I do not own anything.

Chapter 4-Veiled Intentions

When he was a kid Jiraiya always had a mild fascination with toads that grew as he matured into a young shinobi. Most people found them annoying at best or disgusting at worse, he didn't. Keeping that interest he pursued a summoning contract with the amphibians binding his destiny to theirs. Eight times out of ten he was pretty happy with how things had turned out, his bond with the variable talking toads being one of the few high-points of his life. Of course, there were the last two, times like this. Times where he…second guessed exactly what the hell was he thinking in his youth. He could in all honesty hear his sensei and wayward team either scolding him or mocking him for still not having the patience needed to put up with a race that ran itself like a crime family.

How of many of these little sit-downs had he been forced to do? A fifty? A hundred, two hundred? It was a wonder he hadn't died from boredom yet, or smoke inhalation.

Every summoning beast had a society of their own, one that, if researched properly, bared some resemblance to a human establishment or occupation. It just so happened that for toads…it was a mafia, a crime family, albeit one that had a great deal more civility than what humans were capable of most of the time. Still, every now and then there were disputes such as the one he'd been called in for. Really, of all the ways he could spend a beautiful summer day-teaching his beloved pupil, writing, or the best of all, doing research for his writing, but instead of that he was sitting atop a mountain trying to keep two giant-sized toads from going to war with each other. Heaving a sigh, he ordered another cup of sake as Gamabunta and his black-skinned long-time rival, Gamagawa.

Of all the toads on Mount Myōkobu Gamagawa was amongst the grouchiest yet arguable the only one capable of rivaling Gamabunta for the position of Chief Toad. In his youth he'd witnessed the black-skinned toad make several attempts to usurp Gamabunta as Chief Toad, some of them had come too close for comfort to succeeding. Thankfully Gamagawa seemed to be a man (or toad) able to accept defeat with a measure of dignity. Granted, that didn't mean he went along with everything Gamabunta said or did, his continuing partnership with Jiraiya being a particularly sore spot.

Six toads dead by the jaws of snakes, all of which were under the command of Manda himself, the same Manda Tsunade had ungraciously driven a giant sword through. Gamabunta's sword to be exact. The fact that those six were under Gamagawa's command had just been icing on the cake.

"I'll ask this again," Rumbled the giant black amphibian fixing Jiraiya with a glare that could have frozen rapids. Gamagawa never really did take a strike liking to Jiraiya, there were an endless list of potential reasons, but the greatest probably was his personality. Gamabunta was tolerant of his antics, Gamagawa was most certainly not. "Lately the snakes have been becoming more and more ambitious, making intrusions into our territory. Can we assume that this is an attempt at revenge for your…disagreement with your old teammate?"

Jiraiya didn't know which he hated more-the fact his life story was near common knowledge to the toads or the fact everything Orochimaru did he somehow ended up getting saddled with. Some days he was sure the bastard had planned things out somehow, and knowing his wayward teammate he wouldn't put it past him. "Look, Orochimaru's got better things to do then nurse an old grudge against the lot of you, not unless it served some alternate purpose. Again, it's entirely possible ole' Manda's finally healed up that hole in his mouth and is just being his usual self."

"Jiraiya's right, this is nothing new nor anything to be concerned about. Send a messenger to the Ryuchi Cave, I'll personally speak with either Manda or The White Sage himself to resolve this." Boomed the head of Mount Myōkobu amphibian warriors. He received worried looks and minor glares from the assembled toads, all of whom took his declaration in strides.

"As usual, you're willing to put yourself in the crosshairs for us all." Heaved Fukasaku finally choosing to assort himself. All eyes turned to the short green-skinned elder who took center stage on the stone floor. "I will meet with that old ground-crawler to arrange a meeting. Regardless of personal feelings this can't be allowed to continue. Odds are, Gamabunta, you'll be having a face to face with Manda, I expect you to be on your best behavior. Jiraiya boy,"

"Say no more," The white-haired man laughed turning to face his red-skinned partner. Through a thick haze of smoke from his pipe Jiraiya caught the thin smirk on Gamabunta's lips. Some things truly never changed and those were the things he was happy for. "You have our word, we'll make sure compensation is given for your men, Gamagawa."

