7. Victims of War

Introduction: Going off Intel found by Naruto's clones, Eirika's group leaves Serafew and makes for Renvall. Unfortunately, their actions have given the forces of Grado an idea for how to place leverage on the Princess.

Story Start: On The Road From Serafew

"So the area around Renvall is our best place to pick up Prince Ephraim's trail?" Seth asked as the group made fast tracks from Serafew.

Naruto nodded and said "My clones found a letter in Saar's office. Apparently he had a brother stationed there who managed to survive the attack Ephraim's group launched on the fortress. According to the letter, the man in charge of the forces stationed at the fortress had somehow determined that the prince refused to drag innocents into the conflict by resupplying at any of the local villages and so used the Fortress itself as bait. They sent the majority of their forces into the surrounding area leaving only a token force behind. When Ephraim's group captured the fortress the rest of the Gradoian forces returned." Naruto then smirked and said "Apparently Your Highness, your brother didn't feel like giving up at that point. His group tore through the soldiers and made for the east." His smirk then became downright feral as he said "But not before a pink haired woman with him apparently made Valter the Moonstone's head explode like, and I quote, 'A melon hitting the ground from a great height', end quote."

Eirika blinked a few times in surprise, her face paling a little, and asked "'Explode'?"

Naruto nodded and said "Yep, given that this is Sakura we're talking about, I'm not surprised that happened, she's scarily strong."

Seth shuddered the slightest bit and yet again thought 'So glad the shinobi are on OUR side.' Moving away from that thought, he said out loud "The news that Grado is now down a general is excellent news though."

"Indeed, and though it is probably wrong of me to think so, I am glad that it was that man to fall and not one of the others." Eirika said with a frown.

"I'm missing something here." Naruto said with a frown of confusion.

"When I was escaping Castle Renais with Princess Eirika, Valter intercepted us outside the castle gate. We exchanged blows before I fled with the princess. The result was...not in my favor." Seth said, hand going to where Valter's lance had pierced his side.

"I see." Naruto said with a slight frown. Injuries on the battlefield were to be expected of course, but the placement of the wound was troubling. Directly under where the plate armor ended, an inch to the right and he would have lost a kidney. Shaking his head from those thoughts, he said "I suggest you have Sakura take a look at that when we meet up with them. She's the student of the greatest healer in my Village and she's considered to be almost as good as her."

Seth gave a considering nod and said "When I get a chance then I shall do so."

"Speaking of meeting up with my brother and his forces, how will we find them? I doubt they would have left marks on trees as they fled the fortress." Eirika asked.

"True, there won't be anything nearly that simple to use to find them, but I do have a way to track down Sakura, I just need a location where she passed through relatively recently to get a starting point." Naruto said with a slight frown.

"Hence why we need to head for Renvall." Seth said with a frown.

Naruto nodded and said "It's likely to be even more heavily defended now thea before thanks to what happened but if nothing else I can flood the place with clones to hold off the Grado army while we look for that starting point."

"Since we are expecting a great battle at the end of this leg of our journey then we should take even more care to avoid getting into any further conflicts along the way. After all, the longer it takes us to reach Renvall, the longer it'll be before you are reunited with your brother Your Highness." Seth said.

Eirika nodded and said "You are quite right of course." Pulling out one of the maps of the region that her group had managed to acquire in the last town, she studied it for a moment with intent focus. A moment later, she pointed to a spot on the map and said "The Adlas Plains seem to be the best route to take, easy terrain for us to travel through with only one settlement to avoid."

Both Naruto and Seth nodded and the General said "With any luck we shall avoid any more engagements until Renvall."

Naruto winced and said "I really wish you hadn't said that."

Eirika and Seth's confusion at his words would lead to a lengthy discussion about a little fact of the universe called Murphy's Law and how it was the bane of Naruto's shinobi career.

Time Skip: Passing Through Adlas Plains

Thick fog surrounded the area thicker than any soup as Eirika's group made their cautious way through the plains. Thanks to previous scouting by Naruto's clones they were avoiding the settlement but the current weather conditions were severely hampering the group's early warning system. Naruto COULD have most likely blown the fog away, but the act of doing so would have attracted the attention of the settlement, defeating the purpose of trying to avoid detection as they travelled to Renvall.

