Chapter 51

Around 50 miles away from their destination, the clone, who was snoozing while nestled in between the spikes running down Saphira's back, snapped his eyes open when he heard the harsh sounds of grinding metal and stomps of steel-tipped boots.

"I see you've finally decided to join us back in the land of the living." Eragon called out when he felt the clone shift its weight.

"I felt that we were close to the Varden encampment. That scrying technique really is quite useful when communicating over large distances," yelled back the clone over the shriek of the wind as he remembered how Ajihad had scryed Eragon several days ago.

Flashback

It was the second day after leaving the deserted island of the Dragon Riders when Eragon, who was flying on top of Saphira along with the Naruto clone, felt the small mirror he always kept on him heat up.

Pulling out the mirror from a pocket, Eragon brought it up to eye level and to his surprise saw the face of the leader of the Varden, Ajihad.

"Greetings Eragon Shadeslayer, I have been trying to contact you for days and only now have been able to with the help of the elven spellcasters Queen Islanzadí sent us one week ago. Now give me an update of your situation and when you will be back."

"Ajihad, I have made great gains in strength, both physically and magically, and have discovered a startling secret that I cannot and will not say as of now. We will have more words about this later...in person. Currently, we have just passed over The Spine and are making our way to Surda to meet up with you," responded Eragon, noting how the black leader seemed to relax at his words.

"Any increases in your strength can only benefit our cause. I only hope that it did not come with too high a price, at least from what Blödhgarm told me, your progress was rather sudden. As for this secret, I will not force you to tell me as I trust your judgment in this,"Eragon nodded his thanks as Ajihad continued, "As for Surda, instead make your way to Feinster, for that is where the next battle will be. If you must resupply, you can stop by Aroughs; Jörmundur took the city earlier this week and is on route back to us."

"Will do Ajihad, I predict that if all goes well and nothing stops us, we should be there by the end of this week."

"Good, then prepare to fight the day after you arrive. This will be a siege battle, which is completely different to what you have faced before."

"Understood, if that is all, then see you on the battlefield Ajihad." Eragon said as he ended the spell, watching as the mirror he held faded back to black.

Flashback End

"At the speed we're going, we should be at the camp within the hour, so you should probably call out Naruto now so he doesn't startle the soldiers." Eragon informed the clone as he used his chakra to stick to Saphira, having finally learned the secret behind Naruto's seemingly glued body, while checking and double-checking his sword, wards, and most of all jewels, with the last item already refilled by the clone.

"Surprise my ass. I wouldn't be surprised if even some of those elves died of a heart attack from what they're about to see," muttered the clone as he dispelled, although not before he heard a chuckle from Eragon and a rumbling laugh from Saphira who had been listening in.

An instant later, Arya, Naruto, and his dragon whirled into existence beside the flying duo.

Startled at the height they were at, the metallic dragon desperately flapped his wings as he did his best to avoid plummeting to his maybe death, along with his two passengers.

Although he was sure nothing would happen to either of them since Naruto was well…Naruto.

Meanwhile, Eragon and Saphira stared at the dragon that popped into existence beside them, astounded by the sudden increase in the dragon's length and size.

"It's been hardly a week, and he has already grown to the size Saphira was! What a monster," thought Eragon although Saphira, who was also surprised at the growth rate of her fellow dragon, felt something more than just that when she looked at the younger dragon.

"Only a week and yet the hatchling is already my size if Naruto hadn't transformed me. If he keeps this up, he might actually be the same size as me within the year or so. Impressive." Saphira thought as she glanced over the younger dragon, taking in how instead of scales, he seemed to mostly have thick metal plates that frankly intimidated her.

She would definitely not want to ram into him, especially with those sharp spikes.

As Naruto and Arya made themselves comfortable behind the two horns that flared back at the base of the dragon's head, the new Rider realized that despite training him for two weeks, he has never actually ridden on his dragon.

Rubbing the area in front of him where metal armor met with dragon scales, Naruto reached out through the mental bond the two shared.

"Hey, I know that with everything going on that we've been busy training you so that you would be able to protect yourself, but I just realized that this is our first flight together as Dragon and Rider." Rubbing the back of his head, Naruto continued as he watched his dragon tilt his head towards them, "From what Eragon and Saphira told me, the first flight between Rider and Dragon is what truly bonds the two together and creates a connection like none other. And so I'm sorry for not even bothering to ask for a flight."

