Hey guys, no huge notes at the front of the chapter, but as we're getting to the end of this thing, there will be one or two notes at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, nor do I own Magic the Gathering
The small township was surrounded by a wall of wood and cobbled-stone. Unlike the walls Naruto remembered in Konoha, these were only about as high as the two-story cottages held within. They were waved through at the gate, though the blonde ninja wasn't sure if it was the nature of the guards to be so cheery or if Jace had been working his mental magic on them. Though given the situation, he didn't much care at the moment.
"Well," he whispered, perhaps a bit too harshly. "You can read everyone's minds. Anyone seen a giant Lion-man here?" He knew Jace was just trying to help, but he found the Mind Mage annoying, and it was like pouring oil on a flame in his current state of agitation. Jace sighed in response, pinching the bridge of his nose.
"Quite a few of them, actually, but not recently. He's either gone to another town or another plane." He turned to the younger boy with a frown. "I did tell you this wouldn't be so ea..." He trailed off and his eyes seemed to lose focus as he turned toward one of the nearby buildings. While Naruto didn't know what the cloaked telepath was sensing, he would recognize the sound of a tavern brawl anywhere, and his trained ears were easily picking out the sounds from the building Jace had turned his attention to.
"Ummmm..."
The two saw a large, rather burly man in leather armor be thrown through the door of the building and with a grace belying the situation, they simply stepped out of his trajectory and looked to where he collided with the ground, before turning to the second figure now stepping from the bar. The first thing Naruto took note of was the shining golden-white glow coming from the large young man. He seemed older than Jace, but likely was only in his late teens, early twenties at best. He had long hair running past his shoulders, rather prominent sideburns, and wore gleaming armor. Naruto also noticed a whip of some kind strapped to his waste.
"Order business," he said to the gaping teens and townsfolk, holding up a symbol of some sort. "Go about your lives, people." The man he had thrown half-way across the square was just beginning to rise when the armored man, eyes still glowing faintly, reached him. Gripping the man downed man by the shoulders, he smashed his head into the other man's. He then proceeded to heft the larger, now unconscious man up over his shoulders, before turning to walk away.
"Gideon Jura!" The larger teen stopped and turned toward Jace with a wary, somewhat confused look.
"Apologies, stranger, but I don't know your name. And I don't know how you know mine." Nodding to the man on his shoulders, he continued. "But now I don't have time. This man is a local highwayman. I've been tasked with bringing him to justice." Jace nodded, moving toward the other boy.
"Believe me, I know," he replied. "However, it's urgent. May we walk with you?"
Gideon grunted in the affirmative before turning on his heels and walking off, presumably to turn the man in to the town authorities. Naruto felt Jace's presence in his head, urging him to follow.
"We came here looking for Ajani Goldmane." At Naruto's words, Gideon turned to him with a raised eyebrow.
"The Leonin Healer? I've heard stories of him, but I've never met him," Naruto somewhat deflated at this news, wondering why Jace was pursuing this path if it wouldn't lead them to his healer.
"A friend of ours is in desperate need of a white mage," Jace continued where Naruto had left off. "My friend here was able to stabilize him, but without proper medical attention he may never wake. We heard about Ajani's ability to heal, but he isn't here. I was hoping perhaps you could come with us. You may not be a healer by trade, but you know quite a bit about white magic, including a few healing spells."
Gideon shook his head. "There are other healers you could seek out with more knowledge than I."
"But they can't Planeswalk, Kytheon Iora...You can." Gideon stopped in his tracks, his head whipping to the Mind Mage, and for the first time seeing his blue-glowing eyes and realizing what was happening. His eyes narrowed as he frowned.
"It's rude to read the thoughts of others without consent," he stated in a low whisper. "Yes, I know a bit about healing, and yes, I can traverse the multiverse, but the fact that you've been rooting around in my head doesn't give me much reason to help you...or even trust you."
"It's my fault," Naruto stated, looking down angrily. "It's my fault we had to run, and it's my fault I never looked into more healing magic, and now I am here, asking you to help me save my friend's life..."
Gideon's expression softened in sympathy as they began walking again, though he idly smacked his prisoner back into unconsciousness when he began to stir.
"Where exactly are you from, and what were you fleeing?" he asked quietly. Despite the empathy apparent in his expression, there was still a wary, guarded layer in his tone. If Naruto heard it, however, he ignored it. At least he was getting somewhere with white mage, as opposed to Jace's brand of questioning.
