A/N: Between my return to Warframe and Tax Time, it's been a bit of a challenge to get this chapter out, particularly with respect to the fact that this is the first time I'm covering the Yuki no Kuni arc proper. Lots of things to put in and take out.

Hopefully it's still satisfactory to you readers.

I will leave it you to figure out who the cameo is for this chapter;

Anyway, I hope you enjoy.

…

[Unknown Location]

Kaede sat on her throne, inspecting her nails.

It would only be a matter of time before her visitor returned, and she had nowhere else to go.

Her imprisonment had left her with very little to do; no monsters to hunt, nobody to even talk to or even spar with. She'd try to train on her forms and jutsu, but she eventually got bored and wound up sitting back down on her throne.

"Was that jutsu useful?" she asked knowingly, a toothy grin on her face.

"Yeah, it was," Naruto replied, ascending the stairs to her throne cautiously, "Though to be honest, I didn't think it was a real jutsu."

"I've found plenty of uses for it," Kaede replied, slouching in her throne, "Though I'm more than certain you will learn of them soon enough. Now then, about the price for my lessons…"

"What did you have in mind?" Naruto asked, almost dreading the answer.

Kaede widened her grin to the point that Naruto was afraid she was going to eat him. "I want you to make a promise with me."

"A promise?" Naruto parroted gingerly.

"…to marry me." Kaede finished.

There was nothing stopping Naruto's jaw from hitting the ground as he processed the very thought; he didn't have long to think as Kaede's cackle broke through the awkward silence just as quickly as she'd proposed. "Just kidding! You should've seen your face when I suggested that you marry me!" Naruto heaved a sigh of relief at that, but as her laughter died down, Kaede looked back at him more seriously. "While I'm perfectly happy to sleep with both men and women, I do have standards when it comes to prospective lovers; one of which is that none of them are younger than seventeen. No, I have a different means of payment in mind."

Silence was in the air as Naruto waited patiently for the renegade to give him her demands. "I can see in your eyes that you want to take on an Elder Dragon…and with my training, I guarantee that you will be able to do just that. However, in exchange for my tutelage, I have a challenge for you…a long-standing quest, in fact."

"What do you want me to hunt?"

"A Black Dragon."

"Black Dragon." "Forbidden Monster." "Monster of Legend." Names that struck fear into the hearts of even the most hardened of veteran Hunters; all described a handful of beasts so powerful, so deadly that they terrified even legends like Senju Hashirama and Uchiha Madara. It was widely believed that these creatures had the power to potentially destroy the world at least twice over if the fancy struck them. There were no records proving or disproving the existence of such creatures―rumor had it that the Guild had them burnt to a cinder and refused to speak of them.

Naruto stared at Kaede skeptically. "You want me to fight a myth?"

"Oh, not just any myth," Kaede replied, the challenge evident in her tone as she slouched in her throne, "You don't have to worry about it now, I just want to see you grow under my watch; accept my offer, and I guarantee that you will go far if you learn all the skills I have to show you. If in your journeys you've proven yourself worthy enough, I will tell you exactly which myth I want you to fight."

There were many questions that Naruto had for this woman, this "Renegade Huntress" who was supposedly at the heart of many tales told by the Shinobi Nations Hunters. Even now, he had doubts as to her true identity, but there was one question that was prevalent in his mind: "Do I want this?" A part of him wanted to take her up on her offer…to see what she had to teach him and possibly learn new tricks that'd help him survive longer as a Shinobi; the other part was cautious of which monster she wanted him to fight with his new skills.

In the end, he had one answer: "You've got yourself a student."

Kaede's eyes seemed to glimmer with that declaration, her grin widened with anticipation. "Excellent, now we can start on the real lessons."

.…

[Thousand Joys Tavern, a few days later]

At first glance, the atmosphere of the Thousand Joys tavern was warm with chatter as the patrons enjoyed their drinks. Underneath the carefree façade however, was an air of hypervigilance that Kakashi and his Genin team could feel as they sat at their table after a long day of training.

Asama had left the remnants of Team Seven in the care of the tavern owner, who was also his second-in-command. Within a week, they were to help spearhead the southern assault force in their attempt to take over Kazahana Castle while Naruto and Taeko were sent to find Koyuki-hime then meet Asama at the northern front. If everything went well, they would have everything ready for the reluctant heiress to lead her country to prosperity—if not, they were given a standing order to begin the assault without them.