"Don't worry Naruto, I know that we've been busy with my training and I am beyond thankful that you have done so. So there is nothing you need to apologize for." The dragon shook his head, knowing that his Rider meant every word. "However, if you're really that sorry…we could have some fun with this one, after all it's our first."

Hearing this, Naruto looked into the burning eyes of his dragon and widely grinned when he saw his own smile mirrored on his dragon's face – although the way the heavy metal lower jaw seemed to twist was a little odd.

Arya, who did not hear the little conversation, was startled when the dragon they were riding suddenly accelerated forwards. Reflexively applying chakra to her legs, she leaned forward as she wrapped her arms around Naruto's midsection and clung on for dear life as the dragon underneath her suddenly flew sharply upwards.

Tightly holding onto the hands that had suddenly wrapped around his stomach, Naruto leaned back as he kissed the smooth forehead of Arya, completely unconcerned that if he stopped chakra circulation to his legs, he would fall from the height of over a kilometer…if he didn't already know how to fly.

"It'll be fine, Arya-hime. Just open your eyes and look; it's quite the view."

And so she did…just as the dragon started corkscrewing through the air.

That was a mistake.

As Naruto was laughing in excitement, he suddenly choked when the arms around his chest suddenly squeezed the air out of them.

"Naruto," started Arya as she smiled sweetly, a little too sweetly for it to be genuine, at a now sweating Naruto, "could you please tell your dragon to stop rolling around in the air like a dog does in the mud?"

Knowing exactly what that smile meant, Naruto lamented how all women seemed to know that particular smile as well as the Puppy Eyes no Jutsu. It just wasn't fair, especially when their effectiveness increased by 100 times when used by Arya.

"Yes dear." Naruto immediately said as he sent a mental command to his dragon, telling him no more rolling around – at least when Arya was with them. Understanding that despite his Rider being all powerful, in the end his mate was somehow able to intimidate him out of certain actions and decisions, such as suggesting Arya to go through the same training as him.

That didn't go well at all with Arya.

That was the day the baby dragon realized it didn't matter how powerful you were, your loved ones were the ones who held you by the balls, and Naruto wasn't an exception.

So instead of rolling around in the air, the dragon settled for performing barrel rolls that sometimes almost touched the clouds for a few minutes before hovering just below them.

At first confused as to why his dragon stopped, Naruto stopped when he was suddenly pulled into the dragon's mind. When he was about to ask the reason, the newest Dragon Rider when he realized he was looking through his dragon's eyes at a view that few in the world ever got to see.

And what a view it was.

With his dragon's enhanced fiery eyes, Naruto could see the details of the land for hundreds of miles, sharp and clear as if they were but a few feet away.

The majestic outlines of the mountains and their scintillating snowy caps

The harsh yet still beautiful brown and yellow sand of the desert as a sandstorm kicked up, hiding parts of the land behind a veil of sand.

The deep blue almost purple depths of the lakes and the lighter blue of the clear running rivers and streams that seemed to want to drown him.

The deep green of the forests and grass of the plains that still dripped with the morning dew and reminded him of the eyes of his lover sitting right behind him.

And finally, the seemingly endless blue sky dotted with white fluffs of clouds, and if he looked hard enough, the brilliant stars that hid themselves from view during the day.

Then he noticed that red, orange, and yellow hues were far more vibrant and alive while other the other colors were more subdued and muted. It didn't detract from the stunning view at all; if anything, it seemed to enhance it, as if by coloring in tiny imperfections the view as a whole became all the more real and alive.

"Is this what you see all the time?" whispered Naruto when he felt a chuckle rumble underneath him.

"Technically no, as this is the first time I have ever flown so high and in the real world. That is actually why I had to stop; for thousands of years, the only color I have known was the black of darkness. That was until you," with this the dragon turned to Naruto as he dipped his head, but the blonde knew just how much that small movement meant considering the extreme pride the dragons held for their kind.

