A/N: First off, before we begin, I need to announce a little something or two:

One, this is probably going to be my first extended story arc. Don't groan just yet, it won't be a RIDICULOUSLY long arc, as some of you are prone to complain about.

Two, I wanna wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving!

That's all!

Testing, testing, 1,2,3…..Hello, is this thing on?

Note: I. OWN. NOTHING….well, except for my imagination!

Hello, my freaky darlings! Now then, as I had promised, may I be the first to welcome you ladies and gentlemen to the tenth chapter of…..

-The-Hunter:-Warden-of-Vytal-

Chapter Ten: Vermintide, Pt.1

Come morning, the group of five awoke to the smell from the inn's kitchen. As they gathered around in the dining area they were greeted with the wonderous sight of cooked bacon wrapped fish upon greens with rolls of freshly-baked bread and cups of hot milk. They sat around one of the tables, breaking their fast and going over strategies before meeting with the king for restricting access to the sewers until the Skaven threat had been cleared. When they had finished, the group of five then left the in on their way to the castle, greeting the common folk they met along the way. Soon enough, a small band of children came across them, laughing and grinning at the "Heroes of Crete". Not wanting to hurt their feelings, the quintet entertained their curiosity by dancing, playing little games and putting on small magic shows. At one point, Frodo found an empty keg to sit on whilst he tuned his trusty lute. Looking up at the slowly-gathering crowd, he gave a toothy grin and cried out:

"Now then, who wants to hear a song?!"

"""YEEEEAAAAAHH!"""

Chuckling to himself, the humble short-statured bard of the Shire cleared his throat, and began:

Brother of Light,

In the reign of the Lion,

Eclipsed in the Eye of

The empire of we Vytalians!

Brother of Light,

What season may come,

We fight for the day

You'll restore our heart

And bring us to glory!

We are forever

In your graces!

Brother of Light,

Save us, everyone,

The nation reviles,

The course is but run,

And end has begun!

Brother of Light,

Believe in us all,

Embrace us with arms,

And dress us with swords,

And light up our hearts with blood so bold!

We are forever

In your graces!

Brother of Light,

In the reign of the Lion,

Eclipsed in the Eye of

The empire of we Vytalians!

Brother of Light,

What season may come,

We fight for the day

You'll restore our heart

And bring us to glooo~ory!

When the song finished, the crowd roared in applause for the bard's talent. Even Kurama gave a small grin in amusement at the performance.

"Heh! Not bad, for a small fry..."

"Oi, Kurama, knock it off." Naruto muttered under his breath so that the people surrounding them wouldn't overhear.

"What? It's not like I'm insulting the guy or anything." the former biju bemoaned, only to receive a raised eyebrow in response. "What? What's that look for?"

The whiskered blond sighed in frustration as he turned back to Frodo's performance, who was now singing The Bear and the Maiden Fair to the dancing and cheering crowd, those knowing the verse soon started singing along. He turned to see Ozma and Juniper dancing in the midst of the crowd. Upon noting the smiles on their faces, Naruto grinned. "They look real happy together, don't you think."

"Hmph, if you say so..."


"You're late, Great Hunter." King Minos boomed as the quintet arrived in the throne room. Surrounded by his Small Council and many of the townsfolk, the dark-skinned ruler of Crete cast his golden eyes upon the group with a piercing gaze. "I had often wondered how you've ever managed to stay in business if this is what you amount to such appropriate behaviour."

"On the contrary, Your Grace, it would only affect me if I had such a professional business in the first place." came the reply with a smile. "But I thank you for your concern. I'll be sure to better adhere myself for future references. I do apologize for our tardiness, however."

Narrowing his eyes at the Hunter's answer, however offhanded it was, King Minos nevertheless accepted it knowing it was the best he would get out of the God of Light's Chosen. "Very well. In which case, let us begin our strategy of dealing with the Skaven dwelling within Crete's underground sewers. I assume you wish to restrict access to the public, correct?"