But in the meantime, preparations were being made under Dotō's nose, key of which being the consistent influx of volunteers disguised as patrons looking for shelter from the elements for a variety of reasons…each of whom was a capable combatant in their own right. Unsurprisingly, an army could not operate without weapons, and he'd seen a lot of traditional armaments such as katana and naginata, and many spears and crossbows. In addition to that, he'd spotted a few more unconventional weapons, such as fire bombs that were disguised as high-proof liquor and a new weapon that looked like a scaled-down version of a Light Bowgun. Beyond that, measures were taken to create the illusion that it was business as usual to buy as much time as possible—at this point, it would take a severe betrayal to unravel everything.

"So how're things going with you?" asked the owner, as he sat down with Team Seven.

The tavern-owner was a bearded old man in his early sixties that was slightly shorter than Kakashi, with hard, robust features and silvery hair pulled back into an old-fashioned chonmage. If he had horns protruding from his head, and a pair of tusks jutting from his lower jaw, he would've easily been mistaken for an oni…specifically Shūten-Dōji, given his place of work. From the scars that decorated his heavily-muscled frame under the winter clothing, it was clear that this old man lived a life of danger before he retired—he didn't carry himself at all like a Shinobi, but that didn't detract from the air of danger surrounding him. In short, he was like a volcano that was always ready to erupt in fiery rage.

"We should be ready by the time of the assault," Kakashi replied, not even bothering to take his eyes off his "Icha-Icha Paradise" book.

"That's good, the sooner we're ready, the sooner we get rid of Dotō," replied the tavern owner.

"You seem hopeful," Sasuke noted, "Shouldn't you be enjoying your retirement instead of joining rebellions, old man?

"I may be retired, but Asama is still a friend, and we happen to share a common enemy," the tavern owner admitted, "Don't get me wrong, I think Sōsetsu was a pretty decent guy in life, but that secret project of his ran the country's treasury into the red, therefore giving that asshole brother of his the excuse he needed to usurp the throne."

"So why are you even helping Asama in his rebellion at all?" Kakashi asked, "Friend or not, this place will become a target the second Dotō figures out your involvement."

"I'm pretty sure you've noticed there are no Hunters patrolling the Yuki no Kuni wilderness on the way here," said the tavern owner, "Part of the Guild's tenets included respect for nature and life as a community—tenets that Dotō didn't give a damn about. As soon as he ascended the throne, he started filling his coffers at the expense of the people he was supposed to lift out of poverty, and he'd shown nothing but the utmost in contempt for nature. He pissed off the Guild enough to make them leave, though don't be surprised to find a few Hunters and Knights in the rebellion."

"Spoken like a true Guild Knight," Kakashi noted, eyeing the tavern owner curiously, "Though I never caught your name."

Before the Knight could say a word, someone ran into the tavern, bleeding and panting. "Yoshihiro-sama! Yoshihiro-sama!"

The newcomer spotted his target, and ran towards Kakashi's table. "Where's Asama-dono?!"

"He's already gone to the rally point up north, why?" the now-named Yoshihiro asked, drawing everyone's attention to their table.

"We need to hurry! Nezumaru has betrayed us! He's sold out the rebellion! And now, Asama-dono is walking into a trap!"

There were murmurs as everyone wondered what that meant. Yoshihiro however, simply sighed in exasperation as he walked behind the counter. "If your pursuers let you live, then they're probably already on their way," he noted, before turning his attention to everyone else in the tavern, "Everyone, there's a secret passage under the kitchen, take everything and run."

"But Asama-dono…"

"It's too late to save him!" Yoshihiro countered, "By now, that traitor's work should already be done; and if that's the case, then we can't save him. At this point, our only option is to move onto Plan B: we infiltrate the village and start the revolt there."

"What about you?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm coming with you, of course" he said, reaching for a head-sized pitcher of saké in the kitchen, "Somebody has to help guide the next generation forward."

Before Kakashi could inquire as to what he meant, Yoshihiro pulled a large, single-edged sword from under the counter; it was an extremely large weapon, putting it squarely in the realm of the Greatsword used by the typical Hunter…albeit slightly smaller. It had a wide, toothed single edge with a smooth tip, and it had typical fittings for a normal katana, but in place of a butt-cap it had a rounded spike-pommel, and a thick metal band for a bolster instead of a proper guard. If Yoshihiro were a dead-ringer for Shūten-Dōji before, then wielding that blade made him resemble the even more powerful oni Ōtakemaru.