"In all of my years, I have never once had an inkling of desire to hatch for anyone and once Galbatorix destroyed the Order, I had lost hope that I would ever see the light. You were like the sun that drove off the darkness. You gave me back the hope that I would see the same sights that my ancestors did millennia ago. You gave me warmth when all I could feel was the cold grip of despair. There are no words, not even in the ancient language, that could express my gratitude for bringing us to the world; even though they haven't hatched yet, I know they will feel the same. And so I make a promise with you, Naruto Uzumaki, last God of Shinobi, my claws will tear apart your foes, my teeth will devour them, my wings will blast them apart, my armor shall be your sanctuary, and my eternal flames will incinerate all obstacles. And should there be a time when the world betrays you, I shall crush the land and its people to dust if you but ask it of me. This, I swear to you in the name of the greatest of dragons, Raugmar the Dread, last leader of the wild dragons of Alagaesia whose wings covered all of Du Weldenvarden in shadow!"

Minutes passed by as Naruto stayed silent, with no one disturbing that silence as Arya picked up that something momentous had happened between the two and stayed still as a rock. Finally, he broke it as he spoke in his original tongue.

"I accept your oath, eldest of Raugmar the Dread and in return, I shall name you," Naruto solemnly said as even the wind over a kilometer up seemed to still, "From now on, you are Asura, named after the Rinnegan path you have inherited and according to another religion, a being that can fight the gods."

"Asura…," the dragon, now named Asura, rolled the name around in his mind as felt the power and meaning behind it. "My name, my name, my NAME, MY NAME." Finally, the young dragon could no longer hold it in as he roared out a plume red orange flames tinged with black that near the consistency of lava while bellowing out his name to the world.

"MY NAME IS ASURA, ELDEST OF RAUGMAR THE DREAD, AND DRAGON OF NARUTO UZUMAKI – LAST GOD OF SHINOBI!"

xXx

Miles away, the twelve elven spellcasters that Queen Islanzadí had sent to aid the Varden were meditating when a might roar that made the air itself tremble ripped through the camp. Instantly snapping their heads to the northwest, their faces paled when they realized that the roar could've only belonged to one race in Alagaesia.

A dragon.

And that dragon did not sound at all like the one they heard from Saphira Brightscales. No, this one was more guttural, more primitive, as if from the time when dragons were still wild and beholden to no one but themselves and their leader.

They had no idea at the time how right they were.

Their eldest and most powerful spellcaster, Blödhgarm, immediately called out to the others as they sprinted from the tent they were stationed in to the outside perimeter in a matter of seconds. Speaking out in the ancient language, a barrier made of pure energy formed as they gathered thoughts together as they prepared for a mental war with the enemy Rider.

Scanning the horizon, Blödhgarm narrowed his keen cat-like yellow eyes as he searched for the enemy, only to arch a blue eyebrow when he saw the familiar gleaming sapphire scales of Saphira as well as the young human Eragon. Curiously, when he reached his mind towards him in order to communicate, he felt the presence of multiple voices, which he never felt before in his centuries of life.

"Laufin, Wyrden, continue the barrier, Eragon Shadeslayer and Saphira Brightscales are only around 20 miles away. Everyone else, prepare for battle." Seeing the elves nod, the blue-haired elf furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "However, there is still no sign of the other dragon. Just where could he be?"

Several minutes passed before a great hulking black armored beast dropped from the clouds next to Alagaesia's only free Dragon Rider and dragon. Although the dragon was only about half as large as Saphira, the blue elf admitted that the new dragon looked far more terrifying, with its black armored spikes and the eerie red glow down its chest.

Knowing that there would be wards against projectiles, Blödhgarm and the rest of the elves focused their magic into a mighty mental spear that glowed a pale green, one capable of ripping through any wards, any mental shields…

…if the Rider and dragon were a normal pair.

With a single word, the twelve elves flung the mental spear with deadly accuracy, targeting the new dragon. As the spear flew into motion, they watched in anticipation, waiting for the beast to fall and with it, another potential threat to the Varden. However, their eyes widened when their superhuman sight spotted a certain blonde and princess riding behind the dragon's head.

"It cannot be…" started Blödhgarm as he squinted his eyes to better focus on the two. "Barzul! Why is Naruto-finiarel and Arya-svit-kona riding on the enemy dragon? Could they have been captured? But then how could Naruto-finiarel of all people be captured unless…"

His cat-eyes widened dramatically when his quick elven mind came to a startling conclusion, one that gave him immense joy before before shoving him into a pit of horror. "Unless…one of them is the Dragon Rider and they somehow either retrieved the last egg, or found another one. If they found one, then surely there must be more and the race of dragons is not finished!" His words were clearly heard by those and the excitement they felt were clearly visible on their faces.