Amber-like eyes that had once intimidated him now held almost no control over the seasoned shinobi. He'd learned the hard way the only way to earn Gamagawa's respect was going to be standing up to him when he challenged him; all Jiraiya could hope for when Naruto's time came he would show similar backbone.

No, knowing his student he'd have Gamagawa's begrudging loyalty in a week of his possible accidental summoning. Provided the fool didn't get himself squashed first from running his mouth off.

Note to self, make sure either myself or Semiramis is with Naruto when he summons Gamagawa.

Finally, Gamagawa removed his own pipe. His every step towards Jiraiya was a small fissure onto itself until Jiraiya could practically smell the giant toad's particular odor bathing his body as well as his overwhelming power bearing down on him. The harden glare the toad lieutenant was known for broke allowing for a brief moment of respite. "Pompous as you may be, you've yet to fail us, at least not for lack of trying, Jiraiya. Very well then, I shall leave this matter in your hands. I only ask that the two of you remember what you're dealing with, snakes are snakes, and if they give anything a second glance it's usually a sign they've chosen it for dinner."

"Don't speak to us as if we're children, Gamagawa." Snapped the chief toad. "I haven't forgotten who, or rather what we're dealing with. All I hope to do is avert all-out war. Arrogant as he is even Manda knows he'd have hell to pay for getting all of Ryuchi cave wrapped up in a pointless slaughter."

"You give that overgrown worm too much credit." Came the black-skinned toad's response.

No, regarding that Jiraiya knew his long-time partner was giving his reptilian adversary all the respect he begrudgingly deserved. Even going as far back as their younger days during the Second Shinobi World War Gamabunta and Manda never particularly got along, and it wasn't just due to their respective races either. Both giant beasts were naturally arrogant so it was only common sense that when they met their personalities would clash with Katsuya having to play the mediator, much like Tsunade had to do for him and Orochimaru. Looking back that on those times he realized that's when he started to subconsciously write snakes and serpents as antagonists and morally gray in his novels and books-future habits were setting in.

Speaking of snakes, I wonder how Naruto and Semiramis are doing. Hopefully the kid hasn't managed to piss her off to the point he's hanging upside down from a tree or something. Her eyes worried him to no end. Beyond just their physical resemblance to that of snakes they held the same shine as Orochimaru's-calculative and dangerous, always looking for an opening to exploit. Yes, while beautiful the mysterious woman absolutely reeked of danger the likes of which would have scared off lesser men. Jiraiya inwardly bit his tongue as it was those types of people who presented the most risk to Naruto, who was still young and naive in the ways the world operated, and the way certain people behaved. As long as he has those Command Seals, but he only as three of them, and Semiramis knowns that.

Glancing around at the larger amongst the group of toads assembled Jiraiya noted how deep the animosity between them and snakes were. Being hunters and scavengers, it was natural for the reptile race to feast on anything smaller or weaker than them with impunity; this of course led to tension with other summoned animals, specifically those that were already pray to snakes on the natural food chain. Toads were one such race. Almost every major toad he'd encountered or called upon had some history with snakes, usually unpleasant. Jiraiya could only imagine how they'd react to being summoned by Naruto while he was in the presence of a woman who seemed to possess all the inherent danger of a king cobra, and with a bite probably three times as venomous.

Naruto, for the love of Kami, just please learn to temper your words, especially since this woman was a queen in her past life. Come to think of it, it was actually something of a small miracle Semiramis had made so many accommodations to travel with them. Then again, it wasn't like she had much of a chance.

The meeting finally concluded at Fukasaku's behest with all the toads beginning to disperse. Just before he left Gamagawa shot Jiraiya and Gamabunta one last glare before he too departed. Once he did the Senin pair looked to each other with long faces. Not ten minutes later and they were watching the sun set on the Eden-like jungle that was Mount Myōkobu, cups and bottles of sake between them.

"One day, I'd like to bring Naruto here, when he's of drinking age of course." The white-haired sage started staring into the orange-red brilliance. "You could make good on your wish to exchange cups of sake with him."

"Heh, I'll only do that when I know the kid can handle more than a single sip." Rumbled the scar-faced toad. "If he's anything like his father, it might just take three shots and he'll be out like a light."

