AN* Hello to all of you once again. Insert usual excuses here about delays, but overall I liked how this chapter turned out. Anyways, hope all of you have a much better year than last year, and that none of you were involved with the craziness that's going on in the US. Anyways, enjoy.
A New Journey
Stepping up to the door Naruto kept Kurama in his hand as he pushed open the large wooden door, revealing the large circular room, with no Heartless in sight as directly in front of them was a large wooden desk, a skull with the melted portions of a candle covering it, and an older man sitting in the high-backed chair behind the desk. His face was stern, but not harsh, and a long gray beard grew down to twin points past the center of his chest. Dressed in blue robes with a large blue pointed hat with yellow stars and crescent moons on it, the man held himself in such a way that Naruto instantly began comparing him to Hizuren Sarutobi, the late Third Hokage.
Walking forward Donald and Goofy gave a deep bow as Naruto let Kurama disappear as he, Sora and Xion stopped behind the pair.
"Master Yen Sid, it's an honor." Donald said, still bowing.
"Hey there." Sora smiled with a light wave.
"Sora! Show some respect!" Donald exclaimed.
"We are going to have to work on that." Naruto chuckled as he nodded to Yen Sid himself "Master Yen Sid."
"So, you are Sora, Naruto, and Xion." Yen Sid remarked, looking at each of the mentioned in turn after making a motion for Donald to calm down "Have you seen the King yet?"
"Yes, we did, Master. But we didn't get a chance to talk to him." Goofy confirmed.
"We had a bit more time to talk with him." Xion added, motioning between her and Naruto.
"Yes, he has been quite busy of late." the old master nodded "Therefore it seems the task of instructing you three, Sora, Donald, Goofy, falls on my shoulders. You have a perilous journey ahead of you, you must be well prepared."
"Yeah. Naruto mentioned a bit of what's been going on." Sora nodded.
"That will expedite matters." Raising a hand, a large book appeared in a cloud of smoke before it floated over to Sora, opening as it did "This book contains valuable knowledge you will need for your journey. Study it carefully. Once you have finished, we will speak of the enemies that you will surely confront."
Sora, Donald and Goofy stepped forward to begin reading the pages of the large tome as Naruto and Xion stepped back a bit as they looked around the massive room, noting the shelves filled with books and other magical items. It took about thirty minutes for Sora to finish reading the pages, and as he did, he spoke up, asking a question that had clearly been bothering him.
"Wait a sec, how come the Heartless are still running around?"
"Your past endeavors did prevent an immense effusion of Heartless from the great darkness; make no mistake about that. However, the Heartless are darkness made real, and darkness yet lingers in every heart. The Heartless are fewer, but while darkness remains in a single heart it will be difficult to eliminate them." he explained, causing Sora, Donald, Goofy to slump at the thought of never being completely rid of the Heartless, before Goofy perked up and started speaking.
"Gwarsh, then that must mean, if everybody's hearts were full of light, the Heartless would go away!"
"That's the hope." Naruto said simply, getting Sora to grin "But it's far from easy and in won't be done any time soon. It's a task that will take years to really start seeing the result. But don't get discouraged, the best goals are often the hardest to reach."
Yen Sid nodded at this as he started to speak again "Now it is time to speak of the enemies you will encounter." Raising his left hand, he motioned to an empty section of room, creating a glowing circle of light that showed an image of Donald before it transformed into a Shadow "If one, such as you Donald, were to yield to the Darkness in your heart, they too will become a Heartless. But you know this. The Heartless are always lurking, ever seeking to capture new hearts. Never let your guard down! Now then..." Pausing he raised his hand again and created a second circle, revealing a Dusk within it now "At times, if someone with a strong heart and will, be they good or evil, becomes a Heartless, the empty shell they leave behind begins to act with a will of its own." The Shadow disappeared now, leaving only the Dusk standing there "An empty vessel whose heart has been stolen away, a spirit that goes on, even as its own body begins to fade from existence, for you see, Nobodies do not truly exist at all." Naruto frowned now as he gently put a hand onto her shoulder as Xion looked away, an action that Yen Sid noted but chose to not speak on it at this time "Nobodies may seem to have feelings, but this is a ruse, they only pretend to have hearts. You must not be deceived."
"Nobodies... They don't exist..." Sora muttered, as three more Dusks appeared behind Sora's group, getting the three of them jump.
"Now then... The being you see before you is known as a Dusk. They are the most common form of Nobody. But there are others. Some larger, some with frightening and unique powers. Be vigilant." The three turned and nodded, prompting Yen Sid to continue "On your journey you will meet an alarming number of Dusks. They will all attempt to do you harm." With that the three Dusks disappeared "Still they are nothing but empty shells, destined to return to the darkness. But." Raising a hand, he summoned a new group, three taller humanoid figures wearing the long black coats with the hoods pulled up to hide their features "The beings you see before you now are different. These powerful Nobodies have formed a group called Organization XIII; it commands the lesser Nobodies."
