Incarnation - Part 1

by Kyoto141092

There are many stories about dreams, tales of how they can connect two people. Some have said that dreams are visions of the future, while other claim they can be read like a story in a book. But... what if they were something else? A portal of sorts...or a meeting place? And what might happen if the will of fire encountered a heart of ice there? -Naruto/Esdeath -Lemons/action/ect.

2. 2 - No Rest for the Wicked?

And here is the new chapter as promised! Please don't be too mad at me for my long absence!

Chapter 2: No rest for the… Wicked?

Ooo

ooo

Naruto woke with a start and a painful yelp as something large and weighty smacked him in the head. He rolled out of bed swinging, his arm and the kunai it held barely missed Armen's throat by inches. The man went stumbling backwards as Naruto let loose a savage growl and aimed to kill him…

Only to stop as he realized he wasn't under attack and this wasn't another one of his sensei's tests. He sheathed his weapon and stood, glaring balefully at Armen. The guy had just interrupted perhaps the most intense dream he'd ever had in his LIFE. He's been there on a snowy plateau with nothing but a naked girl. But not just any girl. The girl who was perhaps the most beautiful example of the female species he'd ever laid eyes on.

Not only that but she…

Naruto groaned in frustration. She said she was real! It felt REAL! Hell, he could even remember her smell…. Perfectly. And this bastard woke him up! He wasn't pissed, but he was aggravated. He wanted nothing more than to go back to sleep and see if he could re-connect with wherever that was. See if he couldn't keep talking to her. He couldn't explain it, but he wanted to hear her voice again. He wanted to taste her scent again… and he wasn't at all opposed to looking at such a stunning creature when she happened to be naked…

"I'm sorry Naruto! I didn't mean to do it so hard. It slipped out of my hand!"

Naruto was dragged back out of his thoughts by Armen who had shakily stood and seemed quite put out by the fact that Naruto almost killed him. The blond was about to smack him upside the head for being an ass…. When he remembered something.

"Esdeath… of the Partas tribe… G..general of the Empire…"

He suddenly smiled. That was it. She was real. She said she was a general in the Empire. And he only knew of one Empire at the moment and that was exactly where he was heading. "Her name was Esdeath… of the Partas tribe. A general huh? Well I'll just have to track her down when we come ashore. I wonder if Armen knows the name…? Huh. I'll ask another time. I'm still annoyed that he woke me up just now…"

Naruto gave the man a glare and, assuming that he woken to resume propelling the ship along, he moved out of the living quarters.

Ooo

Ooo

General Esdeath, leader of the Empires greatest army, woke in her field tent to the sound of laughing soldiers. She opened her eyes and stared at the ceiling… just looking up and watching the roof of the tent sway. Her tongue darted out to state her lips… The scent was gone but she still remembered it. She could imagine the musky aroma filling her nose and sending pleasurable shivers up her spine.

He'd disappeared.

That handsome young man with the amazing blue eyes and golden hair had vanished like smoke on the breeze just as he was about to answer her. She…. was pissed… Royally pissed. She couldn't remember the last time she'd blushed or the last time something had stirred her embarrassment like that. Did she even remember the last time?

It made her furious. No… not that it happened. The feeling its self was exhilarating. She liked it, wanted more of it, needed to feel those emotions again… And most of all she wanted to know what that boy was. The pure, raw power he had been almost dripping. She'd never met anyone who exuded such power, such unimaginable strength. It had been like a lake… no, an ocean of power. She'd felt small beside it. So very small.

She desired to be in that presence again, to feel that tide of energy wash over her, drown her senses in that hot current. He… he said his name was Naruto Uzumaki. A most unusual name to be sure. She wasn't at all certain that she'd heard either… ever. And she'd met thousands of people since she became part of the Capital's military. She didn't know where he came from. Probably a distant country, but… why had she not heard of him? Someone who could impart such a feeling through a mere dream had to be famous in his homeland at least!

Esdeath shifted, naked under the thick blankets of her bed. A second later she sat up, her icy blue eyes taking in her tent. She was the strongest… and she had always been the strongest.

Now?

She'd encountered something that could swallow her power whole… and she wanted it. Wanted him. It was instinctual, the desire to take what she wanted. She had always wanted a man, yet she'd never met a single one other than Budo who could match her power…. And she would sooner commit ritual suicide than be with that man. But him? That innocent… yet undeniably feral look? The cast of his features, seeming ever the more foreign as she recalled them. The black flicker of the pupil set in those sapphire eyes. He was handsome, amazingly so… and in just the way she liked.

She didn't even know she liked that kind of man until she remembered that unruly blond hair and fox like… bordering on feline, curiosity. It didn't seem possible, but she… liked him. Wanted him. Like a lioness who seeks out the strongest mate she wanted him... and... this little war in the north?

It had become a hassle. A waste of time that could be much better spent elsewhere.

Esdeath slipped out of bed and was dressed in less than a minute, snatching her rapier and clipping it to her belt as she exited her tent. Once outside she raised her voice so that the entire camp could hear her. "PACK IT UP! WE END THIS TODAY OR I'LL END YOU TOMORROW!"

Ooo

-four days later-

Ooo

The breeze was slow and cool as the ship's captain guided it into dock. Being that Naruto, Jiraiya, and Armen were the only passengers, the departure was quick and silent. The captain of the vessel scarcely waved goodbye to them before they were gone and moving into the small seaside town. Jiraiya and Armen stood fairly close together, discussing their initial plans and where to go from here.