"Better than Granny's cooking." The human chuckled. He didn't quite remember all the details but he was pretty sure he emptied out his entire kitchen when he returned to the human world after having his first taste of Shima's "magnificent cooking". Immediately afterwards he vividly remembered desecrating his bathroom in such a way that he almost considered just calling a plumber and having them clean up the mess rather than doing it himself. It was just his luck Tsunade dropped by that day and got a…front look at his handiwork. After she left (bolted actually) he screamed out the window at whatever almighty deity was screwing with him. Time had turned that memory from one of his most hated into one amongst his many most fondly remembered. If he could help it he'd try so Naruto would never go through anything as embarrassing, but knowing him, he wasn't placing too much stock on that.

"Speak for yourself. What I worry about is him bringing that…woman here. Jiraiya, I don't need to tell you when you let a snake into your garden or home, and that's exactly what you've done." Proclaimed the boss of Mount Myōkobu. From the time he was a squirt to what he was now Gamabunta always found a certain bittersweet beauty in the way the sunset here always seemed so beautiful and tranquil even at the bleakest of times. Downing an entire cup in a single swallowing he thought back to the announcement of Minato's death, such a bright star he was, and like that his life was snuffed out, yet the sun gave them a glorious showing in its decent towards the horizon. Let the toads of old ever forbid it, but he wished with all his might a similar fate didn't befall Naruto.

Silently Jiraiya agreed. Countless times he'd watched the brightest star in the sky set alongside his favored pupil and sometimes his pupil's chosen love. Those days of bliss like everything in his life had come to an end. His days of sitting beside his teacher had ended at the hand of a man he shared many evenings with. Maybe it was foolish of him trying to reclaim those feelings with Naruto, but he couldn't help it. Reaching out to people and trying to fill the void in his heart, as a human being he liked to believe no matter what happened he'd never lose that right. Now, he couldn't help but feel all that precious feeling was at risk, yet he had no idea to go about securing it.

"If anything, he knows how to attract trouble, just like his mother." He noted.

At that Gamabunta laughed. "True, though it seems he's chosen a different type of 'dangerous' than Minato. I wonder what their response to this whole situation would be."

"When my time comes I'll ask them, and if Kushina decides to pummel my afterlife into the ground then so be it." Remarked the Senjutsu user. Standing up with a stretch he took one last chance to admire the serene beauty of the sunset in the land of toads. Spying the last bottle of sweet Myōkobu rice wine he grabbed it before Gamabunta could say anything. "Well, time to get back to the fool and the snake that I left him with. Wish me luck."

"I would, but there's no point in it, besides, I may end up jinxing you." The chief toad chuckled moments before his white-haired companion disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Just keep an eye on that woman, will ya'. Women like her can be…a handful." He finished breathing out a poof of smoke. But if you manage to open their hearts, they're the best thing that'll ever happen to you.

"Hey, you two, I'm ba-aaaah! Woah! Watch it! Seriously! Time out!"

If not for his many years of hard experience Jiraiya knew beyond the shadow of a doubt he'd be dead right at that moment. Dead and dismembered like a frog being dissected on a lab dish. In spite of moving at near superhuman speed his eyes carefully examined the blackish-gray chain that swung mere inches from his face. He recognized it all too well as well as the toxic liquid leaking from the metal. Jiraiya was lucky it landed on his clothes instead of his face. Just as quickly as the black chain moved out of his field of vision another came into its place-a lighter steel-gray chain that wasn't dripping with poison, regardless, he twisted to avoid it.

The chains came around again, at each other resulting in a booming clash that made Jiraiya's blood tingle. Sparks and poison burst from the collision points pelting the ground like summer rain. Mesmerizing as it was Jiraiya didn't dwell upon it as the battle of steel moved back in his direction forcing him to withdraw.

He'd taken almost ten steps back when he finally spied Naruto standing to his far right.

"C-Crap! S-Sorry about that, Pervy-"

"Foolish brat! Keep your eyes on the enemy!" Came the Servant's thunderous voice.

