Naruto: A Red Eye Hidden by Shadow

by Tatanka4Life

On the fateful night of the Uchiha Massacre, a girl of Uchiha and Nara blood is spared and left with no memories of her past. Now she must walk on the path left by her family to help her build a new future for herself. Her path will be hard, full of struggles and pain, but as long as she has her friends and family at her side she will keep forging ahead, even if it was a drag.

157. Chapter 156: A World of War

Chapter 156

A World of War: Resonance from the Other Side

Beneath the glinting and glimmering canvas of stars, as nocturnal creatures prowled the forest, the hoo-hoo hoooooo of a great horned owl called from amidst the darkness, before flying off silently at the sound of sandals clapping against bark.

Eyes heavy, Shikamaru squinted against the bitter breeze whistling through marigold leaves, now painted in tar by night's muse, as he leapt ahead.

Freezing air, pitch black environment, and here he was awake at an ungodly hour. Leading his teammates and members of the Medical Corps towards the Land of Rivers for a hostage rescue mission, no less. What a pain in the neck.

He couldn't bother to act surprised by the exhausted Fifth Hokage's disgruntled grumblings over Team Seven's involvement. Honestly, he didn't even blink.

A simple mission, the Fifth Hokage groused. A do-nothing C-rank to catch a little weasel. And somehow, someway, those little snots managed to shoehorn themselves into yet another major incident.

Of course they did, he thought, neither surprised, exasperated or angry. You could count on one hand the number of "simple missions" Team Seven has undertaken since the Invasion. Excluding D-rank missions within the Village, of course. And when simple missions outside of the walls do land in their laps, well, it somehow always turns into something like this.

During the debrief, Shikamaru had pondered the cause. Was it the result of Team Seven's penchant for attracting trouble? The Fifth Hokage's infamous bad luck? Or some terrible combination of the two?

Probably the final option. Team Ten wouldn't have been dragged into the whole ordeal if not for the synchronized ill-fortune of Team Seven and the Fifth Hokage.

Shikamaru didn't dare to ponder or voice his conclusion, though. You don't just go and piss off the weary and exasperated Fifth Hokage. Not unless you have a death wish.

Well, Team Seven could, but they were a collection of one supreme idiot and three of the smartest idiots he knew. So no surprise there.

The bitter air stung his tired eyes. He fought back a yawn and blinked to clear his vision, suddenly watery.

Hundreds of potential hostages in the custody of an invading foreign continent were waiting for them. Waiting to be rescued before they, too, were brainwashed.

Sheesh. Like they needed another problem to join the waterfall pouring over them. Couldn't these invaders have at least waited until morning to be a problem? Waking up early was such a drag.

Oh well. Got no choice now, he thought, leaping from branch to branch. We'll rescue the hostages and send these invaders packing. Shikamaru covered his mouth. And then I'm going back to bed.

He was farther from bed than he could have ever imagined.

The longest and potentially one of the most troublesome days of Shikamaru Nara's life had only just begun.

---

"Can't sleep?"

Miss Anbu spoke softly to not disturb Sasuke; he'd actually fallen asleep, as they were meant to. Where she…

Hugging her knees to her chest, Amari shut her eyes and shook her head.

"My mind's racing," she replied just as softly. "I can't stop tossing and turning. I doubt even a Paralysis Jutsu could stop me."

Hyperbole, of course. A Paralysis Jutsu utilized by a member of the Anbu would cease all tossing and turning, Itachi had shown her that with a single finger. But a Paralysis Jutsu wouldn't stop her mind's gears from cranking at maximum speed.

It wouldn't untie the rugged knot in her gut and ease her into sleep. No matter how much she wished it could.

Miss Anbu settled down crossed-legged beside her. "Are you concerned about our mission?"

"No," Amari shook her head again. "The actual mission doesn't worry me. These people haven't shown the ability to sense us, so if we're quick and quiet, we'll basically be invisible. It's an infiltrators dream scenario. I mean, there's always risk and danger, but…" She shrugged. "Sasuke and I have seen hairier situations."

"Even so, there's no shame in feeling restless."

"It's not that, I promise."

"What is it then?"

Amari didn't answer immediately. She stared at the land-ship, it's massive silhouette appearing like another mountain peak among the terrain, and listened not to the sounds of nature, but the sounds of plate armor soldiers clink, clunk, clanking below.

"I can hear those soldiers moving around down there," she said. "Every rattle of armor. Every whirr and strike of their tools." She leaned forward and rested her chin on her knees. "They're being worked like slaves. Maybe they don't need rest. They're basically machines themselves. Puppets without chakra threads.

"But I know, somewhere beneath the metal plates, somewhere within their machine-like shells is a soul. An adult, a teenager, a child—they're inside those metal suits. Whether or not we can actually see or sense them, I know they exist within."

She felt her arms tighten around her legs.

"I can't stop wondering if they realize what's going on. If they're conscious. If they feel pain or fear—anything at all. Did they feel us destroying their pseudo-bodies?" She dug her fingers gentling into the back of her calves. "Did they feel death or something like it? Was it a child I hurt?"

"Haya, stop."

"I can't," she replied weakly. "I can't get it out of my head. I can't stop thinking that the armor suits we destroyed were actually children. And that we may have killed them."

"Every sphere showed signs of life—we both sensed that," Miss Anbu reminded, resting a hand on her shoulder. "We may not understand how their machine works, but, considering the number of people they have contained and their physical conditions, we can assume those locked within the spheres do not inherit the physical damage of their puppets.

"It is far more likely that, when a puppet is destroyed, they are then linked to new ones as soon as possible. This grants them an infinitely reproducible source of soldiers. An army not at all unlike a Reanimation Jutsu, requiring no sleep or resources."

"The perfect army," Amari muttered. "Infinitely reproducible but requiring no maintenance. The human element has been stripped clean, their humanity sold for a utopia. They're just making necessary sacrifices for the greater good, after all. Someone has to make hard decisions and all that crap."

Amari rolled her eyes and exhaled an annoyed breath. "Just more fanaticism guised as righteousness. People are quick to convince themselves that they are the heroes of a story, righteous in their actions, no matter how immoral they are.

"They'll dress it up, claim stupid reasons for abhorrent behavior, like they are the only ones willing to make these sacrifices. Like they alone have the right to decide humanity's fate because of their past. It's all petty justifications for extremism."

"Yet many people will try to alter humanity's course. You yourself seek to upend the status quo. Some might say that you are an extremist."

"Maybe I am," she conceded quietly. "I can say the system is broken. I can say I'm trying to build a future for everyone, but, from a certain point of view, I am the extremist. I'll probably be framed as a dissident someday, if the Foundation succeeds. The last of a 'cursed' Clan who refused peace."

"Please, don't talk like that," Miss Anbu demanded gently, hand falling from her shoulder.

"We both know they will do it, if they don't try to erase my existence completely. It's too dangerous to pretend otherwise."

"Haya…"

"Either way, I'm not looking to rule the world or decide all of humanity's fate." She shook her head. "I can't do that. No single person has that right."

"I… I wasn't trying to compare you to these invaders," Miss Anbu said after a pregnant pause. "I don't think of you as an extremist or a fanatic."

Amari sat up straighter and turned to look at the kunoichi with a smile. "Maybe that means we're both extremists."

"Haya," sighed the kunoichi. "I…"

"You were playing devils advocate, I know," she said. Then shrugged. "I don't mind. I'd be concerned if no one ever bothered to question my ideals or offer another lens to see them through."

The only person who could stand against her Great-Great Grandfather was Hashirama, but were either willing to listen? To see the world through the lens of the other?

How many people were willing to question the Second Hokage?

Did the Third Hokage ever question the Foundation?

Amari wondered if she'd ever know. Maybe. Maybe not. But she counted herself fortunate for the support net surrounding her.

Wind rustled the inky leaves above. Crickets chirped. The armored soldiers, greaves stomping, continued to work, echoes of striking hammers and whirring tools carrying far and wide.

She wished it wasn't so noisy. She wished she could sleep.

"I want people like you, Kakashi-sensei and my mom to be at my side," Amari finally spoke again. "I cherish Sasuke and Mimi, and I trust them to pummel me if I ever strayed. But I also know, if the worst happened, they'd follow me anywhere. Even into darkness.

"Naruto, Sakura, Shika—all of my friends and comrades—they'd do everything they could to pull me back, too. They're too stubborn to let us shake them off.

"But you, Mom, Kakashi-sensei, Uncle Shikaku and Aunt Yoshino, you'll notice me straying first. You'll put your foot down and stop me before I go farther. Before I can slip through your fingers. Before the darkness takes hold. And I need that. Because I know what I can become."

Looking into the dark gaze behind the expressionless cat-mask, Amari said,

"I know, without a shadow of a doubt, that if I ever begin to stray from my path, you'll do whatever you must to pull me back into the light. Because I'll do the same for you."

"You already have. You are…"

Miss Anbu looked away, shoulders hunching beneath an unfathomable weight.

"You are all I have left now," she admitted, voice heavy with grief. "Little by little, this life has snuffed out the lives of those I held most precious. After Hayate was slain, I sought justice by the sword, but that purpose dulled quickly. Every corpse I saw began to take on the visage of your parents, Shisui, you, and Hayate. And I couldn't help but ask myself why any of us were even born. Why must we endure such hardships? Why was I left behind?

"And then," her voice cracked, and Amari sensed a grief and joy-filled smile behind the mask, "you bounded back into my life, just as your mother said you would. I never thought I'd see you again. I never thought I'd see you grow up or smile or laugh, but here you are."

"Here I am," Amari smiled at the woman.

"I'm struggling to accept this path you're on," Miss Anbu said. "I understand the practical reasons for it. I understand this is what you've chosen. But I… I don't…I don't want to lose you again."

"You won't."

"I wish more than anything you didn't have to walk it." The words seemed to spill out of the kunoichi. "I wish… I wish so much was different. I wish you didn't have to bear this burden on your own."

"I don't have to." Amari scooted closer to the kunoichi, then hugged her arm. "I'm not doing any of this alone. I've got friends and family who walk beside me. My parents and Shisui, too, they're always with me. And I have you now, too."

"Haya…"

"I may not have all the answers. There may be no single right answer to peace and utopia. But I know one thing for certain: If I can reach out to as many people as I can, if I can bring people together and help build bonds between Nations, then together we'll make the world a better place. Not for one Nation. Not for one person. But for everyone."

Something like that, a community built by unity and bonds of trust and respect, would outlive her. It would stretch beyond her finite reach with every new person added to it, and every new person would reach another, and another, and another, until the world itself was a community.

On a long enough timeline, Amari thought, nuzzling against Miss Anbu, those hands can reach everyone. It may not be my lifetime or even my children's lifetime, but it doesn't need to be. As long as humanity keeps moving forward, as long as people keep reaching out, we'll get there. Together. All of us.

A utopia would require a lot of hard work to attain, she could see that. If they rushed it, if they gave in to extreme choices and didn't bother to bring everyone along with them, then it was doomed to fail.

And if that utopia was built on a lie, on an illusion, then it wasn't much of a utopia, anyway. Not to her mind.

Another breeze gently tickled the leaves. Amari shivered, wishing again she had earmuffs for her poor frozen ears.

"I'm sorry," Miss Anbu apologized suddenly. "I meant to ease your mind. Instead, you had to ease mine."

"It's okay. Easing your mind did ease mine. A little, anyway."

"You can't hesitate, Haya. It doesn't matter that they are brainwashed, or if they are children. They will kill you, if given the opportunity."

"I know," she sighed, releasing the kunoichi's arm. "I won't hesitate. It's just… I hate what the leader of these invaders has done. He's turned children—devoted followers and hostages—into murderers. Destroyers. Slaves."

"Are shinobi so different?"

