Hi guys, time for what I like to think of as 'Book 1, Chapter 2.' Make of that what you will.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Magic: The Gathering

Naruto awoke with a start, having fallen asleep some time during the night, interrupting his studies. Finding his mana-alignment was difficult. When he used jutsu, he drew power from within himself - his chakra - and directed it outward. With mana, it was drawn from the land around him, and he directed it through himself. His natural alignment would allow him to reach across vast distances to access the mana, but it was by far harder than learning the Rasengan. And even then, there really wasn't much for natural land in Ghirapur. He'd need to get out beyond the massive city to the surrounding forests to really see if he could tap into any of the mana. Though he did note that he managed to feel out and hold what the scroll referred to as 'Green' mana, for a moment. An apt name, as while it coursed through him, bending between his fingers, it possessed a brilliant green glow. The mana of the forests and trees.

Also in his alignment, he found a comfort in 'White' mana. The mana of the sweeping plains. The mana of law, order, structure, justice. As he held it within himself, it filled him with a warmth, a strength both like and unlike that of the green mana. The green mana had made him feel strong, sure. But the white mana made him feel invincible. Like nothing could hurt him. Literally. He honestly felt his fatigue from the past few days melt away as the mana seemed to supercharge his already rapid healing abilities. The scroll had mentioned that while it wasn't uncommon for a mage to have a dual alignment, but Naruto, as it turned out, was one of those rare spellcasters with a triple alignment.

In Naruto's case, the third color alignment was blue, the mana of water, islands, and the spark of fluid creativity for many an artificer. Unlike green and white mana, touching blue was akin to a mind-opening. His eyes keener, his senses clearer. The various mana gave him a strange sense of kinship with the world around him and yet it was so...foreign. He was not used to the feelings, and they both excited him and made him feel a sense of panic. He was breaching something unknown to the Elemental Nations, and it scared him, not because of what he was learning, because it was amazing. He was frightened due to why he was learning it. He was quite literally worlds away from his home, learning a totally different discipline than the ninjutsu he worked so tirelessly for.

Snapped out of his reverie by the explosion of nearing footsteps, Naruto quickly - yet carefully - rolled up the old scroll and once more placed it within his satchel. Not a moment too soon, as it happened, as Chandra burst into the room a look of absolute jubilation plastered across the red-head's face. "Naruto!" she practically yelled, right in his face. "They finally said it! I get to try my hand as a courier in two weeks!" Naruto smiled at the girl's enthusiasm.

"Let me guess. You wanna run the course?" Naruto questioned. Chandra just flashed him an enormous smile and rubbed the back of her head, a habit she had developed after spending so much time with the blonde shinobi. Nodding, she began to practically bounce from foot-to-foot as Naruto stood from his position on the floor, stretching and receiving several satisfying pops from his vertibrae. Ever impatient, the girl gripped his hand and had begun to drag him along. She knew Naruto was just screwing with her with his slow-moving and old-people sounds as they moved through the Nalaar home. And he was.

Naruto had grown quite fond of Chandra. She reminded him of himself so much it was scary. And she idolized him. It was strange having someone so close to his own age doing so. Back home, the only people who looked up to him were Konohamaru and his friends. Sure, a few people respected him, but nobody really saw him as anything but an annoying blonde in a bright orange jumpsuit. Or just the vessel of a demon. He defeated Gaara and saved the Hidden Leaf, and Shikamaru had been made Chuunin. He went with Jiraiya and personally convinced Tsunade to return the village, and it was immediately forgotten by all not-involved in that mission. Was he always destined to be a social pariah?

Likewise, Chandra also was an outcast among her peers. She wasn't good at tinkering with the fantastical devices and artifacts that the world of Kaladesh ran on. Perhaps it was the impatience that made her so endearing that also kept her from truly grasping the concepts. Kept her from keeping her focus. Naruto liked to think she wasn't good at the craft because she was just meant for other things. Like his own inability to form regular clones, yet massive armies of Kage Bunshin. She couldn't do it because her own calling, the thing she was supposed to be best at, was blocking her from taking a path she was not meant to follow. Speaking of paths...

