Hello

So, I've been wanting to do a crossover with Naruto and Fire Emblem: Three Houses since I first beat the game back in 2019. I never understood what kept me from actually following through on that desire until now, but what's done is done.

At any rate, I will tell you all now that I will be going the Crimson Flower route. It's my favorite route besides Verdant Wind.

Disclaimer: I, Raymond Smith, own nothing from either of these series

Crimson Flower

Chapter 1: From Ninja to Teacher

"In light of your injuries," Tsunade concluded, having heard the report from Kakashi and Yamato about the conflict with Kakuzu and Hidan, "I'm placing you on bedrest, Kakashi."

The man gave a tired eye-smile, having to be supported slightly by Yamato. "I appreciate that, Lady Hokage."

"And Naruto," she turned to the only male blonde in the room, seeing his arm in a sling, "that jutsu you created…" She closed her eyes to avoid seeing his obvious reaction as she finished, "I'm labeling it a Forbidden Jutsu."

"What?! But I worked my ass off to make it, and it put a stop to Kakazu!" he argued.

"Yes, but at the same time it has horrific backlash on your arm." She opened her eyes again, locking a stern gaze upon his blue orbs. "Tell me honestly, your arm hurts worse than any other time in your life, doesn't it?"

He cringed at the question, avoiding her gaze. "…yeah…"

"It's an amazing jutsu, Naruto; no one is denying that. However, it's not worth your arm or your career. Think about it; what will you do when the chakra pathways in your arm are too damaged for you to use jutsu?"

He clenched his left fist as it trembled, a sign of his frustration. "…Fine, I get it," he conceded, not hiding his displeasure.

No one could blame him for being so upset. After all, he had worked incredibly hard and devoted a lot of conjoined time into making his RasenShuriken. Without his clones putting in the effort as well, he'd still be stuck on the first step of Wind Manipulation training. Plus, it was the very jutsu that recoiled on his arm that pulled their asses out of the fire.

"Everyone but Naruto leave," ordered the busty Hokage.

The others shared a look with her before they complied with her order. Yamato and Sakura both led Kakashi to the hospital while the others went their own separate ways.

Left alone with the woman he constantly called Granny, Naruto let go of the restraints he put on his emotions. His frustrated expression became somber as he turned back to face the woman.

"So… What happens now?" he asked.

"For now, I'm assigning you to light duty. Your arm is still recovering, after all."

"What will I be doing? Helping you with your seemingly endless paperwork?" he joked.

She smirked at him, showing amusement at his slight jab. "No, I won't spoil the fun for you yet. You'll get to enjoy it when you take the hat from me." She was pleased to see a faint smile on his face. "I believe it's time that you got started on learning fūinjutsu."

"Sealing Arts?" he queried, tilting his head. "Not that I'm not curious to learn, but why that?"

"You and I both carry Uzumaki blood within us, Naruto," she began to explain, not bothering to hide things from him. "I'd learn the art if there wasn't another Uzumaki in the village, if only to respect the ancestry of my grandmother, Mito."

"But, since I'm here…"

She nodded, confirming his silent question. "You'll be learning them instead. To be frank, I have no particular interest in sealing other than this mark on my forehead." She jabbed a thumb to the rhombus marking. "I think that you'd show more interest in them than I ever will."

He nodded in understanding, his gaze downward. "…Could you tell me which of my parents was an Uzumaki?"

She heard the desperation in his voice, which made her stand up from her chair and move around her desk to stand in front of him. She placed a gentle hand on his cheek, guiding his gaze back to hers so he could see the proud smile she had on her face.

"Your mother was Kushina Uzumaki, a dear friend of mine that I saw as family; despite us already being distantly related. She was a wonderful woman who was a master of fūinjutsu."

"You said was," he noted. "So, that means that she's…"

"Yes, she's dead. I'm sorry…"

Shaking his head, he gave her a teary smile. "Don't be. I'm more than happy to finally learn about her. The Old Man was always so tightlipped about my parents whenever I brought up the subject. I was honestly afraid that she was alive and hated me…"

"She would never hate you, fool. She loved you from the moment she realized she was pregnant with you, and she loved you in death as well; both of your parents did."

He wiped his tears with a slightly hoarse chuckle. "That's a relief…"

"I'd tell you about your father as well; but I think that reveal should be made by the pervert."

