A/N - Alrighty, figured I'd get another chapter of this story out of the way. Hope you enjoy it, because it took forever to finish the dang thing. lol.

A lot happens in this chapter...and yet not really. Still, I think it turned out pretty well.

Anyways, I haven't eaten a thing all day, so I really need to get some food in my belly, or at least some kind of snack. Sooo...read and enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 3 – Sin's Assault

As Naruto drifted off to sleep, he decided to enter his mindscape so he could speak with Kurama. At first, upon arriving in this world, they had still been at each other's throats. However, the more time they spent in Spira, the more they started to get along with one another. Now they were the best of friends. However, they hadn't been able to really sit down and talk with one another for a while because of how busy Naruto had been. That and the blonde had been busy with his fiances and that lovely little hottie, Rikku.

Appearing before the now open cage, Naruto sat down and looked up at his friend. "Heya Kurama. Been a while. How've you been?"

Kurama simply shrugged and said, "So-so. You're damn lucky I can negate Sin's toxin, Naruto. If I couldn't, you'd be suffering from memory loss, fatigue, and who the hell knows what else. I found out something interesting that we need to talk about. You're not going to like what I had to say, though. It's about your mother…"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at Kurama, but sighed and nodded his head in understanding. "I sensed it too, Kurama."

The Kyuubi sighed and nodded his head. "So you know. Sin and Kushina are connected in some way. I may not like your mother Kit, but if she and Sin are connected somehow, then we need to figure out some way to free her from that thing. Not even she deserves a fate such as that. Thankfully, we have time to figure it out. We need to figure out the truth behind Sin, the Final Summoning, the Aeons, EVERYTHING. And, should all else fail, we can team up to kill that Sin thing, free Kushina, save Yuna, and do whatever the hell else we need to do. Agreed?"

Naruto nodded and bumped fists with his tenant, grinning at him. "Hell yeah I agree. And while we're at it, we'll expose the Maesters of Yevon as the corrupt shits they are and change the way the world works. No more of that racist bullshit and no more of that brainwashing bull either! Heck, there won't even be a need for summoners anymore! Nobody will have to sacrifice themselves anymore."

"Sounds good to me Kit. You might want to wake up now though. Someone's arguing outside the lodge. I think it's that hot bitchy woman and Mr. Racist Douchebag. Might wanna see what's up. Or you can stay in here and fantasize about Rikku and that wonderful ass of hers. 'Cause daaaaamn did she fill out nicely." Kurama said with a perverted giggle.

Naruto facepalmed before saying goodbye to his friend and vanishing from the mindscape. Once he was gone, Kurama chuckled and conjured an image of Rikku for him to admire. "Oh yeah, that's a good girl." All that could be heard for a while was perverted giggling inside of Naruto's mindscape.

Outside

Naruto sighed as he sat up, listening to the heated argument coming from outside. Walking to the flaps closing the lodge from the outside world, he peered outside to see the 'hot bitch' as Kurama called her, yelling at Wakka. How nobody had woken up as a result of this was beyond him. Shrugging it off, he listened as she really tore into the poor bastard.

"You shouldn't have brought that man here in the first place! He clearly doesn't respect our principles, nor does he care for our religion! He disrespected us, disrespected me, and he's insulted our people and our home! I don't care if he reminds you of Chappu or not. The man…I don't trust him. There's just something…off about him, Wakka." Lulu said angrily.

"Lu, Naruto needed help. I couldn't just leave him out there to die. Even if I don't see eye to eye with him, that doesn't mean I should just abandon him out there. Besides that, he survived an encounter with Sin, Lu! And you know Yugao's been desperate to see him again! Would you really deny her a chance to be with her friend again? And yes, he reminds me a little of Chappu. So what?" Wakka explained, sounding frustrated.

Lulu scowled at him and said, "I don't care, Wakka. Yugao is kind and gentle. She respects our ways and hasn't insulted us. Naruto hasn't even been in the village for a full day and he's already made an enemy of practically everyone here. I don't trust him, I don't like him, and I refuse to let him anywhere near Yuna. There's just something wrong…very wrong with that young man."

Before Wakka could reply, Naruto stepped out of the Crusader's Lodge and walked up to them with a scowl aimed in Lulu's direction. "Too bad for you that you don't have a choice in the matter Miss Prissy Bitch. And I don't appreciate you saying such things behind my back. If you have a problem with me, tell me to my face. 'Cause then I can tell you to your face that I don't give a shit. I don't care for your religion. All this Yevon shit is is an impressive brainwashing tool. Something's incredibly fishy about Yevon and I plan to find out the truth behind it all. I also aim to save Yuna-chan's life by finding an alternate way to erase Sin from existence entirely so it can NEVER come back. That way, she won't have to sacrifice her life. She is so young and beautiful. Don't you think she deserves to live a long life and be happy?"

Sighing, Naruto shook his head and continued. "It's also obvious to me that you cared about Chappu. I don't care if I look like him or if I'm like him in any way. I don't even plan to try and take his place. As for insulting you? Maybe if you weren't such a horrible bitch to people and to me, I might treat you with a little more respect. Hell, I might even treat you like a friend and loved one. You singled me out as a troublemaker and a terrible person right away simply because I broke some rules set forth by the precepts and that kinda bullshit all because I was worried about Yuna-chan. Tough shit. I'll be her Guardian from here on and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. You're welcome to try and fight me on it, but here's the thing. You can't stop me. Not in a million fucking years. And that's not overconfidence speaking. I'm speaking the truth."

"Finally, since you've got such a bad feeling about me, allow me to explain. Ever since I was born, I've had a big ol' furry friend sealed inside of me. He's called the Kyuubi no Yoko, one of the nine bijuu of my world. He's the strongest of the nine and he's capable of a loooot of things. Wanton destruction is just one of his favorite pastimes." Naruto joked. "We're friends now, but that wasn't always the case. He used to try and take over so he can run rampant and destroy and kill indiscriminately. Now, we work together as a team."