"However, we also just launched our most powerful mental attack that will be soon arriving in less than a minute. We can only hope that Naruto-finiarel's vast powers will allow him brush off our attack." The other elves just looked to their leader in horror of what they had just done; they just potentially crippled or outright killed one of the two free dragons of Alagaesia…and more importantly Arya and Naruto. And if either Arya or Asura were harmed…

…Naruto was going to be pissed.

xXx

"Oi, Eragon, I finally named my dragon. His name is…" Naruto started before Eragon waved a hand.

"Yes, we know Naruto. His name is Asura; I'm not sure if anyone within a thirty-mile radius doesn't know his name by now. Maybe Asura should roar out again and let everyone in Feinster – the city we're about to invade – know that there's another Dragon Rider." Interrupted Eragon as he chided the immortal on potentially giving away the element of surprise.

Both man and dragon sheepishly chuckled as Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry about that, we had quite the intense moment there and this baby," Asura playfully growled when Naruto tapped his horns, "couldn't keep his excitement down. Not that I blame him. It's much better to be emotional and passionate than cold and unemotional in my books."

xXx

Somewhere, nestled on the shore of a pool of lava, a certain ice-colored egg trembled as the baby inside it sneezed.

xXx

Naruto then felt a rather hard pinch on the side of his waist that he actually felt slight pain from: impressive considering that even though the circulation of chakra was forced to a minimum, his skin and muscle retained the flexibility of flesh and the toughness of steel.

Turning around, Naruto was confronted with dark green emerald orbs with a ring of amber and gold surrounding the pupils as the owner of said eyes tilted her head. "Are you saying that you do not actually love me? Unlike what most others think, I know I can come off as cold and unemotional."

Naruto simply chuckled when he heard his lover's words. "Arya-hime, from what I've seen, you are anything but cold or unemotional when you're with me. Especially that last kiss we shared before exited my Kamui." The blonde smirked when he saw the light honey cheeks, but suddenly frowned when he felt a chakra signature heading their way.

Noticing her love's change in expression, Arya's eyes sharpened as her blush quickly faded away, her muscles tensing for whatever caused the change in expression. Leaning to the right, she looked around Naruto in time to see a glowing ethereal spear hurtling towards them, specifically Asura.

Sharply inhaling, Arya recognized the spell as one used by the elves, a highly advanced technique that directly targeted the mind while ignoring all wards against physical dangers. Its drilling attribute only made it deadlier as the mental barriers most commonly used were walls built to withstand blunt impact or sharp cuts, not a piercing drill attack that could force its way through. The only downside to the technique was that it required multiple fully trained elven spellcasters in order to use such an ability from such a range and with this much power.

"Naruto, will the wards you placed on me hold up against this attack?" Asura called out to his Rider as his self-preservation instincts screamed at him to dodge to the side.

His eyes already switched to the Rinne-Sharingan, Naruto noted the words that made up the spell and could only sigh in admiration at the work of art the attack was, even if it was too weak to do any damage as long he was there.

"No Asura, while my wards around you could allow you to brush off a mountain if it fell on you, they are purely against physical attacks. I still haven't placed mental wards for you yet as I myself am still studying the art of the mind." Instead of panicking at his Rider's words, Asura merely cocked his head to the side, knowing that his Rider would never let fatal harm come to him.

"Ne Arya," Naruto called out as Arya flickered her gaze away from the incoming magical missile to Naruto. "Remember back in Doru Araeba you wanted to know more about these eyes?" Seeing her nod, the blonde immortal let out a wide grin, "Well, you're about to find out."

Before either could say anything, Naruto jumped off Asura as he flew in front of them and directly in the path of the spell. Although they two knew that nothing would happen to the overpowered Hokage, they still couldn't help but slightly worry on the off chance something went wrong.