"Yes, Your Grace." Ozma answered, gaining the council's attention. "It would be only a temporary measure until we have completely burnt out their nest. That means the city will need every entry barred and secured with sentries aside from the main entrance to ensure the Skaven don't try to escape."

Minos raised an eyebrow in intrigue. "And if this 'temporary measure' were to continue unexpectedly..."

"King Minos, if I may?" Juniper stepped forward. At the subtle nod from the ruler of Crete, she continued. "The end-goal of this scenario is to exterminate the Skaven threat beneath the city. We are, of course, providing temporary measures solely because of the need to secure Crete's prosperity quickly and precisely. I can assure you that the longer the Grimm are allowed to roam the sewers, the less chance we have of securing your kingdom's people and wealth."

Locked in a tower she may have been, but her father sent her tutors to study the ways of politics and coin, if not magic. When asked, he simply stated: "I will not have any child of mine grow complacent and naïve. Learn and grow from your teachers, daughter."

"And if you are wrong, Lady D'Arc?" Naruto didn't fail to notice the tone the king used when addressing her title. "If the Hunter fails in his task, what then?"

"I find it extremely unlikely, Your Grace." The fair-skinned magic user countered. "But if you must feel so adamant, then if the worst should come to pass...we would be looking to evacuate the city entirely."

Juniper D'Arc had barely finished speaking before the uproar of disapproval began throughout the masses.

"Abandon Crete?! Are you insane?!"

"My family's been here for thirty generations!"

"Where would we go?! Nobody would help us!"

"We're all doomed!"

'And here we fucking go...' Naruto thought to himself as he observed the mass hysteria before him. Sighing in frustration, he took a quick breath before letting out an ear-piercing whistle; quickly gaining their attention. "Right. You all believe that it can't be done. That the Grimm would eventually run us down and Crete would be finished. Well, I disagree. It's this fear and mistrust that gives them an advantage, Your Grace." The former shinobi turned towards the Master of Law before continuing. "Lord Aurelius, is it possible to round up the City Guard for barring any and all entrances to the sewers aside from the largest entryway?"

Taking a moment to process this information, the older man gave a firm nod in the whiskered blond's direction. "It is feasible, Great Hunter. I see no reason as to do otherwise. Give me an hour; Roran and I will mount the necessary defenses needed."

"Aye, just get me the materials and I have my people set up those barricades in a hurry!"

With a small grin, Naruto thanked the two before turning back to the king. "I only ask, Your Grace, that you let us restrict access to the sewers until the Skaven threat is completely eliminated. In the meantime," the Great Hunter tuned to face the gathered townsfolk. "I would advise everyone not to panic and to stay in their homes. From what I've learned, the Grimm are attracted most strongly to any and all negative emotions. That includes fear. Also, anyone with arcane knowledge wishing to help us deal with the threat is free to join us in this endeavor." Once more facing Minos, he slightly bowed his head before rejoining his companions.

Taking in the atmosphere of the throne room, the King of Crete rose from his seat and, in a booming deep voice laden with power, said: "So it is, then. The underground passageways and sewers are hereby restricted to public access until such time that the Grimm threat is eliminated. All those able-bodied and willing to assist shall report to Lord-Commander Malenia for training. The rest of you shall stay in your homes for the remainder of this plight. All in favor?"

"""AYE!"""


It wasn't long for the townsfolk of Crete to be abuzz with activity. The Builder's Guild were busy setting up barricades and defenses along every underground entryway, and Lord-Commander Malenia di Nikos was training the new conscripts for the upcoming Skaven raid. Farmers and merchants were gathering up their harvests and wares, for fear of them getting damaged should the God of Light's Hunter fail. What's more: currently Ozma has been recently working with the Alchemist's Guild in making something that could turn the odds in their favor.

Naruto was pleased at how well the city was working when it comes to a common goal. Kurama, on the other hand, was just simply bored.

*yawn* "I really hope that this job gets done soon. I'm getting bored out of my mind."

