisui smiled to herself before she looked up at Naruto. "I wanted to wait until my friend was ready to tell me."

Naruto couldn't help but smile at the stunning young girl. The way she smiled at him, that unwavering trust she seemed to put in him, the desire that he would accept her the way she had accepted him. It made him feel something that he hadn't felt before, something that made him want to take a chance. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Try me."

The challenge in her voice made Naruto want to laugh. Coming from the diminutively spoken girl was just comical. Well if she thought she could handle the truth then so be it, it was all or nothing now. "I'm not from Fiore or Seven or even Bosco, I'm from a place much farther away."

Excitement lit up in Hisui's eyes as her mind started running through all of the different places she knew of that were so far away that they bordered on exotic. Hisui latched onto one idea in particular as she spoke. "You're not from this continent are you?"

Naruto only shook his head and smiled on the inside. She was so excited, so full of energy and just plain happy. All because he was opening up to her, he rather liked being the reason she was happy.

"I know! You're from the Eastern continent! The one that rests beyond the Impassable Ocean!"

Naruto was caught off guard by the accusation. That was a very… educated guess. The Eastern continent was something of a legend that not many knew of anymore. It was said that an incredibly powerful race of creatures with a strong aptitude for magic lived there and the Impassable Ocean was their doing.

The legend itself was incredibly accurate, save for the fact that the race of creatures weren't native to the continent, they only migrated there after they wanted to cut themselves off from humanity. "I'm afraid not Hisui-hime, even farther away."

Naruto watched her confused face at his words and decided to stop the game even though he was having fun, the topic being too serious to keep joking about it. "I'm not even from this dimension. I'm from a place known as the Elemental Nations."

Hisui let out a small sigh before closing her eyes. She had thought Naruto was finally going to open up but it appeared he was just going to play games to avoid the topic. She looked back up at him to scold him and her words died in her throat. He was staring at her with his intense blue eyes, not a hint of mirth were in those orbs. "You're serious…"

Naruto merely nodded as Hisui processed the information. He was going to let her take as long as she needed. If she didn't believe him and thought he was insane… well he would be looking for a new place to live very shortly.

"How?"

The single word was all Naruto needed to hear to let go a silent breath of relief. It wasn't necessarily acceptance but she wasn't freaking out, not freaking out was good. "I honestly don't know. I have a theory but I can't really prove anything. I know you're probably having a hard time believing this but-"

Naruto was cut off by two slender fingers pressing lightly against his lips. Hisui was leaned over the table to reach him with a soft smile on her face. "No, I believe you. Your eyes can't lie to me."

Hisui looked into Naruto's eyes as she hovered over him, her gaze lingering longer than it needed to but neither pulled away. Eventually Hisui returned to her own seat and her nervousness returned full force as she realized what she had done. She hadn't meant to do what she did, her body just moved on its own. Hisui rubbed her arm gently and looked away before speaking. "But I am surprised. To come from a completely different dimension, it must have been a shock to have everything be so different."

Naruto shrugged as he answered the girl. "Honestly? I didn't get a lot of time to think about it. Tatsumaki found me the second I arrived in Earthland. When I woke up he was there, he explained what he thought happened and laid out my options for moving forward. Ever since then I was just moving forward, just trying to become strong enough to return home."

Hisui became thoughtful at his words but didn't say anything. Then something that he had told her months ago when they had first met came to the forefront of her mind. "Is that what you were talking about when we first met? You're looking for a way home?"

Naruto sighed at that. He knew how she felt about him leaving, she had been very clear about that even with her social short comings. He didn't really want to approach this at all if he was honest with himself. Though he didn't have much of a choice now that she had brought it up. "Yea, I was talking about finding a way home. I haven't found one though, and even if I did I doubt I would be able to use it yet. The power it would take to get back would be astronomical, I won't be leaving Earthland any time soon."

With her unasked question answered, Hisui didn't say anything, her mind wandering about what kind of world Naruto came from. She could ask him of course, and she knew he would probably tell her but she didn't want to push too far. She had already pried more than she should have over the last two days and she didn't want to push her luck.

"Do you want to hear about the Elemental Nations?"

Hisui could only nod at Naruto's question as he began telling his story. Without realizing it she had asked the question she was afraid to ask. She told him that she could easily read him if she looked into his eyes but apparently it was a two way street. He could pick up on the things she didn't want to say just by looking at her.

Hisui didn't know if they both wore their emotions on their sleeves or if they were finally starting to understand one another. Either way Hisui didn't care, she was just happy.

(Outside Snowbell Village)

Naruto's mind raced as he leapt through the air, trees flying passed him as he pushed his body as hard as it could go. The mountainous village he was tasked to investigate was a twelve hour walk from Crocus, a six hour trip by magical vehicle, he was on par with getting there in two hours.

With a powerful jump, Naruto landed outside of the forest he had been using to tree jump and broke out into a full sprint. Pebbles scattered with each footfall as the soft forest floor was quickly being replaced by the gravelly mountain base the village was built on.

