Hey guys! Just want to make a quick address to an anonymous reviewer who claims that I have been basically copying other peoples fanfictions. While there is one small part that closely resembles a part from another fanfiction, the rest have been from my own rough drafts. I also tend to copy a bit from the translations on the fate series from a website called Chaldeum that's dedicated to translating FGO for the rest of us. Or reddit. I tend to copy off that a bit so I apologize if it feels a bit too similar. Other fanfic writers tend to do the same thing and copy off of them too so don't be surprised if many have nearly the same writing.
Also like I said in the last few chapters, I don't want this story just being about Naruto effing shit up wherever he goes without a sweat. It wouldn't be interesting otherwise.
With that said, please enjoy the chapter!
"What are you even doing here, Sasori?" Naruto questioned as he stared with narrowed eyes at the Akatsuki member. Though he may have known about this particular member only briefly, Sakura had told him enough for him to get a picture of how he was like.
Sasori of the red sand... That was his moniker, given to him from all the warring villages who went against Suna in the great war. He got that name from being a particular monster in the battlefields of the desert, slaughtering enemy shinobi in such numbers that the sand would turn red from the blood. He was also one of the greatest artisans of poison at that time, creating ones nearly impossible to replicate an antidote for.
He was dangerous. Among all the puppet users, he was by far the greatest and the most dangerous. He claimed the puppets he made were works of eternal art, but they were nothing more than wooden corpses repurposed by him for his own uses.
Dangerous beyond compare. He had to tread lightly right now. He couldn't release more than thirty percent of his power right now. Any more and the place might collapse from the inside. And if that happened, that important information they needed was going to be lost within the rubble.
"Wondering what I'm doing here?" Sasori asked, his tone as neutral and emotionless like a puppet as always. "Don't be. I'm here for the same reason you are. Information is key after all."
"And what information would you need?" Naruto's eyes narrowed.
"The information regarding the world's end. It's the reason why I was summoned, after all." Sasori replied, causing Naruto's eyes to widen.
"Who summoned you? We know you don't have the ability to just pull yourself from the throne." Naruto said with a wary look. Anyone who would think of summoning Sasori must not have been in their right mind.
"I can tell you don't trust me." Sasori noted with a shrug. "I don't blame you. But before you think of vaporizing me, I suggest you take time to think it through. Without me, the mountain people above will loose one of their assets preventing the Holy City from trampling them. Do you want that to happen? Do you want the loss of life to be on your hands?"
"What are you talking about, Sasori?" Naruto growled, not liking where this was going. "And why would you, a wandering killer, protect these people you speak of? If I recalled, you never had any apathy of human life to begin with."
"You'll know what I'm speaking of when we get above ground." Sasori replied as his hand suddenly twitched, causing the puppets to suddenly disappear in a poof of smoke. He stepped away from the console and gestured to the controls. "Take that as an invitation of peace from me. Use the computer. I will not stop you."
Naruto stared at him, trying to gauge if he was telling the truth. No matter how low he restricts his power, he will always be able to sense the emotions of others and discern what they are feeling. What he got from Sasori, however, was near emptiness. He was like a puppet made up of magical energy.
But...
He couldn't detect an ounce of lie in his words. Whatever the situation may be, he may be at least kept at arms length for now. There were too many questions that needed answers, but he could at least focus on the one thing he came here to do.
"Find what you need, Sherlock." Naruto ordered, lowering his kunai but not holstering it.
"Tally ho!" Sherlock exclaimed with unrestrained excitement as he approached the controls and began typing away. "Administrator access? You certainly made quick work of the system."
Sasori remained silent, but Sherlock didn't seem to notice as he continued to type away at the console. The machine began flickering on with words and numbers as a hologram of files and records appeared in front of them.
He began scrolling through the files, looking for the specific piece of information that he had came here for. As he worked, Naruto couldn't help but be slightly astounded by how fast the man processed these thousands of files. He'd open up a file, sift through their pages in a matter of milliseconds, and quickly move to another one.
Not even he could process information that fast. It was most definitely an ability that couldn't be gained through training. It was simply an inhuman ability he had been born with.
"Japan... Grail... fifth..." Sherlock muttered as he scrolled through the files. Finally he stopped on a certain file and snapped his finger. "Bingo. I have everything that I need."
"What did you find?"
"The information on the fifth holy grail war." Sherlock said as he exited out of the file. "Everything is in there. The victor, the participants, and what came after the war. The computer has documented it all."
He continued typing on the console. "The winner of the fifth Holy Grail war was the first director of Chaldea. Whatever the case may be, he traveled to Fuyuki Japan with a assistant and took part in the war. He eventually succeeded, killing all seven magi and taking the grail for himself. His personal wish, however, is unknown."