"The group we told you about on the train here." Naruto nodded.
"While Heartless act on instinct, Nobodies function in a higher manner. They can think and plan. And it seems they are working towards a goal. What that goal is, we do not know. The King sensed the danger, and journey forth to fight it. He found the dark realm's Keyblade, and with it, closed the door. Now he's traveling from world to world, fighting the Heartless as he seeks an answer to the riddle of the Nobodies and Organization XIII." With that the images of Organization XIII disappeared.
"Then I guess we better go find the King first." Sora said firmly.
"But where could he be?" Donald asked with a frown as he crossed his arms.
"Well, we won't know til we look." Goofy grinned.
"Yeah. And the King must know where Riku is." Sora nodded.
"Before you go, you will need more suitable traveling clothes." Yen Sid remarked, getting Sora to look at the clothes that he had been wearing for his last adventure "Those look a bit too small for you." Pointing towards a door to his left Yen Sid continued "Through there, you will find three good fairies. If you ask, they will create for you, appropriate garments."
"Gwarsh Sora, you sure are growing fast." Goofy chuckled.
"Sleeping for a year will do that." Xion giggled.
"Go get changed." Naruto replied "Xion and I need to talk with Master Yen Sid a bit in private."
"Oh. Ok." Sora nodded as the three walked into the next room, leaving Naruto and Xion standing there with the older Keyblade Master.
"Now then. I notice that you did not seem to agree with my assessment of Nobodies." Yen Sid noted.
"Yeah." Naruto replied.
"And yet you did not speak up about it? I am curious as to why?"
"Because Sora doesn't need conflicting opinions on the nature of our enemies." Naruto said simply "He has enough to worry about right now and I don't think anyone wants him hesitating at the wrong moment because he isn't sure which one of us is right." Yen Sid nodded slowly at this as Naruto continued "However to say that they don't really exist is wrong, in every sense of the word."
"Oh? How so?" Yen Sid asked, his tone showing curiosity at Naruto's line of thought.
"Because we are not gods." Xion said simply "Who are we to say who has a right to exist and who does not?"
"Nobodies didn't ask to exist but were born due to a series of circumstances that are more than likely beyond their control. We aren't the ones that should judge them. If they are a threat, then we oppose them. But to destroy them simply because they exist is wrong, and I won't be party to it." Naruto said firmly.
Yen Sid sat silently as he looked at the two before him and a small smile appeared on his face as he spoke "Master Aqua would be quite proud of you."
"You know Master Aqua?!" Naruto blinked in shock.
"Indeed. I met her and her friends during those events ten years ago. Losing her was a tragedy, as was what befell Ventus and Terra." Yen Sid said, "It is good to know that her light has not gone out even after all of these years in the dark."
"Then you understand that once we are done dealing with Organization XIII, I intend to find a way back in to rescue her."
"I am aware of your intentions. The King was quite clear on your motivation, and I commend you for your loyalty and for your clear understanding of your responsibilities. Once the current crisis is dealt with, we will speak of the steps that can be taken to rescue Master Aqua." Yen Sid replied, "Now then, Xion, the question is now what are we to do with you?"
"Me?" Xion blinked.
"Organization XIII will not tolerate your existence in the worlds. You are a threat to them, with both your skills and your knowledge." Yen Sid explained.
"If possible, Master Yen Sid, would she be able to stay here?" Naruto asked, getting Xion to blink as she looked at him in shock "Xion needs a teacher, someone to show her the path to becoming a Keyblade Master. And while the King could certainly take her on, tracking him down would be tricky at this time."
"I'm not sitting on the sidelines!" Xion exclaimed in shock "You need me, and if Sora is strong enough to be out in the worlds right now then so am I!"
"It isn't about strength! It's about making sure that you're safe!" Naruto argued "You've already had too much happen to you in a short time, I don't want to throw you into this while you're still in pain."
"As admirable as your concern is, this is Xion's choice to make and I have a different solution." Yen Sid added, getting the pair to blink and stop their argument before it could go any further "As Xion has clearly shown, she will not be content to step out of this fight. So, if that is her will I then task you, Naruto, with acting as her interim teacher until the matter of Organization XIII has been dealt with. Teach her everything that Master Aqua taught you, show her the way that you have been shown."
Naruto glanced at Xion who had a determined look on her face, one that promised to start ripping into him if he thought for a second to try and leave her behind.
"You try to leave her behind and I will be very angry at you Naruto." Matatabi hissed.
"You need someone to watch your back Naruto." Son Goku added "Organization XIII will likely be trying to kill you as well."
"Alright." Naruto said simply, seeing Xion relax "But the problem is that Xion can't travel between worlds the same way that I can."