With a wave of his hand Naruto brought up his Archive to display the map that Boruto had given him during his debriefing. He was only a few miles away at this point, he would be there any minute now. Naruto grit his teeth as he recalled the meeting he had with his master before he left. This entire mission he was on was ludicrous. Ludicrous because it had come to this point.

(Boruto's Study)

Boruto pulled out a scroll from his bottom desk drawer and placed it on the edge of the desk so Naruto could grab it. His master hadn't said a word since he had sent for him, something had disturbed the older man and it was getting to Naruto.

Naruto quickly grabbed the scroll and opened it to reveal a map of Fiore that had a distinctive mark in the mountainous region of Fiore's northern border.

"Naruto-kun, that map is the location of Snowbell, the village I told you about earlier. Your mission is simple, find the village and find out what made them go dark a year ago."

Naruto nodded at Boruto's words and tucked the scroll away until he could add it to his Archive later. Naruto was about to leave when something crossed his mind. "Master… why has it gotten to this point? Why did you only find out about this now and why is it up to us to fix it? Shouldn't the army handle things like this?"

Boruto sighed as he turned around to grab another book before he started talking. "A valid question and one that deserves an answer. Snowbell is a poor village, one that requires assistance by the government to maintain itself. Almost all fiscal and military responsibilities fall to Darton, the Minister of Defense. He balances the budget and because of that he sometimes makes… questionable calls with how our military is distributed."

Boruto set the book he had picked up down on the desk and began flipping through it as he continued. "If something doesn't add up in Darton's head as profitable he will avoid it like the plague. If this means the poorer of our people suffer from not being protected then so be it. It's the choice Darton has made time and time again."

Naruto's fists tightened at his master's words. The thought of people being abandoned by their own Kingdom just because it wasn't profitable made his stomach churn. "But we have more than enough troops stationed in the larger cities, Crocus's standing army is far larger than what we need at any one time. Why can't we send them?"

"Another fair point, but you don't understand the rules of the game. Politics is a dirty game my boy, I pry you never get too involved in it. But to elaborate on your question, the castle does not make enough money in taxes to pay for everything that it spends money on. To make up the difference we rely on donations to keep a surplus running. Those that give the most usually end up with the most protection, among other things."

"So because they give more money their lives are worth more and those that can't give are left to die by themselves? How is that even fair? It's just wrong!"

By this point Naruto was yelling. The thought of letting your own people die because they didn't have a lot of money disgusted Naruto. There were certain things that any government should do, and protecting their citizens was on the top of that list.

Boruto stopped reading his book before sighing once again. "Yes it is. It is why I've grown tired of this system. But enough of this talk, you must leave or you won't make it there before nightfall."

(Snowbell Village)

Naruto stopped just outside the remains of a charred gate to catch his breath from his none stop sprint. Naruto paused to look at what used to be a wooden gate. Only a few boards were left standing but even those were burnt black as night. Just outside the destroyed gate was a skeleton with a short rod sticking out of it.

Naruto walked up the corpse and grabbed the wooden rod that was impaled between the former human's ribs. The end of the stick had a rusted arrow head affixed to it, the metal slowing decaying as the ravages of time took their toll.

Naruto tossed the broken weapon away as he made his way into the village, bracing himself for what he knew awaited him inside. "By God…"

Dead bodies like the one he had found outside were scattered across the ground. Most of the houses themselves were either burned beyond recognition or were nothing more than a pile of scorched wood.

The sound of burned wood collapsing under its own weight made it to Naruto's ears as he surveyed the carnage. He began walking through what was left of the town, spotting corpses and weapons strewn about as he went. The feeling of fabric under his foot and the tiniest of crunches made Naruto stop and look down at the ground.

Naruto moved his foot to reveal what was left of a small children's toy, a soot covered doll that was just a few inches away from ashen colored bones of what used to be a child that couldn't have been even ten.

Naruto clamped his eyes shut as tears threatened to spill from them as he tried to reign in his emotions. He didn't know these people, he couldn't have done anything to help them but to hell with all of it, they didn't deserve this! "Damnit all…"

(Outside Snowbell Village)

"Meredy, are you sure about this?"

Ultear walked at a reserved pace, the purple haired woman's anxiety clearly showing on her face as she looked her the much younger girl next to her. Ultear was wearing a white kimono that came down to a little past her mid-thigh and was tied shut by an orange sash on her waist. She was also wearing white thigh high stocking with open toed sandals.

"I know what to expect Ultear. It's just… I need to see this." Meredy said as memories from over a year ago tried to resurface in the mind of the young girl covered in a brown traveler's coat.

Ultear continued to frown at the pink haired girl next to her but she didn't say anything. Meredy was incredibly mature for her age and when she set her mind to something she didn't stop until she saw it through to the end. She was only nine and within a year she had begun mastering her Sensory Link magic.