Grumbling slightly, the blonde said, "I was ostracized by the people of my village because I'm a jinchuriki. I was abused, neglected, ignored, etc. They tried to kill me numerous times. It was always the worst on my birthday. I was NEVER happy there. I won't go into too much detail, just know that my life back there was hell and I have absolutely NO intention of returning to that cesspool of bigotry and hatred. Let them kill each other and fight over the stupidest of reasons. I just don't give a shit anymore."

Wakka's eyes were wide and he was trembling in horror at everything he had just heard. Lulu's eyes were wide as well and, despite how angry she had been over the fact he kept calling her a bitch, she honestly wasn't sure how to feel at the moment. After a while though, she glared fiercely at him and said, "You're lying. There's no way it could have been that bad for you. Yugao would have told us."

Naruto shrugged and turned to Wakka. Patting him on the shoulder, Naruto said, "Try to get some rest big guy. I'm going to go back to sleep. Thanks again for arranging a bed for me in the lodge. See you in the morning."

Wakka watched as Naruto walked back into the Crusader's lodge before he turned to Lulu and shook his head in disappointment. "Lu…he wasn't lying." the blitzball star said before he turned and walked off towards his hut so he could get some much-needed sleep. He'd just have to deal with Lulu in the morning. Right now he just didn't want to deal with her.

Left alone, Lulu scowled and was about to walk off, only for Yugao to appear in front of her, startling her somewhat. "How many times have I told you to stop doing that?" Lulu questioned frustratedly.

"I'd apologize, but I'm kind of upset with you right now, Lulu." Yugao said, sounding genuinely pissed off. "Naruto-kun wasn't lying. Every word he said was true. You have no idea just how bad it was back in Konohagakure. I was one of the only ones that looked after him when he was younger. Nobody cared for him. His parents died on the night he was born, so he had no one to raise him. A man by the name of Danzo wanted to use him as a weapon. Nobody treated him like a person. His life was hell. I can't blame him for refusing to go back. In fact, I plan to remain here in Spira with him. I think all of us do. And from what he told me, Kurenai is pregnant with his child. He's engaged to her and Shizune. It would seem he's planning to revive his clan here in Spira. It may be strange for the people of your world for someone to take multiple spouses, but it's a common practice in our world."

Lulu wasn't quite sure what to say to her friend. She didn't like being wrong. She didn't like being proven wrong either. Glaring in the direction of the Crusader's lodge, she said, "He still disrespected me and our religion. He could have caused problems for Yuna. He's also incredibly rude and insulting. How can you tolerate someone like that?"

Yugao sighed and shook her head in disappointment. "Fine, Lulu. I guess I'll leave you alone for the time being. It seems you just don't understand. Good night." the purple-haired swordswoman said before she disappeared, leaving Lulu to scowl and stew in her thoughts alone.

The Next Morning

Naruto groaned as he stretched out, dealing with the kinks in his back and shoulders. "Ahhh, there we go." he said, grinning to himself as he turned to leave the lodge. He had already intruded enough and didn't want to stay any longer than necessary, especially if they didn't want him here.

Stepping outside, he saw Wakka, Lulu, and Yugao standing in the center of the village waiting for him. Frowning as he looked at Lulu, he shook his head in aggravation before approaching them. Upon reaching them, Wakka smiled at Naruto and held out a magnificent blue sword to him. "Hey sleepyhead. I wanted to give this to you. It's better than that thing you were swingin' around yesterday, ya?"

Naruto gratefully accepted the beautiful blade and gave it a few practice swings. "It's beautiful. It's a wonderful blade, Wakka. Thank you."

Lulu frowned and said, "That's the sword you gave Chappu."

Wakka frowned as well and said, "Yeah, well…he never used it. It belongs in the hands of someone that will cherish it and use it well, ya? Besides, I trust Naruto to make good use of it. We may butt heads every now and again, but if we're gonna be on this pilgrimage together, better make good use of what we got, ya?""

Yugao nodded in agreement. "Thank you for your consideration, Wakka. Now, where is Yuna? She's late."

A few minutes later, Yuna exited the temple dragging a few suitcases with her. Before Lulu could reprimand her, Naruto chuckled softly and rushed up to aid the lovely brunette. "Here, I've got something that'll make this soooo much easier." he said as he pulled out a couple of sealing tags.

Yuna, eyeing the curious slips of paper curiously, asked, "What are those?"

Naruto looked into her eyes and winked. "Just watch." he said before he used the tags to seal each of the suitcases inside, one after another. Afterwards, he slipped the tags inside of his pocket and grinned at her. "And we are good to go. This way, we can bring those along without slowing us down at all. What was in all of those suitcases anyways?"

Yuna smiled cheerfully at this and exclaimed, "You really are Lady Kushina's son! That was incredible! Oh, how silly of me! Umm, those were full of gifts I wanted to bring to each of the temples we're to visit. It wouldn't feel right if I didn't bring gifts to give to my predecessors."

Smiling kindly at her, Naruto said, "You really are a sweetheart, Yuna-chan. Come on, let's get going. If we take any longer, they might think I'm flirting with you."

Yuna blushed a bit and smacked his chest lightly. "Who's to say you aren't?" she teased right back. Afterwards, the two of them walked up to the others and prepared to leave, only for Naruto to notice something strange. Holding up a finger, he walked into the nearby item shop and approached the dog sitting nearby. Kneeling down in front of it, he held out his hand and reached up, petting the dog atop its head with his other hand. When it dropped a peculiar item into his hand, the blonde looked it over and smiled at what he saw. "Thanks girl. I'm sure this'll come in real handy soon. You take care of yourself now, you hear me?" The dog barked happily and wagged its tail as Naruto scratched it under the chin.

After he was done, Naruto returned to the others and handed the strange item to Yuna. "Hold onto this. I think this'll come in handy for you in the future. Call it a hunch, if you want."

Yuna nodded in thanks and clutched the item in her hand gently before tucking it away in her robes so it would be safe. "Thank you, Naruto-kun."

"Of course. Now let's be off." Naruto said as they made their way out of the village.

As they made their way up the hill, they came under attack by a Dingo. Wakka grinned and looked at Naruto. "Why don't you try out that sword I gave you, ya?"

Grinning at Wakka, Naruto said, "Sounds like a good idea to me. Should be fun!" Vanishing from his spot, Naruto appeared behind the Dingo and grinned further as the beast died, vanishing in a burst of pyreflies. Returning to Wakka's side, they watched as a Condor enemy appeared.