"And I can't use Corridors of Darkness anymore." Xion sighed "Once I gave up Matatabi and really started using Vanishing Point I lost the ability to use them. I had to have Riku drop me off in Agrabah before he and Naruto went and grabbed Roxas."
"I have a solution to this." Yen Sid replied as he stood up and walked over to one of the shelves, tapping a hand and letting the illusion that was over it disappear before picking up a small object. It was shaped like a star, mostly colored a light blue with a green circle inside it, with green diamonds going up the points of the star and inside of the circle was another green star.
"What is it?" Xion asked as she looked at the object in confusion.
"It's called a Star Shard. It is a special Gummi Block, that can allow a person to travel between worlds. It would normally take a great deal of study to learn how to use its power properly, however I can cast an enchantment upon your armor Naruto that will allow the Star Shard to home in on your location, taking Xion to whatever world that you are in." Yen Sid explained.
"Alright then." Naruto said as he turned his arm, so the pauldron was towards Yen Sid who raised a hand, and a beam of light connected the Star Shard and Naruto's armor.
"Now then, I trust there is more that you are aware of that Sora is not, and the King mentioned that you were not going to inform Sora of everything that has occurred." Yen Sid continued "I will trust your judgment on this Naruto, Xion. The moment that you believe him to be ready to learn everything I trust that you will inform him of the pertinent information."
The two nodded their agreement as Xion picked up the Star Shard as the door opened and the three walked back out. Sora was now dressed in black shorts that went down to mid shin, with two yellow belts going around each thigh above the knee, and another two crisscrossing at his waist, with black and yellow boots going up just past his ankles. A red and black shirt could be seen underneath the black hooded jacket that he was wearing over it, with black fingerless gloves with yellow straps keeping them to his wrists and a silver cross pattern on each palm.
"Looking good Sora." Naruto nodded as Yen Sid stood and walked over to one of the crescent moon shaped windows, motioning for the group to do so as well. As they did a red and yellow ship floated up to eye level, getting Donald to let out a shout of surprise.
"Hey, it's the Gummi Ship!"
Running over Sora, Donald, and Goofy looked at their former vessel with grins on their faces.
"So, you guys ready to go?" Sora asked, looking at the others and getting nods from Donald and Goofy while Naruto only smirked as Xion smiled. Turning Sora, Donald, and Goofy jumped to attention as they faced Yen Sid.
"Now, now, just a moment." Yen Sid said, getting the three to slump a bit as they could tell that there was more bad news coming "Because of your previous endeavors, the worlds have returned to their previous state. That means the pathways between them, have disappeared."
"How do we get around?" Donald asked.
"Do not fear. If what the king suspects is true, the worlds have prepared new pathways for you to travel. These pathways may be utilized by unlocking special gates. How these gates are open, I'm afraid I do not know." Yen Sid explained, shaking his head "However, the Keyblade will serve as your guide. When a beam of light emanates from the Keyblade, return to the Gummi Ship. Though the worlds may seem far apart and out of reach, they nonetheless remain connected by invisible ties. As do our hearts."
"Our hearts are connected." Sora repeated back, nodding a bit.
"That is correct." Yen Sid smiled.
"Got it." Sora smiled.
"But, be warned. As you proceed the Heartless and the Nobodies will be using their own paths; Corridors of Darkness to travel from world to world. They may be attempting to link these dark pathways to the gates between the worlds."
"Hey! That's not fair!" Donald exclaimed angrily.
"In my experience, life is very rarely fair." Naruto noted, getting Yen Sid to simply shake his head.
"Now then, that is all the information that I can give to you. Go forth Sora, Donald, Goofy, Naruto, and Xion. Everyone is waiting."
"Ok. Let's get going." Sora said as he, Donald and Goofy saluted Yen Sid.
"Master Yen Sid." Donald declared.
"We sure do appreciate the help." Goofy added.
"Thank you, Master Yen Sid." Xion smiled as she started for the door with Sora, Donald, and Goofy.
"We'll be back when this is all over." Naruto promised as he followed after the group.
Going back down the tower was simple enough, with no enemies left within and even Pete had left once they stepped outside.
"Well, hop in." Sora called as he stood by the Gummi Ship.
"I've got my own ride." Naruto replied as he tapped his pauldron and donned his armor, feeling a smirk on his face as he saw the stunned expressions on Sora, Donald, and Goofy's faces.
"What is that?" Sora asked in shock.
"Keyblade Armor. Keyblade wielders used to be given this as a means of protecting themselves when they travelled between worlds." Naruto explained as he tossed up Kurama and let the Keyblade transform into his glider, a long oval shaped board who's coloring matched his armor "And this is my glider. It's a trick most Keyblade wielders learned. I had to teach it to myself since Aqua wasn't able to show it to me."
"That is so cool!" Sora laughed "Where can I get a set of armor like that?"