Naruto walked off to the side a bit, his eyes resting on them every few seconds before returning to his thoughts. He absently let his feet take him in the same direction as the two older men while he lost true sight of the street in front of him

Naruto took in a deep breath and imagined a sweetness on his tongue that wasn't there. It made no sense. Everywhere he felt the familiar sense of that girl from his dream. That girl who was very much real. He'd overheard Armen and his Godfather talking about the higher ups in the Capital… and 'Esdeath' was most certainly one of them, though Armen had admitted to not knowing her personally. Supposedly she was in the far north on a campaign to conquer the northern tribals… who had banded together into one nation.

He didn't know what to think of that… and even if he did, he couldn't really care. There was just something about her. Ever since that dream during the trip, he couldn't stop thinking about her. It was like an itch in the back of his mind that absolutely refused to be banished. At some points it was almost maddening. He'd feel a light breeze and his skin would abruptly go bumpy with the memory of her presence. Or he would hear a soft brushing noise and his imagination would conjure images of her thighs rubbing together as she crawled towards him… That alone was enough to make him stumble in the street, his cheeks going pink.

It was ridiculous that he was unable to get her out of his head. It was just a dream! But, at the same time, it wasn't. That much was obvious. Normal dreams didn't allow you to communicate with real life people from the other side of an ocean… and certainly not if you'd never even seen them before. Like how was his mind supposed to conjure up an accurate image of someone you've never seen before?!

Still… that was beside the point. It didn't seem important at the moment that it had happened… or why it happened… Only that he couldn't force the image of her out of his mind for five freaking minutes. Thoughts of her were like an invasive species of insect. Almost impossible to purge. Even at that moment, meandering down the street he could perfectly recall what she looked like… down to every little detail. It was insane how easy it was. And worst of all… or maybe best of all… He couldn't rightly tell which it was… He wanted to see her again.

Badly. The desire to see her again was like a constant background hum and when his thoughts focused on her… as they did now, he had this warm pleasurable feeling in his chest that was very hard to ignore.

This feeling… even if he'd been as dense as he used to be, it couldn't have been mistaken. This was like how he used to feel about Sakura… except a thousand times stronger. It didn't help that after their real meeting he'd dreamed of her… really dreamed of her afterwards. It was enough to make him turn beat red. Her voice, soft and clear… yet strong and vibrant. He could imagine her whispering seductively in his ear…

"Naruto-kun…"

Naruto fondly imagined that he might walk straight into the side into a building so that he might knock himself out… and hopefully land back where ever that girl happened to be at the moment. How he wished he could just see her aga…."

"Hey brat! Watch where you're going!"

Naruto blinked and stumbled back, rubbing his temple. He looked up and found himself staring into the intricate steel chest plate of a soldier. His eyes traveled upward and his eyes widened. The man was huge, eight feet tall at least! He had grim yellow eyes and a square chin that could be used as a stone hammer. And he looked pissed.

"You watch it piss ant. Or I'll show you the back of my hand."

"Who died and made you my superior?" Naruto easily reached out with his thoughts and brushed the man's. "PTFH! This guy is weaker than Konohamaru! Who is he calling piss ant?!"

Taking another step back Naruto reasserted his balance and gave the man a scolding look. "Sorry for bumping into you, but you don't have to be an asshole about it ya know." He rubbed his forehead and turned to follow Jiraiya who was still deep in conversation with Armen.

"Where the hell do you think you're going pipsqueak?! No one insults me. I'm the captain of the guard here!"

Naruto paused briefly, glancing around. A few people in the street had noticed the small confrontation, but most seemed to be in an evasive mindset. They skirted the two of them. Naruto considered telling the guy off but came to the conclusion that it was asking for trouble. "Minds as well be diplomatic, even with this ass…" He bowed his head ever so slightly to him. "Sorry again, but I wasn't breaking any law and I did apologize…."

"You think that's enough?!" The man bellowed, now fully getting the attention of everyone on the street and turning Jiraiya and Armen around. "You think you can slander me in public?! I'll tell you something you insignificant insect, I am in charge around here and you need to be taught a lesson."

Jaw dropping, Naruto stared slack jawed at him for a second before his eyebrows drew down. "Okay…. Whoever you are. News flash. I just bumped into you by accident. If you want to fight about it I'll knock you into the middle of next year. I don't give a damn if you're a General! You need someone to pull that stick out that you have shoved up your ass!"

People in the street stopped and stare, apparently amazed by this declaration. Surprise and no small fear etched in their faces. Naruto didn't notice them anymore. He was thoroughly pissed at this guy and not just because of what the jerk was trying to pull…. But because his sixth sense was telling him that this guy needed a lesson in humility. And after years of working with the best spy in the Elemental nations, he learned to trust his instincts. Some people just needed to get their asses handed to them before they could be decent to one another.

"Then you're challenging me to a dual?! Dueling isn't allowed you midget. Now unless you want me to drag your scrawny rear to the prison you better kneel in the dirt and tell me just how sorry you are!"

-WHAM!-

Bones snapped like dry twigs as Naruto sent a fist into the man's face, breaking his jaw like kindling and sending his unconscious body into a wall on the other side of the street. Naruto dropped back to the street and spat on the ground. He growled low in his throat and turned away then, not bothering to lecture someone in manners who wasn't awake to hear him. Instead he strode back after Jiraiya and Armen, cursing under his breath about people who were so rude that the only way to show them the error of their ways was to knock them through a wall. He hated stubborn ass holes like that.

"You! You there! Halt!"

Naruto stop in his tracks and turned around. "Fuck me… Not ten minutes off the boat and the goddess of luck is already trying to screw me over. I swear there better be some hell of a reward for all the shit I get these days." He groaned as the six men and women in armor… all of which looked strikingly similar to the guy he'd just downed… approached him at a jog, their swords drawn.

"You, state your name and the reason why you attacked the Captain!"