From where he stood Jiraiya saw a truly wonderous transformation take place on Naruto's face. Just a second ago he was the usually slow-minded pre-teen he'd accepted as his own, but now his face twisted into a harden snarl, yet his eyes remained their pristine blue color. In simplest terms, he was one hundred percent focused on the task at hand-which happened to be staying alive while under assault from his Servant's absolutely ferocious chain lashing. Jiraiya had seen warriors who fought with long ranged weapons such as whips and the like, his ex-teammate being a prime example using his tongue of all things as a dangerous ranged weapon. Watching her he now added to the growing list of Semiramis and Orochimaru making him all the wearier of his new traveling companion.

The same chains she'd threaten him with were now coming at Naruto hard and fast. The young jinchūriki was on the defensive with his own chained blades, weapons Jiraiya knew for a fact neither Naruto nor the toads possessed. While they were in motion the sage couldn't get a good look at them, but he knew they were durable simply from watching the spark-filled explosions they produced upon slamming into Semiramis' chains. To the trained eye it seemed multiple half a dozen chain whips were being swung, but Jiraiya followed the action with his well-trained eyes, and those eyes told him Semiramis was in her own way attempting to training Naruto. He may not have known her that long and completely trusted her, but he knew she wasn't willing to outright kill him during a training exercise.

Naruto had lost his trademark orange jacket and was now clad in nothing but his increasingly tearing black t-shirt. Focusing his eyes on his godson the toad sage saw the numerous cuts and bruises that came with trial and error. Some of the wounds were healing, some of them weren't. The Nine Tails inside of Naruto was no doubt having to put in at least a minimal amount of effort to keep its host alive less he lose his momentum or even succumb to the poison Semiramis seemed to employ in all her attacks. Speaking of which, Jiraiya did a quick sniffing of the air.

I see, Naruto's blades are poisoned as well. She wasn't kidding about the Item Construction ability nor the part about it being limited to poison. Still, she was able to make due. The Sannin mused cracking a smirk as the sparks show continued uninterrupted. What he wouldn't have given for Shizune and this woman to have a seat down, or perhaps her and Tsunade. Okay, maybe just Shizune, He realized trying to picture his female teammate speaking with this woman. Something in his guts told him that was going to be one encounter he'd…not want to be around for. His gaze returned back to the fight where he sensed a change was coming.

Semiramis' attack slacked off for a second, an intentional opening only a fool would have taken. Naruto heedlessly took the bait in sending his new blades directly for his Servant turned opponent.

Stepping to the side the woman allowed the kunai-like blades to harmlessly fly past her, then she wrapped her own chains around Naruto's. The pair locked eyes, Naruto's were full of shocked fear while Semiramis narrowed hers' in cold irritation. Yanking them to the side she pulled Naruto off his feet into the air then brought him crashing back down.

Releasing her hold on his chains she allowed him to mentally recall them back to his hands. It surprised Jiraiya a little that Naruto had taken so quickly to the weapons, having grown accustomed enough to them he could control them to the extent he'd seen. "Ready to submit? You've taken quite a beating already, Master."

Almost immediately the blonde's face twisted in irritation. Clearly while he'd been away Semiramis had found a few buttons to push to get a rise out of Naruto. Time would tell if that was a good or bad thing. "Like hell I am! Besides, I'm finally starting to get the hang of this! There's no way I'm stopping now!"

As usual, he meant what he said, and wasted no time in proving it.

Gripping both of his blades in a reverse grip Naruto took off towards Semiramis. She gave him a haughty "hmph" before striking out with her duel chains tearing up the ground like a giant windstorm. Jiraiya caught Naruto bite his leap in concentration. Translucent blue energy lit up the kunai blades in his arms like a pair of candles as the chain wave approached him. His right foot bent outwards he swung them in sweeping arcs.

The gale-like burst of air that was exhumed from Naruto's counteract blew across the forest clearing like the slap of a tornado. Not even Semiramis' chains were able to stand against it. Knocked out the sky like sheets in the wind Semiramis allowed the surprise to show on her face. Brief as it might have been Jiraiya could have sworn he spotted the black-haired woman smirking.

Naruto's eyes flashed crimson red before he kicked off the ground like a rocket. The blade in his right hand flipped back into its proper grip as he was second away from his target, who he brought it down upon. Just like before Semiramis side stepped the attack with ease. Not one to be deterred Naruto struck out again, and again, and again, and again. It was so painfully clear Semiramis was toying with her Master and if she wanted to end the fight she could, but she had higher priorities. Her face was flat while Naruto continued his headlong assault, not once showing signs of exhaustion.