"We are."

"Are we? You and I were trained since childhood to prepare for military service."

"Exactly. We were trained for this. We were prepared by veterans who never glamorized this life," she argued, wrapping her arms around her knees again. "Military service is strictly voluntary. There are expectations for certain families and Clans, but the majority choose to become shinobi. And it isn't like the requirements to become a shinobi aren't high."

"Actually, in truth, the requirements are egregiously low. The Academy's training regimen has required an urgent update for years now."

"Okay, I can't disagree with that. Let me rephrase. Although the Academy's test is relatively easy to pass, the requirements to pass your Sensei's test are high. Of the twenty-eight graduates in my class, it was likely only ten of us would actually become shinobi. The other eighteen would be weeded out, in Kakashi-sensei's words."

"I will admit there are higher standards for the final test, but the bar is still set incredibly low."

She…couldn't deny that. Even Kakashi-sensei's test wasn't difficult to pass. Not truly. Strip away his rational deceptions, and the goal of the exercise was merely to work together and put the squad before themselves.

Had they all cooperated from the start, even had they failed to steal a bell, he likely would've passed them for working as a team.

"Still, there are rules, laws, systems that, while possibly flawed, try to preserve shinobi lives. Even if only for the self-interests of military strength," Amari said. "The whole reason the Leaf Village exists is to protect people—children—from war."

"Does that make what we do just?" Miss Anbu countered. "Is the existence of child soldiers moral simply because that is the way our society has always acted? Isn't that a status quo?"

"Absolutely. However, the morality of training children for military service is another discussion altogether," Amari replied. "You could even throw in a discussion about national propaganda which leads children towards volunteering to join the shinobi academy. Obviously the good intentions the Founder's have gone astray. Children were meant to be protected from war, not sent into its meat grinder."

Amari pursed her lips.

Where had that pure goal gone so wrong? How had children ended up on the frontlines again? Was it the First Hokage's decision? Or the Second Hokage's?

When did they throw aside those noble intentions and fall back onto their forefathers way of fighting wars?

The chirping crickets showed no sign of ending their mating ballads. Nor did the soldiers below cease repairing their land-ship. She was amazed Sasuke hadn't stirred; the hammers, in particular, sounded like mallets flattening out bent metal.

"These people… They're just civilians," the Nara continued. "They're not soldiers. They weren't trained for war."

That much was clear in how they fought. The only one with any real formal training was the knight in white armor.

"Our society is flawed," Amari said. "But at least we undergo training—psychological and physical. I'm not arguing its morality; in a perfect world we wouldn't need soldiers at all, least of all child soldiers. I'm not arguing that the Academy's training isn't outdated, which it is.

"But that training—the training I endured with Itachi, Aimi, Shisui and my parents, and the training I received from my mom, Kakashi-sensei and Uncle Shikaku—prepared me to handle battle. Missions further that training while we're protected by a veteran. And those who can't handle it are eventually weeded out."

"Mm. True. Those who endanger the mission or the squad are removed swiftly. For their sake and the Leaf's. These puppets, however, show no signs of training, discipline or form.

"Since they do not incur damage or seem to feel pain, they can merely rush their enemies, overwhelming them with sheer numbers. All they must do is swing their weapons as many times as they must until they hit something."

"Which means either their senses are dampened inside the machine, or maybe they're being hit with endorphins when they follow orders, or… I don't know what else it could do. I don't even know if pulling them out is the right choice…or if we'll just traumatize them more…" Amari trailed off.

The technology was too strange. Too foreign. Without a thorough analysis or a manual of some kind she would never understand how the whole system worked or what those inside it experienced.

"They may be traumatized if we leave them inside too long. They may show no signs of trauma at all. Anything is possible," said Miss Anbu. "We will do what we can with the Intel we have."

"I suppose that's all we can do on any mission."

"It is. Our mission will begin in a few hours." Miss Anbu patted her head. "Try to rest until then. Sleep deprivation only aids the enemy."

"I'll try."

Hopefully her brain would see the same reasoning.

---

The nomad tribe set off when the sun began to peek above the horizon. Nestled inside of their various carriages, tugged along by rhinoceroses, were children bundled beneath blankets, still too tired to wake, and refugees graciously given time to rest, in addition to their camping equipment, rations, supplies, and much more.

The caravan stretched half a furlong. They traveled in a column that filled the wide road from edge to edge. Interspaced between the carriages and rhinoceroses were several antelopes and ostriches.

Reined like horses, the well-tempered creatures carried individuals from elders to children on their backs, following the movement of the caravan as they always had.

Inside of one of the various carriages, seated in its farthest back corner, sword, armor and helmet within reach, was Temujin.

Lower half covered by a blanket, he sat in silent meditation, his body not yet fully healed; his sword arm, especially his shoulder, remained weakened by the recoil of that native's blue orb and his Rising Thunder.

The carriage rumbled and rattled along the dirt road. He felt every dip and bump. Every stone. Every little rock and jolt of the wooden construct.

This land was strange. He'd never heard of anyone riding antelopes and ostriches before. Rhinoceroses seemed to replace draft horses, at least among the nomads.

There was also the crows, which were larger than those native to his continent. Even stranger, the avians closely associated with ill-omens and death appeared to be pets for that girl—Amaririsu, the other natives called her.

Is she a witch?

Temujin frowned. He didn't want to jump to conclusions. Witchcraft was often spoken of—spurned—back home. Superstitions, generally.

Though the Stone of Gelel was no witchcraft, he was certain it would have been labeled as such had others known of it.

Those who feared the unknown were quick to label anything out of the norm as a form of black arts. Afraid of power. Afraid it could usurp their thrones. But power was merely power, neither good nor evil. All that mattered was the person who wielded it.

Unfortunately, though, his homeland was splintered by wars, poverty and fear. It gave rise to extremist groups who performed deadly exorcisms on perfectly normal and sane people, who's only true sins were daring to live outside of the framework of a strict religion, seeking scientific endeavors, and asking questions that opposed the doctrines of those in power.

In doing so, they became witches, sorcerers, pagans, and heretics. They became a dangerous weed to those seeking to claim empty thrones, conglomerate riches and power, and become the next rulers overseeing their chosen conflicts, of which there seemed no end.

So, he did not want to presume Amaririsu was a witch simply for being different. This continent—this new world—did not follow the doctrines of his homeland.

Their culture, their practices, their weaponry, insignias, religion, and all else were unfamiliar. However, that did not make it witchcraft. Pet crows did not make her a witch, just as riding ostriches instead of horses did not make the nomad tribe savage pagans.

The carriage rattled through a dip. His armor and sword vibrated, but it was the groan from the front of the carriage that opened his eyes.

Seated across the carriage, in the farthest corner from his position, was the wounded native girl—Sakura. Kneeling beside her, hand on shoulder, was Amaririsu. He was certain now that Amaririsu possessed some means to transfer her power to Sakura, furthering the latter's ability to heal herself.

The process was slow. Slower than his own healing, and far slower than Naruto's, who showed no signs of previous injury or necessity of rest. He rode on an ostrich beside the carriage, watching over his teammates and, Temujin sensed, over him.

What is their power? Temujin wondered, staring at the two girls. They do not wield the power of a Gelel Stone. This is something else. Something we could use to build a utopia.

If only he could discern the source. None of his observations led anywhere, nor did he hear them refer to the power by name. He could only assume the latter was intentional. They were surprisingly tight-lipped for kids.

Some form of military, obviously, he discerned. They wear a strange insignia. Naruto wears it on his forehead. Sakura wears it as a hairband. Amaririsu wears it around her neck. But there doesn't seem to be a uniform of any other kind. The only form of armor I've seen is a mesh top of some kind, each worn beneath their clothes.

More unfamiliarity. But at least he was learning.

Unfortunate as it was, any information gathered on the natives could be used for future battles; these natives would fight them, he sensed, despite the nobility of their goal. Despite their desire to avoid conflict altogether.

They would fight. Because that's what people did without a utopia.

I wish you wouldn't fight us, he thought as the carriage rattled again. He ignored the jolting ache in his shoulder.

Sakura winced, pausing. The glow from their hands faded.

"Easy," Amaririsu reassured, gently rubbing her shoulder. "Take a breath."

"You're totally awesome, you know that, Sakura," Naruto said. "I mean it. You only started studying and training this for, what? A few months, maybe? And look at you. You're already healing yourself."

A few months? Temujin squinted. She's either very dedicated, or this power is easy to master.

He'd had the Stone of Gelel for years now. Though it healed him passively, the process of actively healing himself was a skill he possessed negligible mastery over.

"I'm not that amazing," Sakura shook her head.

"Sure you are. You had to learn a whole bunch before you could even consider healing anything or anyone. All that stuff is super complicated, too, and that's not even considering how complex actually healing injuries gets."

"He's not wrong," Amaririsu agreed.

"Without all three of your help, I wouldn't have been able to heal nearly as much," Sakura refuted. "I have to improve."

Three? Does she mean the other duplicate? Or… He eyed the crow on Amaririsu's shoulder. Or is that bird somehow helping them?

"Then you'll improve." Amaririsu poked Sakura in the forehead. "Be proud of yourself. You've come a long way since we graduated."

Sakura blushed and lowered her head, trying, and failing, to fight a smile off.

Amaririsu must be the leader of their unit, Temujin analyzed. I can't tell if she's their senior, though. She's so small.

Including that other boy he'd seen, Amaririsu and Naruto were tied as the smallest, but at certain angles—especially whilst monitoring them from a supine position—the boy seemed to inch ahead of her.

Genetics, perhaps. Poor nutrition could also be the reason. Or perhaps they were younger than Sakura and the other boy.

Either way, despite her size and youth, Amaririsu carried herself with the bearing of someone older. Maturer than her age suggested. Wiser, even. Someone battle-scarred, for certain, and experienced in the dark art of war.

"Yeah, Amari's right. Back at the Academy you used to nearly faint at the sight of Sasuke. It was totally weird."

A vein seemed to bulge along Sakura's forehead.

"It was always 'Sasuke, Sasuke,'" Naruto mimicked. "I could never make heads or tails of it. You were one of the smartest girls in school, but it's like you went totally clueless when Sasuke was involved. But now you're—"

"You jackass!"

Amaririsu was there to catch Sakura as she tried to lunge at her own teammate. Naruto recoiled and nearly fell off the ostrich at her outrage.

"I'll show you clueless and weird when I pulverize that idiotic brain of yours! Better yet, I'll make you brainless altogether!"

"What's gotten into you? What'd I say?"

"What do you mean, 'what'd I say?' You know exactly what you said, you idiot!"

"You called her weird and clueless, you troublesome boy," Amaririsu scolded, hooking Sakura around the waist from behind as she scratched and kicked at the air. "Here's a free tip, calling a girl weird and clueless is about as clueless as you can get."

"Last time with Ino—"

"You were knocked out of your wits by the Idiot Brothers and said something so ridiculous, so unfiltered and honest to your dazed mind it was hysterical. You would've been on your own had they tried to destroy you."

"Gee. Thanks for the support, Amari," he groaned.

"I was dying of laughter. What more do you expect from me?"

"For you not to laugh at me while I'm being pulverized?"

"Don't call Haku prettier than Sakura and Ino to their faces and I won't. Probably."

"Probably?"

"Some missions are too dangero— whoa!"

Sakura's foot connected with the carriage. In an instant the two girls were tumbling backwards. The crow cawed and leapt from Amaririsu's shoulder, startled. The smaller girl visibly adjusted whilst collapsing in order to cushion her comrade's body with her own, cradling Sakura's back against her torso.

Temujin's heart jumped. Unfortunately, as he sat erect, they were already crashing against the floor.

"Are you all right?" he couldn't stop himself from asking.