Naruto was silent a moment as he stood on the glider before speaking "To be fair, I don't know. I found this one at the location of the trap that you were hit with. There might be other sets there, but I can say for certain. The only place that had such a stockpile was The Land Of Beginnings, and it's gone now."
"Oh." Sora nodded "Well I have the Gummi Ship, so that's more than enough for me."
"It suits you." Xion smiled as she pulled out the Star Shard "Ready when you are Naruto. Let's see if the enchantment really works like Master Yen Sid said it would."
"Alright. Let's get going!" Naruto called out as he opened the doorway to The Lanes Between, launching through it and out of the world where he saw the Gummi Ship flying up to join him and a bouncing flash of light that had to be Xion as they started towards their first destination.
The world looked like it was undergoing massive reconstruction and as they landed Naruto realized that they were indeed rebuilding. Tapping his pauldron to revert the armor Naruto took a step forward and glanced over as Xion landed in a flash of light and wobbled a bit, looking dizzy.
"You ok?" Naruto asked as he grabbed her arm to steady her.
"Yeah. That was... that was different." Xion chuckled weakly as she managed to stand "I'll be fine."
Nodding Naruto turned to see Sora and his group had landed safely as well and were jogging up to the stone railing that looked out towards the massive castle that was being reconstructed.
"It's Hollow Bastion!" Sora exclaimed.
"Gwarsh, looks kinda different now." Goofy noted.
"It's been a year since you were last here." Naruto remarked as he walked up next to Donald "I haven't had the time to come to this world myself. Never picked up any signs that the Organization was heading this way."
"I hope Leon and the gang are doing okay." Donald remarked as Xion and Goofy looked up at one of the roofs and saw Soldier Heartless disappearing.
"Looks like we won't be doing much sightseeing." Xion remarked as her fingers twitched.
"Consider it training." Naruto replied as he started down the stairs and towards the marketplace below "And speaking of time to start teaching you Xion."
"Oh?" Xion asked as she ran up next to him as they walked.
"Yep. First things first, if we are going to be visiting other worlds you need to learn the rules."
"What rules?" Xion frowned.
"There are two big ones. First and foremost, no meddling in the affairs of other worlds." Naruto began "Each world has its own ways of doing things, its own rules. We are not allowed to influence those rules, to force your own views on them. We can step in to help cancel out the effects of creatures that are causing problems that should not be there, Heartless and Nobodies for example, but we can only counteract what has been done."
"So, we can't stop something happening unless some outside force has already influenced events there?" Xion asked with a frown now.
"Yes and no. Common decency is still a thing, you see someone getting mugged I hope you would step in and help them. But we aren't allowed to step in and say kill a king just because they are evil. Now if they are drawing upon Darkness to do what they are doing, that changes the game." Naruto nodded "Of if say Organization XIII is aiding that king to do what they are doing."
"Ok. No meddling unless fixing someone else's meddling." Xion nodded "What's the other rule?"
"We can't let on that other worlds are out there." Naruto said as they stopped while Sora was talking with some of the shopkeepers, doing a bit of shopping.
"Why though?"
"It ties into the meddling rule. Letting them know that there are other worlds, that there is more to the worlds than they know can prompt them to doing things that they wouldn't have normally done. It can leave their world open to new kinds of threats or turn them into a new threat. Ignorance to the greater picture is what keeps the worlds safe and secure. Our job is to help maintain that." Naruto explained "So whenever we go to a world that hasn't been opened up to the larger picture, we need to be careful."
"It makes sense I guess." Xion nodded as Sora finished his shopping, having picked up some potions it looked like "Are those the only rules that we have to follow?"
"There are other things to know, but those two rules are the most important." Naruto explained as he saw Sora, Donald and Goofy stopping to talk with an older looking duck that Donald seemed to know "There are other topics of course. How Hearts work, the importance of Hearts of Worlds, different signs that meddling has occurred in a world, and what little history of Keyblade lore I do know. Most of the latter will have to come from Master Yen Sid. He probably has the last great store of Keyblade knowledge."
The five of them were soon walking down a long flight of stairs and then down a short street that led them through an archway to a small open area with a large stone section of wall to their left with heavy construction equipment sitting on it. As they stopped Sora, Donald and Goofy jumped in surprise as a cylindrical beam of white light with a spiderweb like design of blue light went down with a sphere of blue lines sitting at the bottom. As it touched the ground it disappeared and another appeared and went through the same motion again, with more and more appearing and disappearing.
"Hey, what's going on?" Donald demanded.
"That's the town's defense mechanism." a voice called out, getting the group to glance around, with Naruto looking up first and spotting the person. It was a young woman standing there with thigh high boots, short shorts, a dark blue crop top with a flower design on it underneath a sleeveless vest, with a black bandanna around her forehead. She stood there with a smile on her face as she looked at them, with Sora now looking up as well.
"Yuffie!" he laughed.
Yuffie's smile dropped as she shouted, "Look out!"