"Pervy Sage? He knew my parents too?"

"Yes, but just be a little more patient. I'll have him talk to you as soon as he can, okay?"

He nodded gratefully. "Thanks, Tsunade…"

"Oh? No Granny puns this time?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Nah… I can't find it in me to say it to your face anymore; considering you told me something I've wanted to know for as long as I can remember."

She smiled at his reasons, placing a hand on his cheek again. "They'd be proud of the man you're becoming Naruto. Don't ever doubt that for a moment."

"I won't," he promised before he excused himself from the office.

The next morning found Naruto seated atop the head of the Fourth Hokage, waiting for the Perverted Toad Sage to arrive. He looked down at his village, smiling at the beauty of it and at the villagers going about their day-to-day lives.

"Thought I'd find you here, kid," a familiar voice called out, prompting him to turn and see Jiraiya grinning at him. "So, I heard you finally completed it. Nice work. I knew you had it in you."

He rubbed his head bashfully at the praise. "Thanks, Pervy Sage."

"Still calling me that, huh? No respect, I tell you…"

"Sorry," Naruto replied jokingly, knowing that this was just byplay between him and his master. "So, Tsunade said you were gonna get me started on fūinjutsu?"

"That's right, and let me just say that I'm glad she convinced you to do so. I've got plenty of experience with fūinjutsu, and I was worried my knowledge would go to waste. But, my fears don't matter anymore since you agreed."

The two shared a grin and a laugh at that. "Hey, before we start…could I ask you something?"

"You wanna know about your old man," Jiraiya stated, earning a surprised look. "C'mon, did you really think Tsunade wouldn't tell me before I came here? She's the one who wanted me to tell you, remember?'

His cheeks flushed in embarrassment at forgetting that. "So…?"

"I'll cut to the chase, then. Your sitting on the carved head of your father, Naruto."

"But I'm on…" His eyes widened at that. "…My dad was the Fourth Hokage."

"And my apprentice before you," added the Toad Sage. "He was a good man, a great ninja, and," he gave the young man a smile, "he would've been a wonderful father to you, kid."

Shock filled Naruto to the brim. The man he had idolized as a young boy was his father. It was a heavy pill to swallow; especially since his father was also the one who put the Kyuubi in his gut.

"You gonna be okay?" Jiraiya asked in concern.

"Y-Yeah… I just… I need some time to wrap my head around this."

Nodding, the older man walked over to his apprentice, pulling out a dark blue scroll from his haori. "Here," he said, tossing the scroll into Naruto's lap. "Those are some of my notes on fūinjutsu. Go ahead and take a look at them when you think you're ready."

"I will… Thanks, Jiraiya."

"Oho! Calling me by my name now, are you?"

"Like I told Tsunade, I can't find it in me to call you by the nickname I gave you since you told me something I've wanted to know for so long." He then deadpanned at the Sage and added, "I'll most likely get over it after I catch you peeping or doing something else perverted."

The Gallant Jiraiya gave out a boisterous laugh at the honesty coming from his young student. "I'd be worried if you didn't!"

With that, he walked off with a wave over his shoulder, his laughter dying down to chuckles as he headed down. Left alone, Naruto turned back to the village. His mind was filled with questions about his parents, but he didn't dwell on them for too long. He was beyond happy to learn about them, but they were gone; and they'd been that way for his whole life.

He'd have time to think about them whenever he wanted. For now, he had some studying to do; something that made him chuckle. After all, it was ironic that the Dead Last of the Leaf Twelve would study anything since he never did it in the Academy.

"Think he'll be okay?" Tsunade asked, sharing some of her sake with her old teammate.

"He'll be fine. The kid's tougher than we give him credit for." He took a drink from his dish before adding, "Don't forget that he grew up thinking the worst, and he still turned out okay."

"That's not exactly something we should be happy about, Lord Jiraiya," Shizune cut in, looking concerned. "It must have been horrible to think that Lord Minato and Lady Kushina hated him and abandoned him at birth."

Tsunade paused in her drink, setting down her dish with a somber expression. "How the hell did he stay so optimistic throughout the years?"

