SUPRISE! SPOOK UPDATE!

Yeah I kinda have been having this story on the mind so I figured that I might as well make up for lost time and just write it out and get it to people.

Figured it might be a good Halloween surprise for you guys...ya know a treat!

King's Landing

Naruto groaned as he woke up, his eyes snapped open as he sat up in a hurry, his last memories being of being on the battlefield. He remembered the spray of bloody vapor around him, the smell of iron, the screams of the Lannister soldiers as he tore through them with his bare hands. Catching his breath, he took a moment to look around the room and realized that he was back in the Red Keep.

Getting out of bed, he walked over to the mirror he kept in his room. His hand reached up and touched his cheek, feeling the three lines that he now had the same whisker marks that he had back when he was a shinobi. Looking down at his abdomen, he hoped to see the seal that at one point held Kurama, but he found nothing but himself. The wounds from the battle had all healed, not leaving a single scar behind.

He recalled the feeling that he felt during the battle, the anger and hatred that flowed through him. It was like when he first used Kurama's chakra back when he was a kid. It was more raw and untempered compared to how his chakra was during the war after he helped Kurama overcome his hatred.

Hearing gasps, he looked over at the door and saw Sansa standing there with a tray. Filled with stuff that was likely meant for him. Her face was as red as her hair before she turned and ran, apologizing. Raising an eyebrow, he realized that he was completely naked.

It took Naruto a few minutes to get dressed again before leaving his room, finding Ser Barristan standing outside, guarding the door. The older man looked to see his king leaving the room, "You're up already?" he asked, surprised to see that Naruto was up already. "I guess that explains why Lady Sansa left in a hurry," he chuckled.

Naruto smiled a little as he motioned for his Kingsguard to follow him, "What happened after I passed out?" he asked the seasoned warrior. He figured that things went well given that Sansa was here and he was alive.

"After the Lannisters retreated, we were able to return to King's Landing following Lord Stark. It seems that Tywin Lannister was poisoned and the poison finally took effect after the meeting. Joffrey claimed that it must have been your magic and ordered that Tywin's army retaliate against us as we were leaving," Barristan told his ward as they walked down the halls of the palace. He felt like he had failed his oath once again, he had allowed his king to come near the grasp of death once again, it was by his own power that Naruto had survived.

He almost shivered at the memory. Never before had he felt such a dark feeling such as that red energy that came from the former shinobi. It was a gruesome sight, seeing Naruto rip through soldiers with his clawed hands. It gave some legitimacy to the rumors that he was part demon, but still Naruto was his king, he seemed to be a good king. He figured that perhaps that red energy was some sort of last push from his magic to ensure survival, like when a soldier's back is pressed against the wall and they fight like a beast.

"Bullshit! I would never poison my own grandfather! That's attempted kinslaying!" Naruto bit back, irritated that someone would poison Tywin and pin it on him. He didn't like his mother's family, but even then he wouldn't kill any of them since he knew that if that was found out, his reputation would be in the garbage.

"Unfortunately, it seems the Lannisters are attempting to use that and what happened during the battle to paint you as a demon in human flesh, and it seems that to an extent, it's working. We've had to quell some uprisings even in the Crownlands against you. The Tyrells have already spoken out against you, it doesn't help that talks between Stannis and Renly have broken down and it appears that the two will soon engage in battle," Ser Barristan informed his king who stopped in his tracks.

"I didn't give him permission to attack Renly! Send a raven to Dragonstone and tell them to stop any plans to attack the Stormlands!" Naruto ordered as he sent Barristan to go do as he commanded as he stormed back down to the throne room where he found Ned and Varys talking about something about the Iron Islands. Whatever it was, the Stark was clearly not happy with the situation, if anything he seemed worried.

The eunuch looked over when he heard his king coming into the room, "Your grace," Varys said, bowing to the now whiskered teen.

"So what's going on with the Iron Islands?"

Eddard sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, irritation clear with the situation. "Varys' spies have reported that the Iron Islands may be attempting another rebellion and are planning on attacking the North while Robb is fighting against the Lannisters," he told his former ward as he knew that this was yet another hurdle for them. If the North was threatened, Robb's army would become demoralized and would want to return to the North to kick the Ironborn out. If Robb refused, then it might cause the Northern bannermen to question why they were even fighting in the South when their home was being raped.