Neither answered immediately, grimacing and grunting as they lay on the ground. Amaririsu rested an arm over her eyes.

"He isn't here to say it, so I will: We're a bunch of brain-dead idiots."

Sakura snorted. Naruto cracked a grin. Then a small laugh bubbled out of Amaririsu. Steadily it grew into a giggle, until, like an infection, it spread to Sakura. Eventually even Naruto began to snicker.

In the midst of it all, Sakura rolled over and off of Amaririsu, but the pair, caught in giggles, didn't detangle, instead turning into one another and embracing as they laughed.

Temujin blinked owlishly. These natives were strange. Very strange, indeed.

"Sorry about that," Sakura apologized when they were finally sitting up. She draped her legs over Amaririsu's lap.

"Are you okay?"

"Yep."

"Then no harm done," she replied, patting the kunoichi on her knee. "Besides, in my opinion, laughter and hugs are always the best medicine."

Maybe more mature, but still children, he judged.

"Hey, buddy. Hey. Hey! Helloooo! I'm talking to you!"

Temujin blinked. Amaririsu and Sakura glanced his way, distant and curious, respectively. He turned to Naruto, who was squinting suspiciously at him.

"You better not be getting any funny ideas," Naruto warned.

"What are you talking about?" Temujin questioned, annoyed by the strange accusation.

"Oh, finally willing to talk, huh? Well, I see the way you're looking at Sakura and Amari. Just so you know, I've got my eyes on you. So don't get any funny ideas."

"Funny ideas?"

What on earth could he be…

Temujin drew back suddenly, expression twisting.

"Hey, hold a moment! That isn't—"

"Oh, get real! I saw you staring!" Naruto jabbed his finger towards the knight.

"You're mistaken," he countered.

"I've got eyes, you know."

"And they clearly see what they want to." Temujin looked away from all three of them, out the adjacent window to the scenery of hills and trees. "Don't insult me. You've foisted your base impulses onto my actions, nothing more. I haven't the slightest interest in your 'funny ideas' whatsoever."

"Foist onto— Hey, listen here, pal—"

"I'm not your pal, either."

"I was trying to play nice because you haven't told us your name. But if pal isn't working for you, then how about jerk!" growled the native.

"Are all soldiers of this continent as childish as you?"

"I don't know. Are all people from your continent as condescending as you?" the native bit back.

"Hmph."

Movement caught his attention. Had they finished playing nice, then?

Flicking his eyes to the side, he observed Amaririsu rising with Sakura in her arms how a husband carried their wife. Sakura's cheeks were slightly flushed.

"You didn't have to…" she said.

"It's better this way. We've agitated your injuries enough," replied Amaririsu.

"There you go again," Naruto's voice piped in.

Temujin frowned.

Stop tarnishing my reputation. I have no romantic interest in your friends, he wanted to argue. I'm in the presence of—or rather, I'm in custody of the native population in a foreign land. I have a right to be suspicious. It's the same reason every move I make causes your eyes to fly to me, so stop misinterpreting my intentions.

He said nothing. Further arguments wouldn't solve anything. Worse, if he weren't careful, they might learn more of his power or Master Haido. He hadn't forgotten Amaririsu's promise.

Even the smallest grain of information would be dangerous in her hands. He could feel it.

"Back to the silent treatment, eh? Well, don't expect me to stay quiet when I catch you looking at my friends like you're looking to tame an animal or window shopping your next conquest!"

"Tch!"

"Hmph!"

"Naruto, I appreciate your intentions, but dial it back a few decibels," Amaririsu advised. "There are children still sleeping. I don't want us to wake them. Don't forget, either of you, that we're all guests of this tribe. So behave yourselves."

"Fine," groused Naruto.

Temujin stared off into the distance as the rhinoceros tugged the carriage along.

That boy, he was quite the little pest. Insinuating he saw women—these two girls—as nothing more than conquests, objects ripe for the taking, without cause or reason. So noisily, too. He was committing slander of the highest degree.

It shouldn't have mattered. It didn't, truly. All that mattered was returning to Master Haido to further their mission.

Yet the words nagged at him. He felt himself clenching his teeth and his fists every now and then.

I would never leer at a girl. I would never see courtship as the taming of a beast or a military conquest. Such defiling opposes the whole meaning and purpose of love.

As if love was even on his mind. As if love between two strangers with opposing goals could even be possible. They had a better chance of learning to fly.

What did it matter, anyhow? Whether he believed they had merits of beauty or not, he was devoted to something grander than the selfish pursuit of romance.

He loosened his fists. Let him say whatever he wants. It doesn't matter. It doesn't change what we have come to do. I have no interest in romantic endeavors. All that matters is building a utopia. That's it.

He needed to finish healing.

He needed to return to Master Haido.

---

As the early morning hours passed, Naruto guided his ostrich to fall back among caravan of animals and carriages, past a herd of three ostriches and a rhinoceros, to walk ahead of Emina and Kahiko.

From his position, he measured, he could keep his eyes on the knight from an actionable distance, while also listening in on the other Amari's discussions with the tribe.

He had no idea what Amari had realized about their situation. Whatever it was, though, he could tell it was big. He'd bet his last ticket of free Ichiraku Ramen on it.

Amari had gleaned hints of some bigger picture. Abstract edges or outlines of…something. Something that connected the nomads and the foreigners together, maybe.

So, seeing as they were stuck here anyway—they weren't about to leave these people unattended with a knight who had torched their village, or force Sakura to move when she wasn't at full strength yet—Naruto decided to listen in and see what he could make of it all.

Amari's Shadow Clone, like him, rode alongside Emina on the whicker seats serving as saddles for their ostriches. Behind them, seated on the box seat of a rhinoceros drawn carriage, was Kahiko, chipper despite the cold air. Nerugui lay in a small blanket bundled in his lap.

"It's honestly hard to believe," he caught Amari's statement.

"What is?" he asked.

"Eavesdropping now, Naruto?" the Shadow Clone teased him.

"No!" he defended himself out of schoolyard instinct. "Since Sakura is resting right now I figured I'd see what you guys were talking about."

"We were discussing the history of their tribe," Amari replied. And he had no doubt she led them there seamlessly. "According to the stories passed down through the generations, many years ago, their people once had a prosperous and stable home of their own."

"Like a Village?" he asked.

"A whole kingdom, believe it or not," Emina explained with a kind smile.

"A kingdom? Wait, wait, wait, hold up," Naruto felt his brain catch on ninja wire, "if your people had a whole kingdom, how did you end up roaming around in this caravan?"

History class had always been a snooze fest. He knew a little about the Warring States Period, but that era had been Clans fighting each other, so of course they had their smaller territories.

A kingdom, though?

It was one thing for a Clan or a small Village to be destroyed or fall apart. But a whole kingdom collapsing? That had to be like the whole Land of Fire being destroyed.

And these few people are all that is left of it? He looked around at the caravan. I mean, sure its pretty big by caravan standards, but a kingdom had to have more people than this.

"Mm. It's an ancient story. According to the legend, we had a beautiful homeland, but it was completely wiped out."

"Whoa. What happened?"

"Supposedly, there was a great catastrophe of some sort. Our home was lost, and our people were scattered to the wind. From then on we became a tribe of wandering nomads."

"There were even some of us who crossed the ocean," Kahiko piped in.

"The ocean?" Naruto repeated.

"Actually, Nerugui is evidence of all this! He lived among our ancestors in the days of yore. This little ferret is living proof we had a kingdom long ago."

Suddenly the rhinoceros-sized pieces Amari had been chasing charged horn first into his being. Though the ostriches padded along, and the rhinoceros tugged the carriages, Naruto felt his brain screech to a halt.

A part of their tribe crossed the ocean. The ferret apparently lived among their ancestors but is somehow still alive. Now we're being invaded by another continent. By people who speak our language, using a strange power we've never seen before.

All of this, this tribe, that knight, the ferret, every crazy bit of it is connected!

He almost had to bite his tongue to keep from blurting his epiphany out to the whole world.

"Like I said," Amari spoke up calmly while he struggled to make a sound, "it's hard to believe. Ferrets aren't exactly known for their long lifespans."

"Neither are many creatures shinobi are known to use," countered Kahiko with a wink and cheeky grin.

"There are exceptions," Amari conceded, nodding. "Summoning animals, like the Crows," she gestured to the Crow on her shoulder, "and the Inuzuka Clan ninken live longer natural lives than normal birds and domesticated dogs.

"Still, despite some exceptions, animals lifespans don't stretch hundreds upon hundreds of years. For Nerugui to have lived among your ancestors, he would be—what? A few thousand years old?"

"Oh, but it's true, though!" Kahiko leaned forward in his excitement. "He's no spring chicken!"

"Nerugui has been around for my whole life," said Emina.

"He must be one special ferret," Amari reasoned.

"Ho ho ho!" Kahiko's shoulders shook. "Hard to wrap your brain around, isn't it? Our people have been looking after him for generations now." He lowered his fond gaze to the ferret in his lap. "That's why Nerugui doesn't take to anyone outside of the caravan. He stays amongst his own."

Nerugui let out a squeak, raising its head, as though realizing it was him they were speaking of.

Suddenly he leapt from Kahiko's lap, running across the rhinoceros's back and up onto its head, before jumping to Emina's ostrich. From there he made another leap into Amari's lap, gazing up at her while wagging his tail.

"Uh, hi there," she greeted awkwardly, rubbing her finger gently over its head.

"Or I thought that was the case." Kahiko looked as deflated as he sounded.

"That's the second time he's done that," Emina said, curiosity piqued.

The Nara shrugged. "Maybe I'm an animal whisperer or something. Cats, dogs, ninken, birds—except one troublesome hawk," she added beneath her breath. "I guess I can add mystical ferrets to the list of animals that like me."

"Ah, Nerugui," whined the old man. "Is something wrong? Are you mad at me?"

Animals do seem to flock towards Amari, now that I think about it, Naruto thought. Maybe it's her presence that draws others in, even animals. That same warm presence that repulses the Nine-Tails.

Naruto turned in his chair. "Hey, there's something that's bugging me. I mean, about what happened to your kingdom."

"Huh?" Emina tilted her head. "What is it?"

"The catastrophe. What exactly happened? Was it like a bunch of enemies came in and crushed your kingdom? Was it like a drought or something?"

Granny Mito described the fall of the Land of Whirlpools and scattering of the Uzumaki Clan as a result of fear for their special Sealing Techniques. According to the Nine-Tails, the power the knight used was sealed away for a reason, too.

I can't just ask, 'hey, what was the power source your kingdom used.' Even if it would be more honest.

It didn't take a genius to know they'd keep something like that secret if it destroyed their kingdom. But maybe that wasn't it at all. Maybe their kingdom was destroyed for another reason.

"No one knows for certain," Emina answered, expression falling. "For many years our history was passed down through storytellers. But the passage of time pauses for no one. As our storytellers died, more and more of our history was lost."

"Tradition kept them from writing anything down?" Amari asked.

"Yes, unfortunately."

"But someone did write it down eventually, right? I mean, everything would've been lost if they hadn't," Naruto pointed out.

"They did. In order to preserve what was left, the younger generation began to record the stories. But, were there a physical representation of our people's history, it would be a quilt of patchwork. Except the images are mismatched abstracts sewn together by a field surgeon."

"That's a real shame," Amari said sincerely. "So much knowledge, history, and culture must've been lost."

"At least you still have some of it, though," Naruto said. "Even if it's a patchwork, you haven't lost everything."

"True," Emina nodded.

"Wonder what that catastrophe was…"

"Could be anything, really," Amari said, shifting her shoulders back to stretch her spine. After a beat, she sighed in relief, then continued. "It isn't the first country or kingdom destroyed. The Land of Whirlpools and the Hidden Eddy Village were destroyed out of fear of their power. Your clansmen could be anywhere in the world right now."