"Ah, a flyer. This one's my kind of customer. Just watch this, brudda." the blitzball player said before he took aim and threw his blitzball, nailing the aerial enemy and watching as it died instantly.

Afterwards, he looked at Naruto and smiled. "Yugao over here's the same as you: good at takin' care of those speedier ground enemies. I bet you both can take care of the aerial ones just as well though. But for now, leave that kind up to me, 'cause those are my specialty, ya? Now come on, we gotta get a move on."

Naruto smiled at Yugao and said, "I bet Yugao's probably much better than me when it comes to dealing with the speedy ones. I'm more of an all-rounder than any kind of specialist, I'm afraid. But thanks Wakka."

"Hey, no problem brudda." Wakka said.

Yugao, meanwhile, just smiled as she walked next to Naruto. "You know, you can show off a little, if you really wanted to."

Naruto chuckled a bit and asked, "Where would the fun be in that? Gotta let them feel important too, y'know? Besides, now that we've got companions, it's a good idea to share the burden of responsibility than to take it all upon ourselves. Though there are the occasional enemy that might be a tad bit of a problem, even for us…unfortunately." he admitted.

Yugao sighed and nodded. "You might be right about that."

As they walked along, they were attacked by yet another enemy, this time a Water Flan. Yugao frowned at this and shook her head. "Looks like it's Lulu's turn. I can't do anything to a Flan-type enemy."

Wakka nodded in agreement. "Neither can I. At least not at the moment. Hey Lu, looks like you're up!"

Lulu walked up and decided to explain. "Just in case you were unaware, fiends come in all varieties. Fire fiends are weak against ice, just as ice fiends are weak against fire. Just the same, lightning and water are opposed. This fiend is a water type, so that means…"

Naruto nodded and said, "Yeah, yeah, I getcha. I assume you've got a spell you can use to nail the sucker?"

The black mage nodded and proceeded to cast a Thunder spell to annihilate the creature. Once it was dead, she smirked and looked at Naruto. "I'm glad to see you understand."

The blonde sighed and said, "Of course I do. I remember Brother trying to save his sister, Rikku-chan from a water fiend before. Ended up zapping not just the fiend, but Rikku-chan as well. Wasn't a pretty sight, I'm afraid. But yeah, I get the picture. We should probably get moving though, I'm sure the crew's getting tired of waiting for us."

As Naruto walked off with Yuna up the hill, Lulu frowned again as she looked at Yugao. "What is his problem?" she asked irritably.

Yugao sighed and simply shook her head. "Naruto-kun doesn't appreciate being treated like he's stupid. Never has. He's far more intelligent than he's let on. That…and you've never apologized for treating him the way you have. I'm sure he's still holding your attitude against you." the purple-haired woman answered before following after Naruto, leaving Wakka and Lulu behind.

Wakka didn't say a word to Lulu and simply left her alone. Left behind, the black mage scowled for a moment before hanging her head slightly. "Fools…" she muttered before following after them.

Upon reaching the top of the hill overlooking the village, Naruto walked with Yuna to the edge and smiled at Yuna. "Take all the time you need, Yuna-chan."

Yuna smiled in thanks at him as she looked down at the village of Besaid. She couldn't help but smile sadly, realizing that she might never return here. Oh how she wanted to believe she'd return someday, but realistically…

Sighing sadly, the beautiful brunette shook her head and proceeded to walk over to the statue so she could perform a prayer for safe passage and a safe journey for her and her companions. She also added a little something extra into her prayer, casting a shy glance over at Naruto as she did.

Of course, Naruto refused to pray, same with Yugao. No, the two of them simply stared off into the distance, wondering how their fellow shinobi were doing. "So, how many children do you think Kurenai's having?" Yugao asked quietly, so as not to disturb the prayers of the others.

The blonde shrugged and said, "She's pretty sure she's having twins this time. Two boys. I told her that we're having a boy and a girl. Shizune offered to check for us when it's possible to determine the sex, but we both agreed that we'd rather it be a surprise. Though I get the feeling that Shizune's been knocked up too…which can be either good or bad, considering she's bound to be out there looking for me pretty frantically. I'm pretty sure Shizune's going to be at Operation Mi'ihen. If she is…"

Yugao sighed and nodded her head in understanding. "You're going to have to tap into the Kyuubi's power to keep everyone safe. Do you think you can defeat Sin there?"

Naruto frowned and shook his head. "I don't know. I probably could, but…" Turning to look his purple-haired companion in the eyes, he said, "My mom is connected to Sin in some way. Until I learn the truth, I can't kill Sin. I don't want to run the risk of potentially killing her as well. So I'll use just enough power to chase Sin off and that's it."

Yugao's eyes widened for a time before she nodded in understanding. "I see. If I can help in any way, Naruto-kun, you know that I will."

"Thanks Yugao. I appreciate it." Naruto said. "Looks like the others are done. We should get going." And with that, they set off again.

As they began to pass by some broken down ruins, they stopped when they noticed some ancient Al Bhed writing on a pillar of sorts. Yuna looked at it and said, "None of us have ever been able to read it. Do you know what it says, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto nodded and began to read it out loud. "Kilika and Bikanel join as one. That's all it says." Shrugging, he looked at the others and said, "I have no idea what it means."

Wakka blinked a couple of times and said, "That makes no sense to me at all, brudda. Whatever, we might as well get goin'. Time's-a-wastin'!"

As they walked along a bit further, Naruto suddenly stopped and looked up above as Kimahri suddenly dropped down in front of him, looking genuinely pissed off. In an instant, Naruto was under attack by the Ronso. Scowling at this, the blonde didn't even draw his sword. "You do NOT want to do this, Kimahri. Stop this RIGHT now, or else I will kick your ass and make you regret attacking me."

Kimahri, seemingly ignoring Naruto, attempted to use his Jump attack to hurt Naruto, but the blonde shinobi dodged at the last second before nailing the Ronso in the face with an incredibly hard punch, sending the blue-furred man flying into a nearby pillar HARD. Groaning in pain, Kimahri pushed himself up onto his feet again and tried another Jump attack, only for Naruto to meet him in midair and kick him into the ground, creating a small crater from the impact. This wasn't the end of Naruto's attack, however, as he spun in midair and came crashing down, slamming his heel into Kimahri's chest, causing him to roar in pain.

