Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, just the ideas…

"That's him?" Najenda, a former General for the Empire, leaned back in her seat and exhaled a cloud of smoke. The slap of thick, clasped papers against the wooden table was her response. On top was an image of Naruto, along with vague diagrams hurriedly scrawled on yellow, weathered paper.

"Yup." Leone clasped her hands behind her head. "He's got good potential. And besides, we can't let him go with… ya know. " Her unfinished sentence was left hanging in the air, yet the silver-haired soldier knew exactly what she was referring to.

Najenda looked down at the smiling, blonde. He was an innocent - a passerby that was cruelly dragged into this mess without a choice. She- no, they would be no better than the damn Empire, if they forced him into the situation.

But the Revolutionary Army was in desperate need for manpower. Esdeath was still alive and kicking, as were her Three Beasts. Though they were in the North fighting the undefeated Numa Seika, she would undoubtedly return victorious. No matter how experienced the Prince of North was, he wouldn't be able to stand up to a Teigu user, much less Esdeath herself.

And in her most recent trip, she had received new intel that only reinforced the Empire's strength. Najenda clenched her prosthetic hand. Another Kyoki user, one that could allegedly control the earth as easily as breathing air, was no joke.

It wouldn't be long before the rebels would find out about the last Kyoki user. If, or rather when, it happens, she would be pressured to give him up as a soldier and as another resource they would rely on for the coming war. Knowing her decision would change his life forever, could she do it? Could she really play God with his fate; with his life?

The corner of her mouth quirked up ever so slightly.

Of course she could.

~o~

"Say hi, Sheele." Leone grinned at the purple-haired assassin, Naruto and Tatsumi trailing behind her. "They're our newest pickups. Remember them from the other night?"

She placed a finger on her chin, searching through her memories. "I suppose so…" With no warning, her demeanor shifted, the light reflecting off of her rectangular glasses as she stared at the two boys. "But since they've seen our faces, doesn't that mean we have to kill them?"

Leone laughed, doing her best to dispel the nervousness exuding from the two. "Ha! That was a really funny joke Sheele! A joke!" Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at Tatsumi, who merely glared back at her with apprehension and fear.

"Nice meeting you, Sheele." She steered the two away from Sheele, who gazed upon their backs with curiosity and without a hint of wrongdoing.

~o~

"That pervert is in charge of your base's security?" Tatsumi raised an eyebrow. Surely Lubbock, the cool-headed master of traps didn't have such a… scandalous behavior. But what he had just witnessed couldn't be erased from his mind. The assassin had been laying on his belly, his binoculars poised in such an angle that would catch flashes of Leone's admittedly voluptuous body. His behavior was not unlike that of a hormone-addled teenager, albeit, more willing to act on his sexual desires. Yet at the same time, there was no mistaking the cold, ruthless look plastered on his face that night; the low tone of his voice that threatened to extinguish his life in a mere moment.

Tatsumi shook his head. "I just can't believe…"

"What? That we don't have personalities? That we aren't humans?" Leone smirked at his gobsmacked expression. "Don't get me wrong. We're killers for hire. But that doesn't mean we have to act like that all the time." She ruffled Tatsumi's hair with one hand, whining as she missed Naruto's with her other hand.

"Eh. Forget all that. I'm no talker. Let's just go meet Akame."

~o~

Leone sighed at the sight. After the two introduced themselves to Akame, they hurried over to the training ground. It was expected though. There was no better way to calm one's nerves by fighting. She frowned. Personally, she preferred using her fists, not swords…

Naruto slammed his blade into Tatsumi's, sending sparks flying with the clashing of the metal. "Not bad! Who taught you how to fight?" The blonde broke the deadlock by stepping back before throwing a jab.

"Some old soldier back at my village." Tatsumi refrained from speaking in complete sentences, having to deal with the full brunt of a Teigu user. Night Raid had not fully explained what a Teigu was, but at the very least, he understood that a normal person wouldn't be able to contest the strength of its wielder. He dodged the first punch but he reeled back from the impact of the second.

Though Tatsumi considered himself to be an experienced swordsman, nothing could have prepared him for Naruto's fighting style. If his insane strength and speed weren't enough, his movements were erratic and unpredictable, unlike that of a swordsman's.

"Ngh!" The arm of holding his sword was slashed, a bloody gash being left behind and forcing him to falter his grip. In a brutish finish, Naruto disarmed him, leaving them both breathing heavily.

"Not bad you two!" Bulat whistled impressively as he slung his spear over his bare shoulder. "It's pretty amazing you've both advanced this far while training on the outskirts."