"It's crazy to think about," he admitted. "There could be Uzumaki Clan members roaming around like this tribe. I wonder why they never came to the Leaf. The Senju and Uzumaki were close, according to Granny Mito. You'd think they would have welcomed them all in."

"You would think. But maybe the Leaf—the Hokage in particular—chose to only welcome a certain amount."

"That'd be dumb," he made a face, like he'd bit into an extremely tart apple. "They needed help. They were Granny Mito's Clan. We should've helped them."

"You're right, we should've. But there's a possibility we didn't possess the supplies or infrastructure to welcome everyone. Or maybe the survivors went into hiding, uncertain they could trust any of the Villages.

"It's also possible the Leaf didn't want to risk being destroyed by sheltering the remnants of the Clan. If they had, all the same shinobi responsible for destroying the Land of Whirlpools and Hidden Eddy Village may have converged on the Leaf Village to destroy it. That way they could ensure the Uzumaki's Clan techniques and bloodline were eradicated entirely."

"So? They were supposed to be our allies. Comrades. What's the point of an alliance or bonds like that if we throw them away at the first sign of trouble?" he argued.

"From a cynical view, it'd be a strategy to support the interests of the Village."

"But protecting our allies is in the interest of the Village!"

Amari shook her head once. "No," she replied calmly. "The cold truth is the interests of the Village are not aligned to any moral high ground, Naruto. The only interest of the Village System is to maintain itself and its power.

"If that means betraying an Alliance—like the Sand did—or leaving a Clan to survive on its own to protect itself from destruction—like the Uzumaki Clan—or sacrificing an entire Clan for peace, it will be done."

"Grr!" He spun back around in his chair. "Then the system is all out of whack if you ask me."

"I agree. That's why we're going to change it." Amari lifted her hand to her mouth to conceal a yawn.

"Anyway," she spoke again once it passed, "that's assuming the destruction of the Land of Whirlpools didn't just disorient and scatter the Uzumaki Clan to the wind before they could plan their next move. They may have never even approached the Leaf for all I know.

"The same could be said of their kingdom. Could be their prosperity attracted another country, who went on to destroy it. Could be a catastrophic drought, as you said, dried all their wells and prevented crops from growing."

Her eyes fell to the ferret. "Maybe there was a war fought over Nerugui. He's a cute little fur ball."

"Ehhh. I don't know about cute."

Nerugui climbed out of Amari's lap, up the ostrich's neck, leaping off towards Naruto. Before he could recoil, a heavy and clawed thump struck the top of his head.

"Heyyyy!"

The ferret leapt from his head to his ostrich's, then across a handful of the herd, until finally reaching his destination. Nerugui sat on the railing of the carriage beside the knight, wagging its tail.

"Huh. Now Nerugui is returning to him," Emina noted. "How odd. He's usually so shy."

"Is it because I let him get lost?" Kahiko seemed utterly defeated. "Oh, Nerugui, please come back. I've got treats for you."

Lips screwed in a frown, Naruto eyed the stinkin' fur ball and the knight.

Nine-Tails said that power was sealed away for a reason. That guy is also healing pretty quickly, like me. Could Nerugui be attracted to that strange power? Is this guy really from their kingdom?

Their investigation was clearly far from over. But he could see the edges of the puzzle, too, now, and he was determined to put it all together.

---

The caravan veered off the path for repose in a quiet meadow.

Animals unhitched from their carriages, saddles and harnesses, the people of the caravan began to feed and water their loyal beasts and the livestock they nurtured while the children ran around, playing games, one such involving kicking around a pig bladder wrapped in leather, stretching their little legs and expending all of that bundled up energy. Some even dared to climb the surrounding trees.

As the caravan members went about their business, the injured native soldier—Sakura—disembarked the carriage with the aid of the duplicate. She wasn't fully recovered, Temujin observed, but the process of healing her injuries had some manner of limitations.

It seemed to be either her level of skill in healing arts, or the source of power they relied on. Perhaps both. However, the improvements in her condition were distinguishable. Her expression was no longer pinched by pain at every moment. She was moving more and more on her own. Hunching less, too.

Likewise, Temujin could feel his strength had returned. He could finally return to Master Haido.

When no one was watching, armor and weapon in his possession, he slipped out the side of the carriage facing away from the nomads. In the shadows he equipped his armor piece by piece, muscle memory hastening the act of fastening and buckling every piece into place.

Once his sword was secured in its scabbard and his helmet beneath his arm, Temujin slipped to the backend of the carriage. He peered around it, scanning the meadow for the native soldiers—it was easier to think of them that way.

He spotted the three natives seated beneath the shade of a green and marigold tree. Amaririsu had one of Naruto's hands in her left hand and one of Sakura's in her right, almost simulating a prayer line instead of a circle. Another power transfer, it seemed, granting the pink-haired native the ability to heal.

Whatever their power is, Temujin thought, it certainly is versatile. If I could only convince them to use it to aid our cause. But, he slipped back behind the carriage, I don't think they'll listen to me.

Hopefully they wouldn't stand in their way. There was no real reason for them to fight. No reason to call them enemies, so long as they didn't prevent them from building a utopia. If they did…

Temujin pushed aside the thought.

I'll do whatever is necessary to build a utopia. I'll make the necessary sacrifices, if I must. So no one ever has to lose what I did.

Turning to leave, Temujin caught himself mid-step.

"Sneaking off without saying goodbye?" Amaririsu questioned. "How rude. Here I thought knights were renowned for their chivalry and good-manners."

The girl leaned against the carriage within swords reach, if he extended the blade. She kept her arms crossed and her gaze ahead; the crows hadn't left the shoulders of either version of the girl, not even for a moment.

How long was she there for? I didn't even sense her presence.

Temujin narrowed his eyes at Amaririsu. He fought the instinct to grab his sword, instead resting his hand on its pommel.

"My injuries are healed," he replied stiffly, half-turning towards the road they came from. "There's no longer any reason for me to remain here."

"Mmhm."

He walked off.

At the first tree he passed, he sucked in a breath and stepped back.

"What th—"

"I'm certain you have places to go and people to see," Amaririsu said, now leaning against the tree, speaking as if their conversation never ended. "Mainly to whoever your Master is. Master Haido, was it?" she asked despite knowing the answer.

Temujin glanced to the carriage, but no one was there any longer.

Is it some sort of teleportation? How did she get there without a sound?

"Who are you?" Temujin demanded.

"Heh," she chuckled abruptly. "That's funny. I was wondering the same thing about you."

"Don't dodge the question. Who are you?"

"Don't you think introducing myself now would be dumb? You already know all of our names. You've heard them over a dozen times by now," she rolled her eyes, though he could't tell if she was truly annoyed or feigning it.

"If anyone needs to state their name and intentions, it's you. You are our nameless guest. A foreigner who speaks our language fluently. Since there is no language barrier, I think it's only polite you finally introduce yourself."

"What is the nature of your power?"

"What is the nature of your power?

"This is going nowhere."

"Because you expect information without offering any yourself." Her cutting, mismatched eyes were on him finally. "You demand answers, like we don't realize you are scouting us, our Land, our power and culture to report back to your Master. When we refuse, you scoff and think we're stubborn and willful children."

"You are."

"Like you aren't a child? Please. What are you, two years older than us? Three? Four if you're lucky."

"Age has nothing to do with maturity."

"Spoken like child who looks down on everyone because they think they alone know the tragedies of this world."

"You don't know me."

"Oh, on the contrary," she chuckled, amusedly and somewhat mockingly. "I know you quite well. You lost the people you cherished most in this world as a child. Likely to war, given your goal. Then, at your lowest point, someone reached their hand out to you. They offered you guidance, shelter, and purpose. Now you've dedicated your life to them. Fulfilling their dream is your life's goal. Oh, you look so shocked. Seems I hit close to home."

Hand on pommel, Temujin took a defensive step back. "Are you a witch?"

"A witch?" Amaririsu snorted, rolling her eyes. A genuine reaction. "Oh yes, young man," she mimicked a crones voice. "Want to know my secret recipe? You fill your cauldron with slime, throw in a monkey paw, season it with a virgins tears, add a little vampire blood, and then you bake the child whole for a decadent meal. Ehehehehehe!"

Temujin growled. "Are you or are you not a witch?"

"I'd like to think I'll grow into a smooth, charming enchantress one day," she mocked, looking off into the distance and sighing longingly. "But I've got a long way to go. Besides, I know if I do, it'll be a total drag."

His sword sang from his scabbard. Amaririsu didn't flinch, she did not even reach for a blade, of which she possessed plenty. She kept her arms crossed, never once moving, not even when the blade was inches from her chin.

The crow tilted its head, but there was something darker in its black eyes. Something…intelligent and cold.

Amaririsu eyed the tip of the blade, then lifted her gaze to him. She cocked an unimpressed eyebrow.

"And what, pray tell, do you hope to accomplish with that?" she asked.

"Enough of your mind games."

"Mind games? Heh. All I've done is use inductive reasoning to reach a conclusion. Hardly a mind game," she waved off his command. "However, if you'd like me to start using mind games," onyx blazed crimson, "I can always oblige."

"Your tricks won't work on me. Not again. Did you invade my memories with your illusions?"

"Hardly." She made a sweeping gesture with her hand. "You exist in a world where war has touched many lives. Your circumstances are tragic. Losing those we love is one of the worst pains we will ever know. But your circumstances aren't unique. Not in this world of ours."

Something about that cold honesty stung. Yet it also invigorated him to see utopia created.

"My earlier comment about thinking you alone understand the tragedies of the world, and that it somehow makes you wiser and more mature," she jabbed her thumb to her chest, "you're threatening someone who made the same mistake."

"Then you understand the necessity of a utopia."

"I think on some level nearly everyone does."

"Nearly?"

"There will always be those who want to rule over others. Who seek to stand above the rest and laugh at their suffering."

"I seek nothing of the sort."

"No, I suspect you don't. You'd rather see a world of peace so no one ever has to suffer like you."

He squinted. "Is that mockery I hear in your voice."

"No. It's called empathy." She stared at him a beat. "You and me, we aren't all that different."

Temujin wasn't certain he agreed. But he no longer felt full enmity, either. Was his sudden sense of ease a result of a mind game or an illusion she cast? Or was it the stark realization, upon actually looking the native in the eyes, that their similarities were greater than the sum of their differences?

He couldn't be certain. So, naturally, he kept a heightened sense of suspicion and skepticism.

"If we aren't so different, why not join us?" he questioned.

"Well, for starters, because you have a sword pointed at me. Not a great recruitment strategy," she said, shaking her head.

The truth of that stung, too. But he didn't lower his blade.

"Second," she continued, "I don't who you are. Would you trust a stranger simply because they claimed righteous intentions?"

"If they were truly righteous, yes."

"Is that right." She sounded unimpressed. "Tell me, then, how do you determine if someone is truly righteous?"

"By their goals and their deeds."

"And has Master Haido proven himself righteous to you? Is he the one stranger the world should trust to possess righteous intentions?"

"Yes," he replied, narrowing his eyes. Her doubt was blatant. "Master Haido is a righteous man."

"Why? Because he rescued you?"

Temujin grit his teeth. "He has rescued countless people from homelessness, war, and strife. Not just me."

"But you favor him for it."

"Of course I do. Wouldn't you?"

"I do. I see the people who saved me as heroes. I put them on a pedestal above nearly everyone else."

"Then why? Why do you look at me like that? Why are you so quick to judge Master Haido? If we're so similar—"

"Because I've seen the other side of the coin," she interrupted calmly, but firmly. "I've seen the dark reflection of myself. I've seen what I would've become had someone else saved me that day. Before that battle, I never considered who I might've become. I thought I knew everything. About myself. About the world. But I didn't know a thing."