The strange thing about this sword was that it had a kamon inscribed on the bolster consisting of a circle with a pair of perpendicular lines crossing it in the middle like the "十" character. It was then that Kakashi had a pretty good idea who this old man was.

Kakashi smiled under his mask. "Looks like we have a legend in our ranks, kids. It's not every day you meet the great Oni Shimazu himself."

Yoshihiro smirked. "It's been a long time since I've heard that name."

Sakura and Sasuke looked at Kakashi, then back at Yoshihiro upon realizing exactly who was on their side. Oni Shimazu was a nickname that struck fear into many combatants; he was a member of the affluent Shimazu Samurai clan that served as a Guild Knight, hunting poachers and defending fellow Hunters in the Second and Third Shinobi World Wars. Such was his skill and power that he mowed down at least a hundred Nuke-nin in one night, making him one of the few non-Shinobi combatants to have a 'flee-on-sight' order. It was also rumored that he taught certain people the art of the sword, having produced a few notable students in his time.

"We've got about twenty minutes before the enemy arrives," Yoshihiro ordered, "Make haste, and leave nothing for them…remember, we're all meeting inside the village this time."

Without preamble, everyone in the tavern rushed to pack everything up; their movements quick, yet efficient as they made sure not even an arrow would be left behind. As the rebels rushed to make their last-minute preparations, Team Seven followed them into the kitchen; throughout the hustle, Kakashi silently hoped that Naruto's mission was going well.

…

[Namahage Forest]

Progress through the Namahage Forest had been slow; with the season being the way it was, frequent stops were needed to avoid the possibility of getting caught up in a snowstorm.

Naruto used his hunting sword to cut through branches, his axe holstered through the frog should he require its raw power for any reason, particularly if the attackers from before had decided to come back for another go at kidnapping the princess. To that end, he kept his eyes peeled in the sky for that winged kunoichi he'd shot down with his bow; nobody liked their wings clipped, especially since the fall for her was pretty far down. The only redeemable thing about the situation was that he was in an area that made it hard for human-sized creatures to fly around.

"You two hunted an Anjanath in the Giant's Garden all on your own?" Koyuki asked.

"Yeah," Naruto replied, cutting down another branch with a heavy swing, "After hunting a Rathian, it wasn't that hard, we just had be a lot more careful―they're not as dangerous as a Deviljho, but they're not considered Brute Wyverns for nothing. Anyway, Taeko and I spotted him chowing down on some Aptonoth…I imagine he wasn't too happy about us interrupting his lunch, 'cause he was hopping mad when I threw that rock in his eye."

"And to think you two do this in your spare time."

"It's dangerous work, but it pays pretty well on assignment," Taeko admitted, "Besides the money, the Anjanath parts are also part of the payment; they're not the best there is, but they do well as a stepping stone for better gear."

With every step closer to the rally point, Naruto picked up a very familiar, acidic scent on the wind, prompting him to raise a hand up to Koyuki, signaling for her to stop. "I smell blood in the air," he finally said, processing the input, "It's riding a breeze coming from up ahead."

"I smell it too, meowster," Taeko added, bringing out her binoculars, "I see a lot of bodies just up ahead."

Naruto cursed under his breath. "And this was supposed to be a shortcut too! Do you see any signs that someone is still there?"

"Nope, but I wouldn't be surprised if there's an ambush waiting for us."

"I'm gonna send some Kage Bunshin out to scout ahead," Naruto offered, "We can't afford to dawdle while finding a new route; that, and we still need to find out what happened to them so that we can figure out what we're gonna do now."

Naruto crossed his index fingers together in the shape of the "十" character, and channeled his chakra into the gesture, filling the area with smoke as ten copies of Naruto stood in the forest. "You guys know what to do."

One of the clones nodded as two of them summoned bows from their vambraces. "Yeah, boss."

The area was silent as Naruto and Taeko stood by and waited with Koyuki for the clones to be done with their investigation. After five minutes of waiting, Naruto rubbed his forehead as a migraine shot through his skull. "Damn it! First time I'm trying this trick, and it hurts like hell…my clones are done looking through the area, and it's messy. Well, I'm guessing they found Asama's guys, because their bodies all had old-fashioned armor and weapons—there were also a lot of Shinobi with Yukigakure hitai-ate there."