"Kurama, now's not the time for this."

"Hmph. Still doesn't mean I like waiting."

The blond Hunter gave an exasperated sigh as he turned to face his longest companion. "Look, if you're so bored why not go out on patrol around the nearby forests? I'm sure there's a Grimm or two that'll peak your interest." The former biju gave him a sideways glance before jumping onto one of the nearby roofs for a nap. "Tche! Lazy-ass..."

As he continued walking along the main road, Naruto then proceeded to ponder as to how to best burn out the Skaven nest as quickly as possible. Fire was an excellent choice, but not when it concerns burning out a Grimm horde dwelling in the sewers; mainly being the abundance of water. The whiskered blond was nearly at the inn where he and the others were staying when he heard a shout from behind him. Turning around, he saw an excited Ozma barreling towards him with what looked to be a flask with green liquid inside. From the wide grin on the Emerald Wizard's face, he figured it was pretty good.

"Hey, Ozzy. Whatcha got there? Looks a bit...glowy."

His dark-haired companion took a moment to catch his breath before going on to explain the latest breakthrough that he and the Alchemist's Guild had developed. But first... "Do you know what this is?"

It took every ounce in Naruto's brain not to throttle the man for asking him something like this. "I dunno...a new ale?"

Ozma paused, blinked three times, before his eyes threatened to pop out of his skull. "Wha-NO! Not unless you want to melt from the inside out!"

"Then don't ask me something you know I don't know the answer to, Ozzy!" the whiskered blond retorted. "Now, seriously, what is that?"

The slightly miffed wizard harrumphed before continuing. "This, my friend, is what's going to aid us in our endeavor. A flammable, highly volatile liquid that, when ignited, can explode with tremendous force and the resulting fire burns so hot that water cannot extinguish it. The Skaven won't be able to survive this, I'm sure."

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Sure, having a powerful source of fire is great and all, especially if used against the Creatures of Grimm. But there's just on thing that bothered him. "You say that water has no effect. So how are we supposed to get rid of it?" the former shinobi narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "I hope you had something planned just in case, Ozma. I don't want all of Crete to be razed to the ground."

To his credit, the Emerald Wizard didn't even blink. "No, we actually tested some smaller samples on various substances. After much observation, we found that only by smothering the flames in common sand can they be extinguished entirely. Otherwise, I wouldn't have brought this to your attention." The brown haired mage raised both his hands in a plactating manner. "I've already spoken with Roran with covering the defenses with sand so that the flames have no chance of getting out. The only way those flames are getting out is through the main entrance off the coast."

Despite Ozma's reassurances, Naruto couldn't help but think if it would do more harm than good. As one who grew up in the shinobi lifestyle, he knew the dangers of an untested technique or weapon-more so if said product was being used for nefarious means. The Second Hokage's Edo Tensei Jutsu was one such example. The former shinobi hoped that the people of Vytal would never have to face such dangers. Still, however:

"This magic liquid you helped cook up...it have a name?"

Relieved at Naruto's willingness to listen, Ozma smiled. "Yeah. Wildfyre."


It was in the middle of the night when everyone had finally finished setting up the defenses. When everyone was getting ready to turn in for the evening, Naruto and Kurama were out on patrol in the woods outside of the city. Currently, they were following a small Beringel troop straying too close to Crete's walls to their liking-bad enough having to deal with Skaven underground. So, while everyone was resting for the long day ahead, Naruto knew that he and Kurama needed to deal with any Grimm dwelling on the surface first. The less the commonfolk have to worry about, the better. With the two of them hopping from branch to branch, finding the Grimm should be easy.

Keyword: SHOULD...

"Anything, Kurama? It's been almost two hours now..." Turning to his two-legged partner, the former biju merely gave him a sour look as he sniffed the air, trying to catch their scent.

"Nope. For some reason, they seem to be everywhere throughout the forest." The multi-tailed fox replied as he turned to his left, making note of a slightly worn pathway covered underneath the shade of thick trees. It was almost unnoticeable at a glance-could easily have been mistaken for a deer's trail. But...