"Don't foist your past mistakes onto me. We may be similar, but we are not the same."

"You're right." The dangerous dip of her voice reaffirmed his decision to keep her at blade point. "I never torched the homes of innocent people in the name of utopia. Where's the righteousness in that?"

"No one was inside," he argued.

Her gaze sharpened. "You destroyed their homes. Their livelihoods. Their sense of security. Everything they couldn't carry with them was destroyed."

"To ensure they didn't return. It was the only way to keep them safe from our vessel."

"If you have to protect them from your vessel, maybe you should reevaluate your righteousness."

Temujin clenched his jaw. His fingers tightened around his hilt.

"It can all be rebuilt. Once we create a utopia, everything that was destroyed will be repaired. Their lives will be better than they ever were."

A dangerous air permeated off Amaririsu. Her fingers dug into her biceps.

"Can your life be so easily rebuilt?" she hissed. "Will a utopia heal your pain? Do you honestly believe it will fill the holes of precious people and memories others stole from you?"

Temujin saw a group of children run around the carriage, chasing the leather-wrapped ball, playful squeals and shouts bursting from their lips.

Carefully, slowly, he stepped in line with the tree to hide his drawn sword.

"I believe," he began, "that these children will never know suffering when we build a utopia. They will never know the pain we do. The loss of their homes is only temporary. A home, even a business, can be rebuilt."

"And the soil that you've destroyed? The crops? Hundreds, if not more, may have less to eat this winter because of this destruction."

"The power we seek will heal any of the land our vessel will unfortunately destroy. We're almost there. Sooner than you expect we will heal everything."

"So it's okay to threaten an entire Country's food security, wreck the homes of innocent people, and torch their land because you think you can heal it?"

"I know we can." He flicked his eyes to the children. Most had scurried off, but he noticed a girl was climbing a tree near the carriage. "They've been asked to make a necessary sacrifice for the greater good."

"Asked?" Amaririsu flared. "You never gave them a choice!"

"No one would commit to a utopia if they were given a choice. No one would be willing to give even the smallest of luxuries for a lifetime of security."

"Of course they aren't. People aren't willing throw everything away on the word of a stranger promising a utopia of all things."

"And why not? Why not believe someone truly seeks a righteous path when you've witnessed their deeds and heard the truth of their words?"

"Okay. Well, I should tell you I'm actually a thousand years old. You see, I have a bottle in my pouch that grants immortal life and eternal youth, but I unfortunately drank it while I was a child, so I'm stuck this way. Would you like a drink of it?"

"That isn't the same."

"I also have a pet dragon on my other shoulder here," she pointed to her empty shoulder. "I know he's hard to see; you see, he's an invisible dragon. He's worth a fortune, but if you hand over all your wealth, this invisible dragon can be yours."

"You're obviously lying."

"No I'm not. I want to bring peace to this world. I want people to never know the suffering I've experienced. I want them to all live happy lives, free from the fears of war, hunger, and trauma this world can give. And my invisible dragon and potion of immortal life and eternal youth will help me make it real. Why not join us?"

"Don't compare Master Haido to a common charlatan and thug," he growled. "He is the only man I've ever known who actually seeks to end the suffering and hunger plaguing this world."

"So why attack us on sight? Simply because we're in the way? Why not find a different path through the environment that doesn't require you to torch villages? Is that too inconvenient? Why do you think he recruits homeless children? Because he's righteous? Or because they're easier to manipulate?"

Temujin's knuckles were white beneath his glove and gauntlet. This girl… This frustrating girl…

"You don't have the right to judge Master Haido."

"Yet he has the right to control a utopia?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow again.

"We are making the necessary sacrifices to build it."

"Are they necessary? Are they really? There wasn't a better way? A kinder path? A gentler means to accomplish it?" she countered.

"These children will grow up never wanting for anything, never suffering from hunger or war or evil. That is the world we will build them."

"By teaching them the ends justify the means? By teaching them to rush towards your goal without caring for the destruction you leave behind? Yeah, sure, that'll work," Amaririsu scoffed.

"Why are you so against utopia?" he demanded.

"Why don't you understand your actions have consequences?" she fired up, lowering her arms to her side and straightening her posture.

The sword at her throat could not douse the fiery passion within her heart.

"Your actions now will influence the next generation," she declared. "Have you ever stopped to consider what you are teaching them?"

"What does that matter?"

The small child was on the branch now. It seemed there a colorful butterfly had caught her attention.

"What the hell do you think a utopia is?" Amaririsu demanded hotly. "Do you think you'll—what? Open a box and suddenly everyone will be united in a mystical transcendence, and then they'll start helping each other instead of warring?"

"There will be no reason for anyone to fight," he argued.

"Oh, you're giving them plenty of reasons to fight," Amaririsu sounded on the verge of turning his sword against him. By the look in her eyes, he wouldn't doubt her ability to do it.

"You're searching to unearth some forgotten power, one that apparently guarantees prosperity to the person who wields it, on a continent where a military Nation desires to create a continent wide Empire.

"And you think," a laugh that wasn't quite a laugh broke from her lips, "once your Master Haido possesses it they won't come straight for you? That they'll accept a foreigner with that sort of power? That they won't kill, torch and destroy everything standing between them and guaranteed prosperity?" She swiped her hand threw the air.

"Once they see the good this power is capable of—"

"They'll want it for themselves. Either they can have it, or no one can. That is the world we currently live in," she chastised. "No mystical power will change that. You have to change the hearts of people to build a true utopia. You can't just give it to them or force it onto them. A structure like that is destined to collapse eventually.

"That's why the lessons we teach the next generation are important. Impatience, greed, war, if we pass these lessons onto them, it won't matter what technology or utopia-creating power they possess. They'll keep warring with each other. They'll twist a power meant for good and use it for evil."

"All the more reason for Master Haido to wield it," he declared passionately, faith and devotion allowing not a moment of doubt to creep in. "He won't let it be used for evil. He will—"

The girl in the tree, crawling along its branch, reached for the butterfly. Temujin saw her center of balance shift before she realized it. He bolted out from behind the tree, sword and helmet still in his grasp.

When gravity pulled her off the branch, he was halfway there. Helmet and sword flew and crashed against the ground. Then he was diving through the air.

A violent wail ruptured the cozy meadow.

Air ejected from Temujin's lungs as his back crashed against the earth. In that moment, he felt the searing pain of a hot brand in his shoulder and a bolt of numbness entangle his elbow. He did not mind. The stunned child, held in his arms, was safe.

When he opened his eyes through the grimace, he saw Amaririsu already kneeling at his side checking them both for injury, asking if they were all right.

Before he knew it their space was crowded by what seemed to be a quarter of the caravan, drawn by the wail. The mother of the child burst through the crowd and scooped her crying daughter up, chastising her in loving distress for such reckless behavior, all the while expressing gratitude to Temujin for saving her.

Sitting up, he grimaced and clutched at the plate armor covering his shoulder.

What manner of power did these natives wield? He'd never sustained an injury the Stone of Gelel couldn't recover from overnight.

A small, scarred hand suddenly appeared before his eyes. Temujin eyed it and the scars creeping out of the long sleeve, then lifted his gaze to Amaririsu's passive expression, accentuated by calm onyx and soothing lavender.

"Here, let me help you up," she said.

Battle-scarred, but not battle-worn. Amaririsu hadn't seen the ravaged lands as he had. She hadn't seen the cities of stone, once magnificent and crown jewels of the country, rendered ruins. She hadn't seen the barbarity of a hopeless people.

If you had, he thought, you would understand why nothing can be allowed to delay us any longer. Your way will take too long. More will die. More will suffer. But if we have that power, all of that suffering will end. Even those who seek an Empire will realize the virtue of Master Haido's dream. And if they still seek war…

Hand clutching his shoulder, Temujin rose silently. On his own. Amaririsu flattened her lips and lowered it to her side.

"I'm not your enemy."

"You're not my ally, either," he replied, walking off to gather his helmet and sword.

Let them come, he thought. If they still seek war, then they are apart of those diseased by the 'glories' of war. I will not allow them to obstruct Master Haido's dream. In order for the world to heal, I will make the necessary sacrifice to end all of this suffering. Once and for all.

"I'm probably wasting my breath," Amaririsu spoke up from behind him, "but you should let yourself heal before you leave. There's no reason to rush."

She was wrong. Master Haido was waiting for him. He had to hurry back and report all he learned.

Besides, with Sakura beginning to move around more freely, his numbers disadvantage was growing. They had come to a peaceful arrangement beneath the banner of the nomads, but sooner rather than later that arrangement would fall apart.

They couldn't find common ground. No matter how similar they were, an ocean separated their missions and ideals.

"I've repaid my debt," Temujin replied simply, picking up his sword and securing it in his scabbard.

Amaririsu exhaled roughly through her nostrils. He could almost see her eyes rolling.

"Fine. No one's holding you prisoner here. Go whenever and wherever you like."

Helmet in hand, Temujin looked at his reflection in the white pearl reflection.

"This won't be the last time we meet," he stated, feeling an instinct deep in his gut.

"You're right. It won't be."

His fingers clutched tighter against the metal.

Without another word, he departed the company of the nomads and the native soldiers.

Their paths would cross again.

He wished they wouldn't.

---

The rescue operation was progressing smoothly.

It won't last, Shikamaru knew, observing the small stretch of sky visible from the cave entrance.

Behind him, deeper in the cave, he heard the members of the Medical Corps moving around, draping cloaks swishing, hurried sandals clapping against stone, all while they spoke in gentle, warm tones to the handful of rescued refugees, or offered firm direction to their comrades.

What is the health of the patient? Check their systems for drugs the invaders may have used to induce cooperation.

This man needs water.

Give that woman a blanket.

The children are hungry, please provide them rations.

Escort this one outside and keep guard while they relieve themselves.

The professionals of the Medical Corps addressed the issues and needs of their patients with sublime efficiency. They had to. Every three to five minutes 'Risu's Shadow Clones would materialize inside the cave bearing the freshly plucked refugees, and, from what he'd eavesdropped, the invaders were stingy with their food. And not above tearing children from their parents arms.

Already the Medical Corps had endured gut-wrenching questions from two such parents, wondering, hoping, begging for them find and rescue their children.

The invaders claimed they should feel honored, they claimed their children were being called upon to make a necessary sacrifice.

Shikamaru could imagine where the kids were now. Specifically somewhere cramped and submerged in water. But what an honor it was.

Yeah, he rolled his eyes. I can totally feel the honor washing off the distraught parents. They are so proud of their kids rising to the occasion, and totally not on the verge of having a complete breakdown.

And the leader of these invaders, well, it's safe to say this guy deserves a medal. Like all the gallant heroes he's following in the footsteps of. You know, all those heroes who's tales began with kidnapping and manipulating children.

Snarky remarks aside, they needed to put an end to the leader of these invaders. Shikamaru never wanted to hear the agony of a broken parent begging for their child to be saved again. But he would.

Yeah. He'd hear it again. No matter how much he wished he wouldn't.

While the Medical Corps tended to the refugees, he and his team took on the role of bodyguards. Simple and straightforward, just the way he liked it.

Based on what they knew of the enemies original trajectory, the cave they were utilizing currently resided outside of the land-ship's projected path, but who could really say if that would remain true.

They had to prepare for being discovered. Or, in the worst case, the land-ship making a bee-line straight towards them.

As a squad leader, mitigating risk was a part of the job. Maybe later, in hindsight, they could say holding here, playing the role of bodyguards, was unnecessary. Maybe they'd look back and say it was pointless because the invaders never came close to finding them, or never knew they were there.