"Stubbornness," Jiraiya answered. "The kid's as stubborn as Kushina; which isn't a bad thing, actually. He may have thought the worst, but he stubbornly believed that he'd prove everyone that they were wrong about him. It's what kept him going."

"I'm guessing you saw that stubbornness?"

"Many times," confirmed the man. "Every time he acted that way, I couldn't help but see his mother in him. It was hard to keep it from him during our training trip."

"Speaking of that," Tsunade began, her expression turning stern, "why didn't you start him on fūinjutsu when you were gone? Based on the reports of his recent missions, Naruto still relies too much on his clones and the Kyuubi. I understand that he needs to get a better handle on that chakra, but that shouldn't mean his other skills should stagnate or suffer."

"I had to drill in the basics for a majority of the first part of our trip," the Sage confessed. "He didn't even know how to dispel genjutsu, after all. By the time he got a better handle on them, we had spent more time than I hoped. After that, I focused on toughening him up so that his body could handle Bijuu chakra, while putting some battle tactics in that head of his."

"So, the problem was that you lost too much time because he wasn't taught properly to begin with," Tsunade concluded.

"Exactly. As cruel as it may sound, maybe Naruto messing up his arm was a good thing." He held up a hand to stop any outbursts from the two women. "Hear me out. Because you've put him on light duty, he must be extra careful with what he could train in. This gives him plenty of time to get started on the fūinjutsu he wasn't able to see during our trip."

"I suppose that's true," Shizune conceded, sharing a look with her master.

"Yes, even if the circumstances leading to this could've been better. At any rate, I suggest we give Naruto some space for now. He's got a lot on his mind, and he'll talk to us when he's ready."

The other two nodded in agreement.

A couple of weeks later showed Naruto sitting in his apartment, looking over Jiraiya's notes once more. His right arm was finally out of its sling, but it was still tender. He was told to give it some exercise so that his muscles wouldn't atrophy from the backlash of his jutsu. The many healing sessions, combined with the Kyuubi's chakra, were slowly repairing the damage; but it was definitely slower than any other time he had been on recovery.

Right now, though, he had just finished a sealing array that he had created based on various other seals centered around motion, movement, and transportation. It took a great deal of time to carefully lay out due to him being right-handed and forced to use his left; but he had finished it and was now inspecting his handiwork.

"Alright, the Warp Seal seems ready to test. If this works, we could probably establish better connections with the other Hidden Villages. And if that works, we can move one step closer to creating some lasting sense of peace between everyone…"

"I wouldn't get your hopes up, you idealistic fool. For one thing, there's a very weak ceasefire agreement between them at best. And for another, you don't know if this will work yet since you've more-or-less mashed different sealing formulas together.

'Don't be so negative, Kyuubi!' admonished Naruto to his tenant, having gotten to speaking with the Bijuu more frequently during his time on light duty. 'You gotta start thinking with the glass half full!'

"Hmph! Whether it's half full or half empty doesn't matter to me; it's just water in a glass."

'How realist of you. Let's see if you still think that way after this seal works!' challenged the Uzumaki.

"I doubt what happens will be enough to change my mind. Also, do you even know where you'll end up when you start up that thing?"

'Not really; but isn't that the point of fūinjutsu? To create new formulas for the next generation to study?' Naruto asked before activating the array, not waiting for an answer. Like many seals, it gave off the usual whitish-blue glow to show activation, and Naruto saw a small distortion begin from the array's center. 'Ha! What'd I tell you?!'

"Well, I guess I was wrong for once. Still, don't get so cocky just because you were correct once," the Kyuubi warned.

"Here goes!" Naruto cheered before he boldly stepped into the distortion.

That's when things went wrong.

As soon as he stepped through, he felt his body get roughly dragged through a passageway of distorted lights and sounds, with his only available senses being sight and hearing while all sense of touch, taste, and smell eluded him. He felt sick from the vertigo, but what shocked him was how his seal was reacting to the trip.

From beneath his clothes, he saw the Eight Trigrams Seal give off an unholy crimson light while sparks of black electricity arced from the distorted lights and struck the seal multiple times. Within his head, he heard the agonizing roars of the Kyuubi, and he guessed that what was happening was killing the Bijuu in a very painful way.