Naruto was silent for a moment before looking at his father figure, "Ned, send a raven to Robb, tell him to retreat back to the North. You should go too Ned, your people need you," Naruto said as he walked over and looked at the Iron Throne. So much had been spilled over the blasted chair. All for the right to rule over the Seven Kingdoms. All for power. For glory. For all the blasted reasons.

It was the same as in the Elemental Nations.

It was all the same!

However...he had brought peace to his home. He had beaten a goddess with his friends. And he would do it again if he had to!

Eddard wanted to say that his duty was to help Naruto rule as he had promised Robert, but he knew that he couldn't let his people suffer. The Ironborn were not like most. They saw the world in a different light, and lived by taking from other. By having those they defeat pay the iron price. Under them, his people would suffer. He had two sons in Winterfell that he hadn't seen in over a year as he lived and fought in the Crownlands. "Please take care of Sansa and Arya, I'll leave them in King's Landing for their own safety."

Naruto nodded, "Then go Ned, go save your people!" Naruto ordered as he turned back and smiled at the Warden of the North. "And when you come back, we'll bring peace to this war torn world!" He declared.

Smiling up at his king, Ned bowed, "I will leave at once, your grace," and with that Eddard Stark left to go get ready to ride North with his men.

"Are you sure that was wise your grace? With the current situation, we might need Lord Stark here to help keep the peace," Varys asked, wondering if Naruto had really thought through the ramifications of sending off the Northern army he had in the Crownlands. "With Tywin still recovering, Joffrey has taken control of the army and they haven't wasted any time."

"We still have the Riverlands and Stannis' armies and fleet," Naruto stated to Varys hoping that he could get Stannis to stop his attack on Renly before things escalated; he couldn't afford to face the combined force of the Stormlands and Highgarden at the same time. "I'm going to head to the Stormlands to try and convince Renly myself. I had hoped that Stannis would be able to sway my uncle, but it seemed that father was right, there is no love between his siblings," he said softly as he recalled his father mentioning that none of his brothers loved each other. It saddened him since it reminded him of his relationship with Joffrey, but he still loved Tommen and Myrcella, and he hoped that they were still safe.

"And who will watch over King's Landing while you're away?" Varys questioned.

A wide smirk appeared on Naruto's face, "I'm looking at him!"

Varys blinked...and then blinked again as the words that came out of the whiskered king's mouth processed in his head. "Me?" he asked, pointing at himself.

"Yes you," Naruto replied as he walked down the steps and stopped in front of Varys. "Obviously you have the best interest of the realm at heart, you don't really seem to have much of an interest in becoming king yourself because Seven knows you could have, with your network. So while I'm away, I see no better option. Sansa is still recovering from her time in Casterly Rock and Arya is too focused on her training to care for politics and is too young."

Varys looked at Naruto for a moment before sighing, "You need a queen…"

Naruto's face dropped as he was once again reminded of that, "Let me guess, I should…"

"Propose to Daenerys and help her get to King's Landing," the two said at the same time. They had this conversation multiple times already and Naruto knew that Varys was a huge proponent of having the Targaryen come back as his queen.

"I could be queen," Sansa said walking into the throne room. "While I wasn't treated that well, I did learn quite a bit from the septas and from watching your mother," Sansa stated as she stared down at the ground. Her experience at Casterly Rock had opened her eyes to a lot of things. One of those was that she was foolish for loving Joffrey over Naruto. She knew that had she not been a fool...she might have already been queen, and spared the cruelties inflicted on her by her former fiance.

She didn't want to make that same mistake again. So hearing that some were plotting to marry her first love to the daughter of the man her father once fought against pushed her to try and act. Naruto tuned out the two as Sansa and Varys began to argue about his future love life, however over time it became too much even for him.

"Ugh! Enough both of you!" Naruto yelled as he threw his hands up, "Like seriously! Why is this so important!"

"You could alway marry them all your grace, the Targaryens used to do it in the past, given that you yourself have Targaryen blood like your father, you could claim to have the right to marry as you please, and you yourself do follow the Old Gods like the Starks do, who do not directly forbid polygamy" Varys mentioned much to Sansa's indignation.