"Oh, that's interesting? Wonder where these footprints lead?" The whiskered Hunter quipped as he looked down the clearly manmade footprints in the trail. Bringing out the Tear Stone, he held it close to the tracks before it fired off a blinking light orb further following the trail. Satisfied, the otherworldly duo proceeded to follow the glowing ball down the trail.

"Hmm..."

Taking notice of his blond companion's predicament, Kurama turned to ask: "What is it?"

Blinking twice, Naruto took only a moment to process that question before giving the former biju a reply. "It's nothing. Just got a bad feeling about this, Kurama."

With that said, both he and his many-tailed partner trailed after the blinking orb.


Meanwhile, back in Crete...

It was late at night when Frodo decided to return to the inn after having been invited to perform in the local tavern by the local smallfolk. It was a privilege and honor to play for the masses who so enjoyed his songs earlier in the morning. The short-statured bard of the Shire had just finished singing "Enchanters" before he had realized how dark it was outside, so of course he bid his goodbyes and left the tavern to turn in for the night. He was humming to himself with his eyes closed before hearing a noise. Curious, he then started to follow the suspicious noise down one of the nearby alleyways with wooden barrels onto one side. He was nearing a corner before seeing a glowing blue light shining on the opposite wall. Not wanting to cause a scene, Frodo quickly dove inside one of the barrels with a peephole facing the light. It wasn't long before he saw a door open from the building before seeing two men garbed in heavy cloaks carrying what seemed to be a large white sack with splotches of red. It also seemed to be dripping red liquid everywhere.

To his silent horror, Frodo saw an arm fall out of the sack. A human arm.

"Oi, watch where you're walking with that, eh? Tha' boss man's paying lots for our services!" The humble bard nearly jumped in fright at the frightening sound of one of the men giving the orders. It spoke as a human, but the sound was almost gutteral. Primal. Grimm-like.

"Yeah, yeah, don' worry 'bout it!" was the reply.

"An' make sure you don' drop anythin' again, ya hear?!"

"YEAH, YEAH, I'VE GOT IT!"

In fear of being found out, Frodo opted to stay in the barrel until the light was put out and the voices couldn't be heard. It was only then did he dare return to the inn.

He never saw a distant shadow move to follow...


"Damn! This trail's really deep in the woods, Kurama." Naruto stated as they followed the Tear Stone orb through the thick forest. "Hopefully we'll be able to finish this up in time to get back."

"I know. I'm already longing for more Rabbit Stew."

Chuckling to himself, Naruto shook his head. "I'll never understand why you like the damn thing so much. It's just stew."

"OI! That tantalizing dish of heaven is the most exquisite delicacy on this world I've encountered! I can imagine feasting on that bitch Kaguya's corpse if I so much as smell it! It's like your obsession with that ramen of yours, but so much better..."

"...It's not really the same, but I can start to see why you'd say that." Turning back to the light, the whiskered blond noticed a clearing up ahead. And in that clearing...

"Well, looks like we found them."

Indeed, It was impossible to mistake the gorrila-like shape of the Beringels. The troop itself seemes to be about fifteen strong. Though he was grateful that they had not seemed interested in their arrival for the moment, there was something about the situation that just didn't seem right to the former shinobi. Like there was something else going on that he had yet to know about.

"I don't like this. Not one bit."

Kurama turned to look at him as though to say 'How so?'

Naturally, the whiskered hunter obliged. "See the thick bone on the chest and arms? Only Beringels who've been around for at least a hundred years or so should have bone plating that thick."

"And only the young ones tend to travel in large groups." Kurama understood where his partner was getting at. "And since there's so many of these old-timers in a troop this large-"

"Means there's something else here. But what?"

"GGRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"

Naruto blinked in surprise. "Welp, they found us." Then his face split apart in a feral, Chesire grin. "Good. Been meaning to try out my new toys."