A single well-timed slash dislodged a few locks of ebony-colored hair, an act that did not go unnoticed to the strands' owner. It was time to step things up.

Jiraiya felt only the slightest buildup of strength before Semiramis broke the ground with a jump that took her over twenty feet into the air. Naruto spotted a brief violet-tinted flash before one of his Servant's two chains came down like a missile. Jumping backwards he watched the poison-coated weapon penetrate the earth like a drill and continue to do so while its user seemingly hovered in mid-air.

Naruto gave the chain a moment's more thought before readying his blades to go after his original target, much to his sensei's dismay. "Idiot! Don't take your eyes off the chains! They're sentient!"

In light of things it might have been better if he'd kept his mouth shut, but Jiraiya was speaking as a guardian, not a teacher. Thankfully Naruto took his advice and turned to the ground just in time to notice the cracks formed. With remarkable speed he was able to avoid the upward striking chain and react with a move that made Jiraiya grin. Throwing his left chain blade around Semiramis the blonde's eyes turned scarlet while a thin red aura outlined his body. There was a heave, then the black-haired woman began to descend more rapidly than she would have with gravity allow. Her feet broke the ground upon impact yet it was of little consequence. She saw the crimson-red of her Master's eyes causing her own to widen with interest.

Naruto, you're making this harder than it could be. Jiraiya groaned tightening his arm fold.

Semiramis' underground chain rose up with Naruto's still intertwined with it. Snorting in annoyance the ancient queen lashed out with her remaining chain. As it raced toward its blond target Jiraiya mentally counted the seconds until it reached its target.

Minato, there's a lot more of you in this kid than I thought.

CLANG!

It was almost two seconds after the metals collided that Naruto kicked off the ground, actually breaking it as if his foot were a giant mallet. Semiramis blinked then found herself staring at her Master from a mere inch away, his feral face projecting a completely different persona to her.

What in Anu's name-

For Semiramis it had been quite some time since anyone had physically struck her, in fact, she could count on her hands the number of times she'd been physically struck by anyone. Of course, of those people they'd all met their own wretched demise at her hand.

Time would tell if Naruto joined that list.

As if lightning had struck all movement in the immediate area to a complete stop with even the wind slacking off before picking up into a dramatic gale. The great fire that had fueled Naruto's assault dwindled and died as he slowly began to realize exactly what it was he'd done. His prior experiences with Sakura and Tsunade kicked in putting him on instant alert-in other words the blonde prepared himself for a world of pain so great he'd be seeing stars long after he finished flying like a comet.

On the sidelines Jiraiya readied himself to move at a moment's notice. One move, one second would determine rather or not he lost the last living piece of hope in his life, he couldn't afford to miss it. He wouldn't miss it.

Ever so slowly Semiramis moved her head. A sudden gasp left the genin's lips seeing what looked like fish scales flacking off of his Servant's face. Against his better wisdom he stared closely at it, the more of a comparison he saw to Gaara's sand armor.

"It appears I…might have underestimated you, Naruto."

Hearing her call him by his name made his heart flutter a little, though the joy instantly died down upon realizing Semiramis still hadn't struck back yet.

"You should've pressed your attack."

Hearing those words Naruto realized he'd made a mistake. Yelping in naked shock and he found his ankle was bound by her black chains. "Aww man, I was doing so well so far!"

"Who's fault is it you stopped in the middle of a battle?" She snapped commanding her chain to raise him skyward then hang himself upside down. Semiramis shot Jiraiya a sideways glance, "Anything happen that I need to be made aware of?"

Acting quickly, he responded, "Nope, nothing for you to worry your…noble head. If I may, I think we should call it a day, if neither of you mind."

"I do not, and neither does Naruto."

"What? Hey, I do mind! I was-ahhh!"

With remarkable easy the chain twirled the blonde around a few times then released him sending him sailing across the battle-scarred ground into a heap of grass.

"We're done now."

Jiraiya couldn't hold back the stream of laughter that rose within him hearing that. "As you say, milady."

As it so happened the nearest town was almost a two days walk from their current are so for the night it was going to be camping. Both males felt a brief bout of worry realizing this before Semiramis chimed in telling them it made difference to her so long as it wasn't in the mud. Neither chose to question her decision and were simply happy for her seeming acceptance of things.