"What, the computer didn't tell you?"
"It's a super computer that only looks at the results. The wish wasn't documented." Sherlock shrugged. "They only seek the truth. Everything else is just a secondary goal. If I had to guess, his wish would be for success and prosperity as a magus. When he returned to the clock tower His name, Marisbilly Animusphere, was now recognized by his peers. His research and theories which had been regarded as not important now suddenly were now bringing success and recognition to his family name."
"So the director interacted with a Holy Grail..." Naruto muttered. "They told me the first singularity that had occurred was there. Whatever it was, Fuyuki must have been the sparking point for this entire mess."
"Not the sparking point, no, but definitely a place of importance." Sherlock corrected. "After Chaldea was established, he began sending invitations for potential staff members who would be well equipped to handle the threats towards the world. Most of the important cabinets had been filled, but there is one that has piqued my interest. He sent an invitation to his personal assistant, citing him as an important asset. It is quite odd for him to do so, however. A young man of 22 years taking the position of the head of medical? That's something I would say wasn't human."
Naruto's eyes narrowed. "The doctor? He knew the first director?"
"Now you see why I'm cautious of him." Sherlock said, turning to him. "The computer doesn't have any information of him regarding his past." He paused. "Well it might, though it will require more power for me to go through a billion more files that change every single year. He's effectively a ghost in the system, an unknown factor with an unknown past."
Naruto bit his lip. The man might have been a little bit pessimistic, but he was a good man. He was awkward, but his actions show that his heart was in the right place. But was that a front? Was he a spy?
The basic rule of those trained by ROOT was to act like someone you weren't. People tend to suspect less of you if you're nothing like what they think of you to be.
But he was sure that Roman wasn't like that. No. If he was, everything he had done up until this point goes against everything the King of Magic had been hoping to do.
If he WAS a spy, then he'll take care of it.
"I'll keep that in mind. I won't tell him anything of your involvement out of respect for your wishes, but do not think for a moment that the doctor is most certainly evil."
"Just keep that in mind. An open mind is best during these situations." Sherlock said as he stepped back from the computer. "I'm done here. I'll lead the way back now."
"There is no need."
Naruto and Sherlock turned to see Sasori holding a thin wire from his fingers, tracing it back all the way into the hallway that they had came from to enter the underground dome.
"I left a wire trail behind when I entered. I was informed that this place was a copy of the labyrinth." Sasori said simply.
"Like the myth of Thesus and the golden twine." Sherlock smirked. "Lead the way, O' Red Sand."
A small scowl appeared on Naruto and Sasori's faces.
"Don't talk like that." Naruto grumbled as they began leaving.
"What's so special about him?" Kakashi grunted as he traded blows with the female Hassan as she tried to prevent him from charging towards the large man in the back.
"Wouldn't you like to know." The Hassan growled as she jumped backwards to avoid another slash.
Since kakashi's kunai have been wreathed in lightning, it was almost suicidal for her to try and block his slashes with her own knives as they would just be cleanly slashed through. As such, she had limited herself to range and making sure to keep the man away by a set distance.
She would have favored taking him out using range, but the man was just as good as throwing his weapon as she was. Unlike her own, however, his knives seemed made for throwing as well as close combat on a higher level than her own.
Gritting her teeth as she watched him deflect another thrown knife, she tried to formulate another plan in her head. He was clearly not like the knights of camelot. He fought more like her. Which meant she wouldn't be able to outsmart him.
"Think fast!" Kakashi called out as he threw a kunai at her. Cursing, she jumped backwards and narrowly avoided having the projectile pierce her skull. Before she could land however, Kakashi suddenly pulled back with his arms and she found herself hitting the ground.
"What?!" She exclaimed as she found herself being dragged across the sand. Looking down, she saw a thin piece of wire that had been unnoticeable to her before. He must have slipped it on her when she was distracted trying to dodge his lightning!
Cursing in her native tongue, she quickly cut the wire and stood back up only to find that Kakashi wasn't there. Spinning around, she saw him make a beeline directly for her subordinate carrying the package.
"Jaasir! Drop the package! We're leaving!" Hassan ordered. Seeing Kakashi approach him, the man quickly dropped the bag and ran off. As he did so, the rest of the hassans began following suit and jumping away into the sandstorm.
"Wait!" Gudao called out. They haven't gotten any answers!
"Let's see you find your way around now, soldiers of the lion king." Hundred face growled as she jumped backwards. "You're trapped directly between the sun kings domain and our own. Next time we see you, you won't be so lucky and we'll make you pay for this insult."