"He was being a Grade-A dickhead. That's why. He tried to arrest me just because I bumped into him." Naruto turned. "Ask him when he wakes up. I'm done here."

"HALT! You are not to move. In the name of the Emperor submit to the law and come with us. Then you may file a report on what happened and how you managed to knock out a captain with a single punch."

Naruto looked into the eyes of the woman who was speaking and considered how to handle this. She seemed less of a bitch than her superior officer, but he did not have time for this shit. And he sure wasn't in the mood for it right now. There was also the small detail where he was from another continent and that would almost certainly make things more complicated than they were worth.

"How about no. I don't have time for this. I told you the truth and if you don't trust my word that's too bad for you." He turned and walked away saying, "…and if you try to stop me I'll knock all of you out too."

"…."

"Die then!"

Naruto effortlessly turned to the side as a sword blew past his face. His eyes met those of a young snarling man…. Who received a fist to the jaw and a chop to the side of the neck, knocking him out and backwards to land in a heap twenty feet away. Naruto felt as if he was swatting flies. What were these guys? They advertized every strike like this as some weird combat version of charades. It was a new kind of pathetic above and beyond how slow they were. And he wasn't even using chakra!

And the five other soldiers seemed to realize just how easy he'd dispatched the young man. Naruto capitalized on this. "This is only slightly harder than breathing you know. If you want to wake up in a few hours with a splitting headache and nothing to show for it… go ahead and attack me."

They looked at each other as if silently asking something. Naruto waited as they huddled together for a moment… then broke apart. The woman in charge nodded to a bearded man who looked to be the oldest of the group. Naruto's gaze shifted to him, taking in his huge frame and brutish appearance. He was almost as tall as the late captain. In one hand he held a large intricate hammer. It looked like it was made of some kind of ebony hued metal.

It didn't feel quite right.

The wielder of the black hammer stepped forward and swung the weapon around in slow loops. His eyes burning into Naruto. "I am Maklo, the strongest man on the western coast. Try not to die blond man."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he tensed. Then stepped to the side as Maklo disappeared from where he'd been standing in a burst of speed. The hammer was thrust through the space Naruto's shoulder had occupied a moment before. "He's about low Chunin level… Impressive in comparison to that pathetic captain.. but still way too slow to have a chance against me."

"You're very quick boy."

"You have no idea." Naruto shot back as the hammer rocketed sideways but missed its target a second time. "Ten of you couldn't land a hit on me."

Maklo shook his head and stepped to the side, twisting his body and using the momentum to redirect his hammer to Naruto's kneecap. He continued to speak slowly the entire time. "You misunderstand boy. I am Maklo, wielder of Haipa-kanadzuchi and I will crush you."

Naruto casually dodged his next swing… and the next. He realized to some extent that it would be a bad idea to get hit by the black hammer, but Maklo was making things difficult for him.

You see, Naruto had a rather unique problem. He was massively overpowered. Just not in the same way as others. The problem as it were, was that that he could kill any bandit without using so much as a shred of chakra. And that punch he used on the captain had been at half physical power.

On the other side of the coin he could use chakra to vastly increase his fighting potential, but because of the sheer quantity of chakra he possessed… he couldn't control it very well at low levels. Thus he was like a power outlet. He was either off or on. It was only when he drew on large amount of his power that he gained any measure of fine control over himself. But… that amount of power would turn this guard and all of his friends into red smears on the ground… effortlessly.

But he couldn't go up against him using no chakra because he was just barely strong enough to dodge his strikes without chakra. This man was slower than a Chunin but only slightly stronger than a Genin. His speed was about the same as Sasuke's during the mission to Wave country. Much faster than a civilian…. But nothing compared to his speed and power. The very thing was… he could stomp most Genin without using any chakra so… how did he take this guy out without killing him outright. Any chakra laced punch would likely cause his organs to rupture and turn him into a ragdoll.

Naruto was snapped out of his thoughts by a shout and a lunge. He pumped chakra into his body as he'd been using absolutely none before and disappeared in a blur of speed.

Maklo's hammer crashed into the ground with the force of a minor Dragon type jutsu, leaving a huge crater. The guardsman's eyes were wide and darting back and forth. He hadn't been able to stop his momentum when the blond kid suddenly vanished from in front of him.

"I hope you're stronger than I think you are…."

Maklo's face turned to the side just in time to see the fist crash into him. His hammer flew from his grip as a shock rippled through his body and he was blasted backwards by the impact of the strike. He coughed up blood as his back hit the stone wall of a nearby building. His mind reeled and pain exploded through his whole right side. He thought that every rib on the whole side might have been shattered. And as he drew in a breath he could feel a sucking sensation coming from inside his chest. At the same time he couldn't feel his arm at all… and he was losing feeling in his face.

"Gods above… how strong is he?!" Maklo raised on hand to wipe at the blood now pouring from his mouth. "I was mistaken. He is by far the stronger. I allowed myself to be overconfident now that I wield a Teigu… But this boy only hit me once!"

"Now… do you understand?" The blond moved forward. "I didn't want to fight. I was minding my own business when I ran into your captain. And now you attack me for defending myself? What kind of guards are you?" He growled. "Now… I want you to know that I put as little power into that punch as I can. But if you try to attack me again I'll hit you hard enough to kill you outright. I said I didn't have time for this and now I have even less.."

He turned away and started walking. "I'll be going now."

Maklo couldn't have moved if he'd wanted to, but the rest of the guards surged forward. The blond turned on his heel, his eyes blazing. He took in a deep breath and brought his hands together in a harsh clap. And from the collision, a massive gust of wind exploded outward, sending the guards tumbling head over heels down the street. Even the civilians were thrown like cards in a strong breeze, barely avoiding injury as they were tossed away.