Flipping backwards, Naruto looked at Yuna and said, "Please heal him, Yuna-chan. I made sure to only deal enough damage to take him out of the fight, but he's still in severe pain."

Yuna nodded quickly and hurried up to Kimahri's side. As she healed him, Wakka stepped up to Naruto and patted him on the shoulder. "You held yourself well against him. Kimahri's no slouch. I'm impressed, brudda. And thanks for not killin' him like you could have."

"To be fair, I did try to warn him that he didn't want to do this." Naruto said with a shrug of his shoulders. "Enough of this though, we should really get a move on. I'm sure they're tired of waiting for us by now." he said with a chuckle.

"You might just be right about that brudda." Wakka said and began to walk ahead with Naruto, but not too far. They were still waiting on Yuna and Kimahri, after all.

As they waited, Kimahri went on ahead, giving a look towards Naruto that seemed to have mixed feelings behind it that Naruto wasn't quite sure how to interpret. Shortly afterwards, Yuna rushed up and bowed to the blonde. "I'm so sorry about that! Kimahri…is very protective of me. He has protected me since I was a child. He…doesn't really talk much, though. So it can be very hard for us to tell what he is thinking sometimes."

Naruto simply smiled at Yuna and shook it off. "It's fine. He doesn't know me, and he doesn't trust me yet, so he decided to test me in his own way. Anyways, you ready to head out, Yuna-chan?" Seeing her nod, he smiled at her and proceeded onwards, looking forward to getting on that boat and getting a move on.

After moving into the next area with a few waterfalls and bridges, they were assaulted by a Garuda. Naruto, deciding to screw with Wakka a bit, asked, "Well, this one's a flyer, yeah? Isn't this one your area of expertise?"

Wakka chuckled somewhat nervously and said, "Real funny, ya. Why don't we let our summoner show us what she's made of, ya? Yuna, you're up!"

Yuna nodded and hurried forward, calling forth Valefor. When she appeared, Yuna patted her a couple of times on the head before motioning towards the Garuda. Yuna made clever use of her commands, using the Sonic Wings attack to delay the enemy's attacks and using physical attacks as needed until the Garuda had been felled. When it was all over and Valefor had gone away, Naruto cheered for Yuna. "Woohoo! Go Yuna-chan!"

The brunette blushed as she walked up to Naruto, looking into his eyes excitedly. "Do you really think I did well? That was my first real battle."

Naruto grinned at her and said, "You did very well. You have quite the mind for strategy. I'm impressed. I'm sure you'll only get better as we progress in our journey. And, if you ever need help, I'll be there for you. Okay Yuna-chan?"

Yuna nodded excitedly and said, "That would be wonderful! Thank you Naruto-kun!"

The blonde chuckled a bit and patted her atop the head. "Of course. Anytime Yuna-chan. Now let's get a move on."

Yugao, who had watched the entire scene play out between them, couldn't help but smirk to herself. She's already fond of him. Just being Kushina's son has made her take an interest in him. Once they really get to talking and learn more about one another, I wouldn't be at all surprised if they fall in love. How cute.

As they walked along the path, they were attacked by another Garuda. At first, Yuna went to summon Valefor again, but Wakka simply patted her on the shoulder and said, "Leave this one to me, ya?" Stepping forward, he used his Dark Attack ability to blind the Garuda. Afterwards, the beast was easy pickings because it couldn't land a single blow against any of them.

Walking along further, they were assaulted by a few more monsters, but they were no match for them. So they decided to make their way along the path, descending the hilly path and down to the beach. It was time to say goodbye to the people on the docks and ride the boat to Kilika.

Following everyone to the docks, Naruto watched as Yuna and the others boarded the S.S. Liki. As they did, he stopped to talk with the various villagers that had come to see Yuna and her guardians off. First he spoke with a brunette woman that was standing closest to him. "I knew this time would come someday. I just knew it in my heart. Please watch over Lady Yuna. Here, have this. You may find a use for it." She handed him three Phoenix Downs, which he thanked her for.

Afterwards, he talked to the man in the green shirt standing nearby. "Oh! There are just so many things I wanted to tell her. But seeing her there, smiling like that…I just can't bring myself to say them. Hey, you! The sea's crawling with fiends, so give this to Yuna, okay?" the man said as he thrust an Ether into Naruto's hands. Blinking a couple of times in shock, Naruto simply pocketed the item and offered the man his thanks.

Moving up to the bald priest, he greeted the man. "May Yevon's blessings be with our summoner on her pilgrimage. Here, a gift from the temple to sanctify her departure." The priest stared hard into Naruto's eyes as he handed over a Seeker's Ring for Yuna to equip. "You may not believe in our teachings, but Yuna does. Please respect that."

Naruto nodded to the man and said, "Despite what your people might think of me, I do respect your beliefs. I just don't follow them. Differing views and all that. I won't try to change how Yuna-chan thinks. She's free to believe what she wants and to follow her own way in life."

The priest smiled at Naruto and shook his hand in thanks. "Thank you m'boy. As her guardian, I expect you to look after her. She's a good girl, innocent and a bit naïve, but a good girl nonetheless. Take care of her on her pilgrimage. I've got high hopes for her."

"No problem. Yuna-chan will be just fine. I guarantee it." Naruto said before he walked off to go and talk to the man nearby wearing a yellow shirt. When all the person said was that he was trying not to cry, Naruto nodded slowly and left to go and speak with the shirtless guy nearby.

"They're really leaving. Here, this is a farewell gift from all of the village." he said before handing over 400 gil. "I understand why some people didn't come down here. It's hard to say goodbye."

"I hear ya. Don't worry though, Yuna-chan's in good hands. We'll take good care of her." Naruto said before he walked up the ramp, talking to the kid in the green bandana who was yelling at Yuna not to forget him.

"Here, take this. Daddy says it's an offering." He said to Naruto, handing him a Remedy. Thanking the kid for the useful item, he walked past the children and hopped onto the boat, ready to set sail and head on out onto the open seas.