Sora reacted quickly enough, forcing a Dusk to fall back as two more appeared behind them to cut off their retreat, and another two to finish boxing them in. Naruto only smirked as he had Kurama out while Xion had Void's End in her hands with a confident smile. Stepping forward to cut through his Dusk Naruto realized what the defense system actually did as it moved about the ground, targeting the Nobodies and staying with their respective targets before the sphere flashed a different color before exploding, knocking the Nobodies off balance. After cutting down his next Dusk Naruto turned to face another three heading for him as Xion used Vanishing Point a few times, her own Keyblade lashing out in rapid order to knock the Dusks back. Sora, Donald, and Goofy were holding their own with ease as well, with the three of them working together to take down the Dusks that attacked them, each watching the other's backs. Stepping around another Dusk the blond opened his hand and created a Rasengan that slammed into the side of its head, sending it flying into a building before it disappeared as Naruto turned and sent Kurama flying into an Assassin as it tried to get the jump on Sora. The Keyblade struck true, destroying the Nobody as two Dusks now converged on the unarmed Naruto, only to learn that he was far from defenseless as he spun past one and with a flick of his wrist had a kunai knife out that he used to slash through the throat of the second Dusk as he resummoned Kurama and cut down the Dusk with its back to him.
Turning Naruto saw that the rest of the Nobodies had been dealt with and it appeared that they were not going to keep throwing low level grunts at them in hopes of getting lucky.
"Hey you guys!" Yuffie called out as she jumped down to them, having been fighting off a few of her own Nobodies from where she had been standing "I see you're still in top form."
"He's getting back there." Naruto chuckled.
"Looks like you're doing okay." Sora grinned.
"What'd you expect?" Yuffie laughed as she looked at Naruto and Xion "New friends?"
"Oh, yeah. This is Naruto, and Xion."
Yuffie blinked as she looked at Naruto and tilted her head as she stared at the headband.
"Now there's a familiar looking symbol."
"Familiar?" Naruto blinked in surprise as he tapped the headband "You recognize this?"
"Yeah. You see" Yuffie began.
"YOU IDIOT!" a voice shouted out as a figure descended from above with a raised fist that slammed into Naruto's head, sending him flying back through one of the buildings.
"Naruto!" Xion shouted as she turned to attack the newcomer, right as Kurama came flying out of the hole, only for a second person to appear in a flicker of movement, his own blade lashing out to deflect the Keyblade as his eyes widened in shock at the barrage of icicles heading for him that he quickly slashed away as Naruto shot out of the hole, Kurama back in his hands as he slammed it into the second one's sword.
There was a moment of stunned silence as the two were in a stalemate, staring at one another as the tension left Naruto's body as his jaw lowered in shock.
"Sasuke... Sakura?" Naruto asked in shock stepping back to look at the pair. The pair had barely changed since Naruto had last seen them, though their wardrobe was different. Sasuke wore black boots that went up to mid-calf, with dark gray pants that had a large belt that held the sheathe for his chokuto along with a pouch that likely held a variety of throwing weapons. His shirt was dark gray with long sleeves with the bandages still wrapped around his wrists that likely still hid the seals that held the shuriken that he used to use. Sakura wore dark blue pants with a simple pair of black boots as well, with multiple pouches on her belt. Her shirt was like Sasuke's except red and she had apparently gotten a new flak jacket made, and her headband was still used to hold her hair off of her forehead.
"You know them?" Sora asked in surprise, the Kingdom Key still in his hands.
"I thought they were dead." Naruto said, looking at the two standing in front of him.
"We thought the same about you." a third voice said from the wall, getting them to look up as the last one jumped down.
"Kakashi... You're all alive!" Naruto laughed. The Jonin instructor had changed the least, still wearing the headband over his Sharingan eye, still having his mouth and nose covered, and still wearing his usual flak jacket. His pants and shirt were a darker shade of blue however, and on his belt were a number of pouches along with the kunai pouch that he had tied to his leg as well.
"Why did you attack him like that?" Xion asked with a glare at Sakura.
"How long have you been on this world?" Sakura snapped, glaring at Naruto still.
"Less than an hour." Naruto replied with a grin "I've been busy."
"Too busy to come find us?" she pressed.
"Hey! Leave him alone!" Sora shouted.
"It's ok Sora." Naruto said, holding up a hand to stop him from moving forward.
"But..." Sora began.
"They don't know what you've been doing!" Donald snapped now "They don't have a right to attack you like that!"
"He has a point." Kakashi remarked, looking at Sakura who blinked "Attacking him like that was extreme."
"Sorry..." Sakura sighed "It's just we've been through so much and he just waltzes on in like nothing's happened."
"He didn't just waltz on in!" Xion snapped now "He's been busy keeping the worlds safe!"
"The worlds safe?" Sasuke asked with a raised eyebrow.
Naruto only smirked as he held up Kurama "I'm one of the Keyblade's chosen."