"Damn idiots. I'm not in a good mood anymore! So fuck off before I blow a few houses away!"

Naruto whirled around and angrily stomped back to where Jiraiya and Armen were waiting. His sensei look aggrieved while Amren was pale. (but then again, the guy was usually pale these days) He paid no mind to them and walked right past, continuing on his way out of the village before something ticked him off even more.

The two men glanced down the street to where the men and women, guard and civilian alike, were just picking themselves up. Then back to where Naruto was walking ahead of them. Armen was the first to speak. "Um… Lord Jiraiya? Is there something wrong with him? He seems to have a very short fuse and it's becoming shorter by the day."

"I've noticed that too, but I don't know what to say about it. Naruto usually confides in me so if I had to guess he's just agitated about this whole war thing."

"I simply hope that he doesn't do anything like that once we reach the capital. That would be a disaster." Armen shook his head quickly and tugged at Jiraiya's sleeve. "Let us leave before the guards collect themselves and decide to arrest us as well." Jiraiya nodded and they followed after Naruto quickly… or at least as quickly as Armen could move, which wasn't at all fast in comparison.

"I wonder what has gotten into you Naruto… You usually aren't this short tempered even when you're restless. I know we were on a ship for more than a week with nothing to do but fill the sails, but this is a bit much."

Ooo

Ooo

Thirty minutes later Jiraiya and Armen caught up with Naruto in a small clearing. The blond boy had his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he rested against a tree. They both approached, but Armen stopped at the look on Naruto's face. The expression was the very purest definition of confusion that either had ever seen. Or… well, that Armen had seen. Jiraiya still remembered how Lord Third used to be with the old team 7. But that was another story.

Both men paused and Jiraiya's eyebrow raised as a slight flush that suddenly colored Naruto's cheeks. The blond shifted slightly and the Sanin realized, somewhat belatedly, that Naruto was asleep. "Huh? He just leaned against a tree and decided to take a nap? I thought he…"

Armen nudged him and asked loudly. "What's he doing now? Didn't he just beat two men to a bloody pulp because we're in a hurry?! Why is he sleeping?!"

"No idea… but the kid has been acting weird ever since I sent you to wake him up the other day. When I asked him to proofread the latest chapter in my novel he just gave me this odd look and didn't answer."

"…"

Jiraiya frowned dangerously. "It's not just smut."

"…"

"Nevermind." Jiraiya shook his head and walked over to his snoozing student.

Ooo

Ooo

Blue on blue… Sapphire to lapis lazuli. Ocean to sky. They stared at each other for nearly ten minutes before either of them was able to move or speak past the lumps in their throats. Naruto, swallowing hard, managed a husky, "Hi… again…"

The woman's face across from him suddenly broke into a wide smile. Her white teeth showing through. "Indeed."

Neither spoke for several seconds, but eventually Naruto licked his lips and glanced away from her. "I uh… still don't know what happened, but I haven't seen you the last few times I slept…" His gaze flicked back to her semi-nude form, his heart pounding in his own ears. He just.. couldn't keep his eyes off her. The moment he'd dozed off and found himself here, he knew. This was the same as the first. This was another meeting. But what did he say?

"You're name was Naruto Uzumaki."

"Uh… yeah.. and yours was Esdeath.. Partas right?"

"It is."

She nodded, her cheeks steadily darkening. Naruto wasn't a fool anymore not to notice and blushed as well, his eyes dropping momentarily to her perfect breasts. He mentally cursed his godfather for turning him into a perv… while at the same time thanking him for it. He coughed. "You're real…"

Blue eyes sharpened. "So are you… I think." Her blush deepened, either from embarrassment or arousal. He couldn't tell which. "It would be quite unsettling for me to be falling for a delusion…" She stood and stalked closer to him, seeming to ignore the fact that she was almost completely naked. And when she was only a few feet from him she sat down, bringing herself to his level again. "Tell me something… boy from my dream… do you feel the same irrational desire to be with me as I do for you?"

Naruto blinked. "Wha…?!"

She leaned in closer, her voice sinking into his mind like hot water from a hot spring. "Do you…

Ooo

Ooo

Naruto was jarred awake by a large hand pushing him over. He started and flung his arms out to catch his balance. He fell sideways and rolled to his feet, already preparing for an incoming attack….

Then he saw Jiraiya grinning slightly. "Having a good dream kid?"

Naruto blinked.

Now Naruto Uzumaki had been pissed at his sensei many times in the last three years. When his sensei had thrown his off the edge of a cliff into a nearly endless ravine just to unlock his chakra… he'd been pissed. He'd been angry when his teacher decided to take all of his money to go and spend time at an infamous brothel for a week. He was furious when Jiraiya took an entire month to just teach him how to give what he called a massage… but what he personally thought was only an extremely advanced seduction technique.

Not that he was anything more than grateful that he knew the technique now….

But that wasn't the point. Right now he was livid. Jiraiya had just interrupted his dream, his meeting with the stunning girl who he simply couldn't stop thinking about. He'd bulldozed right in and cut it off right as it was getting interesting…. She'd been leaning in to ask… to say something… and…

BANG!

He was right back here with that grinning idiot who had the nerve to consider himself a Sanin. Naruto honestly didn't know what was wrong with him. Jiraiya had interrupted him when he was flirting with girls before. In fact he seemed to be getting revenge for all the times he'd been interrupted himself.

But right now…? He didn't know why he was so… otherworldly pissed. He wanted to rip the old man a new one and then shove the old one up the new one so far that he was TALKING CRAP ABOUT HIMSELF!