As Yuna waved goodbye to the crying villagers of Besaid, Naruto stood beside Yugao and said, "The last time I was on a boat, Sin attacked. I was with Kurenai-chan and Rikku-chan then. I'm sure they're okay, but I can't help but worry about them. I'm sure they're upset with me for worrying them so much."

Yugao nodded and said, "I'm sure they are. But they'll be okay without you for the time being. And it's not like we won't see them again. It's as you told me before, we'll likely see Shizune at Operation Mi'ihen and Hana sometime later. But, I'm more concerned with Sin at the moment. If you're correct, then…"

Naruto nodded with a deep scowl etched on his face. "There's a high possibility that this trip won't be a smooth one. Knowing my luck, Sin's going to attack us at some point on our way to Kilika. So you'd best be prepared. If I have to, I'll bring out some of my big attacks, though I'd prefer it if I didn't have to."

"Couldn't we leave it up to Yuna's Aeon?" Yugao questioned.

The blonde shook his head and said, "Maybe. It depends on the circumstances at the time. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. For now, let's enjoy the boat ride and relax for a while."

Later

For a while, all was peaceful. So, with nothing else to do, Naruto walked up behind a sailor who was looking out towards Kilika with some binoculars. Snatching the device from the man, Naruto blocked the man's numerous attempts to take them back and began looking around with the nifty device. Seeing nothing of interest out that way, he turned and got a good look at Lulu, smirking when she shot him a glare for staring too long at her exposed cleavage.

Shrugging, he looked towards Yugao who smiled at him. Giving her a wave, he looked at Yuna who waved at him with a smile before she was quickly surrounded by a bunch of travelers. Shrugging, he tossed the binoculars over his shoulder and chuckled when the sailor struggled to catch them, holding them to his chest when he finally did.

Walking over to Lulu, he leaned in and whispered to her, "If you don't want anyone to look, maybe you shouldn't expose so much skin, hm? Just a suggestion. You are rather hot, after all." And with that, he walked away, smirking all the while.

Lulu was blushing, though she looked more angry than embarrassed. Just who does he think he is?!

Seeing as Kimahri didn't seem to have any interest in talking to him, Naruto tried to approach Yuna, only for a crowd to block his way. Sighing, he listened as they started talking about how Yuna was of noble blood and how she was the daughter of Lord Braska, the previous High Summoner. Frowning, he couldn't help but make the comparison between these people and the ones that treated Sasuke like a king simply because he was the fabled 'last Uchiha'. That was pretty much the only similarity though, thank Kami for that!

Deciding there was no point in trying to break through to speak with her, he turned and walked up to Wakka. "Yuna's pretty popular, huh? Guess being the daughter of a High Summoner will do that to a person."

Wakka nodded in agreement with that statement. "True. She's got some big shoes to fill, ya? She'll be fine though. She's got greatness in her blood, ya?"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "It's…not quite that simple. Yes, her father was great, but the fact that she's living in his shadow poses another kind of problem. If you haven't lived through such an experience, you might not understand it, but…"

Lulu chuckled and said, "Wakka's a bit lacking in the imagination department, I'm afraid."

Wakka frowned, but didn't say anything to deny such a statement. Naruto simply shrugged and turned to look at Yuna when the crowd around her dispersed. Choosing to wait to talk with her for a little while, he decided to head below decks and see what there was to see down there.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Naruto was approached by a rather rude man with a large bag on his back that insulted his choice of clothing and then introduced himself as O'aka XXIII. Frowning at the man, he said, "You do realize that you were rather rude, don't you? Maybe you should try that introduction again? This time without the arrogant spiel."

O'aka flinched, but nodded his head in understanding. "Sorry lad. It's been a bit of a rough time as of late. I'm destined to be a great merchant, y'see? It's in me blood, so it is! But I've hit a bit of a hard time. Anyways, as I said before, the name's O'aka XXIII. At your service me lad. Erm…you wouldn't have a bit of gil to lend, would ye?"

Naruto sighed and massaged his forehead for a time. "Yeah, I suppose I can lend you some. Here." He said, handing over 10,500 gil. "Make sure to put it to good use, okay?"

O'aka looked at all the money he had just been given and fell to his knees, bowing before the kindhearted shinobi. "Oh thank ye kindly lad! This is more than I could have dreamed of! When I've built the O'aka Merchant Empire, you can bet yer kindly soul that I'll have a statue dedicated in your honor built right in the heart of me fine empire. I guarantee it, lad."

"Umm…thanks? I think. Anyways, I gotta get going. It was nice meeting you O'aka. Take care of yourself, okay?"

"Of course lad. Take care, m'boy."

At this point, Naruto approached Luzzu and Gatta and frowned when they told him that it was a restricted area with cargo meant for an upcoming operation. Lowering his voice to barely above a whisper, he asked, "Operation Mi'ihen, correct? I assume you're both involved?"

Eyes widening, Luzzu asked, "Where did you hear about that?"

Gatta scowled and went to draw his weapon, only for Naruto to pin him down with a glare. Returning his gaze to Luzzu, the blonde said, "I'm with the Al Bhed. Just know that I'll be there at the operation. If things go south, I plan to unleash some of my power to protect everybody and save as many lives as possible. I…might end up dying in the process, however. I don't know yet. So I want you two to make me a promise. Don't do anything reckless and don't try to be heroes, okay? If things start looking bad, get someplace safe and let me take over. I'll make sure everyone survives and gets to go home to their families."

Before Luzzu could say anything, Gatta got up in Naruto's face and snarled out, "And just what do you think you can do? You're just one man with nothing special about you that I can see. You may have some skill with a blade, but…"

Luzzu smacked Gatta in the back of the head and said, "Back to your post, Gatta. And behave yourself! You've seen the things Lady Yugao can do. Is it so hard to believe that Naruto can perform otherworldly feats as well? From the way Lady Yugao spoke of him, Naruto here is capable of far more than she is. I say we trust in him. If you're still upset with him because he doesn't follow the teachings, then I suggest you let it go. NOW! In case you have forgotten, we've been excommunicated. We're on the same side. We all want to destroy Sin and save Spira from its evil. Now behave yourself!"