"What do you think happened?" Koyuki asked, genuinely concerned.

"Given how fresh the blood splatter was, I'm confident they were ambushed a little recently…probably an hour ago, tops," he began, massaging his temples, "And if the number of bodies they found is any indication, these guys were badasses; they were outnumbered, but they still took as many enemies with them as they could. So far, everything suggests that there was a traitor."

Koyuki looked at Naruto with no shortage of outrage on her features. "What gave you that idea?"

"Well, the clones didn't see any signs of frequent human activity there, so I'm guessing we just found a secret route the rebels took to move discreetly," Naruto continued, pulling out the map, "There was only one body here that didn't have any defensive wounds―in fact, I didn't see even a scratch on his armor. That, and I can see that he's got this almost smug look plastered on his face and bloody hands holding a dagger; the closest scenario I can think of is that this guy sold out his buddies and the rebels. Though judging by how much pain he probably would've suffered when he died, it looks to me like even Dotō's guys hated him for it."

"So what are we going to do?" Koyuki asked.

"Their tracks look like they've already moved on," Naruto added, his eyes still studying the map, "The only problem is that these are Shinobi we're dealing with, so I wouldn't put it past them to leave someone up ahead, patrolling the area for anyone going through. We're also running out of time, and the quickest route to the rally point just happens to be along this route. By the way, how good are you with that tantō in your jacket pocket?" At this, Koyuki looked at him flabbergasted. "I felt it on you while I was carrying you to that first cabin, and I doubt you hate your life that much…so tell me, do you know how to use that tantō?"

There was a momentary look of confusion on Koyuki's face until she realized exactly what Naruto was asking. "You're thinking of going through those patrols anyway."

"The way I see it, I don't think we've got a choice," Naruto argued, "The good news is that if I've read the evidence right, they weren't here for us in particular— if they were, then my clones would've been popped a lot sooner, which means we have the element of surprise. The bad news is that it's still gonna be a gamble whether we get there or not, which means that we're gonna have to move real fast if we're gonna make it…and given that not all of us are Shinobi, that's not gonna happen."

"How are you planning on getting through this, Meowster?" Taeko asked.

At this, Naruto grinned mischievously. "Well, if speed isn't our best asset, the only thing we can do is buy time―and I know just how to do it."

Naruto crossed his index fingers together to summon forth nearly a hundred clones. The gathering of armored Hunter boys looked at their leader, some whispering to each other as to what he wanted of them this time. "You guys are gonna love this: I need you to run into the enemy picket and make one hell of a ruckus. I'm not expecting you to kill them, but I do need you to distract them while we sneak past; do whatever it takes to clear a path for us."

"You can count on us, boss!" said one of the clones, grinning wildly at the order.

"Yeah, we'll buy as much time as we can," added another.

"…and have a lot of fun too!" finished one more, before all of them ran into the forest.

The second the kage bunshin vanished into the forest, Naruto and Taeko began stretching. "I'm gonna need some time to stretch," he advised, "Once the enemy Shinobi are distracted, we're gonna need to move fast if we're gonna put a lot of distance between us and them. And since you're a civilian, I'm gonna have to carry you all the way on my back."

"I managed to get pretty far on my own!" Koyuki replied indignantly.

"Nya, well it didn't take too long for us to catch up," Taeko reminded her as she arched her back.

After a few minutes of stretching, Naruto crouched with his back in front of the princess. Koyuki sighed in resignation before standing behind him. "Don't you dare pull off any of your fancy ninja-flips."

Naruto ignored the barb in favor of grabbing her by the thighs as she reluctantly secured her arms around his shoulders and was quickly reminded of how light Koyuki was—she was at a good, healthy weight relative to her height. In his mind, growing up with Asama might've had something to do with it, which may have helped her career as an actress; it also helped that Naruto had handled large, heavy weapons like Switch Axes and Greatswords before. While piggybacking Koyuki was not an issue, the waiting was killing him and Taeko as they stood side-by-side, their bodies tensed and waiting for the first signs of chaos caused by the clone army. He could feel his heartbeat pumping, the rush of adrenaline coursing through his veins as he listened for any signal he would use himself.