Pissed did not even begin to describe the feeling of knowing that he might have to wait another week.. or even longer… to see that girl… He'd been waiting and waiting to see her in a dream again. Every single night he didn't see her in that strange meeting place, he dreamed of her in other ways… He couldn't get her out of his head and he knew with almost every fiber of his being… that she was the one for him…

And Jiraiya woke him up.

Fucking old man woke him UP?!

"Old man…. You have some serious explaining to do…"

Jiraiya and Armen jumped at the cold furious demonic voice. It was filled with so much rage that is boiled over and spilled from his skin. Red mist seemed to be leaking from every pore.

"I uh… you were sleeping… and we have places to be." Jiraiya stammered out, a bit shocked that Naruto was actually radiating the Kyuubi's chakra out like that… just because he was woken up.

What had the kid so pissed all of a sudden?

"You have three seconds to promise me that you will never wake me up without a GOOD reason again…. Before I tear your balls off and feed them to you."

Jiraiya watched in horror as the Biju cloak solidified around Naruto. The blazing blue eyes bled crimson in an instant, followed by his tiny claws morphing into talons. Behind him three tails of solid bubbling chakra tore free of the cloak.

"Oh shit...!"

"One…"

Armen had flattened himself against a nearby tree and looked like he was about to pass out from the sheer killing intent.

Jiraiya had gone very pale… very very pale. He didn't know what he'd done wrong?! Had the kid been having some kind of paradise dream or something? Why was he calling on the Kyuubi's chakra because of a dream!? And why in Kami's name was he threatening to rip his nuts off?!

"Two…"

Jiraiya fell to the ground in a profound prostration. "Please spare my balls gaki! I'll never wake you up again on my word!"

Naruto's eyes regarded him with a silent condemnation that more than rivaled anything Tsunade had ever leveled on him. Jiraiya had a strong urge to faint from terror. He'd never seen this side of the kid before. He'd never actually been terrified of him. Not like this. It was like Naruto was threatening to murder him for waking him up!

Abruptly Naruto's violent aura dissipated and he straightened. Armen collapsed in a dead faint just as Jiraiya looked up.

Just as he did so, Naruto's foot met his chin and sent him into the tree Armen had just been flattened against. He let out a cry that sounded oddly like a croak and collapsed on top of the unconscious man. Naruto growled. "You damn well better keep that promise old man… or on the graves of my parents I will make sure you never can get laid in your life." His eyes faded back to blue and he glanced at Armen's body under Jiraiya's. "…You're carrying him."

Jiraiya, the third member of the Legendary Sanin gulped as Naruto turned on his heel and started to walk away. "What the hell just happened?!"

Ooo

The tent, formerly belonging to General Esdeath Partas… along with a two hundred foot circle of land around it, was the a frozen wasteland. However at its center, the nearly nude form of the young woman rested on a bed of ice for several moments with one pale arm covering her eyes. Then she sat up, her cold blue orbs taking in the ice around her….

She was pissed. Royally pissed. She'd never known she could be this angry until her long awaited dream meeting with that blond haired young man was cut short again… Her cheeks reddened as she thought of him, even as her eyebrows drew together in fury at the interruption.

Someone needed to die…

Ooo

-one week later-

Ooo

Jiraiya watched his student and godson with a wary eye. The blond's foul temper had lasted for the last few days. He seemed to be extraordinarily irritated. Even now Naruto was muttering under his breath about something. The older Shinobi thought that he might be able to make out what it was if he used chakra to heighten his hearing… but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear what his godson was thinking.

The last seven days had been like a sort of ritual. Everyone woke up at their accustomed times, save for Naruto who slept in late one of those nights. Then over breakfast they talked about the politics of this country and how everything worked. It was mostly information about various officials, what they did, and how they were important. After that they would get on the road, continuing they way towards the Imperial capital. Armen and he would speak more on the road about the state of the Capita and what he knew of the Revolution. Likewise he would tell Armen a little about the Elemental nations, though nothing about each individual village.

It was strange though. Whenever Armen mentioned the Capital's generals… the woman known as Esdeath in particular, Naruto would perk up. Jiraiya hadn't seen anything overly suspicious, but he swore that once he saw Naruto giving Armen a look that… had the man caught it... he would have died instantly. If he recalled correctly Armen had been recounting some unpleasant rumors about the General.

Maybe Naruto was still pissed at Armen about something though… With how erratic he was behaving it was hard to tell.

Jiraiya honestly didn't know what to think about Naruto's temper. It seemed to have magically appeared shortly after they met Armen. Sure he'd had a temper before and he was always quick to anger… but he'd never been this much of a hair trigger.

And the last time he'd blown up on him had been when he's made him learn how to give expert massages so he could seduce women for him…. Still, that hadn't been anywhere near a fraction of the anger that had been directed at him a week ago. "I wonder what's going on inside the kid's head. Maybe he was daydreaming about that Sakura girl or something…. But I thought he got over her a long time ago…?"

He shook his head and kept walking… only to pause in his steps for a brief moment. A high pitched noise alerted him to something behind him. He glanced back to see a small wagon behind them being pulled by two small horses. There were two men on top of it, one holding the reigns. Jiraiya dismissed them as one man waved to him in greetings.

He waved back and turned to continue on his way, still deep in thought.

Ooo

Meanwhile Naruto grumbled to himself. He'd had another very distracting dream the night before and… as seemed to be constant… he couldn't stop thinking about his girl.

He didn't know when he started thinking about the strange girl like that. She was a General of the Empire who… if Armen was to be believed, commanded thousands of men. He was hesitant to believe him though… with all the awful things he said about her. He claimed she was a homicidal psychopath who took great pleasure in torturing her enemies to death…

Naruto's hand clenched. She wasn't like that! He could feel such a strong connection to her. Like his soul was tied to hers. He blushed every time he thought about her moving closer to him… crawling naked across the ground. Her scent teased him at the same time… No! She couldn't be like that. He refused to believe that she was some cold hearted murderess. She would be his as soon as he could find her. Then he'd prove Armen how stupid he was to believe such rumors!