"My name is Naruto," he started, introducing himself. "And I'm from a place called the Elemental Nations." Gideon grunted in acknowledgment. Whether he knew of the nations or not, he figured that wasn't really the here or there of the blonde's story. "When my...spark, I think you people call it, ignited, I was thrown onto the plane of Kaladesh. I've been living there for the better part of a year now, with the Nalaar family..."
The trio made their way to turn in the highway robber while Naruto wove his tale. Throughout it all, Gideon seemed to be deep in thought, though his expressions did give bits away. He originally seemed affronted that the Nalaar family, and by association Naruto himself, were criminal smugglers. He almost refused their request for help outright at the very thought. However, as the story continued to unfold, his anger turned on the Consuls, as well as the Chief of Compliance, Baral. In Gideon's mind, the laws were supposed to be constructed to maintain peace and justice, while according to Naruto, the laws of Ghirapur were written for anything but. Just a semblance of peace, a mockery of order.
Kytheon, or Gideon as he was going by these days, was trained for, his life dedicated to, the pursuit of law and justice, not for self-glorification. He knew first-hand the price of putting hubris before order. His mind went unbidden to thoughts of Theros, his Irregulars whom had been killed by his arrogant attempt to strike a god. His spark had ignited from the horror, and he hadn't returned to his home plane since. The thought that these 'Consuls' and their forces were utilizing the law for tyranny made his blood boil.
He watched absentmindedly as the Robber was taken by the local guard and thrown in a cell, the conversation having ceased for the moment, giving the Hieromancer time to think. On the one hand, the Nalaars and Naruto had defied the laws of Ghirapur. By all rights they were criminals and criminals needed to be punished. On the other hand, when the laws were written with the express purpose of enforcing a tyrannical government, what exactly was a criminal from that perspective. A battle raged behind his eyes, though he was sure the snoop of a mind mage was keeping close tabs on his thoughts. Deciding to follow his gut, Gideon made his decision, and stepped forward once they had left the town's jailhouse.
"Alright," he said. "Bring me to your friend and I will see what I can do. I make no promises as to how much that is." Naruto let out a sigh of relief that he'd been holding and gave the tall mage before him a small, grateful smile. "Let's clear the town gates before moving to Kaladesh." The others nodded, falling into lockstep with the armored planeswalker, toward the same gate they had entered town through. The walk down the path into the forest was silent until the town had left view fully. Gideon gave a slight nod to Naruto and Jace, placing his hands one each of their shoulders as the two vanished in a crack of displaced air, dragging Gideon along for the ride.
The Blind Eternities were bizarre, to put it simply, Naruto had decided. Simultaneously so colorful and yet so blank. So peaceful yet so dangerous. Up was green, back was seven. Nothing had meaning but the trails of mana and Æther serving as beacons to the worlds beyond the expanse of infinite energy. While he hadn't remembered much his first time traveling through them, his second and now third time allowed him to pay attention more to what was happening around him within the Eternities as he followed Jace's pull, as Gideon was following him.
Something was wrong. Naruto knew it the moment he stepped from the Blind Eternities to smell the telltale signs of burning oil and wood, of machine parts littered about the grassy clearing. "There is someone ahead," Jace cautioned. "Within the cave. Not Chandra, Not Kiran, and certainly not Liliana..."
"Baral?" Naruto growled, but Jace shook his head. The three Planeswalkers readied themselves for anything, but what they hadn't counted on was a Veldaken, seated straight, simply waiting for them. The cave was scorched all over, and while Kiran was still settled on the floor, and thankfully breathing based on the simple rising and falling of his chest, another figure was likewise sprawled across the floor.
After taking a closer look, Naruto recoiled in horror at the site of Baral's burned, damned-near melted visage. The man looked like he'd gotten into a fight with a wildfire and lost badly. With a sickening feeling of dread at the thought of Chandra missing, the blonde ninja realized that that is likely what had happened. Naruto dashed to Kiran to see that while he now had a slight smell from a few hairs that had been singed, whatever flames had filled the room had refused to harm the man, likely from being infused with Chandra's will. He ignored the quiet newcomer for now and waved Gideon over.
The Veldaken seemed to notice Gideon looking toward Naruto and Kiran, and made a simple motion indicating that he was free to help the downed man. As Gideon got to work doing whatever he could, the Veldaken turned to look straight at Naruto, and the blonde couldn't help what was happening under the blue-skinned being's emotionless mask.