The sound of explosions reverberated through the forest like the sound of a cap gun going off, as Naruto and Taeko took off at high speed. With every meter he cleared, Naruto's mind recalled the skills he and Taeko had learned while running the Sasuke course back at the academy: memorize the path; think fast; ignore all other distractions. It was due to these skills that they were able to sprint down the hidden route while ignoring the remains of the ambush and the mayhem, his mind focused on getting past the picket and avoiding obstacles. They needed to move quickly before the rearguard noticed them.

The first major obstacle was an uprooted tree that was knocked over; Naruto and Taeko stepped over it, then used it as a springboard to leap over the large gap behind it.

The next obstacle was one of the Kage Bunshin getting dispelled in the road ahead of them by a Yukigakure shinobi. Not wanting to waste any time, Taeko pounced on his head and pushed it down, his forehead met Naruto's armored knee at high speed, sending him careening into a tree.

That was not the first of the Kage Bunshin to be dispelled however; as he and Taeko sprinted through the woods, he was given a vague head count as to how many more Yukigakure Shinobi were left. And on top of that, he was given a better idea of the path he was taking…the problem was that every Kage Bunshin that was dispelled gave him a massive headache. So far, he was down to at least thirty clones, but they'd managed to take at least twelve of the enemy Shinobi out of commission, and their path led them to a clearing with a large pile of snow. It was also due to the disappearing clones that he was made aware of the fact that the clearing was near the end of the rearguard's patrol.

Throughout their run, Naruto was quick to notice the increasingly frequent encounters with enemy Shinobi; while he and Taeko were still able to make it past them, he noted that their attempts to stop them were becoming more coordinated as they neared the clearing. A dispelled clone revealed to Naruto that all of his Kage Bunshin had been dispelled, their overwatch and distraction gone with them.

As soon as they made it to the clearing, Naruto and Taeko skidded to a halt as they noted the presence of enemy shinobi waiting for them; turning back, he quickly saw that there were more behind them. A quick look at all of the Yukigakure Shinobi showed signs of battle damage among them: some were clutching at arms or walking with a limp; others wore damaged armor, a woven metal mesh exposed underneath layers of cloth and synthetic and damaged plates. All of them stared at him with no shortage of rage in their eyes.

"Not so tough without your annoying as fuck Kage Bunshin, are you?" asked one of the enemy Shinobi, a smug grin on his face as he closed in with his remaining colleagues, "And what do you know? You brought us a genuine princess! Dotō-sama's gonna pay us big time for this."

At this, Naruto lowered Koyuki from his back before closing the visor on his helmet, and carefully reaching for the haft of his axe, pulling it through the frog slowly in anticipation of the coming fight. At the same time, Taeko readied her sickle, staying close to her master and their client.

"Get a load of this, guys!" taunted another enemy Shinobi, earning a round of jeers from his colleagues, "That kid's so scared he got an axe to fight us!"

"Were you planning on murdering trees with that, kid?" jeered another.

Naruto didn't answer, and instead backed up protectively in front of Koyuki, readying himself for the first wave by crossing his index and middle fingers together and channeling chakra into the gesture to summon a number of Kage Bunshin, just as Kaede had taught him. With the amount of chakra he had left, he was only able to summon three extra axe-wielding clones, and four with Bows to help fight back.

"Heh, looks like he's too tired to fight back," mocked an enemy Shinobi, "Even those annoying Kage Bunshin he created look tired."

"Watch yourselves, boys," warned the apparent leader, "You know what they say about how dangerous cornered rats are."

The swarm of Shinobi charged, taking care to avoid Naruto's tired axe swings as they tried to find an opening in the defenses. Throughout the fight, Naruto noted the efficacy of his own weapons; the push-cuts delivered by the axes were more effective than his sword and knife, and the large, sword-like arrows penetrated the technologically-advanced armor with impunity. He saw that the armor they all wore deflected shuriken with ease, while piercing weapons like senbon and kunai were unable to penetrate the Rathian scales and plates. To make the best of the situation, Naruto's clones worked as a team to cut their numbers down using every part of their axes to make the enemy shinobi vulnerable, giving the archers opportunities for kill-shots.