Feeling guilty, Naruto gathered what chakra he could and directed it to the representation of his seal, forming an astral projection of himself that rushed to the gates and leapt up to the tag holding them shut. As he gripped the edge of the tag, he saw the Kyuubi looking to him through its torment.

"I'm sorry for dragging you with me through this, fox," Naruto apologized. "And I'm sorry for being an ungrateful brat all these years when your chakra saved my ass more times than I can count. So…"

He started to pull on the tag.

"…let this…"

He tugged harder through the force holding it in place.

"…act as my…"

With a final yank, it pulled free.

"…apology!"

With the release of the tag, the gates holding in the Bijuu slammed open and sent Naruto flying through the sealscape, and he gave the Kyuubi his signature grin as his form faded from the fox's sight.

"Take care of yourself, fox!" he bid before fully vanishing.

As the sealscape broke down and a light formed around it, the Kyuubi gave an amused snort and stated, "Cheek brat… Surprising me until the end."

It then embraced the light surrounding it, knowing that it would reform in the Elemental Nations; but Naruto would not.

"It's you who should take care of yourself, Naruto. Good luck…"

Back in the Hidden Leaf, dozens of shinobi from various ranks surrounded Naruto's apartment which was ground zero for a massive tornado of crimson energy that razed the building to the ground. They had gathered as soon as Naruto stepped into his Warp Seal, which generated an immense weight of pressure felt throughout the village in an instant.

"Be prepared for anything!" Tsunade warned, standing atop Katsuya while Jiraiya and the Elder Toads stood atop Gamabunta.

Sakura and the remaining members of the Leaf Twelve looked to Naruto's destroyed home in worry, all of them tense and anxious for what would come out of the raging energy before them. When a shadow formed, they felt a sense of hope that quickly evaporated when the shadow grew to exponential size and revealed itself to be the very thing that Naruto once held.

The Kyuubi had been reformed, standing over the ruins of Naruto's home. Blood-red eyes peered down at everyone, trapping them in place with the weight of its gaze.

"Old woman," the fox spoke, directing its voice at Tsunade who swallowed heavily. "As you probably can guess, your brat is gone."

Hearing it made Tsunade lose whatever battle she had over her emotions, and she choked a sob at the loss of someone so precious to her. "And now what? Are you going to attack us for holding you prisoner for so long?"

The Bijuu said nothing for a moment, eyeing everyone there and seeing that most of them looked just as upset over the loss of Naruto as their Hokage.

"No," it answered, surprising everyone. "I will not lay waste to this village, despite greatly desiring to. Before he fully vanished, the brat willingly freed me from my prison out of sympathy for his seal attempting to destroy me. He had hoped to create a seal to establish better relations between the Hidden Villages, to make that perverted toad proud of him."

Jiraiya clenched his fists at his side, upset at the loss of such a dedicated pupil. The toads were also saddened at the news, with the two Sage Toads having looked forward to teaching the Uzumaki their Sage Arts.

"He stepped through the seal upon testing it, and things happened that resulted in Naruto's disappearance from this world. I doubt he has perished, but I also doubt you will ever see him again. So, out of respect for his actions and ideals, I will not destroy this village. Instead, I will take residence in the forests behind your Hokage Mountain."

Everyone looked to where the Bijuu nudged its massive head.

"I will speak with you, woman," it spoke to Tsunade directly once again, "if you wish. But only you. If you hope to reach some sort of agreement between your people and myself, I will be willing to listen. I owe it to the brat for freeing me when he had no reason to."

Tsunade nodded to the Kyuubi thankfully, prompting the fox to carefully move around the village and settle itself behind the Hokage Monument. Once it finished, she turned to her shinobi and dismissed them before returning to her office, where she proceeded to lock herself away so she could grieve the loss of someone she loved.

In her heart, she would see it as her cursed necklace once again taking a loved one from her life; even if it didn't result in his death.

"Set him there," a woman dressed in religious clothing ordered some armored soldiers, prompting them to gently place a whisker-faced blonde young man on a bed before her.

It had been some time since his sudden appearance in the courtyard of her esteemed monastery. He arrived in a sphere of brilliant light that cratered the ground, leaving him unconscious and dying before them. Healers acted in sequence to keep him alive, but all they did was slow the hands of time leading to his death to a crawl.

He would still perish without some sort of miracle.