Settling down in a nice enough spot Naruto got to work in preparing dinner for them while the Assyrian Queen wondered off by herself promising to return when asked. She didn't need food nor did she have any desire to even sample the commoner meal her blond Master was cooking. While she was willing to bend her rules, there were some things she absolutely refused to cave on. For all she knew those resolutions were the only way she was going to remain sane for the rest of this little adventure. That and quiet little getaways like this where she was allowed quiet moments to herself. Yes, her own peace and quiet, something she knew her own Master would rarely be giving her.

The forest was silent and serene like the desert when the moon was out. An odd comparison for two ecosystems that couldn't have been further apart, then again, they both shared the same sky, the same clouds. Semiramis came to a stop in her short walk to glance upwards. Less than an hour ago there was still daylight, yet now all the stars had come out to illuminate a black sky. Perhaps she was supposed to take comfort in that, the fact that despite being so different from her own world this place had its similarities, but Semiramis didn't. Poetic notions like that were for children and Semiramis had left that part of herself buried long ago.

She walked and walked until she came to a tranquil river that continued south to where she distinctively heard the roar of a waterfall. The blue waters carried a white tint due to the moon casting its silvery glow upon them. Semiramis kneeled before the stream dipping her entire right arm into the cool water. Breathing renewed life into her was the purity of the water, a stark contrast to the blistering heat caused by her poisons or immense cold feel of her personally crafted chains. Allowing her defenses to drop for a moment she brought her hand upward dousing herself with the pure water.

Throwing a quick glance around she slipped off her high heels freeing her feet, which she recklessly threw into the water. A relieved sigh left her lips as the cool water rushed between her toes and along her ankles. It wasn't quite a full-scale bath but it was close enough to due. "How long has it been since I've done something like this, did something like that." The queen muttered replaying the previous day's events. "Honestly, I don't know if you have a plan in mind or you're just screwing with me, Zelretch, not like it's going to matter either way when I find you and make you suffer for this." Besides freedom that was probably the only solid goal Semiramis had been able to formulate, hell, the very thought of it had her salivating. She couldn't kill the old vampire but she could make him suffer, and if there was one thing she knew how to do it was make people suffer, especially tough old bastards. Of course, that meant she'd have to one day get her hands on him.

That brought Semiramis back to another sobering aspect of her current situation-her options were still rather painfully limited in scope and scale. Though being beholden to idiots and fools wasn't anything new to her the fact that one of them was her Master had struck a cord with her said. Said Master was also proving himself to be an enigma wrapped up in a shell of stupidity and near-foolish bravery.

"Honestly, just what the hell is that child? He looks human enough, but that power of his…" It was foul and incredibly dense with malice; such power didn't belong in the hands of humans. Ordinary humans. When she was first summoned she remembered sensing the abundant mass of energy within her inexperienced Master. Not all of it had been demonic but he had enough energy that even after such a vigorous exercise such as the one they had in the afternoon she showed no signs of fatigue, and oddly enough neither did he. If that old sage hadn't called off the battle she was sure Naruto would have had her going at it until midnight. She knew Naruto's type all too well-impossibly hard-headed to the point they'd storm heaven or the underworld if they had to. Though that mentality wasn't without its problems, it made the boy easy to manipulate.

Semiramis turned her head to the tree line where she sensed she had visitor. One of her dove familiars landed on her Masters shoulder and quietly chirped at him. As expected the boy fell into a flustered panic making quite a bit of noise. Sighing the Assyrian racked a hand over her hair-covered hand. Gods, he's a complete buffoon. At least she could tell he wasn't attempting to peak at her or came with the intent of watching her bath. If an incident like that came up freedom be damned, she might toss all restraint out the window and kill him where he stood. "Naruto, if you have something to say to me, come out and say it least I force it out of you."

Finally, he came out of the shadows revealing his bandaged arms and a new t-shirt. By morning his wounds would be healed, she was sure of it. "H-Hey, it wasn't like was trying to spy on you or anything, I just sorta, I never said thank you."

"For what?"