"Out! Both of you!" Naruto roared as he had enough talk of marriage. Varys chuckled at how much Naruto sounded like Robert when he got frustrated with something.

"Just saying your grace," Varys said before walking out, ushering Sansa away with him, leaving Naruto to prepare for his next journey.

Renly's Camp

Naruto stopped as he saw Renly's camp in the distance, however instead of finding a well organized army composed of two of the strongest houses in Westeros, he found a den of confusion and chaos. "What the hell…" Naruto muttered as he rode down towards the entrance of the camp.

"Halt, who goes there?" The guards demanded as they drew their swords in preparation for a fight.

Naruto pulled his hood down shocking the pair, "King Naruto Baratheon, I came to speak with my uncle to try and find some sort of peace between us," the young monarch declared as he dismounted from his steed. It had been a long trip down to the Stormlands, but he needed to start making moves before the war became too much to handle.

The two guards looked at one another with grim looks before facing their opposing king, "I...am sorry to inform you my lord, but last night Lord Renly was assassinated by one of his Kingsguard," one informed Naruto, "The traitor fled with Catelyn Stark soon after killing two of our men."

Naruto's eyes widened as that wasn't what he had expected, at worst he expected Stannis to have arrived before him if his command was ignored. He didn't expect Renly to be murdered in his own camp when he had over one hundred thousand soldiers surrounding him. Taking a deep breath, as his eyes flashed a crimson red in response to his anger scaring the guards at the sight.

"Take me to whoever's in charge," Naruto ordered as he walked into the camp, one of the guards going with him. As he walked through the vast array of soldiers, many looked at him with looks of shock, awe, and fear. Many had heard of the monstrous strength of the King, of how he tore Lannister men with his bare hands while radiating red energy. The angered look on his face didn't help calm their fears. They had sided against him, joined Renly instead of him. They feared that the king's wrath would be unleashed on them.

Arriving at the command tent, Naruto dismissed the guard as he entered to find Ser Loras and Lady Margaery looking over Renly's body. The two turned when they heard the tent's flap open and Naruto walk in. "By the gods, he really is dead…" Naruto muttered as he walked towards his uncle's body only for Ser Loras to draw his sword and point it at the whiskered Baratheon.

"Begone demon, you have no place here," Loras growled as he got between Naruto and Renly's body, his eyes bloodshot from crying over the loss of his lover. He knew that Naruto had sent Stannis to convince Renly to surrender, and since talks had broken down, he was convinced that Naruto and Stannis had conspired to have his love assassinated.

Naruto scowled at being called a demon, "I suggest you put the sword down Loras, you know full well that you can't beat me, or did you forget what happened at the Tourney of the Hand?" Naruto asked, recalling how he had bested Gregor and Sandor with one swing of his blade when the two brothers started to fight. "I didn't come here to fight, I came here to talk with my uncle...but it seems I was a day late…" Naruto said sadly as he walked past them towards the body.

"You idiot...we could have brought peace together, been a proper family, I wanted to rule with you and Stannis at my side. Like my father should have..." He said as tears started to pool up in his eyes. Loras faltered as he saw the 'demon' crying over the death of his uncle. "I never wanted you to die Renly, I hope you know that I never had any intention of punishing you. I know you never accepted my magic, you saw it as heresy. But still you were my kin. I swear, I'll find who did this to you Renly, and I'll rip their heart out…" he growled as he looked back at the two Tyrells.

"So what will the two of you do now?" he asked.

Loras sheathed his sword, knowing that he couldn't stand against Naruto on his own. Even if his anger demanded that he kill the Baratheon, he knew that he would just fail and die trying. "We will return to Highgarden, that is all you need to know," Loras stated.

"I would like to extend an offer for House Tyrell to join in an alliance with House Baratheon once again then, with Renly dead, I'll be assuming control of the House and it's soldiers. I figure we can work together to bring whoever did this to justice," Naruto offered them as he didn't want to just disband any treaties Renly made with the wealthy house.