Unfortunately, the Yukigakure Shinobi aimed for the chinks in his armor with increasing frequency, some even creating openings by waiting for missed axe strikes, and they aimed to take out the archers first. Even worse was that the adrenaline rush was waning—factors that led to two dispelled clones. The fight went on until the last Kage Bunshin was dispelled from an upward kunai stab under the Rathian scales and into the chest.

The battle had come to a halt as the sound of something smashing through the trees resounded through the clearing. The newcomer was a gigantic monster covered in shaggy blue, white, and red fur with large, flap-ears, its massive forehead was covered in a fragmented, bony helmet, and it had tusks protruding from the sides of its face. It walked on four large, tree-trunk legs that were armored at the bottom with snow-covered plates, and in between the tusks was a giant, serpentine proboscis that was tipped with a set of six bony spikes at the bottom.

This was the first time Naruto had seen this monster outside of an Old World poetry book, but he knew it on sight as the legendary "Immovable Mountain God" Gammoth. It was also the first time that he saw a baby Gammoth walking by its mother like a little white puff-ball.

"Shit! It's a Gammoth!" shouted an enemy Shinobi.

"Fuck this! I'm not getting stomped by that thing!"

Many of the remaining enemy shinobi fled, leaving only six highly aggressive members behind to assault the Fanged Beast before Naruto could even get in a word to warn them off from attacking. He watched as the six of them rushed the Gammoth, flinging kunai and shuriken in an attempt to go after her vitals; their attempt to kill her with projectiles was ignored as she and her calf continued their trek towards the other side of the clearing. Every attempt they made to try and bring down the Gammoth may as well have been a swarm of mosquitoes trying to get past her fur for all their inefficacy. Naruto had to admire the creature's patience; most would've simply done away with the nuisances quite easily, though he most accounts painted Gammoth as a very territorial creature with a particular hatred for Tigrex.

It was only after one of them almost hit her calf with a chakra-infused punch that the Fanged Beast lost her patience with the enemy Shinobi, raising her trunk to let out a trumpeting roar that left her opponents reeling. The Gammoth began her counterattack by grabbing the enemy Shinobi nearest her calf with her trunk, then tossing the fool headfirst into a large rock nearby. Another was unable to recover from her roar fast enough and was crushed under her armored foot, leaving only two enemy shinobi behind. The remaining enemy shinobi gathered together, and began flying through synchronized hand-seals before creating a massive wall of ice and snow that engulfed the Gammoth and her calf at point blank, and solidified rapidly. Their victory dance was short-lived when the ice block they created cracked, then shattered as the Gammoth broke free, and was walking towards them with rage in her tiny eyes. Before any of them could react, the Gammoth stood up on her hindlegs, and stomped the ground with all her might, sending rocks and ice shards shooting towards them, finishing off the last of the enemy Shinobi.

As the Gammoth then turned its attention to Naruto's group, the maternal Fanged Beast seemed to calm down as it strode towards them, her puff-ball of a calf following closely. In response, Naruto and Taeko raised their weapons defensively to avoid agitating it, but just high enough to be able to fight back if the situation required. From his viewpoint, Naruto saw that the Gammoth's gaze had softened, reaching out the tip of its trunk to gently lift Koyuki's head and bring her closer to her small eyes, before caressing her face.

"Aadhya?" Koyuki gasped in recognition, "Is that really you?"

In response, the Gammoth let out a joyous huff in confirmation.

Naruto raised an eyebrow in curiosity as he studied the warm reunion; it was no surprise that Gammoths had long memories, but were still very territorial animals. Touching as it was, he wondered as to the reason behind the unnaturally friendly demeanor of the Fanged Beast until he noticed that Koyuki's necklace seemed to glimmer in the presence of Aadhya. "That necklace of yours is a piece of Kinship Ore, isn't it?"

"Yukigakure sits on a vein of it," Koyuki confirmed, stroking Aadhya's trunk tenderly, "Dad had always wondered about the potential of Kinship Ores and wanted to know what else it could be used for; this one in particular was given to me a little while before I met Aadhya."

"So you're a Rider?" Naruto asked.

"Not yet," replied the princess, "I never got the chance to study, much less purify it, though I imagine if Aadhya were to let me ride her, it's because she remembers and trusts me—other than that, she'd probably go back to the wild after today."

"It's not too late you know," Taeko added, "I've heard of Monster Riders that bonded with their Monsties later on in life; it's also a good opportunity for you to deepen your bond with nature."