"Jeez Sakura, did you have to punch him through a wall?" Yuffie asked with a groan "Leon and Cid are gonna be so annoyed now."
"I'll help fix it." Sakura promised "Or, Naruto can speed it up with his Shadow Clones."
"No, I cannot." Naruto sighed as he shook his head "Sora, you and the others go on ahead. I've got some catching up to do with my former team."
"You sure?" Sora asked.
"We don't mind waitin' for ya." Goofy offered.
"It'll be fine. Go on." Naruto nodded.
"Ok. By the way, Yuffie, have you seen the King or Riku?" Sora asked as he, Donald and Goofy started to walk.
"Nope." The girl replied as she walked ahead of them "But I had a feeling that I'd be seeing you guys again."
"We may never meet again, but we'll never forget each other." Sora said in an oddly deep tone of voice.
"Is that supposed to be Leon?" Yuffie asked, getting the three to chuckle as they rounded the corner "Everyone's working on stuff over at Merlin's house. C'mon."
Naruto glanced over at Xion who hadn't moved an inch and was still glaring at Sakura.
"You can go with."
"No."
"Xion..." Naruto sighed.
"I'm not leaving you alone right now." Xion said firmly as she looked at him "You might know them, but I don't. I'll feel better if I can watch your back."
"Really didn't make a good impression on her, did we?" Sasuke remarked with a smirk.
"Lay off my student." Naruto replied.
"Student?" Kakashi said with a hint of surprise in his voice.
"He's training me until we're done dealing with the current problem." Xion replied with a grin.
"There somewhere we can talk?" Naruto asked, looking at the three.
"Yeah, this way." Kakashi replied as they jumped back up to the wall. Naruto followed after, though not as fast, while Xion simply used Vanishing Point to appear on the wall near the shinobi. Walking with them they made their way down into the Bailey and from there to a section of wall that overlooked a massive wasteland with a dark castle in the distance.
"Where were you?" Sasuke finally asked as they stopped.
"Got stuck in the World of Darkness after what Kaguya did. Not sure for how long." Naruto began "It's how I met my master, Aqua. She trained me how to use the Keyblade, and when Sora closed the Door To Darkness, Aqua sent me out of it. For the past year I've been protecting Sora's comatose body and tracking down Organization XIII to reclaim the Biju."
"Reclaim the Biju?!" Kakashi asked in shock "How could you even manage to lose them?"
"Not sure. Best theory we've come up with is that the Darkness ripped them away from me. Not sure as to the how, but it seems like when they left, they took parts of my abilities with them. I'm nowhere near as strong in my ninja abilities as I was back in the Elemental Nation, but whenever I reclaim a Biju, I get some of those abilities back." Naruto shrugged "What about you three?"
"We wound up here." Kakashi said "We were down in the dungeons of the castle and were immediately attacked by Heartless. We fended them off and laid low until the number of them decreased. It wasn't too long after that we met Leon and his group. They offered to let us stay here, and in exchange we help fend off any roving Heartless and help assist in the reconstruction efforts."
"And what about you Xion?" Sakura asked, trying to make nice with the new girl "How'd you meet Naruto?"
Xion and Naruto traded looks, both seeming to try and decide how to explain what had happened during their first meeting and how it had gone from there. The three former Konoha shinobi noticed this and while Sasuke had a smirk on his face Sakura turned to look at Naruto with a glare.
"It was something of a... misunderstanding?" Xion said, looking at Naruto again at the last word.
"Probably the best word for it." Naruto nodded.
"Oh, this should be interesting. What'd you do, imitate Jiraiya?" Sasuke asked, shaking his head.
"No!" Naruto blinked in shock "We wound up fighting each other. I was winning before she and Roxas ran."
"You were still fresh, and we had just finished a mission." Xion countered with a grin of her own "I did much better in our rematch when it was one on one."
"You were still losing there too." Naruto grinned.
"Wait, if you were enemies how did he become your teacher then?" Sakura blinked in confusion.
"I used to be a member of a group called Organization XIII." Xion began, seeing the three to blink in surprise "When Naruto and I first met I didn't realize that they weren't good. When I learned the truth, I left, and Naruto helped me. For the time being Master Yen Sid is having Naruto train me while we fight Organization XIII."
"Which once that happens, I'll let Master Yen Sid, or the King, take over her training. I've got my own task I need to work on." Naruto finished.
"What task?" Kakashi asked.
"Finding a way back into the World of Darkness. Master Aqua is still trapped, and I'm not leaving her there. Once I have the Biju back, I'm going to rescue her." Naruto said firmly.
"She must be some teacher." Kakashi chuckled, recognizing the tone in Naruto's voice, having heard it in often enough when Minato talked about Kushina.
"She's the only reason I'm still standing here right now." Naruto nodded.
"Well after you're done saving her, we can start trying to find our way back to the Elemental Nations." Sakura smiled, causing Naruto to blink in surprise as he looked at her.