"For the blades, for the help. To be honest I haven't had a good sparring match like that in a while, not since me and…" A curtain of sorrow fell over his cheery face peaking Semiramis' curiosity. "Not since an old friend of mine trained together. To be honest you might be tougher than he was."

"Well, I'm not exactly a pushover, I may have been a queen-"

"Can you stop that? Seriously, I get it, just because you're a queen doesn't mean you just sit on a throne all day. I saw enough of that with Granny Tsunade, probably the strongest woman I know, and that's when she's not even fighting seriously." He cut her off walking up to the shoreline. Naruto took his sandals off and dipped his feet into the water as well without a word to the black-haired Servant. "You were like a Hokage back home."

"Ho…kage?" She blinked, it wasn't the first time she'd heard that word. Naruto had mentioned it along with his name as the future place holder when he first introduced himself.

"Yeah, yeah, Hokage. You don't remember. A Hokage's a hidden village's leader, the current leader of my village is Pervy Sage's old teammate, Grandma Tsunade."

Analyzing the way he spoke of his village's supposed leader Semiramis realized he shared some sort of personal history with her. That, and apparently this Tsunade had also been given a rather silly nickname. I find it increasingly hard to believe this child's intermingled with royalty before. His impedance would have been grounds for immediate execution. Semiramis herself would have killed him on the spot if he wasn't her only life line.

"Hey, Semi-chan, what's your world like? Does it have ninja too?"

Repressing the reflexive twitch at hearing her "nickname" Semiramis calmly breathed out. "Yes, or so I've heard. It has masters of stealth and assassination similar to how you ninja are supposed to operate." And dress. "In particular, there was a sect, a clan of extradentary skilled assassins known as the Hashshashin or Hassan-i-Sabbah. Their sect is the root of the word, 'assassin' in my world proving they are the foremost assassins and killers of my world, or at least they're supposed to be."

"Did you ever meet any of them? They sound wicked cool?"

"Another story for another time, they were incredibly secretive as you might expect, I myself only heard passing stories of them here and there." She coolly said back. "In a normal Holy Grail War one of them would be summoned as Assassin, but by some…stroke of…" A withered old blood-sucker with too much time on his hands. "Fate, that you ended up with me."

"Then I guess I got lucky."

"…Come again?"

Grinning he summoned his chained blades with a thought, a fit Semiramis silently praised him for. Honestly, she doubted the boy had the brain power to due such a thing when she first fashioned them, but that afternoon he proved her wrong.

"It doesn't sound like any of those Hassan guys could have given me a pair of blades like these, plus they don't sound like they'd be as nice as you are." Naruto stated wearing that mind-boggling grin.

How many times was she going to be thrown off by something as simple as a smile? Perhaps it had something to do with the fact when she looked at her blond Master's face she saw…nothing, no hidden secrets or alternate desires. He was as open as book and that both soothed her and put her on edge. Did this boy's eyes work properly? Had he never been betrayed or used before? She shows up out of nowhere, believes her story without any blow back and unconditionally trusts her to the point he's ready to defend her name in the kindest way possible. No one had smiled at her like that since…since…

Turning her attention away from his face she took back the blades she'd fashioned for him. Admittedly they weren't too shabby for a quick hand job, though it wasn't like these blades were meant to be long term weapons. She'd shaped the blades into a more rounded shape though no human metal would be obstruct them once they were swung. The color orange had never really appealed to her, but maybe sticking with this fox-faced fool would cause it to grow on her. Against her better wisdom she'd made the handle wrappings orange, if one looked close enough they'd find a flame-like pattern woven int the fabric. Equally so, on the blades themselves various swirls had been made, when Naruto's chakra was channeled through the blades the engravings would light like candles burning in a sea of darkness, as would the medium-sized red jewels at the base of the blades. Within those jewels was poison of Semiramis' own creation and customizable. She'd teach Naruto how to alter the composition of the poison his new weapons contained in time.

"Those blades I made for you, you better not lose them because I will not be replacing them, nor will I be there if you cut yourself on them." She muttered.

"It's not the first time I've handled weapons before, like I said, I just prefer doing things with my fists. To be honest using weapons was always Sasuke's thing, him and those stupid wires and lobbing shuriken encased in fire."

"Hm, interesting tactics, sounds like he's the one I should have given these blades to."