"Thanks… bro." For the past day, Bulat had repeatedly insisted on being called "bro," a request only Tatsumi fulfilled. Naruto, on the other hand, was not at all willing to do so. "And Bulat?"

"Yeah?"

"When is your boss going to come back?" The two boys had heard of the famed Najenda, the former Empire General that formed Night Raid in the first place. But even several days later, they had yet to catch a glimpse of the woman.

Bulat stabbed his training spear into the ground before walking over to the two and clapping Tatsumi on the back. "Don't worry you two. She'll be back soon enough. If anything, you guys should be worrying about your decision."

Naruto's smile faded quickly. More than anyone else, he knew the hopelessness of his situation. There was no chance Night Raid would let him return to his village. It was likely that he'd never see Sasuke again either. Because of the power inside him, he would have to work with these assassins.

Tatsumi, on the other hand, seemed to be deep in thought. His reaction was more subdued - neither positive nor negative. But even as Bulat eagerly awaited his answer, Tatsumi could not give one. He truly had no way out.

The trio awkwardly stood there, one jaded from years of war yet still passionately resisting the Empire's grasp, one struggling to find some light in the overwhelming darkness, and the last lost within the confines of his mind.

~o~

"I understand the situation. You two, Naruto and Tatsumi… Do you have any desire to join Night Raid?" The woman before them held out her metal arm, a physical representation of her invitation. With her all black outfit, eyepatch, and stern, purple eyes, Najenda lived up to her image as a cold, fearless general.

Yet with all that aside, Naruto could only focus on her inevitable demand disguised as a question. He internally sighed at the unfairness of it all. At least he'd be able to look for Sasuke while carrying out missions or whatever Night Raid did.

But before Naruto could mumble out an affirmation, Tatsumi spoke up. "I know you guys won't kill me if I say no… But there's no way I can just leave the Empire like this! I'm in." Almost as an afterthought, he mumbled, "It's what they would've wanted me to do." The boy fidgeted nervously, unused to all the attention being focused solely on him. "What?"

"Are you truly up to it Tatsumi?" Bulat questioned. "Once you're in, you're in. There's no coming back after this."

Tatsumi hesitated, thrown off by Bulat's seriousness. But he would not waver. His decision was one that would hold true. It would not be changed. "Yeah, you're right. There's no coming back after this. But I've figured it out already. When you talked about the Empire… You're right. I don't want any other innocents to die like that. That's why… I'm in."

"But you have to promise me this. My village needs money and since I'll be in Night Raid, I want them to be supported. Otherwise…" Despite being leagues ahead of Tatsumi in strength, the hair on the back of Bulat's neck stood up. This was a man that would kill if his promise was not fulfilled.

Bulat nodded cheerfully, dismissing his fear and the implicit threat. "We're fine with that, aren't we boss?"

"Fine by me."

"… Good." Tatsumi exhaled loudly. "As long as they're safe, I'll be fine. "

Breaking the tension in the room, Mine snickered. "All my money on a week. A newbie like him won't even last long."

Tatsumi's eyes twitched. "What'd you say, you flat-chested prick?"

Najenda, ignoring the two shoot insults back and forth, looked expectantly at Naruto. "And you?"

Naruto smirked. As expected from Najenda. Her proposal seemed like exactly that - a proposal. It was eerie how easily and smoothly she lied through her teeth. But he knew better. Still, there was no other choice to be made. "I'm in too. Besides, I can't exactly-"

"Intruders! Najenda…" There it was again. No doubt, that was what Tatsumi was talking about earlier. There was no spark of playfulness in Lubbock's green eyes. There was only an overwhelming darkness that threatened to swallow everything.

The amount of bloodlust skyrocketed, and Tatsumi stepped back, only to look on with horror as his friend's shirt ripped into tatters by the four crimson tendrils sprouting from his back. "So his Teigu reacted to that…" Najenda mused. "Now's a good time to test out your potential. Night Raid, eliminate all the intruders without fail. Go!"

Immediately, they jumped into action, leaving Naruto and Tatsumi behind. "Go on." Najenda tossed the butt of her cigar on the floor and squashed it. "Show me what you two got! Don't freeze out on me now. You've both chosen to walk the path of carnage so kill them without hesitation."

With his back to them, Naruto slowly grinned.

A/N: This chapter is a bit rushed so I might come back and fix that. The next two updates will come soon, since I haven't updated in around two weeks. Next update: Magi and Assassins (The new FGO fanfic I was talking about!)

Peace!