However, they couldn't say any of that with one-hundred percent certainty now. No one had a clue if the invader's armored cronies or his lieutenants possessed any amount of tracking abilities.

So they'd hold here. They'd play their role as bodyguards, and complain later when the mission was a success if it ended up being unnecessary.

For all we know, he thought, tapping his pointer finger against his thigh, they haven't shown any signs yet because they don't realize their fortress has been infiltrated. But they will, sooner or later. It's only a matter of time.

Chōji unsealed another bag of chips; he was gathering strength, in his own words. The noisy crunch of chips between his teeth, and the crinkle of plastic, echoed inside the cave.

Ino, at Shikamaru's order, was taking a nap for the same reason Chōji was stuffing his face. They'd all had hours of sleep stolen by the emergency. Better for Ino to recover now while there was a chance.

After all, they were going to see combat at some point. Once the civilians were in order and the operation switched from rescue to elimination, they'd be conscripted to help just like Sasuke and 'Risu were.

That's just the kind of mission this is. He watched a black silhouette wheel into view. It isn't pessimism. We're all just acknowledging the reality of our situation. Someone's going to notice the civilians missing from the prayer room eventually. Once they do, security will heighten.

Hopefully by then they had all the free refugees in their custody. Then they could begin taking the prisoners from the invader's power source. And once they started doing that…

They're gonna know where to look for the infiltration team. We won't be able to pull everyone out at once, not without risking collateral damage. Ultimately, these invader's don't really care if their puppet soldiers live or die. It's such a pain.

The black silhouette slipped out of view above the cave ceiling. Chōji chomped on a handful of chips. He heard a bird trill from somewhere in the trees beyond.

'Risu and her team will have to be quick once they start pulling people out of that machine. Not only to save as many lives as we can in one go, but it also serves a selfish purpose for our mission. The more people they yank out, the less troops the enemy will have at their disposal.

Assuming everything went to plan, he'd say anywhere between twenty and thirty-five of the secondary prisoners could be rescued, given the obstacles of the spheres they were caged inside of. He also didn't know how much chakra 'Risu needed to transport people, let alone groups of people and, perhaps, even the spheres containing the prisoners.

It was something he made a mental note to ask 'Risu more about later. He only had presumptions of the power to work on.

For instance, based on the Fourth Hokage's historical use of the technique, teleporting herself to and from a marker required minimal chakra exertion.

However, it seemed safe to assume the exertion intensified over longer distances, increasing more and more with every additional person or object she transported. It also seemed safe to assume the mass of the object being transported added another layer of difficulty.

To his mind, it was like loading a muscle with weight. The more weight you tried to lift, the more strength and energy that was required to lift it. So, the chakra required to transport a dumbbell compared to a boulder had to vary as well. Add in distance and it probably became far more taxing. Or that was his theory, anyway.

He'd need to ask later. The more he knew, the better he could formulate strategies around her abilities.

Someone sucked in a gasp behind him. Shikamaru glanced back and saw two Shadow Clones of 'Risu bearing three new guests—two adults and one child. They all appeared dazed or stunned by the sudden transportation.

The Medical Corps members were there to help a moment later, allowing the two Shadow Clone's to vanish again with a purple flicker.

Still some more to go in the prayer room, then.

Shikamaru looked back to the sky just in time to see the black silhouette wheel into view again. Chōji tilted his head back and downed the last crumbs of his potato chip bag.

Another bag was unsealed as soon as he finished. It smelled like barbecue.

It's only a matter of time before the other shoe drops, Shikamaru thought. Let's hope sabotaging their machinery works out. Otherwise this mission is gonna get a whole lot more troublesome.

For now, he just had to wait.

---

"Naruto, Amaririsu, something terrible has happened!"

Kahiko was out of breath when he stumbled up to the members of Team Seven out of a panicked and unsteady sprint.

"Whoa, calm down, Gramps. What's the matter?" Naruto asked.

Both Shadow Clones of Amari sat and leaned against the tree, respectively, while they waited for the caravan to mobilize. Sakura was all but recovered, though still a bit achy. They could leave at any time, but the Nara had been waiting.

Specifically for this exact moment.

"Nerugui has gone missing!" Kahiko explained, appearing ready to ball his eyes out or scream out in despair.

"Ahhhh, you've gotta be kidding me!" Naruto dropped his head back and let out a long, agonizing groan. "That stinkin' ferret has caused us nothing but trouble!"

"Nerugui has been gone for about ten minutes now," Amari informed. She pushed off the tree and crossed her arms, turning her head to look out in the direction the knight had left. "He left to chase after our mysterious guest."

"Huh?" Kahiko tilted his head. "Wait, you knew Nerugui ran off again? Why didn't you stop him! Oh, my little Nerugui, why have you left us?"

"I could've stopped him at the edge of the caravan, but then I wouldn't have known if he was just feeling adventurous or if he was drawn by the knight's presence."

"Drawn by his presence? What do you mean, Amari?" Sakura asked.

"Our mission was to track the ferret to its last known location, which wasn't all that far from the Leaf. However, the ferret adventured quite some distance. I considered he was finding his way back to the caravan, but then I saw a pattern. Right before we were attacked, Nerugui started going wild inside your bag, remember?"

Sakura nodded. "Oh yeah, that's right. I'd honestly almost forgotten about that. But where's the pattern in that?"

"Well, he's also been hanging out with our mysterious guest a whole bunch. Almost as if they were old friends. Almost," she drew her eyes to the old man, "as if he recognizes him as a member of your people."

Kahiko's expression didn't change. He was good at keeping secrets, Amari knew. He'd been doing it for years, as was his duty as the leader of the tribe.

"He's come from a different continent, and a part of your people, by your own admission, crossed the sea long ago. I'm thinking some of those people have returned. It'd explain why Nerugui was attracted to the knight; he also has a strange sigil on his chest, one you recognized, right, Mr. Kahiko?"

"I hired the Leaf Village to return Nerugui to us!" Kahiko exclaimed in quite the act of despair. "Why are you wasting time letting him get away!"

"Oh, we'll track him down and return him, don't worry. I just wanted to confirm my suspicions."

"Nerugui was also drawn to you, too," Kahiko accused. "Do you have any ties to our tribe?"

"None that I'm aware of," she admitted.

It was quite the counter Kahiko pulled out, and the largest wrinkle in her theory. Still, remove her from the equation, and the rest of the pieces still aligned pretty damn well.

"I'm not sure why your ferret likes me so much," she said. "There's a chance our mysterious knight isn't a descendent of those who left this continent, but everything I see points that way."

"It seems like a string of coincidences to me."

The more he claimed coincidence, the less coincidental it all appeared.

Amari hardened her gaze. "Listen, I'm not after whatever it is you're keeping secret. I don't believe any single power can bring peace; power like that, power that is sealed away and meant to be forgotten, only corrupts people and their hearts.

"Whatever that power actually is, it will only entice further war. Further distrust. Further destruction. But that knowledge won't stop these people. If anything, it only emboldens their resolve to claim it. They won't hesitate. That guy and his people are devoted to their cause. It's all they live for. And they'll destroy anything and everyone who stands between them and their goal.

"So, while we're out collecting Nerugui, again, I'd ask you to carefully consider how much you're willing to keep secret for traditions sake. The fate of the shinobi world may hinge on your decision.

"Naruto, Sakura," she turned to her teammates, "you two will track down the knight and Nerugui with my other Shadow Clone. I need to dispel and pass everything I've learned onto the real me. Maybe our combined knowledge can stop this mess from spiraling out of control."

"Got it," Sakura nodded.

"We'll get that fur ball back, don't worry."

"Good luck."

---

"There you are!"

The knight didn't even flinch when Naruto landed beside him, dropping down off a tree into the small glade he chose to stand within. Neither did the ferret, who merely tilted its head up to look at him, and then Amari and Sakura, as if the stinking fur ball hadn't run off from its caravan in the first place.

"And before you try anything," Naruto continued, "we're not here for you. We're just here for this stinkin' fur ball."

Nerugui skittered to the opposite side of the knight and turned on Naruto, growling like an animal five times its size.

Naruto made a face. "Why you!"

"So, this is your base of operations," Amari said.

"Huh?" Naruto lifted his gaze off the ferret and followed the knight's gaze out of the meadow. He sucked in a sharp breath. "Whoa. What is all this?"

He'd been so focused on locating the knight and the ferret he hadn't bothered to look up.

Through the dense canopy of leaves he spotted a metal temple towering over them, standing taller than Hokage Mountain. It was equipped with all sorts of enormous gears, cranks, pistons, wheels and tracks, and what looked to be a massive generator engine of some kind.

Clearly some crazy hermit hadn't spent years building it out here in the middle of nowhere.

Now that I think about it, Naruto tried to better gather his bearings, this is around the village we were supposed to deliver that stinkin' ferret to. So, that means this must be the roaming tower of metal Amari mentioned the Crows were investigating.

Were Sasuke and the real Amari somewhere inside right now?

"It's massive," Sakura said, lowering her voice. "How does something like that even work?"

Naruto looked to the knight, brow furrowed. "Who the heck are you, anyway?"

The knight didn't break his gaze from the metal temple. Naruto had the funny feeling he wasn't actually resting. He'd been waiting for them.

"My name is Temujin," he said finally. He turned his head only slightly, but he did not look at Naruto or Sakura. He was glancing at Amari. "Come. I'll introduce you to Master Haido. You can see for yourself the kind of man he is."

"Listen, we're just here for the ferret—"

"Does that invitation extend to all three of us?" Amari cut Naruto off.

"Yes."

"Lead the way, then."

Temujin, trailed by the ferret, started towards the temple. Naruto hesitated, turning to Amari. What exactly was she planning? Walking into the enemy's fortress sure didn't seem like a genius move, even by his standards.

Sakura, he noticed, also eyed her with uncertainty.

"Come on," she said, pulling her bandana over her left eye as she stepped ahead. "I want to meet the leader of these people. See if my suspicions are right."

"It could be a trap, you know," he pointed out.

"I'd almost be disappointed if it wasn't." Both Crows leapt from her shoulders and ascended into the air. "Don't worry. I already have a few exit strategies planned."

Guess we're going in, then, Naruto thought. I suppose we can't gather Intel just standing out here.

They followed Temujin in silence to the base of the tower, past several dozen of the hulking goons they'd fought before, who were busy performing menial labor on the temple—it seemed something on it had broken down.

None of the goons even bothered to acknowledge their existence. They moved about, heads and mono-eyes focused on—possessed by, even—whatever next task they had to complete. Like drones, almost.

Up the ramp and inside the tower, Temujin led them through a metal hall where the rivets holding together the plated walls were blatantly visible. Fluorescent lights contained in iron cages were stationed vertically in symmetry along the walls every six strides.

More of the goons patrolled the halls. All three shinobi found themselves falling in line with Temujin to avoid being ran over. The ferret padded along behind the knight.

"So," Naruto broke the silence, bored, "who is this Master Haido, anyway?"

"He's My Lord, and a man of great strength. You'll see when you meet him."

The metallic clunk of another patrol of goons brought the three in line behind Temujin again.

"Geez. They don't even bother to say 'excuse me' or anything," Naruto grumbled.

"Who are these soldiers?" Sakura asked. "Friends of yours?"

"They're just soldiers who are dedicated to the cause," Temujin answered. "All of my comrades are…"

"Dead?" Amari asked.

Temujin said nothing.

They came upon a set of elevators surrounded in garnet-colored marble stone. Their doors, painted the same shade, were settled beneath riveted bronze and iron. Temujin pulled a bronze call lever, the doors on their right side opened a moment later.

All four, plus the ferret, stepped inside of the cylindric metal tube. After shifting a horizontal lever, Temujin shut his eyes and waited for the elevator to arrive.