Gatta scowled at Luzzu. "But…!"

"No! I apologize, Naruto, but it seems my subordinate doesn't understand the situation we're in. If you are, indeed, a part of Operation Mi'ihen, and one of those who planned such a thing, then I will place my trust in you. For now, why don't you go topside and spend some time with the Lady Summoner?" Luzzu suggested.

Naruto nodded and shot one last glare at Gatta before he walked off to return upstairs to the deck. Once he was topside again, he slammed his fist against the wall and scoffed. "Fuck that kid. I swear, I try to be nice to people and that's the kind of thanks I get. Psh, whatever." Seeing Lulu watching him curiously, the blonde sighed and asked, "What's on your mind, Lulu?"

"What's got you in such a tiff?" Lulu asked, genuinely curious.

"Nothing much. Just trying to be nice to Luzzu and Gatta and the latter was being all pissy with me. Luzzu was cool with me, but Gatta? Yeah, forget that kid." Naruto said, sounding just a tad grumpy.

The beautiful black mage frowned and said, "That doesn't sound like Gatta to me. Normally he's a sweet young man."

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "I'm sure he's that way with most people. But with me? He's pissy as hell with me because I don't follow the teachings of Yevon. I'm a blasphemer, a heathen, yada yada. He and the other Crusaders have been excommunicated from Yevon and yet I'm still the scum of Spira in his eyes. Joy of joys."

"Regardless, you shouldn't let it get to you so much. Just try to be patient with him." Lulu suggested calmly.

Frowning slightly, the blonde shook his head and said, "Sorry, Lulu, but it's hard to be patient with bigots. I…dealt with far too much hatred and violence and such back in the Elemental Nations. I shouldn't have to deal with it here too, simply for being different." Sighing, he shook his head and said, "I know I told myself that I'd never let it get to me, but sometimes it just gets to be a little much. I just hoped that there would be someplace out there, somewhere…where I could be accepted for who I am. Where nobody would treat me harshly simply because I'm different. Because I'm not like them. The Al Bhed took me in and gave me a home. They treated me like family, despite our differences. And they warned me that the rest of Spira might not take too kindly to me and my beliefs…I didn't know how right they were. I tried to prepare myself for it…and I guess I failed. Because I'm obviously letting things get to me."

Lulu just stayed quiet, not sure what she should or even could say. All she could do was stand there and watch him as he looked into her eyes searchingly for a time. When he started to walk away, she said quietly, "I'm sorry…"

Naruto sighed and shook his head. "Thanks…but it's okay. You couldn't have known. Just…"

Walking up to him, Lulu put a kind hand against his cheek and stroked his whisker marks gently, smirking when he began to purr against his will. "Just what? Spit it out."

Blushing in embarrassment, Naruto looked away and said, "Just…don't jump to your own conclusions about me anymore, okay? There's a lot more to me than you might realize. And please stop doing that. It's embarrassing."

Lulu chuckled softly before releasing him, watching as he walked off to go and talk with Yuna. Blackmail material gained. How amusing.

Ignoring the Besaid Aurochs and the other travelers, Naruto walked up to Yuna and smiled as he patted her on the shoulder. "How're you holding up?"

The lovely brunette smiled at him and said, "I'm excited…but nervous at the same time. But enough of that. We never got to talk of Lady Kushina! I'm sure you're curious about her, are you not?"

Naruto nodded and said, "Of course I am. Umm, before anything else, Wakka told me about a rumor going around…"

Yuna giggled and shook her head. "Oh, that rumor? Don't worry about it. That's all it is: a silly rumor. Nothing more. Kushina loved you and your father too much to be with anyone else. Besides, my father still loved my mother, so the relationship between our parents was strictly that of friendship."

"I don't mean for this to sound insulting in any way, but thank goodness!" Naruto exclaimed, chuckling afterwards.

The brunette summoner giggled demurely before lightly swatting him on the chest. "I understand. Don't worry. She's your mother and you hold her dear to your heart. Enough of their relationship though, I want to know more about you, just as I'm sure you want to know more about your mother. So…"

Before they could say anything more, the S.S. Liki suddenly lurched as if something large had slammed into it. Eyes widening, Naruto quickly wrapped his arm around Yuna and held her close to him, her breasts pressing against his chest, which he had to admit felt quite nice.

Glancing at the others, he saw Yugao clinging to the deck with Lulu held tightly in her arms. Wakka was on his butt against the railing while Kimahri was doing a good job of holding himself together. It was at this point that they saw the great beast known as Sin emerge from the waves. "Shit. I hate when I'm right sometimes." Naruto said.

It was at this point that two of the sailors rushed up to the harpoons and prepared to fire upon Sin's fin. Eyes widening, Naruto shouted out, "What are you doing?!"

The sailors looked back at the guardians and the summoner and shook their heads. "We're sorry, but our families are in Kilika. We can't let Sin reach them!"

Yuna frowned sadly, but nodded her head once, giving them the go-ahead. When they fired upon Sin, one of the harpoons sticking into the large dorsal fin, Naruto grimaced. "Ah, shit. This is gonna be rough." And sure enough, it was. As soon as Sin was hooked, the boat got tugged along and damn near capsized a couple of times. And naturally, Sin was pissed, sending little beasts known as Sinscales to attack them.

Smirking, Naruto said, "Well, if this were the game, this might actually make for a good grinding opportunity. Kill a bunch of these, earn some new Overdrive modes, a bunch of Sphere Levels, a bunch of different spheres, all the good stuff."

While the others blinked and stared at him in confusion, Yuna walked up to him and tugged on his shirt for a moment. Leaning in close, she whispered, "Umm, Naruto-kun? You might want to stop breaking the fourth wall for a while and focus on the battle now."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Sorry, sorry, I gotcha. Let's do this! Yuna-chan, you, Wakka, and Lulu should probably focus on chasing Sin off. Let Yugao, Kimahri, and me deal with the Sinscales. Okay?"

Everyone nodded and set out to work on their assigned tasks. The Sinscales were easy pickings, falling quickly to the combined assault of Yugao and Naruto's sword strikes and Kimahri's lance. Meanwhile, Yuna kept Wakka and Lulu healed with her White Magic while Wakka attacked from afar and Lulu casted her magic.