Esdeath was so… perfect… Sure he could see the ruthlessness in her eyes… in the cast of her features. But he couldn't exactly say he was any different with his enemies. It wasn't something he hid these days. He was no longer that pure minded little boy who tried to save everyone no matter how evil they were.

-crack—

Besides! He wouldn't find himself attracted to her if she was evil, some horrible twisted person. He couldn't have so utterly fallen for her if she was as Armen described. His mind wouldn't reach out to her when he slept if she were some… monster…

-Crack-

He could feel that she was good, that she was… that she was his. Naruto closed his eyes as a warm ball churned in his chest, making the smallest of smiles twitch over his lips. He couldn't wait to dream of her again… to speak with her uninterrupted across whatever distance separated them… Or even better, to see her in the flesh to touch those pink lips… He was sure they would be so soft... against his own…

-CRACK!-

Naruto was jerked out of his daydream as the ground under him exploded under him. It shattered upwards in an explosion of dirt and stone.

Fifteen feet behind him Jiraiya and Armen, who noticed what was happening a few seconds before it did, felt a sudden shiver go up their spines. Both of them had the same frightening flashback from the other day.

Even further behind them the two wagon drivers went pale from the double scare of the oppressive aura… and the massive monster rising from the ground thirty feet from them. They shouted in terror and abandoned the wagon running out of range. The horses had the same idea and turned the vehicle around, trotting away as quickly as they could.

And a ways behind the wagon a young man saw the rising figure of a Danger beast and grinned.

Back with the, now extremely annoyed, blond. Naruto was doing his best not to get eaten. He dodged upwards, but the strange… insect-like beast followed him at a startling pace. His eyes twitched in anger and he pumped enough chrakra into his right leg to knock over a structure roughly the size of the Hokage's tower…

…and kicked.

Everyone watched as the blond boy lashed out with one foot and connected with the snout of the massive creature… Abruptly, as if a thirty ton hammer had hit it, the monster's head snapped down, blood exploding out from every gap in its plate armor. The force of the kick having turned its insides to mush. Then the blond's hands came together and a blast of what looked like white blades, crashed into it.

The effect was tremendous and bloody.

The monster was rent limb from limb, pulverized, shredded… All but obliterated. Noxious blood splattered everywhere, raining down and covering the ground around in red. Chunks rained down as well, falling with slick squelching sounds.

Wide eyed shock from all but one of the observers heralded the blond landing amid the eviscerated remains of the beast. Blood drenched him from his waist down and splattered upwards in patches from there. Naruto glared at them briefly before he looked back to the… mess that he'd made. It covered one whole part of the road.

"Grr… now I'm soaked." He muttered and started forming handseals at a rapid rate, finally ending them and closing his eyes. Everyone watched as a large orb of water formed over his head, seeming to be taken from the very air around him. Then it dropped onto him from above. He then pulled off his shirt and pants with everyone watching and turned to walk into the woods on the left side.

"…"

"…"

Jiraiya and Armen stood frozen. The non Shinobi gulped, his head turning to the older man. "He… he just did that…"

"Kid never did understand discretion when he was angry…"

Both jumped as a shout came from behind them. "That was AWESOME!" they turned around slowly as a young man jogged up to them. "Hey! That was unbelievable! How did he do that?! Is he with you two?!"

Jiraiya would normally have said something along the lines of. "Of course he is! After all he is my student and I taught him everything he knows!" But under the circumstances he didn't even think about such a retort. In fact his mind was completely blank besides…

"Who are you kid?"

"Oh! Sorry, my name is Tatsumi! I'm heading to the Capital! Are you guys going there too?!"

Armen and Jiraiya shared a glance. This kid seemed a bit too excited and they couldn't be sure of what to say after that… display. Naruto was supposed to be keeping undercover to an extent. Sure it wasn't an absolute mandate of their self assigned mission. Their goal was to find out the state of the Capital and decide what, if anything, should be done about it. However Naruto had just used a chakra based technique that would automatically be labeled as an Imperial Arms by anyone who knew of their existence.

This kid might not know, but… well things seemed to be getting a bit out of control. They certainly were having difficulties controlling Naruto.

Speaking of which.

"Hey old man. I'm cleaned up. Let's keep going. We'll be in the capital by the end of tomorrow if we keep up this pace."

"That's awesome! We're heading in the same direction"

Naruto cast his gaze over to the newcomer. "Uh.. who are you?"

"My name is Tatsumi. I'm from a village in the south west and I'm going to the capital to make it big! I bet you're doing the same thing right!? You're probably some elite warrior looking to join the army!"

The kid's excitement could only be compared to Naruto's own two years hence. But Naruto had a serious cool down after that, which led to his new somewhat calmer attitude. Still he could still be overexcited… But this kid… he was almost Naruto's age and he was still like this? Jiraiya sighed as Naruto crossed his arms.

"Not really. I'm already part of the military, just not this one."

Tatsumi's expression seemed to crack… only to reform into an even more excited one. "Oh…. Wait, what other military?!"

"That's for me to know and you to probably never find out." Naruto said bluntly.

Jiraiya resisted the urge to face-palm. Did his godson really just say that? It made his out to be part of some special operations unit like the ANBU. This kid would be over all three of them like bandits on the trail of a merchant caravan.