"So Renly dies and you stroll in the next day and take over?" Margaery asked, her arms crossed as she stared at the man before her. "Suspicious if you ask me, what's to say that you didn't really hire the killer in order to take over the largest army in Westeros. And now you extend an olive branch seeking our help? Don't take us for fools, your grace," the female Tyrell said as the words of Littlefinger rang in her head.

Naruto standed to gain the most from Renly's death. With his death, Naruto would regain the Stormlands and all of it's bannermen as being one of the last remaining Baratheons. The fact that Catelyn Stark had fled with the killer made it more clear in their eyes that it had been the king who ordered the assassination given his connection to the North. In their eyes Naruto was the one to blame for it all.

It had been Lord Baelish who had placed the pieces together, but the man had fled when he heard that Naruto had entered the camp, escaping to make sure that he wasn't executed by the 'barbarian' who sat on the Iron Throne.

"If you really think that I would kill my own uncle you, you have another thing coming woman!" Naruto growled.

"You mean like how you poisoned your grandfather?" Loras asked.

"I didn't do that, I will not take the blame for the acts of another. My grandfather was one of the few people among the Lannisters who had a shred of real intelligence. We had negotiated multiple times throughout the war without issue, why would I try to assassinate him when he came to an actual deal? Don't be stupid you two!" Naruto yelled at the two before a Baratheon bannerman came into the command tent.

"Your grace, Lord Stannis' ships are visible from the harbor!" he announced as they had spotted the ships of the king's still living uncle.

"So you had nothing to do with it?" Loras asked before him and Margaery walked out of the tent, he could hear them order all the Highgarden troops to begin to march back home before Stannis arrived. First Naruto arrives and now Stannis as well? No, they were convinced that they were involved in some way.

"Damn it," Naruto said before looking at Renly's corpus, "You really picked some troublesome allies…"

It took a few hours but by the time Stannis had arrived, Naruto had taken control of Renly's forces, using his title as king and closest relative to Renly aside from Stannis who was Lord of Dragonstone. However, since his father was Lord Paramount of the Stormlands before he became king, he could claim that the title now fell to him since Renly had failed to produce any heirs.

Walking to the docks, he met Stannis and Melisandre as they came off their ship, "Nephew?" Stannis questioned as he didn't expect Naruto to be at Renly's camp. He had of course received the raven that had been sent to him to come back now and return to Dragonstone, but Melisandre had advised him that the Lord of Light foresaw that this was the right path to take and burned the raven along with the letter.

"I heard that you were unconscious following the Battle of the Den," Stannis said, fainting that he knew that the king had awoken from his short coma. However the narrowing in Naruto's eyes told him that his nephew didn't buy it.

"You know better than to lie to me Stannis," Naruto responded, his voice firm as he made it clear that he wasn't going to buy anything but the truth.

"We were going to do what needed to be done nephew, should Renly have attacked King's Landing, we would have been hard pressed to defend it," He told his nephew.

"We only did what the Lord of Light told us was the right thing, Renly Baratheon's actions served only to help the Great Other. However it seems Renly is no longer with us, however he is not needed since we have the Lord of Light on our side," she said, added on for Stannis. She of course knew that the king would see through deception. Lying to him was useless. So she wouldn't lie to him as long as it could be helped.

Naruto sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose, "Well regardless, the Tyrells had left, I want you to return to the Blackwater bay. With Ned and Robb back in the North dealing with the Ironborn, I wouldn't be surprised if Joffrey took the opportunity to try and take the city. Oh...and no burning anyone," Naruto said pointing at the Red Woman. "I don't care what your 'Lord of Light' says, I won't have anyone burned," he said, seeing Stannis' new sigil.

"As you say your grace," Melisandre replied, knowing that at the moment it was for the best to say in the king's good graces.

"Now everyone pack up camp, we march for King's Landing!"

King's Landing

Naruto read over the reports that he had gotten from Robb from the North. The Ironborn had arrived on the shores of the North before they managed to make their way up. Several small towns and villages had been attacked by the followers of the Drowned God. It saddened him to learn that among them, Theon had been spotted, aiding in the raiding. Ned had decided to stay in Winterfell, taking the seat back from his young son Bran who had been filling the role of Lord of Winterfell.