And with that warning, the Hassans retreated into the sandstorm. Kakashi waited for a few seconds to see if they were coming back, but it seemed like they wouldn't. He holstered the kunais and jogged over to the package the man was carrying. When he got closer, he could see that it was indeed some sort of body bag if those small tufts of hair that were poking out of the top were any indication.
Getting down on one knee, he cautiously unclasped the bag and opened it up to reveal the form of a young tan woman with purple hair and clothes resembling those of a noble from Egypt. Judging by her even breathing and her closed eyes, she was definitely unconscious and had been for a while.
But there was also the fact that she was a servant if her aura was anything to go by.
"Kakashi!" Gabby yelled as she, Gudao, and Da Vinci ran over to him. "What's in the bag?"
"An Egyptian servant from the looks of it." Kakashi said as he managed to gently move the unconscious girl out of the bag. "Most likely those Hassans were kidnapping her for some reason. Perhaps leverage against this supposed 'sun king' she mentioned briefly about."
"Sun king?" Gudao questioned.
"The hassan mentioned it before she left. She only gave me a title, though there is high enough evidence to suggest that she was talking about a Pharaoh, rulers of Egypt and avatars of the god Horus." Kakashi said, having read about them in the archives about a week ago. He made it a point to study about others.
"Then do you think this would be a queen? I mean, these jewelry and clothing don't seem like something a commoner would have." Gudao noted as he stared at the girl. "If that's the case, we should probably get her to the pyramids. Making a friend wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"That's if they don't just shoot us on sight."
"So the best course of action is to wake her up and talk to her." Da Vinci declared as she walked over to the girl, causing Kakashi to back off as the inventor knelt down next to the girl. Before anyone could ask her what she was doing, she immediately began slapping the unconscious girl across the face, much to everyones horror.
"Da Vinci-san!" Mashu exclaimed as she rushed over. "Why are you doing that to her?!"
"Oh don't be such a baby, Mashu. Tis just a love tap." Da Vinci assured her as she continued to slap the girl across the face, only earning soft snoring in response. "Come on... Wake up..."
Mashu had a panicked look on her face as she continued to watch the inventor smack the crap out of the woman. If she really was someone of royalty, nothing good could possibly come out of this violent wake up call!
"Shouldn't we help her?" Kakashi asked Scathach as she joined him in staring at the scene.
"Are you kidding?" Scathach replied with an amused look on her face. Kakashi just sighed and returned back to his orange book, pulling it out once again while Da Vinci continued to hammer away.
Finally after slap number forty, the woman began to stir. Slowly opening her eyes, the woman groaned as she felt the familiar coarseness of sand on her back, before her eyes suddenly turned from drowsy to surprise when she noticed that she was in the presence of complete... strangers.
"W-what?!" She screamed, suddenly very wide awake and alert. Jumping backwards, she summoned some kind of staff in her hand and pointed it towards the group. "Explain yourself! Why is it that you are here?! Speak quickly before I drag you all down into the underworld."
The servants gave each other looks while Gudao stepped up to try and placate the woman.
"We are sorry for waking you, miss. But we just saved you from some Hassans who were attempting to kidnap you from... wherever you're from." Gudao spoke carefully, knowing that he was walking on a very fine line.
"Yeah!" Gabby nodded her head in agreement. "Like, you were just in a body bag a couple minutes ago! If it wasn't for us, you would have been broken down by a bunch of knife wielding nut jobs!"
Actually, Hassans were pretty civilized people when you talked to them face to face. She just found that blowing things out of proportions in certain situations and making it seem more heroic is usually the best way to go when talking to nobles. They take up everything like a robber in a bank.
And for a second, it seemed like the woman believed their story before her eyes suddenly settled on Arturia and Mordred. Within an instant, her power flared up once again.
"Lies! You dare try to trick me?! The knights of the Holy city are among you!" She suddenly then turned a finger towards Kakashi and Jiraiya. "And you two bear the similar headband of the executioner! What are you, reserve forces for the lion king? Do you think you can just walk in here without consequences?!"
She stamped her foot like a child, earning confused looks from the servants as they tried to figure out what she meant.
"Headbands? Another shinobi?" Kakashi whispered to Jiraiya who shrugged.
"Most likely. Can't think of anything else."
"Get behind us!" Emiya exclaimed as he drew his swords and stood in front of the masters with a few other servants, creating a wall separating them from the pissed off servant in front of them.
"Enough of this! I shall wipe all of you out of existence!" The servant roared, causing the sandstorm to suddenly funnel around at a faster pace in response to her anger.