"Hmmm, maybe a whole Jonin's and well on the way to a full Kage's worth of chakra – remarkable that the form remained intact over such a distance. Maybe if I incorporate parts of the spell into my Rasengan variations, I could throw them further than before…food for thought. Well, for now…" With a single motion, Naruto raised his right hand, palms out towards the incoming projectile as one of the circles on his eyes pulsed.

xXx

"Just what is the boy doing? He needs to get out of the way, now!" every elf down below thought as they watched with growing fear and fascination.

xXx

What happened next shocked everyone present, although to a lesser degree the ones closest to Naruto.

They watched as the spiraling spear of mental destruction came into contact with the outstretched hand. But instead of simply phasing through, the energy seemed to distort, as if its very essence was being unraveled before it just seemed to melt into the hand. And the sheer speed that all of this happened…it only took at most a second for the spell to be rendered harmless and completely absorbed.

When all was said and done, no trace of one of the most destructive spells in the elves' arsenal remained. All that remained was a smirking Naruto who now crossed his arms, his mystical eyes fixed onto the distant group of elves.

xXx

For the first time in their centuries long lives, the twelve elven spellcasters had their jaws drop to the ground. The only thought in their heads was, "Impossible…"

xXx

The group traveling with Naruto gawked at the display for only a moment before schooling their faces into neutral ones. Once Naruto mounted behind Asura's head again, the two dragons, one a scintillating blue and the other a menacing black, continued their away forward, this time at a mile-eating pace so as to avoid more possible attacks.

"Just what was that, Naruto? You said it was related to those eyes of yours…could it possibly be energy absorption?" Arya asked as she drew her conclusions from what she saw. The others leaned as the Eldunari took a break from stuffing knowledge into poor Eragon's head.

Once again turning, Naruto smiled as he noted how easily the elf figured out what happened. "That would be correct Arya. The power you saw before is called the Preta Path of the Rinnegan, one of six available to me. Any technique, no matter how simple or complicated, will have its energy absorbed when they make contact with me as long this path is active."

Arya's eyes grew large at the words as she immediately drew up dozens of possible applications for such a power. "Naruto, this power by itself is amazing. Any magic, mental or otherwise would be useless against you as even attacking with your mind requires using chakra from the first gate. But that energy has to go somewhere, and is the energy you are able to absorb only limited to chakra? And must you make contact with the spell in order to absorb it?"

By this time, they were but a few miles from the encampment as Naruto furrowed his brow, mainly at the second half of the question. "The chakra absorbed becomes a part of me, allowing me to use it however I see fit. However, I am unsure of whether it's only chakra that can be absorbed or if I even need to touch it. I never tried and never found a reason to; it's something to test another day."

With that, the group rode in silence until they finally reached the edge of the camp where the elves were.

With several ground trembling thumps, the two dragons landed as their passengers dismounted, jumping to the ground as the elven spellcasters swiftly made their way towards them, closely followed by Ajihad and the rest of the command chain of the Varden who had by then caught up to the elves.

"Eragon, I'm glad that you are back in time for our first major battle since the Burning Plains." Ajihad greeted as the two stopped a few paces from each other. Glancing towards the other 'human' in the group, the leader of the Varden looked with great interest at the dragon standing protectively by the blonde's side.

"I am too Ajihad, it's good to finally be back. It feels as if it's been years since the last I've been amongst the Varden. So how is the war coming?"

"The war is going well. Although the going has been slower without you here, your training to defeat and kill Galbatorix and his infernal dragon before this battle was of the utmost priority. However, now we cannot afford you to go training for long periods of time; the coming battles will be one after the other and we can expect heavy resistance each step of the way. I just hope the training you did was enough."

Having expected this as they were flying to the Varden, Eragon nodded his understanding and agreement as he felt a confidence not only in his comrades, but for the first time in the fight, in himself.

Finally coming to the new dragon, Ajihad asked with a barely concealed excitement, "I remember you saying that there was a certain secret that you couldn't say during our conversation. Am I correct in saying that the dragon by Naruto's side part of that secret.?"

Eragon slowly nodded, trying to keep his face set as he had an internal argument with the Eldunari. Seeing the Rider's expression, Ajihad kept quiet, figuring that Eragon was mentally communicating with Saphira on something.

"Umaroth-elda, I must ask for your counsel on an important matter."

"Continue Eragon-finiarel, although I already have a feeling of what you want to ask."