"Hey! Just because I don't know any fancy jutsu involving blade spamming doesn't mean I don't know how to use these things! You saw that this afternoon when I-uh, never mind."

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

Placing her sharpen nail to his nose she leered at him. "That, if you have something to say to me, out with it."

"Er, no offense, but I've met enough scary women in my life to know to watch what I say."

At that Semiramis chuckled, something that Naruto found a little cute even if it heralded a beating. "Really? I never would have imagined, I suppose I should thank those women for teaching you some form of manners because it seems your parents certainly failed that part."

Due to his childhood Naruto had learned to keep a straight face whenever his parents were brought up. That still didn't make it easier to hear though. "Y-Yeah, so um, should I name them?"

"They're yours now, you can name them whatever you want."

"I'm asking you because I'm kinda stumped. I don't want them to sound too flashy but I want them to sound impressive." He grumbled taking back his weapons. "You're the queen so I figured you must have some experience."

He had a point there, thought Semiramis wasn't about to get too attached to her creations just yet. She'd humor him for as long as was required. Turning her eye back to the blades she wrapped her mind around a name suitable for them. Anything in her native tongue would not only fly over his head but would draw too much attention to her so she had to choose something in the native language. Flickering her eyes back to her Master's face an idea came to her. "Kitsune-ken."

"Kitsu-wha?"

"Kitsune-ken, literally 'fox-blade'. A fitting name given their owner and what they're meant for." She said looking somewhat proud of herself.

Looking back at the blades Naruto turned them over in his hands while repeating the name. Slowly his face broke out into a smile. "Alright then, Kitsune-ken it is! Heh, you're good with making weapons, healing, and naming, you're the best, Semi-chan."

Quickly turning her head Semiramis felt her cheeks slowly but surely beginning to heat up. "I repeat, be sure not to lose these weapons, and make good use of them."

"I will, I promise, but could you…show me how to use chains the way you do?"

"So you're not afraid of being turned into a human lash board day-in and day-out?" Daring to look back at him she saw nothing but pure determination burning in his eyes.

"I don't mind pain, if I was scared of getting hurt I never would have come with Pervy Sage on this training trip." He wasn't prepared for Semiramis to touch his cheek, less so when he found himself staring directly into her eyes. Instantly Naruto felt his breathing come to a sudden stop and his heart skip a beat, though he wasn't sure if it was out of fear or some blooming romantic urge. She was studying him, sizing him up just as several before her had done. Upon that realization the blond silently steeled himself.

"Today you showed me you have the guts of a warrior, in light of that I suppose I shall remain with you to see if you have the makings of a hero. Try to make it an interesting journey."

Semiramis didn't understand why she said those words, they were just the first thing that came to mind seeing the harden look in Naruto's eyes. He wasn't scared of her, in spite of the aura of treachery and deceit she radiated that seemed to ward off everyone else he seemed immune to it. Realizing that the two-thousand year old monarch couldn't help but feel a little…relieved, almost happy. That strange feeling remained in her heart when she finally sent him away with the assurance she'd be fine for the rest of the night.

"That power he summoned forth to strike me," she muttered once he was safely asleep alongside his mentor. Her cheek had long since stopped hurting yet never would the brief moment of pain fade from her memory. "It was demonic, yet his eyes and heart…innocent and kind as a feather."

Yes, while she may have had plans of her own Naruto Uzumaki could just as easily derail them, and that wasn't a risk Semiramis could take. What would be worse, the child would do so without any intentional action.

Fine then, he's a puzzle I'll solve, a mystery I'll unravel until I know exactly what makes the boy tick, and when I do I'll have everything I need to attain my freedom. The Servant thought flicking her nails sending a droplet of dark-green poison into the river. On contact the droplet sizzled like water dropped onto a frying pan before disappearing completely. Semiramis vowed that would not be her existence in this world, she would not allow her life to end in such a way. Not without a fight.

Jiraiya and Gamabunta's worried, Naruto's motivated, and Semiramis is scheming behind all their backs. For Naruto's weapons I chose something plain and simple as Semiramis pointed out. This chapter was really some playing around with the animal symbolism of Naruto and Semiramis. Barring Naruto everyone else is treat Semiramis the same way you treat a poisonous snake slithering by you-with extreme caution and fear, and next chapter that fear will be warranted.