Rhea, Archbishop of the Church of Seiros, gazed down at the dying blonde before her as she gently placed a hand upon the crown of his head. Reaching out to him through her magic, she sensed his inner power and life force, finding both to be strong despite death creeping in.

"So strong," she whispered. "So full of life if not for death's approach… To let one such as you perish without offering any aid would be cruel of me…"

"Lady Rhea," one of the healers spoke up. "What must we do?"

Taking a breath, the Archbishop thought of her options before one came to her. It was risky; a gambit that had a low chance at working. However, if the gambit proved fruitful, not only would she save this young man's life, but she would also have a potential vessel for her truest desire.

With her mind made up, she turned to her healers and ordered, "Prepare for surgery. I will be making him a vessel."

Many of the healers were shocked at her order, but the rest nodded in understanding before ushering their fellow healers to prepare. Meanwhile, the Archbishop moved to her chambers and fetched the key item needed for this gambit to work: the stone for the Crest of Flames.

"Mother," she whispered gently, almost reverently to the Crest Stone, "may this young man be the very vessel you've been waiting for. May you one day return to this world – to me – through him."

With her prayer said, she headed back to complete the operation.

It was dark…

There was no light…

No sound…

Nothing…

Just empty darkness that surrounded him and left him feeling alone. He gazed in every direction and saw nothing but the pitch black of the void around him.

"Hello…?" he tried calling out, unsure if anyone would hear him in this darkness. "Is anyone out there?"

Silence greeted him like an old friend he no longer wished to see, taunting him and making him relive memories of bitter loneliness from when he was a child. He didn't enjoy this darkness at all, and his heart begged for an escape.

"Please… Is there anyone who can hear me?"

When silence was his answer again, he thought of giving in to the darkness. But the faintest sound of soft breathing finally reached his ears, and he turned around to see some of the darkness finally receding. From that darkness and into the light came a set of stone steps, ascending into the air and leading to an equally stone throne that was occupied by a small, green-haired woman with pointed ears. She was dressed in an odd garb that looked like flowing robes while a golden headpiece rested atop her.

Ascending the steps, he approached the sleeping woman who stirred awake as he moved closer. With a yawn, she fully roused herself, revealing her emerald green eyes before noticing him.

"Oh my…" she spoke, her voice sounding young despite the power she emitted. "What could've brought you here?"

"I'm not sure…" he answered. "The last thing I remember was trying out a new seal. Things went wrong and I wound up freeing someone before everything went black. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in this void…"

"Hmm… I see. Well, it is most rude to interrupt a moment of repose," she admonished, though she didn't sound upset. "Very rude, indeed. Still, I have not seen the likes of you before."

"I've never seen anyone like you before either," he confessed sheepishly, feeling a bit guilty at her previous admonishment.

"And who are you?" she questioned.

"Me? My name is Naruto Uzumaki," he answered. "I…was a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village, but I doubt I can go back."

"Naruto?" she repeated, sounding slightly amused. "I shall not ever grow accustomed to the sound of human names. Yours sounds especially…unique. Tell me, on which day of which moon were you born?"

"Moon?" he asked, confused.

"Which month?" she clarified.

"Oh! Uh, I was born on the tenth day of the tenth month of the year."

"The tenth day of the Wyvern Moon then," she informed before looking surprised. "Well, wonders never cease! It appears we share our date of birth. How strange…"

"Is it?"

"Hmm… It all seems so…familiar," she mused before giving off another yawn. "I think it may be time for another nap…"

"Another nap? Wait! Please stay awake for a bit longer. Could you please tell me where I am? Or even your name?"

Almost as if she didn't hear him, she tiredly said, "It is almost…time to…begin…"

Once more, her breathing grew soft as a sign of her slumber, making Naruto sigh in defeat before sitting on the highest step just beneath her throne.

"Now what…?" he asked himself before a brilliant flash of light engulfed the void he was in.

With a groan, blue eyes blearily opened to the sight of a ceiling. He made to sit up, but was held down by a gentle hand.

"Easy now," a woman's voice spoke. "You're still recovering from whatever surgery the Archbishop put you through."

"Surgery…?" he repeated before coughing due to his dry throat. When offered water, he thanked the woman and took a generous drink before handing the glass back to her. "Where am I?"