SHIING!

Having unsheathed his newly-dubbed Garuda's Claw and Ranger Shield, Naruto Uzumaki leapt into battle. The closest Beringel threw a fist at the whiskered Hunter, but he swiftly ducked underneath, cut off the extended limb with the shield before ripping its head off with the claw. He heard a roar behind him, and turned to see yet another charging at his back. Laughing to himself, the former shinobi launch himself off the chest of his kill and landed atop the Grimm's shoulders. Without a moments' notice he dug the Garuda's Claw vertically through the Beringel's skull, twisting to direct its arms and fists into blowing off the heads of two of its kin before slicing through its bone mask, effectively killing the creature. Another leapt up, fists raised to smash him into paste on the ground. Raising the Ranger Shield in front of him, he was pleased to find that it held under the Grimm's fist even as the ground cracked beneath his feet. Naruto drew its attention long enough for a horse-sized Kurama to jump at the Beringel, tackling it off of the whiskered blond before digging his teeth into its neck.

Naruto didn't have room to breathe, however, as he hopped back into the fray. Three Beringels charged at him, intent on taking his life. The Hunter met them head on, sliding between the middle set of legs and digging Garuda's Claw through its groin. The Grimm's eyes seemingly widened as it roared in pain before finding itself speared through the back of its mouth by the Morning Star. Flicking his hand down, Naruto allowed the glowing golden chains to vertically split the body open before moving to sever the legs of the other two Beringels standing next to them. Spearing the bladed tip into one's forehead, he ripped it off the main body before using it to obliterate the skull of the other ape-like Grimm. Setting his gaze onto two other Beringels, Naruto went for the one on the left whereas the other was left to Kurama's mercy.

"GGRROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

"HAH!"

The young Hunter quickly wrapped his weapon around his targets arm before the Beringel grabbed the chain and pulled him towards it, the creature's other arm cocked back for a rib-shattering punch. But just as body and fist were about to connect-

*SQUELCH!*

-The Beringel roared in pain as Naruto drove both the Ranger Shield and Garuda's Claw through the huge Grimm fist, before proceeding to pry said limb open parallel all the way to its shoulder. As soon as he was deep enough, the former shinobi slashed the Grimm's abdomen with Garuda's Claw, caved in its bone chest plating with the Ranger Shield, and then ultimately decapitating the creature with the Morning Star.

"Right," he huffed, turning to face the remaining troop, "and then there were-OH SHIT!" before quickly hugging the ground as one of the remaining Beringels went flying over him into the woods. Hearing a wet crunching sound, he knew it was dead. Looking up, he immediately saw why.

It was a Grimm, similar in stature and physique to the remaining four Beringels. Only it held a larger muscle mass in general. Horns jutted from its mandrill-like bone mask, and there seemed to be bone "pipes" protruding from its body-two on its forearms and four on its back-that emitted powerful jets of steam. The Grimm had heavy bone plating on its chest, forearms, and even large shoulder plates forming somewhat akin to armor. Along with its elongated knife-like ears and long muscular tail with a thick bone tip, this Creature of Grimm could only be:

"A FUCKING HANUMAN?!"

"GGGGRRRRRRRRRROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Propelled by the steam, the Hanuman jettisoned towards Naruto, its fist crashing into his chest as the creature launched him into the forest. Coughing up blood, the whiskered blond looked up to see the damned Grimm looming in front of him reaching to grab him. Not wanting to be turned to paste, he kicked himself off the ground and backflipped to gain some much needed distance; only righting himself when the Hanuman got too close for comfort. The young Hunter could only parry two of its attacks before the Grimm grabbed him by the chest with both hands and started to squeeze; it was almost laughing in his face as it kept crushing his ribcage. Naruto almost thought this was it-this was how he'd die. All the enemies he'd faced down in his life. Only to be cut short by one Grimm. Was it worth it?

*SHIIIIIIIINE!*

Of course not...