Then Naruto shrugged. "It's not something were allowed to talk about even if we wanted to tell you… which we don't so…"

"Oh…" Tatsumi breath in a low whisper. "I get it… real under the table stuff. I understand..." He grinned and jumped ahead of them. "Hope I see you in the Capital when you're done with your mission maybe we could spar!"

Naruto gave a lazy thumbs up and turned on his heel. His eyes settled on Jiraiya and Armen. A slight smile hovered about his lips. "Now… Pervy Sage…"

"Thank kami he stopped calling me old man. He only does that when he's ticked off at me… so maybe he's calming down."

"…next time warn me when the ground underneath my feet is about to explode in my face. I might have a better sense of smell than you, but you have better hearing." Naruto frowned. "Can we get going now? Before we find any more copies of my twelve year old self?"

"Right…" Jiraiya nodded. "That would be a great idea."

Armen coughed lightly. "Uh… Am I the only one who thinks we should do something about the enormous mess in the road?"

Both Shinobi gave him a blank stare that said three things. First, why should they care? Second, why should he care? And third, weren't they supposed to be moving quickly?

"Of course… pardon me for thinking that." Armen sweat-dropped at their perfectly blank expressions. Exactly how were they able to do that? Was it some manner of short range telepathy? Regardless of that is was a bit freaky and made his unnaturally opposed to doing anything that might piss them off. Not that he wasn't already scared shitless of doing something to make either one of them angry at him. After all… if the boy was willing to rip his balls off for waking him up… what would either of them do for some more serious incident?

And that wasn't counting the fact that he hadn't given them a fraction of the information they needed to understand the political landscape of the Capital. There simply wasn't enough time to give them that much information… Also he realized again… and again…. That he kept thinking that they were here to help him.

They weren't.

Both of them were here on the behalf of their own nation, deciding just how much of a threat Honest was and how long they could afford to ignore the Capital and the Empire. Then if they decided that there wasn't anything back home that was more important… then they would consider helping him. It was exactly how his wife had been.

She had to know all the risks before she flung herself into something. It was just the way she'd been raised. And those two were no different. Hell! He couldn't even be sure that they wouldn't leave if they thought that the problem was too big for them. Sure they had hearts. They felt the pain of others. He'd felt and seen that in them. But both of them were also coldly practical people who calculated gain against loss with an experienced eye. If they knew they couldn't do something, they wouldn't…

Armen realized then… that he'd been left behind….

"Hey! Wait for me!"

Ooo

Ooo

The click of heels and the stiffening of sentries heralded the coming of a General. The swish of a sheathed blade at the hip, the rubbing of crisp fabric, and the subtle clicking of knuckles as fists were opened and closed.

General Esdeath had arrived.

The Ice Queen of the North, as she was just now being called for the first time, strode down the main hall of the Capitals mighty Imperial Palace. Her sapphire blue hair was behind her, rippling in a wave as she passed row after row of guards, who did nothing to stop her. They knew why as well as she. She was strong… The second strongest General in the Capital and therefore recognized as the second strongest being alive… besides the Emperor of course, but he was still a child so no one counted him unless they were at court.

The fact was that there were dozens of formalities that were "required" simply to enter the main throne room of the palace. But Esdeath bypassed them all without so much as a glance. And the guards who usually attended to their duty with firm hands and sharp sword… didn't do more than stiffen and keep their eyes forward.

It only took one time for those in the palace to get the message. Esdeath might have been vicious but no one could say she wasn't efficient.

The woman, who had every right to be feared, continued down the hall at a brisk pace. No one realized… and even the keenest observer would have been hard pressed to notice that… she was paying absolutely no attention to her surroundings… what… so… ever…

A child with a wooden stake could have killed her if a child with such courage existed in the world. For General Esdeath's mind as not currently in the land of the living. Her thoughts were… elsewhere. Much like a certain young man had been quite completely distracted earlier, she couldn't seem to focus on the mundane tasks of life for more than a few minutes…

Esdeath sighed inwardly. She wondered… she wished… But most of all she was tired. She thought nothing could be more pleasing that to get to her personal chambers and crawl into bed and sleep.. Provided of course that she could meet her…. Could she call him her lover? No… she couldn't… yet.

Well, if she counted the other dreams she was having every time she closed her eyes for more than twenty minutes… then yes, she could easily say they were lovers… She hoped fervently that the real him, when they finally met, would be up to the task of equaling her imagined version of him. A small smile quirked one side of her lips. "In bed at least… I hope he's good with his hands…" A cold blush might have stained her cheeks at the thought of that, but she could control herself at least that much.

Never mind that she defiantly thought she would lose it when she met him in person.

Oh… how much had that meeting crossed her mind. How many times had she imagined meeting him? She thought she'd planned and rehearsed every single possible outcome… Okay… so maybe she hadn't strategized for what she would do if he was sitting on the Emperor's throne when she arrived… but she decided if it happened, she wouldn't be complaining… Indeed, she wouldn't complain if she met him in battle and they were on opposite sides…

Since she'd abandon the capital before so much as laying a finger on… her man… with the intent to harm.

A month ago she would have asked herself where this sudden… disloyalty to the Empire had come from. A month ago she might have wondered why she was willing to toss away everything she had earned for a boy she'd only seen in a dream… for less than ten minutes.

She was past asking such stupid questions at this point.

Every time she closed her eyes she saw some… part… of her fantasies. Naruto… His name was like a burning torch in the back of her mind that wouldn't go out. She couldn't stop thinking about him! It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

She remembered again the pleasure she'd felt when he recalled her name… the syllables of her name on his lips… the foreign way he'd pronounced it. Even the hesitation in remembering her clan… She couldn't find fault with any of it… And if he'd mispronounced her first name… she would have been highly tempted to change it. Esdeath inwardly paused at that…

Maybe she was getting a bit too… well what was she saying? Was she willing to do anything for this boy she hadn't even shaken hands with?