They had exited the home into a back alleyway. Taking a mighty leap, Naruto ascended to the roof of the adjacent building. Dropping, he sat with his legs over the edge, swinging them as he looked down at the red-head expectantly. He watched her steel herself before she dashed toward the back wall of the alley, leaping onto a few metal crates. Lunging at the wall, she immediately shoved off as she leapt towards the opposite wall. She repeated the action, shoving off with all her might, her arms flailing wildly, looking for anything to grab. For a moment, she thought she wouldn't make it, but she managed to catch the ledge upon which Naruto still sat. Chandra's rules. He wouldn't intervene unless she was in imminent danger. The red-head grunted as she pulled herself up onto the roof.

"That was a lot faster than last time," Naruto praised, causing the girl to cheer. Motioning for her to follow to the other side of the roof, Naruto took a leap over the next alleyway. Chandra steeled herself as she took off at a run and made a flying leap, only barely clearing the other side of the alley. This continued for almost twenty minutes, the two circling the Nalaar home as quickly as they could by rooftop. While Naruto wasn't even breaking a sweat, Chandra was tiring quickly. While she was far stronger than most of the children in Ghirapur, she didn't have the years of training Naruto did. Naruto had advised her that without utilizing chakra, she was better off simply hiding within the bustling crowds below, using the roofs as a quick escape. But at that point, she still insisted that she needed to learn how to ascend walls without chakra. As she was at the moment, she could just barely make it to the roof of single-story buildings, but she could also use the wall-jumping to clear an adult's head, in the event she got detained by a soldier and needed to make a break for it.

He knew the moment she made her last leap. Her exhaustion showing through, her leg positions off, her final jump less powerful than the previous. Naruto grimaced as he watched, almost in slow motion as her left leg caught the edge of the building wrong. A look of pain overtook Chandra's face, and Naruto thought he heard a bone snap. And then time seemed to move at the normal pace, Chandra losing her balance, unable to support her weight on her left leg. She let out a yelp of pain and surprise as she began to fall into the alley below.

She felt more than saw Naruto catch her, landing as gently as he could on the ground. Sweat dripped down her forehead from the exertion and pain, and as her leg jostled from the landing, she buried her face into Naruto's chest and fought down a scream. Unsure of what to do, Naruto just pulled her close, shushing her, telling her it would be ok. The blonde looked down and flinched. While the bone hadn't punctured the skin, her foot was at an angle that suggested her ankle had broken clean and complete. While he was no medic, he knew he would need to set the bone so that it could heal properly.

Laying her onto the ground, he removed the outer layer of his tunic, a simple sleeveless shirt beneath. Chandra thought perhaps he was going to use it to bind her leg, but he instead handed it to her. "Bite down on this," he said solemnly, and her eyes widened in terror as the weight of his words set in.

"No," she flat out refused. "No, no, no," she tried to scoot away from the blonde, but just succeeded in jostling her leg, turning her protest against itself. "Owowowowow." Naruto just stared at her, expectantly, before she put the sleeve of the garment - bunched into a ball of cloth - between her teeth. She whined through the mouthful as Naruto gingerly took hold of her displaced foot, and the rest of her leg, before he gave her a look of apology and pained understanding, and with a snap, shoved her foot back into its place. Had Naruto not given her his outer-shirt, she was sure she would have broken her teeth, she bit down so hard. It also greatly muffled her scream of pain, preventing anyone from entering the alley in their curiosity. Tears began to well in her eyes, but Chandra was too proud to let the blonde see her cry. Chandra Nalaar did not cry.

Naruto had way too much experience setting broken bones for a twelve-year old boy. However, they were usually his own, so he quickly double-checked to make sure he had done so correctly on the girl. Reaching out to the world for aid, he summoned up as much white mana as he could find, pooling it into his hands, much like he had seen Tsunade do with her healing chakra. Chandra was transfixed by the bright aura that had formed around Naruto's fingers as he reached down, gripping her broken ankle tightly. She flinched, expecting pain. Pain that somehow never came. Instead, there was a warmth, washing away all the pressure, the pain, the discomfort in her ankle, as though it had never been there in the first place.

The blonde was almost too focused to be amazed. He was casting a healing spell, and he had never done so before. It was his first real lesson. That mana and magic was as much a matter of will as a matter of thought. He held his hand to her skin for several moments, until all the mana he had summoned to him had passed through Chandra's leg, seeping into her skin. She was giving him a strange look, but she said nothing. Her only expression another flinch as he gently took her foot and began slowly moving it, making sure the bone had mended and she still had her range of motion. He noticed her eyes flash with a bit of pain, and wondered if he had healed her wrong, but she pulled her leg away, shaking her foot a bit as she forced herself to stand.