The Hanuman screeched as the light from the Tear Stone blinded it enough for its grip to loosen, allowing for Naruto to escape from its sight and up on top of one of the nearby branches. He took a moment to catch his breath, let his chakra heal him while the Grimm was still blinded.

"Of all the Grimm to fight in a fucking forest..." The young Hunter muttered beneath his breath while glaring at the Creature of Grimm below him. "It just HAD to be this sonofabitch." Gripping the Tear Stone together with the Morning Star, he caught one of the chain links with his other hand as he channeled the energy of the stone. enhancing the weapons' striking power as the chain itself glowed blue. When he was done, the whiskered blond noticed that the Hanuman had recovered from its earlier stunned state and was looking everywhere for its quarry. Trusting Kurama to take care of the remaining Beringels, Naruto dropped to the ground and struck it across the face with the whip, earning an enraged painful roar from the monster.

The Hanuman leapt onto a nearby tree, breaking off any branches close to it before using them as makeshift spears to throw at the former shinobi, who promptly cut them down by twirling the chains of the Morning Star in front of him. When it leapt onto another tree, Naruto followed it deeper into the woods. He then jumped up to the branches where the two did battle. With every strike laid upon the Hanuman, Naruto had to bob and weave blasts of air created from its fists that tore through the tree bark, obliterating to the point half the tree fell to the ground. Their fight had cleared a good mile-and-a-half of the forest before the tip of the weapon finally struck the Hanuman in the back of its knees, bringing it crashing down to the earth. Wrapping the whip around its neck, the whiskered blond tried to use its magical properties to sap the strength of the Creature of the Grimm. The Hanuman was growing weaker, but was still strong enough to grasp the chain and fling Naruto through a tree, forcing him to let go of the Morning Star and skidding across the floor. Spitting out globs of blood, he swiftly got back up and stared down the Hanuman, steadily growling to himself before:

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARR!"

"C'MON, THEN!"

Naruto roared before starting to run at the Grimm. The monster let out jets of steam from its bone pipes, increasing its speed and mobility as it punched the air in front of it and sending gusts of high-velocity wind at the young Hunter who promptly dodged left and right. The ape-like Grimm stopped punching the air as it charged to meet its prey head-on, arms stretched out to the side in a grappling motion. But Naruto leapt forward, sending the Ranger Shield crashing into its face causing the monster to stop its charge cold before slashing its thighs with Garuda's Claw. As the Hanuman fell to its knees, the last Uzumaki unsheathed his left Silver Talon and slashed at the Grimm's face, succeeding in taking out one of its eyes before finding himself gut-chucked by a quick jab. Stumbling backwards, he was caught unawares as the creature swiped its tail at his midsection where he then landed on top of a fallen tree. Feeling splinters of broken tree bark digging into his back, the young Hunter groaned in pain before the Hanuman was suddenly up on his face choking the living shit out of him by the neck. Naruto cried out as the Grimm started dealing body shots with its free hand, soon using jets of steam to propel its blows even faster. He was starting to black out when-

*FWOOOSH!*

The Hanuman screeched in pain as Kurama bathed its body in flames, successfully driving the ape-like creature off of his friend as it backed away to a good distance. Struggling to take in much needed air, Naruto turned to his friend with a bloody grin. "The fuck kept you?!"

"Hey, if you want, I can always leave your ass here to be Grimm chow! He certainly wouldn't mind!" came the snarky response of the former biju. Letting his chakra reserves burn away his wounds, the whiskered blond was able to finally stand up before staring down at the Grimm.

"The Beringels?"

"They're fuckin' mincemeat."

Nodding his head, the God of Light's Hunter laid down a plan. "Here's what's gonna happen. Since it likes these trees so much, we're gonna drive it back out in the open. I drag him out, you light 'im up. We keep up the pressure, drive it into a clearing, and corner it. Make it so that the sonofabitch can't breathe."

"Heh. Sounds solid."

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAARR!"