"You're in the medical ward of Garreg Mach Monastery. I'm your current caretaker, Manuela, in case you were wondering."

Finally turning to her, Naruto saw that she was a rather beautiful woman with short brown hair and honey-brown eyes with a slightly revealing dress beneath a large white coat. If he wasn't already told she was a caretaker, he would've thought her a model.

"Thanks for looking after me, Manuela," he replied. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki."

"A pleasure to meet you, Naruto. Now, please wait here while I go and fetch Lady Rhea. She wished to speak with you when you awoke."

"Uh, sure. I'll just…stay put, I guess."

She chuckled at his unsure response. "Relax. You're not in trouble. She was the one who performed the surgery, so she's probably just concerned for her patient."

With that, Manuela left the medical ward and Naruto fully sat up in his bed. Looking around, he saw that the ward looked nothing like the hospital rooms back in the Leaf Village. In fact, there was no medical equipment he could spot at all.

"Then again, I'm not home right now… And I've never heard of this monastery place before," he muttered to himself.

"Garreg Mach Monastery is the central most location of the country of Fódlan," a different woman's voice spoke, prompting him to turn and see who he assumed was Archbishop Rhea. "It is the location for the Church of Seiros, where we worship the progenitor god who watches over our country. Here, you will also find the Officer's Academy, where hopeful students learn the skills needed to become future knights of the church."

'Yep. Definitely not anywhere near home,' he mentally concluded. "So, I'm guessing you're this Rhea lady that Manuela mentioned?"

"Correct, young man. I am the Archbishop of this monastery, as well as the Head of the Officer's Academy. To whom may I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"Naruto Uzumaki. I'm…far from home and definitely not from Fódlan since I'm not familiar with anything you just told me."

"Considering how you arrived in the courtyard of the monastery in a ball of light, I'm not surprised."

"A…ball of light?"

"Yes. It was rather stunning, if I may speak freely. Whatever could've caused you to arrive here that way? Especially when it nearly left you at death's door?"

Naruto cringed at that. He didn't expect his botched seal to have nearly killed him. It was either that or his decision to free the Kyuubi from himself that brought him to the brink of death.

Either way, it wasn't something he wanted to dwell on.

"I…was trying to create a method of transportation for my home. It was made under the hope of uniting my village with the other major villages to try and establish peace between us. But something went wrong, and the next thing I know is waking up here in this medical ward."

He decided not to mention freeing the Kyuubi or meeting that unnamed girl in the void, not wanting to sound crazy or, if they knew of the Bijuu, be seen as a threat. From what he learned during his travels with Jiraiya, it was best to keep those on a need-to-know styled basis.

"Transport? You mean like our Warp Magic?"

"Warp…Magic?" he repeated, sounding both confused and interested.

"It's a branch of Faith Magic that can be learned by some mages and clergy. I will explain more, but perhaps it would be best to do so while we take a walk? I'd be pleased to show you around the monastery."

"Uh… Sure, that sounds fine," the Uzumaki replied, getting out of the bed he was on and seeing that he was dressed in rather plain clothes consisting of a gray shirt, dark brown pants, and black shoes. "What happened to my clothes?"

"They were too damaged to repair," Rhea answered before reaching into one of her sleeves and producing a familiar gem necklace. "This was found on your person, though."

With a grateful smile, Naruto took Tsunade's necklace from the woman and replaced it around his neck with obvious relief. "I was afraid I lost this…"

"That necklace must mean a great deal to you…"

"It's all I have left of home," he confessed.

And this was especially true because he was not wearing his headband when trying out his Warp Seal. If he had lost the necklace, he would've been devastated to have nothing left of his home; not when he doubted there was any way back.

"I see… Then be sure to cherish it always."

"I was already planning to," he said. "Thanks for keeping it safe…"

"Of course," she replied with a gentle smile before gesturing him to follow her.

For the next few hours, Naruto was gifted with a tour of Garreg Mach and its Officer's Academy. He saw clergymen, staff, and even some of the knights, which interested Naruto since he wasn't used to seeing soldiers with such heavy looking armor before.

After the tour, Naruto was led to the audience chamber where he saw that a man with dark green hair and lighter green eyes dressed in a dark blue uniform with a cloak was waiting for them. He had a stern visage upon his face, but the Uzumaki could also tell the man was obviously devoted to Rhea.