He had sent a raven to Ned, asking about where his wife was and demanding answers for the allegations that she had escaped with Renly's killer. He doubted that Catelyn had actually conspired to have his uncle murdered, but many of the bannermen from the Stormlands were demanding answers and at the moment only the Lady of Winterfell could give them. Given her past with capturing Tyrion...he hoped she wasn't foolish enough to make such a mistake twice.

What shocked him was when he got a letter from Daenarys of all people.

Naruto of House Baratheon,

I am most grateful for the assistance you provided in helping my khalasar survive the Red Waste. Recently we have reached the city of Qarth under the protection of Xaro Xhoan Daxos. We might have reached the city without your aid and for that I am grateful. However, I will not relent in my ambition to retake the Iron Throne.

In your letter you mentioned that you wanted to avoid conflict. I too would prefer not having blood spilled between the two of us and will accept your offer to parley.

Daenerys Stormborn of House Targaryen

"Of course she still wants the Iron Throne…" Naruto muttered as he leaned back into the metal chair. He winced at how uncomfortable it was, "Maybe I'll ship it to her if she wants it so bad and get something soft," he said to himself as he contemplated actually just doing that. However he doubted that the Targaryen princess would enjoy it like he would. If anything, she might just get pissed off by her defiling her family's symbol of power.

Walking down from the throne he ran into Melisandre in the garden of the Red Keep, "Priestess," Naruto said, approaching her, his eyes suspicious as she stared at a torch that lit the garden during the night. The Red Woman was always someone that he kept an eye on, just in case she tried something. "Rare to not see you by Stannis' side," he mentioned as she always seemed to be by his uncle.

The woman looked over at him after the fire flared, "Your grace, I was simply enjoying the garden while Lord Stannis tended to his ships. As per your order, he's preparing to send a supply ship to Winterfell to help them. The war hasn't been kind to them, their workers are off at war and the battles destroy their farmlands," She mentioned as her eyes returned to the flame.

"And you?" He asked, walking up to see what she found so interesting in the flame.

"Observing what the Lord of Light shows me, care to see?" She asked as she moved to the side to allow the king to gaze into the flame.

Naruto gazed into the flame, he knew better than to doubt the mystic arts. He was as certain of Melisandre's magic as he was his own, he just didn't trust her state of mind and religion.

In the flames he saw many things, he saw a massive army approaching King's Landing, one carrying a wide array of banners, then a beautiful woman with white hair riding a dragon out of a city. He saw a massive wall, Jon fighting for his life, a swarm of people trying to scale it to get away...get away from...something…

His eyes narrowed as he saw something else...

"What do you see, your grace?" she asked, walking behind him, wrapping her arms around him as she gazed into the fire, her head beside his.

"I see ice...and...the dead walking...and...you getting off me!" Naruto growled as he shook the woman off him. He glared back at her, "Care to tell me what that was?"

Melisandre smiled at the young king, "You saw messages from the Lord of Light, visions of the future that you will need," she said as she decided that it was time to make her move. She was convinced that she was wrong at first. Her visions had shown her a stag covered brilliant flames unlike any other. At first she believed that to be Stannis, but now she knew she found the wrong stag at first. "You...are his chosen one, the one who will bring light to this world," she told him.

Naruto scoffed, "If that's your way of getting me to join your religion, you have another thing coming. I decide my own fate, not some god," he declared to her.

"Whether you accept it or not, the Lord of Light stands behind you," She stated confidently.

"If your lord of light really does stand behind me, then you should stop burning people. I don't care if he commands it or not, if you continue to try and force your religion down my people's throats, I'll shove a sword down yours," He threatened as he didn't care about gods. He had enough to deal with when it came to the men and women around him, he didn't need to deal with whatever games the gods played. His entire life, religion had served only to hinder him, he wouldn't devote his whole life to another.

The fire crackled loudly at Naruto's demand, catching Melisandre's attention, "As you wish my lord," she replied. Naruto wasn't sure if she was talking to him or her 'god' but as long as no one was burned, he didn't care.

Walking away from her, Naruto thought of the last vision he saw in the flames…

"What the fuck…" he muttered as he continued walking to his bedroom.

WELL! Here ya go!

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please feel free to leave a review and vote on the poll. It's...oddly close between like 3 choices which I really didn't expect lol.

Later!