"But that leaves one big question," Naruto argued, "What was your dad trying to use a piece of Kinship Ore for?"

"I don't know, but I'm guessing it has to do with whatever it is his machine was supposed to do," Koyuki answered, tousling the baby Gammoth on the head, "From what I gather, much of the money that went into his project was spent on getting more Kinship Ore…almost drained the royal treasury of it too."

"We'll never figure it out here," Naruto suggested, popping the cork off an Energy Drink and a Hot Drink, "If we see Asama, we're gonna ask him about it…besides, we still gotta tell him about what we saw out here."

Koyuki nodded as she mounted Aadhya.

Thundering steps broke through the air as Aadhya powered her way through the snow and the forest with Koyuki on her back while Naruto and Taeko walked by the side to deal with skirmishers. No Kage Bunshin were sent ahead, mainly because they were almost at the rally point but also to conserve chakra for a possible ambush.

The meeting place on the map was an open field to the north of Yukigakure, a place that was about halfway towards the village, but just out of view of Dotō's influence. A perfect place to gear up for an assault. It'd been more than an hour since their encounter with the picket patrol, and things had been too quiet, which prompted Naruto to keep his eye open for any potential setbacks up ahead, his axe sharpened and ready to cut down any enemy Shinobi he'd run into.

As they neared the rally point, Aadhya paused in the middle of a stride. A sniff in the air told Naruto all he needed to know—and how bad their situation was.

"What's wrong now?" Koyuki asked.

"Looks like that traitor did a lot more damage than we thought," Naruto croaked, his shock burning away into rage as he clenched the haft of his axe, "I smell blood at the rally point—we need to get away from here n-"

Before they could make a move, clouds of cloying pink smoke filled the air as eight small items fell from the air. Breathing in the air, Naruto felt his grip on his weapon slacken, his stance swaggering and his eyes closing as he felt the drowsiness throughout his body; it was from this that he knew that they were breathing in the payload of Tranq Bombs.

"Well now, looks like I'm having a good day!" jeered a voice from above.

Landing in front of them was the pink-haired Kunoichi Naruto had brought to the ground with a lucky shot from his bow a few days ago, a smug grin on her face. "I've been gliding around in this area for a couple days, supervising the ambush on the rebel scum, and lo and behold! I see the princess, her cat-loving boy toy, and the Queen of the Tundra walking into my kill box!"

Naruto reached for his satchel to get an Energy Drink, and failed when the strength left his hands. As his legs turned to jelly from drowsiness, he watched as everyone else fell to sleep from the

"Y'know, I figured you'd show up eventually," she taunted, walking towards them triumphantly, "So I brought a special Tranq Bomb that's strong enough to overwhelm your Hunter immune system."

With one last effort to fight back, Naruto tried to reach for his axe, only to slump to the ground as drowsiness had won over. His last view was of the Kunoichi standing in front of him, still smiling triumphantly until he finally blacked out.

…

A/N: …and now we're done!

As usual, give a warm round of applause to ravenking64 for being the beta-reader for this story.

Please PM or review to me if you have a character you want to show up with the following info:

Name:

Race: Human or Wyverian (They're the only races we see doing any active hunting)

Gender: No transgenders, please! I doubt Monster Hunter-verse or Naruto-verse has the materials necessary to even have transgenders.

Age:

Height: In centimeters (please make it believable)

Weight: In kilograms

Body Type: Slim, Muscular?

Skin Color:

Eye Color:

Hair Color:

Notable Features: Tattoos, scars, amputations, etc.

Personality:

History: Just a little about them…are they born in the Shinobi Nations or were they originally born from the Old World? Do they have any Chakra-wielding parents (in which case they were born in the Shinobi Nations)

Guild Status: Are they still active? If not, then what do they do now? Are they Guild Knights?

Guild Branch: Which Guild Branch do they operate from? Do they operate in the Old World or do they operate in the Shinobi Nations?

Handler: Do they answer to a Handler, or to a receptionist? If they answer to a Handler, give a brief description of them; name, gender, personality.

Hunter Rank: Are they Low- or High-ranked?

Equipment: Just what weapon they normally use, and the armor they're wearing

Knife: Describe the knife they carry (this is optional)

Companions: Just a brief description of their Hunting companions…any palamutes, palicoes, or cahoots they own, and their demeanor and (if applicable) their equipment.