"Lady Rhea," he greeted with a bow. "I'm afraid I have some upsetting news."

"Seteth," she spoke, giving Naruto a name, "please be mindful that we have a guest. One that I hope enjoyed the tour of our esteemed monastery."

The last line was directed towards him, and Naruto nodded with a smile. "Definitely. This place is huge, but I can tell the people like it here. I actually wouldn't mind staying until I'm fully recovered; assuming that's alright with you?"

She smiled gently and nodded once. "You're more than welcome to stay and recover. I would actually insist on that." She then turned back to Seteth and asked, "What concerns you?"

"One of the professors ran off during an excursion with the students when they were attacked by bandits," the man explained, looking rightfully upset. "I've already dealt with placing a warrant for their capture, but that still means we're a professor short this year, and classes begin very soon."

"I see…"

Naruto, hoping to repay Rhea for saving him when he could've been left to die, spoke up, "I might not be very knowledgeable on how to be a knight or about Fódlan itself, but I don't mind filling in for your missing professor." When both of them turned to him, he continued, "I came from a village where you're taught how to fight when you're a child and graduate as a rookie recruit between the ages of 12-13. So, if you really need someone to fill in, I would be happy to. It's the least I can do for taking care of me and helping my recovery."

Seteth looked ready to decline the offer, but Rhea stopped him with a meaningful glance before gracing Naruto with a smile. "I would be grateful for your assistance, Naruto Uzumaki. We'll be sure to give you the proper material needed to prepare for your future classes."

"Rhea! You cannot seriously expect a stranger – one ignorant of our culture – to be placed in a position to help mold young minds? He even admitted to not knowing enough to qualify."

"Peace, Seteth. I'm sure that our new professor will be a welcome addition to our academy. Perhaps the students will feel more at ease with a teacher closer to them in age."

"But-!" He made to argue again before stopping himself and taking a deep breath. With a single, reluctant nod, he amended, "I will gather the needed resources for him to prepare." He then directed his attention to Naruto and finished, "As for you, I expect you to take this position at our esteemed academy seriously. I will not tolerate you making a mockery or our long-standing credibility with the people of Fódlan."

"I'll do my best," Naruto promised sincerely, earning a begrudging nod from Seteth before the man left for the library. The blonde Uzumaki then turned to Rhea and asked, "So, when will I start teaching?"

"In a few days' time. Before then, I'd like you to look over the students of each of our three houses. As a professor, you will oversee one of those houses for the remainder of their time here at the Officer's Academy."

"Three houses?" Naruto repeated.

"Yes. There are the Blue Lions of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, the Golden Deer of the Leicester Alliance, and the Black Eagles of the Adrestian Empire. Seeing as you are volunteering yourself, I will allow you first pick of which House you will oversee. Be sure to look over each student's portfolio thoroughly."

"I will," Naruto assured her with a smile. "And thanks again for helping me. I know you and your people didn't need to, so I really appreciate it."

She smiled back and replied, "The Church of Seiros does whatever it can for the people of Fódlan, even for those new to our lands. All are welcome within the Goddess's embrace."

He inclined his head in farewell before returning to the medical ward to wait for Seteth. Watching him go, Rhea kept her smile and was pleased to see that her gambit had paid off and the young man was recovering nicely. He was still unaware of the new addition to his body, but she would tell him in time.

Preferably before he could even think to deny his new destiny as the vessel for Sothis's return.

Phew! Lotta typing done, but it's now finished!

So, what did you all think? Was Naruto's arrival believable? Did he behave in a way that didn't come off as an OC? Because that's what I'm aiming for, a more natural version of Naruto as the newest professor of Garreg Mach.

As for pairing, I was gonna have Naruto with Sothis, most of the Black Eagle ladies, and possibly Lysithea as well. I don't know if I'll include the Ashen Wolves or not, but I'm open to it if you guys want them in the story!

Remember, this route will be that of Crimson Flower. Should be easy to remember since it's in the title after all! ^_^

Also, don't think I'm done with the Elemental Nations just yet! I still have more to do with Kurama and the village! *wink*

Until next time!

Stay safe, healthy, and positive!

Dreaming of the Future

pain17ification