"Hell yes…"

Esdeath's cold exterior broke somewhat as a true smile, seeming predatory to those around her, formed on her lips. Her eyes acquired the quality of a huntress seeking her prey and her fingers twitched at the hilt of her blade. As soon as she was done with this… meeting… she wasn't going to sleep. She was going out to find him… Find him so she could…

Esdeath blushed crimson within the confines of her own mind… So Naruto could do things… to her.

A few short minutes later the doors to the Imperial throne room opened before her and she walked in, every inch the General. The eyes of every man in the room turned to her, some in shock, while others only paled slightly. None of them, save their oblivious Emperor, could quite restrain the urge to shudder.

Esdeath was smiling. And the expression was somehow wrong on her exquisite features.

The assembled captains to the Imperial army and the varied administrative officials all stood quite still as Esdeath paced across the room without a sliver of hesitation, only stopping when she reached the first step up to the throne. Then she made an elegant bow, her head tipped downward ever so slightly. She might have served the Emperor… but she still had an inherent dislike of bowing to anyone.

"Ah!? General Esdeath! I didn't expect you for weeks! Possibly a month or more!"

The Emperor's voice rang out across the hall, high pitched and surprised. Esdeath waited several seconds, as was the norm to allow the Emperor to be absolutely finished speaking, before she made her reply.

"It was taking too long."

The temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees… and for once she wasn't even to blame. Everyone besides the Emperor had felt a chill running up their backs. They personally hadn't expected to see her back in "months". How long had it taken her to destroy the supposedly unbeatable northern alliance? This ending beat even her own impossible estimate by a full fourteen days! And that wasn't counting her return. The north must have been conquered more than a week prior to this if she was here now!

To those assembled it seemed… to put it bluntly… that she did the impossible on a whim now. Even Honest was somewhat frightened of the possibilities. Sure she had been loyal to a fault thus far, but if something ever happened before that he would have to use his secret weapon on her. There would be no other choice. No assassin in the world would take out General Esdeath… At least, none that he had ever heard of in the last thousand years!

"Excellent!" Was the Emperor's reply. "This is far ahead of schedule and you have returned alone? I suppose you left your army to settle things and return?"

"It is just so my Emperor."

"Great!" He smiled that innocent smile of his, the polar opposite of her own, and flicked his eyes to Honest. "See that she is paid accordingly to her efforts! The original reward, plus twenty percent for ending it in half the time that my best advisor estimated!"

Esdeath closed her eyes. "That is not necessary."

The room suddenly stilled. The Emperor blinked in surprise. "Um… you don't want the gold?"

"No… I have no interest in it. If you feel the need to reward me… send the money to my troops upon their return. However…" Her head rose, eyes opening to meet the Emperor's. "I have a personal favor to ask instead."

"Of course! What is it you desire?"

Esdeath didn't even hesitate. "It has come to my attention that there is a certain man I must find. I would like an unspecified amount of time to look for him… immediately."

Now this shocked everyone… and more than a few prayed quietly for the poor man's soul…

Behind the emperor's throne Honest stepped forward and whispered in his ear. The Emperor's eyes widened and his mouth form that kind of O that meant he'd realized something rather important. The young ruler turned his eyes back to Esdeath, face somewhere between innocent resolve and apology. "I'm sorry General Esdeath, but I can't grant that at this time. You see there is a terrorist organization which has killed dozens of important figures since you left. It is imperative they are eliminated quickly. I'm afraid I don't know how long it would take for you to find this man you speak of… so I cannot grant that request…"

At Esdeath's expression the Emperor… and everyone else in the room… and several people who were nearby at the time in completely different rooms... winced.

"That is… unfortunate…" Esdeath's voice was filled with a kind of sweetness… it permeated her tone like cold permeates the ground in the far north. Her eyes locked, not on to the Emperor, but on to Honest.

The man immediately began to have second thoughts and leaned in to whisper to the Emperor again, but backed off as the Emperor leaned forward as well. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but this must be done for the good of the Empire. Is there anything else you might want instead? I'm still willing to grant your first request as soon as you destroy the terrorists."

Esdeath frowned. "There are… a few things… though not as important to me at the moment…"

"And they are?"

She seemed to deliberate for a moment. "I would like to visit the vault where the Imperial Arms are kept and take one of my choice. In addition to that… if I must destroy these rebels first… then I would like a year off as the reward for doing so."

The Emperor blinked again… "For what purpose would you want another Imperial arms… which you couldn't use… and a year off? Is this because of the man you mentioned?"

All who were present were witness to something that had been deemed impossible to achieve.

Esdeath blushed scarlet. "Yes."

Honest could not contain his curiosity. "And what relation is this man to you?"

"He will be… my husband…"

Ooo

Ooo

Seven figures stood around a large rectangular table. They whispered among themselves for several minutes, their tones, those of a conspirator. Each radiated an aura of power and… efficiency. They were assassins. They were killers. They were… on the hunt. And before the week was out, their plans would be executed and their targets eliminated.

"Everyone!" They turned to regard their leader. "Tomorrow we strike at midnight!"

Ooo

Ooo

And here is the end to the second chapter. Now… as is customary for any good reader of fanfiction, a review is appreciated and to a certain extent expected! And remember, just like in the last chapter of Sealing Twilight that I posted, I want honest reviews. Not just you guy and girls telling me how great my story is.

If you think there is something wrong, something that needs changed, or even a verbal tick that I've forgotten to use… please mention it. Every little bit helps!

So again… please review! And thank Vexacus905 for all the ideas he's provided to keep this story going!