The noisy cranking of gears and pulleys lifting the elevator echoed through the walls. Naruto decided he didn't like it one bit. He crossed his arms and groaned quietly.

Trapped in a metal tube, totally dependent on the successful craftsmanship of these foreigners technology, which sounded ready to snap apart and send them plummeting to a fiery death, he'd rather take his chances climbing trees without chakra.

"Why have you covered your eye?" Temujin suddenly asked.

"My left eye was destroyed in a previous battle. The eye you see now is a transplant. But, unfortunately, the transplant wasn't a complete success. To put it simply, in enclosed spaces like this, at best, my vision and depth perception get all messed up."

"At worst?"

"Imagine someone cutting your eye, and the migraine it'd cause."

"Is that the cause of your scar?"

"Yeah."

Amari's explanation was sincere. So sincere Naruto actually believed her.

He opened his mouth, ready to ask why she didn't bother to tell them about that, when the smooth lie finally processed.

I mean, the best lies have truth to them, but geez. He turned away, pretending to examine the elevators bronze walls and its rivets, but truly hiding his smirk. She didn't even bat an eye with that one. And he ate it up like a total sucker. You're as smooth as Kakashi-sensei, Amari.

The elevator came to a surpassingly smooth stop.

Ding!

Temujin exited once the doors slid open. He led them out across a stone floor, past a series of marble pillars, their base and capital colored whitish-grey and their shafts constructed of the previous red marble, then finally up three whitish-grey marble steps onto a platform.

Naruto, and his comrades, he sensed, noticed the signs of battle immediately.

The stone stairs leading up to the throne were fractured. In fact, he could almost see the shape of the person who made the crater. Chunks of stone were missing, like miniature explosions had been set off.

In a chamber that was otherwise peaceful and prestigious, the damage stood out as much as a brothel inside a monks temple.

What the heck happened here? Naruto shared a short look with his teammates. Were Sasuke and Amari fighting here? Against the guy on the throne?

This could get messy. And fast.

"Master Haido, I have returned," Temujin kneeled before his Lord, setting his helmet down beside him.

Wait a minute, Naruto drew his eyes to the throne, and felt his eyebrows raise.

That guy is Master Haido? I thought he was supposed to be a man of power.

The man seated on the throne, reading some thick tome, looked more like a priest than a warrior. Rich robes, stupidly tall hat, fat chin, and who the heck wore a monocle anyway?

Amari flattened her lips. A strange but sharp look swept across her face. Sakura was on guard. Nerugui, Naruto noticed, hadn't followed them all the way. He was hiding behind the pillars.

A strange sensation tightened around his gut.

Something isn't right here. When I first looked at him, I didn't feel anything, but… Naruto watched the man raise his green eyes from his book, shutting it and setting it aside. He took on a kind expression. There's something not right about him. I can feel something…

"This sensation…" he heard the Nine-Tails rumble. "This resonance… It shouldn't be possible. The mines should be dormant."

Nine-Tails, what's the deal? What mines? What resonance? Are these guys responsible?

"No. This is something—someone—beyond your puny existences."

That definitely didn't sound good.

---

What is this feeling?

Temujin's chest was tight. Heat like a fever burned from the Stone of Gelel integrated within his flesh.

The Stone is resonating… But with what? I feel…I feel something reaching through me. Through the Stone. Its like I can feel another mind within it. It's so vast. So immense. It- it's too much.

Is this what God feels like?

---

"The book holds the key."

The disembodied voice whispered within her mind.

"You must take it."

"Take the book."

"Take it."

Amari winced, pressing her palm to her forehead. That strange voice… Who is that? How did you infiltrate my mind?

"You aren't strong enough to kill him," the disembodied voice whispered again.

"Only way to stop them."

"Only way to save everyone."

Nausea overwhelmed the kunoichi. The floor felt like it was beginning to whirl beneath her.

The source… It wasn't the power she sensed from Temujin or his Master Haido. It was something bigger. Something way bigger than any of them.

My head… It's splitting open. Who or what the hell are you?

"I'm waiting for you, Haya," the disembodied voice whispered.

---

Naruto didn't know what to make of the resonance or the weird twisting and churning in his gut, like something intangible was reaching inside of him and squeezing, knotting and tugging his intestines. But he didn't like it. Not one bit.

The Nine-Tails let out an occasional unsettled grunt. Naruto felt his pointer finger fidgeting unconsciously.

What is this? What the heck is this feeling?

Glancing to his teammates, he saw Sakura's tense posture, so stiff she unconsciously curled her toes into her sandals. Amari had a hand to her forehead, visibly wincing beneath the overwhelming sensation.

Nerugui was peering around a column, fixated on Amari.

"Ah, Temujin, good to have you back." Haido's voice resonated across the metal and marble chamber. He rose from his throne unperturbed, undisturbed, as if the weight of an unknown entity wasn't crashing over them.

Could he even feel it?

Through his monocle, he gazed upon the three shinobi in their states of defensive guards.

"Ah, so you must be them. Temujin let me know he was bringing you. He tells me you each wield an interesting power."

"Yes, that's correct," Temujin rose beside them. "Allow me to show you."

It didn't take a Sharingan to read his movements. When his hand began its first movement towards his sword, all three shinobi knew what was coming.

Temujin's sword sang free from his scabbard and whistled through the air, but found no flesh.

Naruto exited a handspring, pushing off his hands and landing in a kneel. Sakura slid back on her heels, positioning herself behind him. Amari sprang off the outside of her right foot and landed down the stairs, hand gripped around her tantō.

"Hey, what's the big idea!" Naruto shouted.

"Stand and fight!" commanded Temujin.

"No, Temujin!" Haido pleaded, his voice resonating off the walls. "Stop this unnecessary fighting!"

"But Master Haido—"

"Resorting to violence is never the answer, my son."

Never the answer? Naruto tried not to snort. Sure seems to me like it's the only answer they resort to.

"So, you're Master Haido," Amari spoke up. "Temujin brought us here so we could see the kind of man you are. He says you're powerful."

"I don't know about that," chuckled Haido. "I do not wield any sort of great power. All I have is a dream to see pointless wars and suffering end."

"Temujin mentioned that. He said you're out here to build a utopia."

Haido hummed and pressed something on his stone throne. Heavy chains pulling and winding around a gear reverberated through the walls, then heavy shutters at the far end of the chamber began to lift up, allowing the natural light in.

As the shutters rose, Haido descended the stairs, avoiding the crater and other damage.

"Indeed, we are. You must be Amaririsu. Which means the two of you are Naruto and Sakura, correct?"

"Yeah, that's us," Naruto replied stiffly.

"Excuse me, but how do you know our names?" Sakura asked.

"As I mentioned before, Temujin passed on word he was bringing you to meet me. Please, would you three join me at the viewing deck?" Haido gestured towards the large viewing windows the shutters had blocked off.

"By the way, Master Haido, what happened here? It looks like a fight took place."

"Ah, this superficial damage is nothing to concern yourself with, my son. Now, come along."

Temujin accepted his answer without hesitation.

You're definitely hiding something.

Naruto and Sakura looked to Amari. Their teammate lowered her hand from her tantō and lifted her chin to follow Haido, walking over and springing off the bottom stair to join them on the platform.

She was after something. Something more than the convenient lies these people spouted.

"We've traveled far and wide in order to create a utopia," Haido explained as he stopped at the end of the chamber. "The land we hail from is a far off continent ravaged by conflict. War is an ugly thing. A source of boundless sorrow, bestowing naught but misfortune on man. Temujin knows this all too well. He lost his homeland to strife."

Naruto stopped beside Haido. He could see the rolling hilltops, the earths spinal mountain peaks and a seemingly endless supply of trees stretching for miles from the window. But he also could see the smoldering ruins of the small village out there.

Turning around, he looked to Temujin, who was standing behind Amari and Sakura; the former of the pair didn't look his way, but he knew she had him in her Byakugan. The grimace on her face was also plain to see.

How does this strange sensation feel to her, I wonder…

Drawing his eyes to Temujin, he asked, "So does that mean you're all alone then?"

"No, I have Master Haido."

Sakura didn't look back, either. But her narrowed eyes told him they had a similar thought.

You're someone like Haku, Naruto thought. Someone who has devoted themselves to the dream of the person who saved you.

Someone like Amari.

"When he was a boy," Haido continued, "Temujin was left to survive in the shattered ruins of his village. I made a decision when I found him. I wanted to protect the weak in any way I could. To create a world where fighting was no longer necessary. That is our utopia. It is my only dream.

"For the sake of that dream I have traveled the world, gathering believers to our cause. It has taken time for us to make it as far as we have, and it grieves me to admit many noble people have been sacrificed along the way."

"Grieves him? Hmph. Don't make me laugh," the Nine-Tails rumbled. "How convenient for him to have found the one child who could fully integrate with the Stone of Gelel after his village was destroyed."

That is pretty convenient, now that you mention it.

"He raised and trained this brat like a pup. Now he's a loyal dog, willing to do anything for a treat from his precious master. Kill them. Do it now while their guard is down. Don't give them a chance to use the Stone."

And then what? You saw how many knights they had. We'd have to fight our way through hundreds of goons in these cramped quarters just to escape.

"Or you could rely on that spawn of Uchiha blood to use the Flying Raijin, you stupid brat."

For Amari to use that she has to focus really hard. And there's no way we'll get the drop on Temujin, Naruto argued. Besides, Temujin isn't the problem here. He's just being used. If we can save him—

"Save him? He will kill you, your friends and throw this entire continent into a war if you give him the chance," snarled the Nine-Tailed Fox. "You seek the title of Hokage with unmitigated obsession. Well, now it's time for you to act like one.

"You must choose between the lives of these two humans or the lives of hundreds of thousands humans burning in the flames of war. This is the decision a Hokage must make: Do you sacrifice two insignificant lives—that of two invaders—or do you sacrifice the lives of the humans in your Land? You must choose. Right now. This will be your only chance."

I'll protect our people and find a way to save Temujin. That's the kind of Hokage I'll be.

"Foolish brat."

Furry jerk!

"Tell me, Naruto, Sakura, Amaririsu," Haido turned to them. "Would you like to join us? We could use people like you. Together, we could make the world a better place."

"Hmmm," Naruto hummed, clasping his hands behind his head. "I'm sorry. But I can't."

"Oh?" Haido tilted his head.

"Don't get the wrong idea, I think what you're saying sounds good. A world without war, where the weak aren't oppressed and people can live peaceful lives, that's pretty much what we're all after, I think. So it's not like we can't work towards it together, but…"

He eyed Amari. Were they going to call him out for his lies or let it slide? He could tell they were here for Intel gathering.

Or, maybe, was she thinking along the same lines as the Nine-Tails? Take out the obvious leader of the invaders to cripple and disorganize their forces.

Sakura, he noticed, was also looking to see where Amari's mind was at.

Naruto lowered his hands suddenly. "Hey, Amari, are you all right?"

"You're looking really pale," Sakura noticed it, too. She stepped closer, taking Amari's scarred hand into hers. "And you're sweating. Your pulse is erratic."

"Oh, dear. Is she feeling all right?" Haido sounded sincerely concerned.

So sincere, Naruto nearly forgot he was a liar.

"Amaririsu?" Temujin wore a genuine expression of concern.

"The resonance… Is it reaching through to that Uchiha spawn?" the Nine-Tails rumbled.

"Amari, what's wrong? Talk to me," Sakura's medic training took over. "Naruto, Temujin, try not to crowd her."

---

"Don't trust him."

"The interloper cannot be trusted."

"He will destroy the world."

"Get out."

"Get out!"

"But take the book."

The disembodied voice was slamming into her skull from every direction.

"Take it."

"Only way."

"It's the only way to stop him."

"Only way to save everyone."

"Hurry."