As the Hanuman finally recovered, Naruto wrapped the Morning Star around its right ankle and proceeded to run back to the clearing, dragging the Grimm through dirt and roots. Once past the boundary line, the whiskered blond yanked the chain throwing his catch into the clearing. The ape-like creature stumbled for a moment before regaining balance, but as soon as it did Kurama doused it in fire. The Hanuman screeched in pain before jumping up high into the air. Kurama raised an eyebrow before the creature started punching volleys of air bursts at the ground, tearing up the earth beneath it. The former biju backed away swiftly before returning fire with a barrage of flames from his tails, meeting the enemy's attack head on causing a blinding inferno aboveground. The Hanuman was seemingly gaining the upper-hand when suddenly a glowing chain emerged from the flames, pierced its left shoulder, went out the back, and impaled itself through the right. Yelping in surprise, the ape-like Grimm found itself being yanked down from the air before crashing to the earth below. Looking up, it saw Naruto recalling the extended chain of the Morning Star back to its hilt before rocketing towards the fallen creature, kicking up dirt behind his feet. Cocking his left arm back, the God of Light's Hunter deployed his Ranger Shield before crashing his fist into the bone mask of the simian Grimm, cracking it before slashing at its neck with Garuda's Claw. He leapt upon its back to avoid a sudden blast of air fired from its mouth, digging the claw-gauntlet into its left shoulder before ripping it off. When the Hanuman maneuvered its tail to strike him, the former shinobi hopped off just in time to deflect the oncoming strike before dodging the remaining fist from his opponent. The simian Grimm had a harder time recovering from its maneuvers with one of its limbs missing, but made up for it by using its muscular tail replacing its missing arm.

Without warning, the tail nearly impaled the young Hunter's face, causing him to duck into another fist. The Hanuman quickly gave chase to the flying blond only to be halted by Kurama's flames. Breathing deeply, the ape-like creature of darkness fired an air blast from its gaping maw only to be matched by a wall of fire. Growling in anger, The Hanuman leaped through the blaze with a mighty roar when Naruto sent the Morning Star to impale its throat from the left side. Keeping his grip firmly on the handle, the young man had enough.

"GET OVER HERE!" he roared with fury as he pulled the Grimm towards him. The Hanuman couldn't even react when the whiskered blond uppercuted its jaw with the Garuda's Claw, keeping it shut as he stabbed at its throat remaining eye with his left Silver Talon, effectively blinding it. Sheathing his hidden blade, he grabbed the Morning Star and pried it painfully from the creature's neck. The beast roared in pain until Naruto wrapped the golden chain around its remaining arm and swiftly severed it from the main body. Without haste, the Last Uzumaki spun around it, jumping onto its back, flung the chain into its gaping maw, and used both ends of his whip to pull hard until finally-

*CRACK-POP!*

Its head was cleaved in two. Naruto could finally breath as he was now certain the Hanuman was dead. Leaping off, he popped his neck as its corpse slowly dissolved into nothingness. Kurama was quick to join him.

"That was fun."

Narrowing his eyes, the former shinobi all but growled at his long-time friend. "Fun, he says. You weren't the one having to fight the damn thing from the start!"

"You're still alive, aren't you? You'll be fine. We've been through worse shit than this."

Sighing in frustration, Naruto sheathed his weapons and the two were soon making their way back to Crete. They had just taken a few steps when suddenly their heads snapped up in alarm. It was a sort of sixth sense they had when there was a threat making its prescence known. And it was in the direction they were now heading. Utilizing their chakra, they sped through the trees in haste.

Their friends were in danger. Something was wrong...


-End-Chapter

A/N: Well hello there, my freaky darlings! I hope this chapter was enough to sate your tastebuds until Winter Break, because my family and I are having a bunch of guests and relatives coming over for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's, so I'm crossing my fingers in hoping I MIGHT be able to squeeze out one more chapter before the end of this year!

Nevertheless, I do want to wish each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

With love,

KTWriter