"Sakura... I don't think you understand exactly what Kaguya did."
"What do you mean?" Sakura frowned "Leon said that when Sora closed the door the worlds should have all been restored."
"If it had been destroyed by the Heartless, yes." Naruto said quietly "But Kaguya destroyed the Heart of our world. Hearts of Worlds are pretty durable, so it takes a lot to destroy them, but Kaguya certainly had the power to do it. The Elemental Nations are gone, completely destroyed. They aren't coming back..."
"What about everyone that was trapped in the Infinite Tsukiyomi? Or the Edo Tensei of the Hokages?" Kakashi asked with a frown.
"In all likelihood, they're dead." Naruto continued, his voice still as somber "We survived because we were still awake, and our hearts were strong. The people trapped in the Infinite Tsukiyomi... They were trapped in an illusion. They wouldn't have known what was coming. If they didn't wind up becoming Heartless, they likely died. As for the Edo Tensei, I can't say for certain. I didn't see them in The World of Darkness, and I think that you would have found them here by now. There's a chance that they managed to make it to a different world, or there's a chance that they were released from the jutsu and returned to the Pure World."
"Pure World?" Xion blinked "And what's an Edo Tensei, and what is this Infinite Tsukiyomi?"
"You haven't told her about our world at all?" Kakashi asked.
"We've been a little busy with other things." Naruto sighed "Pure World is what we called the afterlife. Where souls go after you die. Edo Tensei was a technique that the Second Hokage developed that would allow you to use a living person as a sacrifice to bring back the soul of a person in the Pure World and have them become an almost invincible zombie, but you need to have some of that person's remains in order to bring them back, and they have to have some lingering attachment to the world of the living as well. They heal from all wounds, never tire, and can be turned into mindless berserkers if that is what the caster wants to do. Only way to stop them is to seal them away, put their soul at peace, or get the caster of the technique to release them. As for the Infinite Tsukiyomi, it was an illusion that was bounced off the moon in order to trap everyone in our world in their own perfect illusion, forever. We only escaped it because of Sasuke."
"Yeah, but we still lost in the end." Sasuke said, shaking his head "The Elemental Nations destroyed..."
"We couldn't have known that Kaguya was going to take the suicidal route out of that situation." Sakura said, putting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder "We did the best we could."
"She's right. There's no use bemoaning this. We'd already accepted the fact that we failed before Naruto even came back. All we can do is keep moving forward." Kakashi agreed before looking at Naruto "What will you two do now?"
"We're going to be going our own way soon." Naruto said as he looked out at the wasteland "Sora and his group need some time on their own to get back into fighting shape, and there's a world that Riku and I flagged an unusual amount of activity on, more than the others we flagged. We'll go there and see what's we can figure out."
"And after?" Kakashi said "What are you going to do once you're done fighting Organization XIII, and once you've rescued Aqua? What comes after that?"
"I finish my training to become a Keyblade Master." Naruto replied, "After that, I can either settle down and start taking on students or travel the worlds and act as a peacekeeper of sorts."
"I'm not sure what I'll do after this all done." Xion admitted with a shrug "For now, I'm taking it one day at a time."
"Probably a good idea with this idiot as your teacher." Sasuke chuckled.
"He's not an idiot!" Xion exclaimed.
"You're one to talk jerk!" Naruto shouted at Sasuke "I might not have all my abilities back, but I've learned enough tricks to kick your butt across this world!"
Xion only blinked as the pair then just started to laugh before trading fist bumps, grinning at each other like brothers.
"They're always like that." Sakura explained "They're rivals and best friends all rolled into one."
It was as Xion was about to reply that her eyes widened as she disappeared and reappeared behind Sakura, Void's End in her hands as she blocked the slash from a Samurai Nobody, causing the four shinobi to leap into action as the second ambush started, and dozens of Samurai, Assassins, Dusks and Creepers appeared around them.
Sakura recovered quickly as she slammed a fist into an oncoming Dusk, sending it flying back into its fellows before it was destroyed as the pink haired medic was quick to take the fight to the Nobodies, though was doing her best to avoid damaging the wall that they were standing on as she pushed the enemies further back, breaking the ring around them with ease as Sasuke had already moved to cover her back. With his chokuto drawn Sasuke parried a few slashes from the three Samurai that had tried to take Sakura's back before he flickered from sight and appeared behind them as they fell to the ground before disappearing. His eyes flickering around he moved back a step as the Assassin shot out of the ground, it's bladed arms trying to get to Sasuke who only cut them off as they got close.
Kakashi had already sent a half dozen Creepers flying away as he had a kunai out to deflect the slash from an Assassin before he raised his headband, revealing his Sharingan eye, and unleashing his Kamui on it by cutting the being in half. Turning Kakashi sent the kunai knife flying into the head of a Dusk that was heading towards Xion, pinning it to the ground before it disappeared as the young girl blinked out of existence again and reappeared next to Kakashi.