"Hurry!"

"It's behind you! Go!"

"Go!"

"Run!"

She could barely think. Barely focus. The voices were tearing her head apart. Echoing off each other, like she was at the bottom of a well, and someone was crashing cymbals together at its top.

"What are you waiting for?"

"Stop wasting time, Haya."

"You know he's a liar."

"Why do you care to debate philosophy?"

"You cannot reach him."

"He is the end of all you know."

"Listen to me!"

"Haya!"

"You are running out of time."

"You have to take the book."

"I'm waiting for you on the other side."

"Together we can stop the interloper."

"So, please, listen."

"Hurry."

"Take the book!"

---

Something isn't right with Amaririsu. Is it a migraine? Temujin observed. And this sensation I'm feeling…

His breast was burning hotter than before. Almost as though the Stone itself was trying to burn a hole through his flesh to escape. Any hotter and it'd be unbearable.

What is going on? Are our conditions related somehow?

Something scampered up onto his shoulder. Temujin sucked in a breath, then saw Nerugui. The ferret leapt off his shoulder onto Amaririsu's.

"Nerugui?" Sakura tilted her head.

"Hey, you better not be trying anything, you little fur ball."

"Goodness me!" Master Haido gasped. "Who is your little friend here?"

"My apologies. I spent some time with a caravan and he took a bit of a shine to me and Amaririsu."

"I think he's actually helping, somehow," Sakura said. "Amari, are you all right?"

Amaririsu blinked and her eye seemed to regain focus.

"Fi- fine. Maybe I ate something bad by accident."

Sakura and Naruto both smiled. They weren't sincere.

"Maybe," said Sakura.

"Our luck strikes again, huh?"

"Looks that way."

"A caravan, you say," Master Haido pondered. "My, isn't that interesting… A caravan…"

"Master Haido, we have a problem!" Fugai's distinct voice came over the intercom.

They all turned towards the throne, looking towards the ceiling where her voice was emanating from.

"Tell me, what's wrong?"

"Sakura, Naruto… We need to go. Now," Amaririsu whispered.

"The fleets sent to the Land of Wind and the Land of Water have been annihilated."

"Wait a minute, the Land of Wind?" Naruto gasped.

"And the Land of Water?" Sakura followed.

"I'm on my way!" Temujin didn't need to think it through. He dashed towards the elevator, snatching up his helmet off the floor on the way. "I'll check on our forces in the Land of Wind. It should only take me an hour or so to cross the border."

And then the fleet wouldn't be far off from there. But the total annihilation of two fleets?

How could that be?

…No. It wasn't as surprising as his shock wanted him to believe.

He'd seen firsthand what these natives were capable of. With a platoon of them, total annihilation wasn't impossible if his comrades were ambushed or ill-prepared.

Once inside the elevator, he pulled the lever and watched Naruto, Sakura and Amaririsu disappear behind the sliding doors.

He'd hope for more time to show them Master Haido's character, but rescuing their survivors took precedence.

Just hang on, he thought. I'll be there soon.

---

Once the second elevator's doors slid shut, Amari collapsed to her knees inside, cradling her pounding skull.

"Whoa, what's wrong? Amari, hey, talk to us," Naruto coaxed.

She shook her head. "No time. Need…to get you out… Give me your hands."

"What's happening? Does it have to do with that strange feeling in his throne room?"

"Later. Just…" Amari snatched their hands and shut her eyes, trying to envision the door to one of her markers through the head-splitting migraine searing behind her eyes.

"The book!"

Just…shut up already. She lacked the strength to scream inside her own mind. I know. I know. Get the book. You said it a million times. But it wouldn't do me any good if I ended up dispelled or if we ended up having to fight our way out. So please, just shut up. I need…to focus.

"Once we're out of here," she groaned, "I want you two to track Temujin. I'll send a Crow with you. We need to check on the Sand shinobi. And the Mist, somehow…"

"What about the real you and Sasuke?"

"Busy. Rescuing people. Can sense them now."

Through the haze of the migraine her fumbling hands found a door. Pushing it open, she leapt through with Sakura, Naruto and Nerugui in tow.

They flickered into existence onto a tree branch.

Don't forget the book, was her last thought, picturing it in the throne room.

Then she dispersed.

---

"Fugai, are you certain both fleets were annihilated?" Haido asked.

"Yes, Master Haido. I've sent for Kana and Wakiko, but neither have responded."

"Let's not write them off yet. Kana and Wakiko are powerful and cunning warriors. There has not yet come a day where either have failed to meet my expectations. But to annihilate their fleets…"

Such a feat seemed impossible to accomplish for the natives of this land. Not only did they appear to lack armor and understanding of the power of the Stones, from what he had read, their access to the Stones of Gelel had been lost long ago.

How interesting. Perhaps I should not have been so rash to demand Temujin to stand down. What manner of unique power had he witnessed?

"What's that?" Fugai questioned of someone else. "What do you mean the prayer hall is empty!" his lieutenant bellowed.

Empty? Haido furrowed his brow. Has that masked individual begun stealing our hostages, too?

"Fugai, what's the situation?"

"The survivors we took in, they're all gone. Every last one of them." She sounded on the verge of shattering her teeth. "One of the loyalists just checked and— the hell!"

"Fugai?"

"A loyalists just collapsed right in front of me. What is going on…"

Haido stormed towards the elevator. "I want our loyalists chamber locked down. Immediately. Send everyone!"

"These damn natives," growled his knight. "Ranke, Kamira, lock down the loyalists chamber! If that masked bastard is there, I'm going to crush him!"

"No, my child. I have another job for you."

"Master Haido?"

"Temujin was taken in by a caravan. They have information necessary for our cause." He stepped into the elevator. "I will handle the intruders. You find the caravan."

"At once, Master Haido."

---

"We're pulling out," Miss Anbu announced suddenly, standing upside down on the brass tree of spheres. "Haya, Sasuke, take the hostages in those spheres there and retreat into the maintenance tunnel," she dictated their targets and their retreat with quick jabs of her fingers.

"Company?" Sasuke asked, leaping to the sphere she pointed out, closest to their escape route.

"Yes. They'll reach us in less than thirty seconds."

"They're sending in the calvary," Amari explained, leaping up beside him, joined by four Shadow Clones. "A whole mass of these guys are converging on us. I sense two of their lieutenants among them as well."

"No time to waste taking out these capsules, then," he grunted.

With practiced precision, for they had pulled twenty-seven of the hostages so far, the team of six broke open the seals. Lukewarm water poured over them, the bodies of the hostages falling limply into their arms.

"Hostages secured. Let's get out of here," Amari said.

"Right behind you."

They sprang from the brass branch into the maintenance exit, stopping only to ensure they weren't leaving alone. Miss Anbu, soaked and burdened by two small children thrown over her shoulder, was looming over them as soon as they turned.

"These are the last we can take," Miss Anbu said. "Come. We're—"

"They're they are!" a woman yelled, the more temperamental one, Amari recalled.

Sasuke, Amari, her Shadow Clones and Miss Anbu dashed down the tunnel.

In her Byakugan she watched the two women give chase, their soldiers fanning out around the room as they themselves leaped onto the sabotaged mechanism they used to create more soldiers; the glass tubes the clay-like substance appeared in were shattered, the levers and dials, the pumps and tubes, all destroyed or damaged beyond repair.

"Haya, now!"

Amari clapped her palms together and created the Snake handseal.

As the two women entered the maintenance chamber, several concussive pulses reverberated across the metal like a team of mallet-wielders striking several gongs one after another. The two women screamed and bellowed out in agony, hands gripping their heads.

The whole team halted at once. Two of Amari's Shadow Clone's grabbed ahold of Sasuke's and Miss Anbu's biceps. Amari turned to a Shadow Clone and handed over the hostage to her.

"Take this guy. There's something I need to grab before we leave."

"What are you talking about?" Sasuke asked.

"My Shadow Clone, it saw something in the throne room we're going to need to stop these guys," she explained briefly, knowing the whole truth was way too crazy at a critical moment like this.

"Haya, wait—"

Miss Anbu and Sasuke vanished with a purple flicker.

"They're going to be so angry," her Shadow Clone commented.

"I don't envy you," the other said.

"Neither do I. Now get going."

The two Shadow Clones flickered away. After a beat, during which the clang of greaves slamming on the walkway dashed towards her, Amari followed.

She reemerged at the marker she placed beside the prayer room and didn't waste a moment.

I have to get that book.

---

"Master Haido, one of the intruders is still on the ship. It's that girl! The blue-haired one! She can create duplicates of herself!"

"Amaririsu? My, isn't this an interesting turn of events. Temujin will be so disappointed."

"I have her on our sensors. She's climbing through the maintenance tunnels towards…towards your throne!"

Haido immediately shifted the gears on the elevator.

"She must be after the Book of Gelel. But how did she know…"

---

Amari dropped into the throne room without a sound. The voices were gone, too, and the sensation she had felt no longer flooding her senses.

Body Flickering up to the throne, she snatched the thick tome, clutching it to her chest as she began to focus on the Flying Raijin marker outside of the land-ship.

Ding!

Her senses flared.

Stones fractured and the debris drew a powdery veil over the throne. Amari skidded back on her heels along the marble floor.

Such power…

"Amaririsu, I'm disappointed," Haido's voice called to her as he strutted out of the elevator, a stone glowing on the back of his hand. "I thought we all sought the same thing. Isn't that what Naruto said?"

"You certainly say all the right things, but all I needed was one look to see right through you," she retorted, Sharingan ablaze. "You destroyed the homes of innocent people, took them hostage, and began to manipulate them in order to bolster your puppet army."

"It is all very unfortunate, but we were offering them shelter and aid, before you interfered. Those who joined us did so on their own volition. They were willing to make a noble sacrifice for a utopia."

Every word he spoke was a lie. She could tell by the sinister smile on his lips, so different from the feigned kindness of before.

"Tell me, is that how you recruited Temujin? Did you destroy his home and kill his family just to wrap a true ancestor around your finger?"

"Such venomous accusations." He walked closer, stone leveled with her. "I saved Temujin. Ah, ah, ah, no sudden moves."

"Me and my friends are going to stop you," she declared. "You will never rule over this continent. You'll never rule anything. You will die as you lived: Grasping at power, but never reaching i—"

Amari leapt to the side, back, sprang up, chased by energy blasts peppering the ground. Stones ruptured, glass shattered, and the cold rush of wind gusted through the shattered viewing windows.

The kunoichi landed but steps away from the shattered opening.

"Stop us? I doubt that, my dear. But," he shrugged with an air of mockery, "I suppose that means you won't be joining us. Oh well. Another noble sacrifice for our cause."

"You throw that word around like you understand what it means."

She slid her foot back along the glass, closer to the open window.

"But to you sacrifice is something someone else has to do so you can benefit. You don't know the first thing about sacrifice."

Another careful slide back. She kept the book clutched to her chest.

This book better be worth all this trouble.

Haido narrowed his eyes, but snorted. "There's no where to go, Amaririsu. Do you intend to jump to your death?"

Amari let her lip curl in a smirk. "Call it a leap of faith."

Osamu, I'm counting on you.

Without hesitation, she sprang out the window. In vivid detail she watched Haido's expression twist into horror, reaching out to her—to the book—as she began to fall.

Book clutched to chest, she built up a scream from her toes until it belted out of her lips,

"Osamu!"

Her stomach and heart were in her throat as the wind whistled by her ears. Above, Haido peered over the edge of the broken viewing window.

A terrible flock of black feathers suddenly soared into view, whipping past her.

And then the kunoichi was gone.

---

Review Response to Isobel Bauch: I'm happy that Sasuke's changing path keeps you reading. I hope I can get back to posting every week as well at some point.

Anyway, thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed the latest chapter!