"Prepare yourself, villains! For you face the wrath of a Pharaoh! One who stands amongst the gods! I am Nitocris, the last Pharaoh of the sixth dynasty!"
"You'll be meeting up with others from Chaldea, will you not?" Holmes inquired as they neared the exit. Sasori had done a pretty good job of leading the back, following the wire he had left before coming in.
"Yeah. I'm pretty sure I can find them." Naruto answered, though he was slightly dreading the long walk he was going to be doing. In this state, it was going to be way harder than what he was used to.
"Then let me give you one last piece of advice that will surely help you in your impending future." Sherlock said as he leaned in closer. "The one responsible for this anomaly isn't the King of Magic like Chaldea is used to. The real culprit is that of the lion king, the king who lies in the diamond city."
"Lion king?" Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Sounds like something from Thunder Cats. I can't recall anyone with that title in history either. Who exactly is that?"
"Now that's something you'll need to find out for yourself." Sherlock said with a smirk at Naruto's annoyed expression. "I don't believe you have to wait long, though. I believe our redheaded guide will have something to tell you about it when we leave. For now, I'll tell you some information not directly involved with the king of magic."
He swept his hand around. "This singularity we're in? It's a unique one. Like I said, unlike the others, the king of magic did not directly cause it. Everything was created because of another culprit, AKA the Lion King, using the use of a powerful artifact."
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "That doesn't make any sense. Where would this so-called Lion King have gotten the ability to do something like this? A holy grail?"
"No. Something else. This singularity no longer exists in any time at all. It's now isolated from the rest of the world, planted in an area only known as 'The World's End'. You head outside the decaying borders and you'll find yourself in the middle of nowhere that extends for infinity."
"The World's End?" Naruto frowned, having felt like he had heard that term long ago. "An area outside of time... Isolated from the rest of the world... a pocket dimension of some sort?"
"Exactly like that." Sherlock nodded in satisfaction. "The end of the world, not accessible to humanity. Nothing lives there, and nothing possibly could. It's up to you to uncover for yourself as to why this is happening."
"Because it's not like you could just give me the answers, right?" Naruto grumbled. "Honestly, all you smart people seem to do is make things harder for us regular people."
"Well you can hardly consider yourself regular or a human being, yes?" Sherlock shrugged, not at all bothered by Naruto's jab. "You'll find the answers you seek soon enough. The only way to stop this time from disappearing is to stop the Lion King."
Naruto would have replied with another sarcastic quip, but he squinted as he found himself breaking through the temple steps and out into the desert with Sasori nearby, casually rolling up the wire from the inside. The sandstorm had lessened considerably, but it was still going fierce. He'd be surprised if anyone managed to find this place.
"I must go now. Time is short, and I fear that I'll be late to my next meeting." Sherlock said as he glanced at a small pocket watch he held in his hand. "Well, don't fret. We shall meet again in a city in a much different time. Until then, watch what you say to the doctor. Not everything is as it seems."
Naruto simply watched silently, not saying a goodbye of his own as the man swiftly turned around and began walking away into the sandstorm and disappearing out of view.
"He's gone." Sasori stated the obvious as he finished rolling up the wire. "We're alone now, just the two of us. Therefore, we can get down to business."
"As long as I get an explanation for all this." Naruto said as he turned to him with narrowed eyes. "I sense no intent to harm me, Sasori. However, I still do not trust you. If I even consider the fact that you're going to pull something, I'll kill you and leave without a second thought."
Sasori just gave him a blank look. "Naruto Uzumaki... You defeated the Akatsuki long ago, taking down our leader after a struggle in the Hidden Leaf. Afterwards, you obtained the title as the seventh Hokage along with the title of a 'god of shinobi' alongside Sasuke Uchiha. An impressive list of feats. Certainly more than what any other Shinobi in history has ever done. But do not misunderstand... Those things mean nothing to me. You could be the most powerful person in the world and I still wouldn't bat an eye to you."
"And yet here you are, right in front of me."
"I wouldn't have been here if I wasn't ordered to." Sasori scoffed as he turned away. "So just make my job easier and come along quietly. An... old friend is waiting for you in the mountains. If you don't come with me, everyone there will treat you as an enemy on sight and try to kill you."
"I'd be fine." Naruto argued. "My power alone is enough to insure survival."
"Don't make me laugh. It's obvious you're limiting your power right now through those seals." Sasori snorted, pointing to Naruto's arm which was visible under his shortened sleeve to reveal the seal. "Right now, you're at the level of a high-tier servant. But even you can't hold out for long against the forces in this world for long." He turned away. "Or you could, if you just released your seals without restraint. But then you doom the singularity with you, killing everyone here. Would you really want that?"