Mentally nodding, Eragon called to attention several images of Ajihad, Queen Islanzadí, Oromis, and Glaedr. "I am thinking of possibly telling these people and dragon about the secret of the Eldunari and of the last eggs. They have a right to know, especially Oromis-elda and Glaedr-elda. However, this secret is not only mine to tell; you have been the guardian for all of these years. It is only proper I ask you as well."

Contrary to what Eragon expected, the Eldunari almost immediately responded. "During the journey back, we have been sifting through your memories and were saddened when we saw Oromis and Glaedr crippled. They were the first to see through Galbatorix's deceptions and the Forsworn; if only we had listened to his counsel., It gladdens our heart of hearts to see them restored back to their full strength, again something we owe Naruto-finiarel. You are right about sharing the secret; they do deserve to know. However, tell the Queen Islanzadí and Ajihad only about us, the Eldunari; say nothing about the eggs. Only tell them after the war is over. As for Oromis and Glaedr, when we meet, we will remove the spell that forced them to forget about our existence."

"Thank you Umaroth-elda." Returning his full attention to Ajihad, Eragon swiftly muttered, "Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya."

Knowing the spell, Ajihad's eyes grew serious; for such a secret to warrant such caution, it must be great indeed.

"Ajihad, you must swear to me in the ancient language that what I say stays between us and none other, not even the elves standing outside." After seeing Ajihad nod and swear, Eragon continued.

"After the Battle of the Burning Plains, we found out that the source behind the king's strength is actually Eldunari, or the heart of hearts of dragons that contain the same amount of energy as the dragon when alive. That is the reason why Galbatorix seems to never run out of power despite his fantastic feats." Seeing Ajihad start to frown, Eragon knew that the Varden leader grasped the hidden details.

"I see that you understand. No Eldunari would ever serve the traitor that ended the Order. And so for over a century, Galbatorix has mentally broken hundreds if not thousands of Eldunari, forcing them to supply his spells and enhance his physical abilities to supernatural levels, even beyond the elves."

Now the black leader was not even bothering to hide his displeasure. For years, the Varden and the elves hypothesized just how Galbatorix could be so powerful, but they never expected the use of the Eldunari. But it would explain much of the mysteries surrounding the greatest traitor of Alagaesia.

"However on Doru Araeba, in a place hidden away from history itself, we found over a hundred Eldunari, who agreed to help us and have been teaching me the knowledge they had gathered during their existence. But there was one more a thing: a single egg that hatched for Naruto." Ajihad's eyes widened at the news. If this was true, then they finally had a chance of truly freeing Alagaesia. From Naruto's actions, he knew that the blonde foreigner tried to stay away from getting too involved in the war, and while he did participate in the battles, he never tried to truly end them – just doing enough to insure them victory without the loss of too many men.

But with this, Eragon was now significantly stronger and there was even the small chance that Naruto, who was now a Dragon Rider, would play a greater a role in the war…although he didn't hold too much hope for it.

But he had to know for sure. "Eragon, will Naruto devote more of his energy into this fight? It is painfully obvious to me that despite his spectacular feats, that he has been greatly holding back in the last two battles. With him being a Rider, he is no longer merely a foreigner, but somebody that has stronger ties to this continent than most."

"Oh he definitely has strong ties to Alagaesia, even without Asura," muttered Eragon under his breath, clearly remembering the intimacies between Naruto and Arya as Ajihad looked slightly befuddled at the young Rider.

Realizing that he hadn't actually answered the question, Eragon's snapped back up as he answered, "It is unlikely that Naruto will use more power than he already has in our struggles against the Empire. When he was offered the egg, he made a deal with the Eldunari that before Galbatorix dies, he would give them the knowledge the mad king has. I can understand from where he is coming from; this is not his fight and I have a feeling that soon after the war is over, he will leave and may never return.

Disappointed at the not entirely unexpected response, Ajihad sighed as some of his more ambitious plans died before even reaching the drawing board. "So be it. If that is all, we must update you on the current state of the war."

Nodding, Eragon spoke a few words as he cancelled the sound barrier around them. Turning towards the others, the Rider shot them a look that they understood as he and Saphira proceeded to follow Ajihad, along with the rest of the accompanying Varden who were still staring at the new dragon.

Notes:

Filler chapter to get to the actual battle.

Atra nosu waíse vardo fra eld hórnya – May we be warded from listeners