"You are the one called Naruto Uzumaki, yes?" he asked finally. Naruto didn't give a verbal answer, merely nodding, trying to keep his expression guarded. "My name is Dovin Baan. And as you no doubt have gathered, I work for the Consulate of Ghirapur."
"Figured," Naruto stated simply.
"Now, while Baral was here for...shall we say less than legal purposes, I would offer my most sincere apologies. Your compatriots certainly delivered their own brand of self-defense, but his injuries shall not be considered to be his punishment. Smuggling Æther is not a capital offense, and the Consulate had informed Baral that his search was to cease and desist. It seems he did neither." Naruto relaxed slightly. He hadn't thought anyone who worked for the Consuls could be so...well, reasonable. He quickly shook the notion. There had to be a 'but' coming somewhere in this.
"However, you, young Planeswalker, do present a problem." Before Naruto could bombard Dovin with questions, the Veldaken held his hand up to stop him. "I am like you," he stated. "But only in the sense that I may pass from one plane to another, unharmed. Beyond that I find we could not be further from one another. While I strive to maintain order in the name of the Consulate of Ghirapur, you brazenly violate our laws, create chaos, and inspire others to do the same. Though I believe a compromise can be reached."
Gideon finished doing whatever healing he was performing with a tired sigh. The color had returned to Kiran's face, and his wounds, unwrapped, had sealed and knitted together, leaving only a light scar. However, the man didn't wake. "What sort of compromise would you offer him," the Hieromancer asked, turning now to the newly revealed Planeswalker.
"Given the circumstances with Baral, we are willing to wipe Kiran Nalaar's record. He will be returned to Ghirapur, be looked at by the best of our healers, and watched over until such a time as he fully recovers. Should he not re-offend, he will go back to his life as a great craftsman, even be given funding by the Consulate." Dovin shot the group an unreadable look. "In exchange for this, Naruto Uzumaki, as well as the Pyromancer Chandra Nalaar, must leave Kaladesh. Your unauthorized styles of magic are powerful and dangerous, and a rather sizable threat to the glorious order the Consulate strives to create."
Naruto was taken aback by these words. To leave Kaladesh, just like that...Leave Kiran and hope, unlike Liliana, that this person, Dovin Baan, would keep his word and help his friend. However, for a fellow Planeswalker, Dovin seemed to be ignorant of the fact that you couldn't simply take someone else through the Blind Eternities if they weren't a Planeswalker themselves. How was he expected to get Chandra off of Kaladesh. Without thinking, the young boy snorted derisively, voicing his thoughts and getting only a raised brow from the Veldaken.
"I would assume you might simply pass on the message. Your young friend experienced her ignition right here, in this very cave, a short while ago." Now Naruto's eyes went wide as Dovin continued. "With three Planeswalkers in your group, I had assumed one of you would have recognized what had happened. It was the fury and force of her ascension which put Baral into the state you see him currently. It was the act of Planeswalking which causes her absence from her father's side."
"You saw all this, yet did nothing to stop Baral's already admittedly illegal actions?" Jace hissed, for the first time since their first meeting showing any anger, though given his mental powers, he may have just been channeling the silent disdain from Gideon, or the shivering fury of the Naruto. Dovin turned to the mind mage.
"I had been tracking Baral on orders from the Consulate. While I don't normally deal in martial matters, I am a registered mage with many spells at my disposal to subdue and restrain. While he planned his little assault on Bunarat, his Lieutenant brought his insubordination to the Consulate's attention. However, by the time I had reached Bunarat, the town was in flames, many of our finest soldiers were telling tales of a beast making play at being a young boy, and you had already left. By the time I picked up the trail and reached this cave, The Captain had already engaged Nalaar and her companion. I had just entered when Nalaar's form was overtaken by flames, and quite clearly felt the ignition of her spark before she disappeared in a rather fiery explosion. The other Planeswalker here left once she realized what had happened. I figured you would come back either with food or medical supplies and thus I decided to wait." A sigh drew their attention back to Gideon.
"If she ignited, there's no telling where she might be, and I don't possess the skill to track others through the void," Gideon grunted, arms crossed and brow furrowed in thought. Planeswalking really wasn't an exact science, but there were options. "However, we might be able to narrow it down. The girl is obviously a gifted Pyromancer. It's possible that her fiery soul drew her to a fiery place. We should check anywhere that Pyromantic magic is strong. Sometimes a blind walk is guided by our subconscious mind, or the deepest parts of out soul."