Unbeknownst to them though they had already been detected. A mere mile away a meeting between Grado's Blood Beryl and one of his subordinates was taking place.

Riev idly rubbed the ring marking him as a bishop as he asked "So, tell me...You have ascertained Eirika's whereabouts, have you not?"

His subordinate, a cloaked shaman named Novala nodded and said "I have. I sent some of our men to follow the princess as she fled Serafew. They had to follow from afar to avoid detection of course, but they managed to send word of their route, and now we are ready to ambush them. There's no way they can escape. Like rats in a sack, as they say. Heh heh heh..."

Riev smiled evilly as he said "Very Good...Tis a shame that Valter has fallen, I'm sure he would have been delighted. Speaking of that fool though, like her brother, I hear that Princess Eirika and her forces are quite a handful. Tell me, Novala, are you certain you can handle this assignment?"

Novala nodded again and said "Don't worry. Everything is under control. I've brought along a certain something from Renais. It will negate whatever futile resistance they offer. Ha ha ha..."

Riev laughed as well as he said "Heh heh heh...Pray it goes as you say. Very well. Do what you must. I must return to the capital."

Novala frowned and asked "Will you not stay and see how Eirika looks in captivity?"

Riev shook his head with a scowl and said "Unlike two other layabouts I know, I do not have such time to waste. I have much to do for our master. A mountain of tasks awaits me. My time is far too precious to waste on the likes of that royal whelp. Trifles such as these are best left in the hands of servants...such as you."

Novala twitched even as he said "Y-yes, of course...Then...Travel well."

Without acknowledging the farewell Riev left and once he was gone Novala scowled and muttered to himself "Hmph...Freakish old man. You should have watched. You might have learned something. I will capture the princess, and I will replace you at our master's side. You will stew in regret, and I will enjoy every moment."

Scene Change: Back With Eirika's Group

Naruto was on a hair trigger, his senses doing their best to pierce the fog around them. He wanted to go into Sage mode, but he would have to leave a lot of clones scattered about the area to remain still then transfer their gathered energy to him for that to happen and these plains didn't offer a lot of hiding places. All it would take was for some roving patrol to stumble across them in this dense fog and the gig would be up.

As such, the moment Novala teleported in front of Eirika, holding a girl firmly by the shoulder, Naruto reacted. Before the shaman could even open his mouth to begin his spiel three kunai slammed into his chest. Staggering back with a cry of surprise and pain, Novala's grip on the girl slackened allowing her to break free even as he tripped on the bottom of his Shaman robes.

Naruto was on him in a flash, (no, not Hirashin, he was just that fast) kunai held to Novala's neck as he asked "Who are you?!"

Novala chuckled, blood coming out of his mouth as he said "Fool, you should have given me the chance to talk, now the others shall all die." And with that, the enemy shaman died.

"What did he mean by 'Others'?" Eirika asked with wide eyes.

"Milady, you have to help! That bad man brought my entire village here, said that if you didn't do what he said that the giant spiders would eat them all!" The girl shouted in panic.

"Naruto!" Seth shouted and Naruto sprung to his feet, going through hand signs rapidly. Finishing them, he took a ninja jump straight up and shouted "Brace yourselves! Wind Style: Great Pulse Jutsu!"

The unoriginally but aptly named Jutsu cut loose and it was like a massive boulder was thrown into a lake, the fog blasted away for miles around while everyone's hair was blown back and more than a few staggered back a step even after doing as told. Scattered among the plains were several cavalier and mages groups, all far enough from the group to not be detected in the fog but close enough to rapidly close with them once battle was joined. A quick headcount showed that there was the higher end of a platoon's worth of enemies at 45 scattered around them, not exactly the best odds when compared to Eirika's group, at least until you factored in the force multiplier that was a Hidden Leaf Shinobi.

Neimi's sharp eyes though were directed towards the nearby mountains as she pointed and called out "There Princess Eirika, at the base of the mountain, I can see some large cages built together with people inside next to a collection of tents." Her eyes narrowed before they widened and said "The cage in the middle attached to the others is full of massive spiders!"

Most of the group's eyes widened in horror and Eirika quickly turned her head to Artur and Lute and asked "You two, can you teleport?!"