Sadly, every time they defeated some Sinscales, Sin would just send more flying their way. So the battle party assigned to fighting them just kept up their assault, killing them and doing what they could to protect the others that were trying to chase off Sin.

After some time, when it appeared that nothing was so much as putting a dent in Sin's armored hide, Yuna called for Valefor and had it use its Energy Blast overdrive on the giant beast, causing a great deal of damage, but nowhere near enough to kill it. However, it did manage to break the harpoon off of the boat and free itself.

Unfortunately, as it sped away, the waves left in its wake sent Yuna flying overboard. Cursing, Naruto dove in after her and swam deep into the water to catch her. Holding her close against him, he prepared to swim to the surface, only to see a bunch of Sinscales come swimming towards him at high speed. Cursing in his mind, he spun around and allowed them to strike his back, one at a time in quick succession. Shit shit shit! Damn that hurts!

As his blood began to fill the water around them, a blitzball nailed the Sinscales and killed each of them. Looking towards his savior, Naruto smiled at Wakka and gave him a nod in thanks. Looking past him, he saw Yugao swimming towards him as well. Once more he prepared to go topside, only for a couple of dolphins to go swimming by in an obvious panic. Cursing in his head once more, he turned to see a Sinspawn known as Sinspawn Echuilles appear before them. Gripping Brotherhood tight in his hand, he, Wakka, and Yugao prepared to do battle with the creature. Just hold on tight Yuna-chan, I promise we'll finish this thing and get you to safety real quick.

Naruto knew he was at a disadvantage, considering the fact that he had to protect Yuna while trying to fight at the same time. So he decided he would kill the Sinscales that came towards the quartet while Wakka and Yugao focused their attacks on the Sinspawn. Thankfully, Wakka made good use of his Dark Attack to blind the Sinspawn, or else its Drain Touch attack would have been used to restore its health and it would have been able to deal massive damage to all three of them with its powerful Blender attack.

Naruto wasn't prepared for the Sinscales that came at him from behind. Holding Yuna tight against him, he braced himself as he felt them tearing into his back again. Seeing them coming from the front, he cursed once more and spun around, shielding Yuna while the Sinscales continued to attack him again and again and again. Hurry and kill that damn thing you two! I don't know how much more of this I can take!

Seeing the state Naruto was in, Wakka looked to Yugao and motioned for her to finish off the Sinspawn so he could help Naruto. Spinning around, he threw his Blitzball again and nailed the Sinscales one after another, killing all of them and giving Naruto a break. Swimming over to him afterwards, he used a Potion to heal at least some of Naruto's wounds. Patting Naruto on the shoulder gently, he turned and watched as the purple-haired Sword Mistress finished off the Sinspawn. Afterwards, they swam topside where they were each helped aboard the S.S. Liki once again.

Once they were on board again, Naruto laid Yuna down and began to perform CPR. He considered having Yugao do it, but there was no time to be embarrassed about touching a girl's chest or giving her mouth-to-mouth, especially considering he'd already been with Kurenai and Shizune many times.

When Yuna began to cough and sputter, spitting out large globs of water onto the deck, Naruto breathed a sigh of relief. Afterwards, he flopped over, lying on his stomach and groaning while his back bled. Kurama, please hurry up. This shit hurts.

Before Kurama could even start to heal Naruto's wounds, Yuna went into a panic at seeing the state he was in. Quickly, she grabbed her staff and went about casting Cure spell after Cure spell on him to speed up the healing process. Looking into her eyes, he chuckled softly and said, "You know, here I was worried about you, and the very moment you wake up, you start worrying about me. You're awfully cute, y'know?"

The brunette blushed deeply and began poking her fingers together shyly. "I-I…um…I just…oh dear. Thank you, for saving me, I mean." Bowing to him, she blushed worse when she felt him petting her head.

"You're welcome Yuna-chan. And thanks. Unfortunately…" Looking in the direction of Kilika, he scowled when he saw Sin attack the village. "We couldn't stop Sin's attack."

They watched helplessly as Sin destroyed Kilika Port, taking dozens of lives in the process and destroying people's homes. When it left, Yuna looked on, saddened by what she had just witnessed. "I will defeat Sin. I must defeat Sin."

A short while afterwards, they pulled into port and disembarked. Immediately, Yuna informed the people that she was a summoner and asked if she could perform the Sending. Naruto found himself intrigued by the idea of such a thing, as he had only heard tales and read stories of such a thing. Not once had he ever witnessed it for himself. Before he could follow her, however, Wakka patted him on the shoulder and said, "We gonna see what we can do to help out around here, ya? You should go watch Yuna. This'll be your first time seeing a Sending, ya?"

Naruto nodded and said, "I've heard stories about it, but never seen it for myself. Apparently it's beautiful…but sad at the same time. I'm curious to see what it's like for myself."

"That's a natural reaction. Just don't be expectin' too much, ya? It's…a sad experience for those involved. And a summoner is the only person that can perform the ritual to send the departed to the Farplane. Without a summoner, the souls'll just turn into fiends and have to be put down, ya? Go, watch, and see for yourself." Wakka said before he walked off with the Aurochs to see what they could do to help.

Left alone, Naruto frowned as he decided to follow after Yuna. The Farplane, huh? I know how the Al Bhed feel about it, but…hmm.

Stepping up next to Yugao and Lulu, Naruto listened as Lulu explained the concept behind the Sendings. Naruto already understood the concept after having read the textbooks and whatnot, so he tuned her out for the most part. Instead, he watched in awe as Yuna walked on top of the water and began to dance. I'd like to ask how someone that's not a shinobi is walking on water, but I'll just chalk that up to summoner magic stuff and leave it at that. he thought to himself in amusement.

As she danced, Naruto watched on in a trance. "She's so beautiful. I know this probably isn't the time to be saying that, but…the Sending, her dancing, her tears, her expression, everything about her in this moment…it's all so beautiful. And yet…sorrowful, all at once. I can't help but want to hold her in my arms and tell her it will all be okay. To let her cry it all out."