Leaping to his feet, Naruto slung her arm over his shoulder as she gave a few test steps. "I don't think it's broken anymore, but it's still a bit sore," she announced, lifting her leg and giving it another little shake. "Stiff, like it would be after a few weeks in a cast."

"But you're ok?" Naruto asked the girl, and she nodded, but did not release her grip from the blonde.

"Yeah, I just need to walk it off," she replied, and with a nod, Naruto began to slowly walk, supporting the girl as they exited the alley.

"Hey! What are you kids doing?" The two froze as they caught sight of a patrolling soldier marching toward them. Naruto cursed under his breath, and Chandra tensed. The guard noticed the red-head favoring her left foot, and glared at the two. "What's going on here?" he demanded.

Thinking quickly, Naruto threw out the best answer he could come up with. "We were racing, and she took a bad step and twisted her ankle," he said, Chandra nodding in confirmation. "I was just helping her home."

"And what were you doing back there?" the guard asked, a bit more politely, but no less seriously, as he pointed behind them at the alleyway.

"It's shorter to take the back-alleys, and less traffic," Chandra said. "We thought it best to take it slow and not get caught up in the crowd." The soldier seemed to accept that answer, nodding.

"Well, just be more careful next time. Would you like an escort back to your home, Ms...?

"Thank you," Chandra replied, trying not to sound too eager to get away from the guard. "But I already have an escort." The soldier nodded once more, before waving the two of them on. Once he was out of sight, the two let out a collective sigh of relief.

Half-way back to her home, Chandra had begun walking without Naruto's aid, only a slight limp to signify anything had happened at all, and by the time they had reached the Nalaar residence, not even that lingered. It was a relief for both children, and made Chandra admire Naruto even more. What had he done to her leg to heal it? Chandra had always been told stories by her mother of mages and magic and sorcery, and she even knew Naruto was from a far away land, but she never really entertained the thought of someone wielding magic. But was there any other way to describe what he had performed? She didn't think there was.

"Are you sure you're alright?" he asked her, breaking her away from her thoughts as she noted him looking at her leg.

"I'm fine now. I might be stiff for a while yet, but it doesn't hurt anymore," she replied, offhandedly. "By the way, can we not tell my parents about this? I just got them to agree to to let me try being a courier, and I don't want this to get in the way of that." Naruto shook his head in exasperation. Only Chandra could break her ankle and immediately think only about whether or not she could still deliver canisters. Maybe she'd make a great courier after all.

"I won't tell them. But let's have you keep your feet on the ground for the next few days, alright? Your roof-hopping is improving, but we should work at building your strength and endurance a bit more." Chandra looked a bit disappointed, but nodded in agreement.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

By the afternoon, Naruto was running Canisters, while Chandra did some exercises to strengthen her legs. Deep down, she felt she had failed. She hated that feeling. It gnawed at her inside like some wild beast. She must have looked so stupid and helpless, falling like she had, and was determined not to let it happen again. The red-head wasn't some helpless thing that needed Naruto to rescue her from every situation.

Though as she thought about it, the fact that Naruto went out of his way to help her and protect her was one of the reasons she looked up to him. He paid attention to her. He looked on her not as someone worthless. Not as a failure. He looked on her as her own person, and saw something unique, and it made her feel so warm inside. It was, well...magical. Stretching out, she let her hands touch the ankle that was previously broken as of that morning. Magical indeed.

"I see you're excited," Chandra stood up as her mother entered the room. Chandra nodded a look of fiery determination present in her eyes, which Pia took instant note of, smiling. Let it be known that nobody would ever tell Pia Nalaar that Chandra failed at things due to lack of motivation. "Just remember to mind what Naruto says. He's the best courier in the city right now, he'll steer you right."

"Yes, ma'am," Chandra agreed, already prepared to heed her mother's advice.

"You know, Naruto really is sweet boy," Pia said, smiling when she saw her daughter's eye begin to twitch. "I'm not saying right now, but some time in the future, you might find yourself wanting to be more than his friend, and I approve."

"Mother!" Chandra exclaimed, clearly irritated. "That's gross. Naruto is my friend, and there will never be anything more than that." Pia just continued to smile, perhaps even larger than before.

"If you say so," she replied, seemingly waving off Chandra's irritation, before pulling the girl into her embrace. Chandra felt her irritation wash away in her mother's arms. Her mother had that familiar smell of a welding torch about her, and Chandra breathed in in deeply. It had been ages since her mother had just sat with her like this. Between her own projects and smuggling Æther, Pia really never had much time to spend with her daughter. Yet another reason Pia was so grateful for Naruto. He offered Chandra companionship that she desperately needed. Friendship from someone who was her age. Sure, she had her and Kiran, but there was only so much you could gain from your parents.