"Firaga." The girl grinned as the massive fireball went flying out of her hand and into a rising Assassin, sending it tumbling backwards where she disappeared again and reappeared above it, Voids End stabbing down into it.
Naruto flipped back onto the merlon of the wall where he swung Kurama's clawed edge through the head of an oncoming Dusk as he stepped to the side and slammed a foot into the head of a Samurai, knocking it back as he sent a Thundaga spell into the dazed Nobody. Placing a hand on the keychain Naruto focused for a moment as the weapon was covered in light before it changed form. It was now a deep red color, with the blade of the weapon looking like a monkey with the teeth of the key taking the form of a diadem that was worn on its head. The guard were four tails splitting around a jade rod, before reaching the jade-colored chain that went down to the keychain that had taken the form of Son Goku.
Smirking Naruto flipped off of the merlon and slammed the Keyblade into the ground, causing a tremor to shake the wall. Xion and the other shinobi were quicker to recover and lashed out at the dazed Nobodies with brutal efficiency. Naruto swung the Keyblade into the swinging blade of a Samurai and with a small effort of will sent a jet of lava into the Samurai, knocking it back as it hardened into solid rock, crushing the unfortunate enemy. Bouncing off of the rock Naruto swung the Keyblade into a rising Assassin, cutting through it as he skidded to a stop next to Sasuke who had just finished off another batch of Dusks.
"That thing can change form?" Sasuke asked in surprise.
"Yeah, and each one has its own unique trick." Naruto nodded as he sent a Creeper flying off of the wall and down to the wasteland below "Not as used to this one as the others though."
"You haven't even had him back for a full day yet." Xion laughed as she cut down another Dusk.
Pausing the five glanced around, the remaining Nobodies seeming to have run off for the time being. Naruto took a step towards where the covered section of the Bailey was, having heard the sounds of fighting coming from there when he heard a deep voice speaking.
"The Keyblade… A truly marvelous weapon." Glancing down Naruto saw Sora come running out as he glanced around "Were it only in more capable hands." This caused several more voices to start laughing as Naruto and Sora both glanced around for the sources of those laughs.
"Show yourselves!" Sora demanded. Glancing across the wall Naruto saw a Corridor of Darkness open up as a figure stood there a moment before raising his arms upward, prompting five more doorways to open, revealing the remaining members of Organization XIII.
"Back me up?" Naruto remarked, casting a glance over his shoulder.
"Do you even need to ask?" Sasuke smirked.
Naruto only chuckled as his eyes changed color, becoming a golden color with horizontal slits, and an orange pigmentation appeared around his eyes as well as he jumped across the gap.
"Organization XIII!" Goofy shouted from below.
"Good, now we can finish this!" Sora nodded firmly, right as Naruto landed, Son Goku already swinging.
Their leader let out a noise of surprise as he stepped backward, avoiding Naruto's initial strike, right as another member moved to attack, six spears appearing around him that were blocked as Sasuke appeared next to Naruto, the ribs of Susanoo appearing around him to deflect the initial stab.
"Oh man! Not good!" one exclaimed as he jumped back as Sakura landed now, swinging her fist towards another member who dodged the attack with a backwards roll.
"The odds are not in our favor it would seem." The man agreed.
One wielding a claymore moved in, swinging the weapon down at Naruto, with the blond ninja raising Son Goku up in a one handed grip that stopped the attack dead in its tracks before punching the Nobody in the chest and sending him flying backwards as Xion blinked into existence above him, slashing into him and sending him crashing into the ground before she disappeared and reappeared next to Naruto.
"So much for you being a good boy." Another member remarked as he had his guns out and fired towards the blond, only for the projectiles to disappear "What the?" Before he could speak further he disappeared in a bit of distorted space, dodging Kakashi and his Raikiri.
"Hm. So it would appear that we cannot be friends after all." Their leader stated as he looked at Naruto "What a pity."
With that he opened up a Corridor of Darkness and disappeared inside of it as the other members followed suit, leaving the five standing on top of the castle wall.
"Did you see which one was with who?" Naruto asked as he looked at the other shinobi, getting nods.
"The guy with the spears had Shukaku." Sasuke said "And the one you punched had the Rokubi."
"The one who dodged my punch had the Shichibi." Sakura added.
"The man with the guns had the Gobi." Kakashi continued.
"Xion?"
"The one with the spears was Xaldin, the one with the guns was Xigbar. Siax was the one that Naruto and I double teamed, and from the sound of his voice, you were facing Luxord, Sakura."
"And we already know that Demyx has one as well." Naruto finished "That's all of them."
"You sure?" Sasuke asked with a frown, getting Naruto to look at him with a raised eyebrow "Because their leader had a charm on him too. So if you have all the Biju accounted for, what did he have?"