Naruto grit his teeth, but said nothing. Deep down, he knew that his loyalties to those he cared for was his only weakness and it seems like Sasori knew that as well.
So there was nothing he could do... for now.
"Where would you like me to go?" Naruto said lowly, earning a small triumphant smile.
"Follow me... And stay close. You take a wrong turn and you'll run directly into some... dangerous territory." Sasori warned as he turned and began walking off without waiting for Naruto to respond. Sighing to himself, he just followed after the man as he led him to who knows where.
But his interest was piqued. An old friend wanted to see him?
Then he'd best be sure not to keep them waiting.
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but reinforcements are coming." Kakashi announced as several dark shapes became visible. Upon closer examination, the groups dread rose as they discerned the reinforcements as an entire horde of sphinxes that were bounding and leaping towards them at high speeds.
"You stand in the desert of the great sun king. The expanding desert is his domain, and none may enter without his knowledge or consent. The fact that you managed to go this long without dying is surprising." Nitocris admitted begrudgingly. "However, there is no chance for escape. These sphinxes can travel faster than a cheetah and for a much longer period of time. You can't hope to outrun them in the desert."
"She's right." Robin said he reached a nervous hand into his pocket. "These things seem to have the ability to see in the sandstorm. I could try to release my noble phantasm and cover the area with poison, but I doubt it will slow them down enough for us to escape."
"Then it can't be helped... we need to have one of you release your noble phantasm. Negotiations don't seem like they're getting anywhere with her." Gudao said with a grim look.
"I'll do it!" Da Vinci exclaimed as she pulled out a pair of glasses. "I've always wanted to use it, but Roman always kept me hold up in Chaldea and I know he'd be mad if I tried to release it anywhere."
"What?" The servants whispered, glancing at each other curiously at her words. If they thought about it, this was the first time that the inventor had ever been seen doing combat. She'd usually come to watch the occasional spar, but she would never let herself get dragged into one of their shenanigans and mostly just stayed within the leyshifting chamber.
So... what Noble Phantasm could she possibly be using?
Apparently Nitocris wasn't willing to find out.
"You will not! By the power of Anubis, I will drag you down to the underworld!" Nitocris declared as she raised her staff and began to chant in ancient egyptian.
"She's going to release her own noble phantasm!" Gabby exclaimed as she saw numerous words of power begin to surround the Pharaoh. "This is bad! If those two attacks collid-"
Suddenly, Nitocris let out a surprised yelp as her chanting stopped. In the distance, the Sphinxes had stopped in their tracks and looked like they were teetering on nervousness as they watched them.
"W-what is this?! Unhand me at once!"
Jeanne gasped. "Everyone, look!"
Following her gaze, they found that Nitocris was struggling fiercely, her staff lying in the sand a few feet away from her. What surprised them most, however, was the man that stood behind the pharaoh with his hands having subdued her. The man wore a black cloak with red clouds, and a straw hat that covered most of his head which prevented most of the servants from recognizing him.
Key word: Most.
"No way..." Jiraiya muttered, having already recognized him.
"It seems like fate that all of us would be gathered again." Kakashi muttered as he recognized the tear-trough lines underneath the man's onyx eyes.
To the world, he was a killer, a betrayer, and among the greatest criminals history has ever known. A man who killed his own family for no apparent reason and left without a word. A man who associated himself with a terrorist organization before finally being brought to justice by his own brother.
He knew better, though. To him, the man was a hero, a wise man, and a good person in a world full of killers. He was a hero in the hearts of the few, and a villain in the hearts of many.
He sacrificed everything for the sake of the village. His family, his loved ones, and his future. People who truly knew him would have called him a 'hero of justice' who gave up everything without expecting anything.
He was Itachi Uchiha, the Clan Killer.
"You may control the spirits of the dead, Ancient Pharaoh. My eyes however... see it clearly." Itachi spoke, his eyes slowly spiraling into the familiar shape of the sharingan.
Gasp! So Itachi finally makes his appearance known!
Now, if you are able to piece it together, Itachi doesn't exactly go down in history as a good guy. Only a few select people truly know why Itachi went through and killed his entire clan. Unfortunately, it isn't enough for him to be recognized as a hero because, like he said, he didn't want the Uchiha's sacrifice to be in vain and jeopardize everything.
So you could say that he's comparable to a certain 'hero of justice' who sacrificed his own well being for the salvation of others, giving up his future and happiness in the process.
I'll come up with a stat sheet for both Itachi and Sasori later and add it with the next chapter. Christmas break has started, and I should have plenty of time to pump out a few chapters.
With that said, stay tuned for the next chapter!
-baloshua