Once Yuna had finished and Lulu went to talk to her, Yugao looked at her friend and said, "While I'll agree with you that there's something very wrong with Yevon…there's certain things about the religion that are necessary. The Sending is one such thing. Were it not for this, their souls would go on to become monsters, those fiends we have to fight and kill. Don't get me wrong, I'm not defending them. I know for a fact that something is very, VERY wrong with their religion. I can't figure out what it might be, but I'm in full agreement with you. However, you have to admit that things such as this Sending are necessary."

Naruto sighed and looked Yugao dead in the eyes. "I agree. Not everything about Yevon is bad. At least the summoners do what they can to help people. You and I both know Yevon is corrupt, but we can't prove anything right now. But right now, I wish Yuna would never have to do something like this." Looking towards Yuna, he frowned sadly and shook his head. "If I had my way, she'd never have to perform another Sending again for as long as she lived. As beautiful as it was…as beautiful as she was, I just…I can't bear to see her in such pain again."

Yugao smirked at him and said, "Careful. One might think you were falling in love with our dear lady summoner."

The blonde simply smirked at her and asked, "And if I am? What are you going to do about it?"

The purple-haired swordswoman chuckled softly and shook her head in amusement. "I swear, you will never be boring, Naruto-kun. She's coming your way. I'll leave you two alone."

Naruto frowned for a moment in confusion before he turned and saw Yuna smiling up at him. "H-How did I do? I hope I was okay."

The blonde smiled sadly at her and hugged her close, one hand resting on her head while the other rubbed circles on her back. "Yuna-chan, you were beautiful. Everything about you was beautiful. But…I could tell you were hurting inside. Is it wrong of me to hope you never have to perform another Sending? As beautiful as it was…I never want to see you hurting like that again."

Yuna blushed beautifully as she slowly tilted her head up to look him in the eyes. "R-Really? I mean…I'd like to not have to do it again, but…I'll do it if I absolutely have to. I don't want those poor souls to suffer. But…I get the feeling you know something that you aren't telling me. Something big. What is it, Naruto-kun? Is something bad going to happen soon?"

Kissing the top of Yuna's head, Naruto gently combed his fingers through her hair and said, "The Crusaders and the Al Bhed are planning a big operation that'll be happening soon. After the tournament in Luca. They're going to try and kill Sin once and for all. I've tried to stop them…but they won't listen to me. Yuna-chan…if things go bad, I'm going to have to do something big to try and keep everybody safe. Even then, I don't know if I can save everybody. And…I might even die in the process if I'm not careful. If things go really bad and a lot of people die there…you'll have to perform a sending for even more people than you did here. I…I really don't want you to have to suffer through this again, but it's a distinct possibility. But, I'll do everything in my power to ensure you don't ever have to do this again. Okay?"

Yuna frowned at him, looking into his eyes seriously for a time before saying, "Don't do anything dangerous, Naruto-kun. I don't want to lose you. I'd…I'd rather perform a Sending than lose you. Besides, you…erm…you have loved ones, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. And, in case you're wondering, I'm in a polyamorous relationship with multiple women: Kurenai and Shizune, to be specific. And before we were separated, I kissed Rikku as well. We don't really care if the people of Spira frown on a relationship like ours. We love each other and we're making it work." Naruto explained.

"I…I see. So Rikku, huh? I bet she likes you. A lot." Yuna said with a giggle.

Naruto chuckled a bit and said, "Yeah, she's got quite the crush on me. She's grown up to be a beautiful young woman, and she likes to tease me. We get along great. I'm sure she misses me. I miss her as well. But more than anything, I think she really wants to see you, Yuna-chan."

Yuna smiled and nodded her head once. "I'm looking forward to meeting her. I…also want to meet your lovers. From what I gather, Kurenai is pregnant with your children, correct?"

The blonde nodded and said, "Yeah. We know she's having twins, but we don't know the gender. We're going to let it be a surprise." Shrugging his shoulders, he looked out on the horizon and said, "Yuna-chan…I promise that I'll find a way to keep you safe. You won't have to give up your life to bring the Calm. I…have my own reasons for wanting to deal with Sin. I promise I'll explain it to you someday soon, once I'm 100% positive about something. Right now, just know that I'm going to do everything in my power to ensure Sin is taken care of for good. No more summoners will have to sacrifice their lives to defeat Sin. You…you really deserve to have a nice, long life with the one you love. Hell, you deserve to fall in love and start a family someday. You deserve so much that life has to offer. I'm going to make sure you get to experience all of it. That's a promise. Okay? And I never break a promise."

Yuna simply smiled at him and buried her face in his chest, listening to his heartbeat. Silly. I trust you, Naruto-kun. I believe in you. Kushina told me so much about you, and you've turned out to be a wonderful man. I'm so glad to have met you. And if I were to fall in love and marry…I think you're probably the only person that would fit the bill. For now, I think I'll just hold you like this and smile with you. My wonderful Naruto-kun…

As Lulu and Yugao watched the duo, Lulu couldn't help but frown slightly. "She's growing so close to him so quickly. This is worrisome…"

Yugao sighed and shook her head. "In a way, I agree with you. But there's nothing within the precepts forbidding a romantic relationship between a summoner and his/her guardian. Nor is it frowned upon, exactly. But…if she grows too attached to him, then there's the possibility of other complications arising."

The black mage frowned more and nodded her head in agreement. "Agreed. I…do not hate him, but with the fact he doesn't believe in the teachings of Yevon and he's quite open about his dislike of Yevon period, the mere fact that Yuna's choosing to be with him may get her excommunicated. It would break her heart. It would also cause problems for all of us in the long run. All we can do is hope that things don't turn sour on us. Still…if he makes her happy…"

Yugao nodded and said, "Yuna's happiness is what's most important to me here. We'll figure out what to do about the problems later. Let's just leave them alone for the time being."

"Agreed." Lulu said as she and Yugao went off to prepare some rooms. Tomorrow was a new day and they didn't know what else laid in store for them. It would be interesting to see what came next in their journey.

A/N - And that's the chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed it. Like I said, a lot happened.

Anywho, not much to say this time around. I've got a terrible migraine and I need to eat something. So yeah. I dunno what I'll work on next. Could be anything. So look forward to whatever. lol. See ya!