Lute actually frowned a little but nodded as she said "I have never teleported so far at once but it is simply a matter of power."

Artur nodded and said "We shall protect your countrymen Your Highness." The two then formed spell sigils beneath them and teleported away.

"I'll send help." Naruto said, a squad of twelve clones appearing next to them that immediately lit up in gold energy before flashing away after the pair of mages.

"Wha-what was that?!" Eirika asked stunned, seeing twelve lights already at the enemy camp, the clones tearing through the gathered soldiers left to guard the camp as Artur and Lute stood on top of the spider's cage killing them from above, the pair having killed the Grado soldiers that would have opened the holding pin's doors into the other cages as soon as they arrived.

"High speed technique." Naruto said vaguely before he blasted a charging group of cavalier with a Wind Dragon jutsu and continued "I suggest you all focus more on the enemies then those clones."

"Right." Eirika said, shaking her thoughts from her head and set herself as more enemies rushed their position from another direction. Her actions were followed by the rest of the fighters as they set themselves in a ring around the supply convoy in a manner that would keep them safe, a few of Naruto's clones quickly moving to their canvas covered tops to snipe any magic users who got it in their head to attack said wagons and the people manning them.

With the element of surprise lost the Grado forces' positioning came back to haunt them. Pockets of enemies were easier to deal with than all of them at once after all and due to the fog that had been hanging around before Naruto had blasted it away no archers had been fielded allowing Vanessa free reign to terrorize the outskirts unimpeded, the Frelian knight using hit and run tactics while sticking to a circular pattern around the battlefield. Neimi also focused on the outskirts from where she had joined a clone on top of a wagon, the archer constantly shifting her focus so that way she was attacking opposite of Vanessa, preventing the Grado outliers from readying a defense against the Pegasus Knight.

Within twenty minutes the fight was over and the convoy was shifted to the enemy camp where all of the Renaisian citizens were being let out of the cages. Looking around at all of her haggard countrymen with a frown, Eirika said "I cannot believe how far Grado has fallen, first Saar's treatment of Renais citizens in Serafew and now this!"

"It truly is sickening what lengths Grado's army is going to in this war." Seth said with a scowl.

"What I would like to know is why they went to all of the trouble of moving an entire village's population here. If they wanted us dead they would have just attacked us from the fog without any warning. Instead that guy who I can only assume was their leader came to us, apparently to offer an ultimatum." Garcia mused with a frown.

"Maybe we've got something that they wanted handed over." Ross said next to him with a shrug.

"Well if it was an item that they were after, the bracelet the Princess is wearing seems the only thing they could have been after." Colm said before scowling and continued "Though why they would threaten an entire village for a single piece of jewelry is beyond me."

"My bracelet? What could Grado want with that?" Eirika asked incredulously.

Seeing the look in Seth's eyes at her words, Naruto turned to face the Paladin fully and asked "What does it unlock?"

"I'm sorry?" Seth asked startled.

Naruto raised an eyebrow and said "This isn't the first escort mission I've done where people were interested in something that the person I was protecting had on their person." A certain princess turned actress and her necklace came to mind.

Seth glanced at everyone around him, the men (and women) who were fighting alongside Eirika, the Freilians that made up their supply convoy, and the citizens of Renais who were put in harm's way to obtain Eirika's bracelet. Sighing, he said "The Princess' bracelet along with the one Prince Ephraim carries are keys to a vault under Castle Renais' throne room. Anything further I will only disclose to Princess Eirika. It will be her decision how little or much is told to the rest of you."

Naruto shrugged and said "Fair enough."

The General lead his charge into the largest tent of the enemy camp. Eirika stepped out ten minutes later looking grave. At the inquisitive looks of the others, she looked first at Naruto then Garcia. Biting her lower lip in thought, she nodded and called "Master Garcia, Naruto, please join us."

Garcia and Naruto traded raised eyebrows with each other before they followed their charge into the tent. Once inside, Eirika said "Master Garcia, you have served the royal family faithfully in a command position for several years. The others will listen to you if Seth, Naruto, or myself are unavailable. As such, I believe that you should be made aware of what I have to say."