But no matter how mature she was she was still only a child. Ultear didn't know the kind of damage revisiting the place where all of her family and friends were killed would do to the poor girl. The part she played in that destruction would only intensify her guilt when she would see Meredy's distressed face.

The pair paused as they reached what remained of the town's gate. Ultear could visibly hear Meredy gulp as the young girl tried to steel her nerves. The pinkette slowly pushed forward and made her way into the destroyed village with her pseudo guardian following a few steps behind.

The village was what Ultear had expected, the buildings were mere shells of their former selves, well only the buildings that had survived Zancrow's fire that is. Ultear gave Meredy a worried glance as a pained expression swept across Meredy's face.

"Are you ok Meredy?"

"Mmhmm." Was all the girl said as she continued walking through the remains of her old home. "Ultear, where are all of the bodies? I know I saw a lot of people die before you rescued me."

Ultear internally cringed at Meredy's choice of words but didn't let it show. Though to be honest, Ultear had been wondering the same thing herself. Ultear had killed her share of the populace, there should have been bodies everywhere but she hadn't seen any type of human remains at all. Something wasn't right.

Ultear and Meredy turned the corner and stopped dead in their tracks at what they saw. In the center of the village where nothing but ash should have remained was a series of mounds with a single flower on each mound. At the edge of the freshly dug graves was a blond haired teenager that was kneeling and had his hands held in front of him as if he was praying.

Ultear's eyes narrowed with suspicion as she scanned the kneeling man. His clothes were made from far too high of a quality to be the rags of a wondering monk. What was this man doing here?

The girls walked up behind the man who had yet to make any noticeable reaction to their presence. Meredy was the one that got closer and walked up to the man's side. As she glanced at the teen's face that had three whisker like scars on each cheek, she noticed that his hands were covered in dirt.

Meredy turned from the praying boy to the newly dug graves and stared at the flower that rested on top of the mound of dirt. She recognized that flower, it was one of the only flowers in the area that grew naturally on a mountain. "Those are Snowbells, aren't they?"

The blond haired teen opened his eyes to reveal saddened eyes as he looked at the mass grave he had recently created. "Yea, I thought it would be fitting for the villagers. It's not much, but it's something. They deserved at least this much."

Naruto was taken by surprise as the young girl next to him flung herself on him and started crying, murmuring soft gratitude between incoherent sobs. Naruto slowly brought the crying child to his chest and hugged her while looking up at the much older girl that was standing there with a pained expression on her face.

"Meredy is the lone survivor or this village." Ultear explained to the confused blond. "I was traveling through here and found her in the middle of the chaos and took her away from this place."

Naruto merely nodded at the explanation and hugged the girl in his arms a little tighter. To live through something like that must have been traumatizing. Naruto could only be grateful for small miracles that he had come here first and was able to minimize the destruction.

"You're Uzumaki-san correct? Raitoningu-sama's new apprentice?" The purple haired beauty questioned.

Naruto looked at her with surprise before he noticed the Magic Council insignia printed on her kimono. "That's right, I don't believe I know you unfortunately."

Ultear mustered a smile and extended a hand to the kneeling mage. "Ultear, Milkovich Ultear. I'm the newest member on the Magic Council. We've heard quite a bit about you Naruto-san."

Naruto wrapped one arm around the crying girl and lifted her with himself as he grabbed Ultear's out stretched hand. "All good things I hope."

Ultear just smiled at Naruto and made a motion towards Meredy. "May I?" Naruto complied and carefully handed off the pinkette who latched onto her mother figure much the same way she had latched onto Naruto moments ago. "I think this is more than enough for this little one for today, it's time for us to return to Era, goodbye Naruto-san." Ultear began walking away before she glanced at Meredy and then at Naruto. "And thank you."

With that the two girls exited the destroyed village and left Naruto alone with his thoughts. Knowing what happened was one thing but to hold Meredy in his arms while she cried over her dead family and friends? That was more than he could handle. People weren't pawns that could be assigned a value and treated accordingly. If the rules of the game were what caused this tragedy then the rules needed to be changed.

Well then, I really have nothing to say for myself. Come on, give me the hate, I certainly deserve it. I tell you guys I'll update a lot this summer and it takes me two months to get out a chapter, a set up chapter no less.

Though I will say this in my defense. Life sucks, having three jobs suck, paying for shit sucks. But I can't put 100% of the blame on my financial burdens, some of it was writers block for the Hisui part and rewriting the part where Naruto met his team like 4 times.

Another reason was actually because I split my attention from this story to work on two other stories which I plan to have at least one of them out within the month.

In other news, since I've been gone so long and since I know so many of my faithful readers have been wanting this I'm going to give you a small teaser for next chapter. There will be a time skip and the chapter will be dedicated to Naruto finally showing up at Fairy Tail. I'm not giving any context or any other hints but for those of you who are wondering WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO GO TO FAIRY TAIL, IT'S A FAIRY TAIL FANFIC. The answer is next chapter, so look forward to that.

Peace.