Releasing her grip on her child, she brushed a strand of red-hair from Chandra's face. "I know you'll do great," she assured the girl, before whispering to her, "Your father thinks so too, he just won't admit it." The two shared a quiet laugh as Pia stood, running a hand through her daughter's hair. She didn't mention that she was picturing the future of her child, hoping that by the time Chandra was her age, there wouldn't be a need to smuggle illegal Æther. That with any luck she would be living a quiet, comfortable life. Perhaps with a loving, blonde-haired husband and a child or two of her own. A better life than the one she was moving toward now, of rebellion and secrecy. The life her family lead now. She knew it was not a purposeless life, knew that it was necessary. She just wished that it wasn't. Until that day, though, it would be the life her family lead.

It made her sad to think that Chandra would soon be undertaking the dangerous job of delivering the canisters of precious Æther. That at any time, she could be caught by the soldier patrols and imprisoned, or worse. But she also had faith. Faith in Chandra's ability, Faith that Naruto would be there to protect her. As she walked upstairs, she stopped outside the room that they had turned into a spare bedroom for the blonde. Cracking the door open, she didn't see their permanent house guest. Obviously, he was still out making deliveries. She thought back to the day he had literally dropped into their lives.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

The family had just returned from a trade show, where Pia and Kiran had gone to sell their devices, both the old ones they had simply repaired, as well as their custom made wares. As they passed by one of the buildings adjacent to their own, they had almost missed his arrival. Thirty seconds later and they would have never found him. It was Chandra who heard it first. The strange, whipping wind that one could hear blowing, but not actually feel. The next thing heard, this time among the whole family, was the sound of fabric tearing, as well as a pained grunt.

Whirling around to the direction of the noise, they saw Naruto for the first time, lying broken and bloody on the street, his clothing ripped to more pieces than the awning he had just fallen through. Pia placed her hand over her mouth in shock, and Kiran shoved his hand over Chandra's mouth to prevent her from screaming. He knew that even in this situation, alerting the guard patrols would lead to nothing but even more trouble. He was extremely lucky the streets were empty today, due to the trade show. The Nalaars would later come to realize the boy lying in a heap was far luckier than his current condition made him out to be. Once Kiran had made certain that Chandra was alright, the man took action.

"Help me get him inside, before the soldiers come around with on patrol," he whispered harshly, he and Pia grabbing the boy, carrying the dead weight while Chandra ran into their home, doing whatever she could to prepare it for the injured boy.

x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x

Since then, the boy had become something like the son she and Kiran never had. He was a boon to their rebel activities, he helped out in the workshop, he protected Chandra from bullies. He was everything she could want in a son...well, son-in-law, if she had her way. And yet, as open as he'd been with them about who he was, where he came from, how he arrived, there was always a nagging feeling that something was bothering him. She had tried to get him to reach out to her, yet always, he put on the mask of a smile, pretending he was alright, but she knew. She knew he was having difficulty sleeping, waking in the middle of the night with a start. Pia wished he would just open up to her.

A panel in the wall slid open, creating a window which Naruto leapt through. Placing a smile on her face, she fully entered the room. "I trust everything went smoothly?" she asked, already knowing the answer. Naruto was the best of the best. Naruto just smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

"Quiet today, as usual," he responded, and Pia sat down on his cot, motioning for him to sit as well.

"Well, tell me about your day anyway." She smiled brighter when she saw a legitimate smile grace his face. But it also made her a bit sad. That what made him legitimately happy was just coming home to someone who would listen to how his day went. And it made her think yet again.

Just who was Naruto Uzumaki?

Chapter end

So, this story is going to be far different than most of my other ones. Why it will be so different, you'll have to wait and see. Also, now that you know Naruto's Color Identity, you should hopefully understand the title of this fic. And if you don't, stop playing MTG, burn your cards, you are worthless...No, I'm kidding, don't do that. I will also at least tell you which other planeswalkers will be making appearances in this fic:

Gideon Jura
Jace Beleren
Liliana Vess
Garruk Wildspeaker (Mentioned only. He's playing the part of 'Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Fic)
Sorin Markov (Mentioned only)

Nicol Bolas (Mentioned only)

Peace to all my Fans

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