Garcia nodded his understanding and Eirika turned her gaze on Naruto and continued "Naruto, you were intentionally brought here to be my bodyguard from another world by a higher being. Given this, I have to assume that you can be trusted to safe guard the information I am about to tell you." At Naruto's nod, Eirika took a deep breath and said "The Sacred Stone of Renais is believed to be housed in our main temple but I just learned that it is a fake. The real Sacred Stone is kept in a vault under the throne room of Castle Renais. The only way to access it is with the bracelets me and my brother wear. This information was supposed to be kept secret, even from me and Ephraim, by my Father's order and yet Grado appears to be attempting to obtain my bracelet."

"Which means that they, or at least the ones giving orders, know as well." Naruto said with a scowl.

Eirika nodded and said "We must keep the bracelet out of Grado's hands at all cost. Naruto, is it possible to create one of your storage seals on a person's body?"

"It is, I assume you wish for one that only you can use?" Naruto said, already pulling the storage scroll that held his sealing supplies from his jacket's inner pocket. At Eirika's nod, he asked "Do you wish for it to be locked by blood or by a password in your voice?"

Eirika bit her lip in thought for a moment before she said "Password, that way no one can obtain the bracelet if I am captured."

Naruto nodded and once Eirika had removed the bracelet got to work.

A couple of minutes later, the quartet stepped out of the tent and made their way back to the others. Once there, Eirika looked over her country men with a small frown and said "My people, I am so sorry to have caused you so much trouble. Because Grado was after me, you were put in harm's way."

Eirika bowed her head in sadness. Her head was raised back up though when the village leader stepped forward and said "Your Highness, the blame for our treatment does not rest with you, but with our captors. As soon as you learned of our situation you sent your people to rescue us as quickly as possible even though you yourselves were under attack. As such, I think we can all agree that the only thing you deserve from us is gratitude." All of the other villagers nodded their agreement, even the children.

Eirika smiled gratefully at the man's words before frowned again and said "I thank you for your kind words. However, we now have a great problem. My group must continue onwards to reunite with my brother and his forces, and yet we cannot leave you all here in Grado behind enemy lines, and Renais is not any safer either."

"If Frelia will accept them as refugees until the war's finished then one of my clones can get them to the Frelian border within a few days." Naruto offered.

More than one person gave him an incredulous look as Garcia asked "How could you possibly move so many people so quickly?"

"Indeed, even teleporting such a large group across such distances would not be possible for only one person, the power requirements to fulfill both requirements would kill them, no matter how vast their reserves." Lute stated factually.

Naruto smiled and said "My clone won't be teleporting them, he'll be carrying them. Where I come from, we have a technique called a stasis seal. It allows us to easily transport prisoners or wounded back to the Village. Once the villagers are secured my clone can easily make the run all the way back to Castle Frelia within three days if needed." He then cocked his head and said "We could even take this opportunity to send King Frelia a report of all that has happened so far, including what we learned in Serafew."

Seth frowned and said "Naruto is right Your Highness, the King should be informed of Grado's plans in order to assure the safety of Frelia's Sacred Stone."

Eirika nodded her agreement and said "Alright Naruto, we'll do this your way. I shall write a letter to King Hayden for your clone to take with him explaining the situation. I believe that he will be willing to allow these villagers to remain in his country until it is safe for them to return home."

The villagers devolved into conversations with each other at their words but after a few moments the leader silenced them before he turned to Naruto and gave a slight bow as he said "It seems that we shall be placing our wellbeing in your hands stranger, I thank you for your protection."

Naruto nodded and said "Give me ten minutes for setup then we can begin the process."

Time Skip: Thirty Minutes Later

Naruto's clone quickly shot into the returned fog in the direction of Frelia, a large scroll held to his back by cord. Eirika looked off in that direction for a minute before she shook herself of her thoughts and turned her gaze towards her group's destination and said "We've no more time to waste, we must hurry to Renvall."

With that, Eirika's group took off, determined to meet up with Ephraim's group, and woe to any who stood in their way.

END

Author's Notes: I apologize for the month long delay between my last posting of a story update and this chapter. I WAS working on An Alicorn And A Hacker Walk Into A Bar but it has been fighting me for a couple of weeks and so I decided to shift focus to my Fire Emblem stories. Hopefully my Waking Up In A Field story shall be updated within a much shorter time frame.