"Keral Keep. The Monastery there trains Pyromancers. Perhaps she might have wound up there?" Jace asked, missing the rather uncomfortable look Gideon wore, though Dovin and Naruto didn't. It was clear to them Gideon did not think highly of this monastery.
"Regardless, I will need your answer, Uzumaki. Should you agree to those terms, young miss Nalaar will be allowed to return to pay her respects and say goodbye. Then you must leave Kaladesh." Naruto stood to his full height, which to be fair wasn't much next to the tall, thin, blue being sitting before him.
"I can't speak for Chandra," Naruto growled out. "But if it will keep Kiran safe, I am willing to leave and not come back." Dovin seemed to accept the answer with a nod and stood, Waving his hand, both Baral and Kiran were hoisted into the air, seemingly floating on a pale-blue glowing mist.
"In that case, I shall take my leave. As I said, you and Miss Nalaar may return only to pay respects for the deceased, or say your goodbyes to the living. Nothing more." Turning on his heel, Dovin strode with purpose, Kiran and Baral floating gracefully along behind him. Naruto took one last look at the still unconscious man. The man who had taken him in so generously, given him family and purpose when he thought they were lost to him, trusted him to protect his daughter...For a moment, Naruto was struggling to keep his eyes from letting loose their welling tears.
A hand on his shoulder caused him to look to Gideon, the young man towering over the blonde. "Keep the faith my friend. We'll find your young friend." Pulling out the same metal sigil he presented to the townsfolk back in that Bant village, he held it up letting it almost glow in the fire-light. "I promise you, on my honor, that we'll find her."
Jace sighed, pulling up his hood so that only his slightly-glowing eyes were visible in his shadowed visage. "I'll go to Regatha. I doubt they'll be happy to see a Blue Mage, but unlike you Gideon, they at least won't attack me on sight. Perhaps for the moment you can help Naruto get to Konoha in the Elemental Nations. He's kind of still new to this." Naruto looked affronted at the suggestion. Much as he wanted to see his old home, that wasn't the important thing any more.
"Chandra is my friend," he growled out, his eyes shifting to a burning red. "If any of us should be out trying to find her, it should be me."
"I understand that," Jace replied calmly. "Really, I do. But you still need to learn how to Planeswalk to exact locations. You might be able to get to the Nations on your own, but who knows where you'll end up. I've already seen that Gideon knows that Plane, so you can follow him while I check other bastions of pyromancy and red magic." He ignored the irritated sigh let loose by Gideon, before ending the conversation and turning around, plunging into the Blind Eternities.
"As annoying as I find him, he's correct," Gideon said, quietly snuffing out the small campfire in the cave. "The multiverse is infinite, and even if she has traveled somewhere predictable, you're not going to find her by similarly making blind jumps through the void. It'll be best for you to return home and rest up. If Jace hasn't found her by tomorrow, you'll be fresh and ready to begin your search having knowledge at least of where she's not." Naruto growled, but nodded.
"That asshole Baan...he doesn't even care that Chandra's lost somewhere. What happens if she manages to come back before we find her? She doesn't know that we're being basically banished from her home plane." Gideon sighed wearily, placing his hand back on Naruto's shoulder. He himself had already reached what could be considered adulthood when he had ignited. The blonde, though he carried himself as older due to his training, was still a kid, and he could only assume his friend was even less ready to be introduced to the multiverse at-large. Pulling Naruto along, he twisted and plunged into the Blind Eternities.
The two reappeared in the large-treed forests that were quite familiar to Naruto. The blonde looked around and saw in the distance the massive wall and gates of Konoha. Despite it all, he couldn't keep a small smile from his face as the two began to slowly walk toward the Leaf village. For the first time in nearly a year, the young shinobi was home. That thought caused Naruto to falter. Was this place still his home? Did they think he was dead? He trusted his friends, Tsunade included, to know he hadn't gone rogue and become a missing nin. But that left the multitudes who never liked him, who saw him for the monster within.
And what would they think of his Planeswalking. He was gonna have to go out and find Chandra, whether the village liked it or not. Would he be considered a missing ninja then? Having the ability to leave the village at any time, with no real way for anyone to stop him or track him was not something a lot of Hidden Villages would be pleased about from their shinobi, let alone a jinchuriki. To take his mind from those troubling thoughts, Naruto decided to make conversation with Gideon.
"So, Jace said you've been here before? I assume so, since you managed to get us basically just outside the village gates."
Gideon nodded. "After my initial flare brought me to Bant, I moved around the multiverse for a while, getting used to Planeswalking, learning about other cultures across the Multiverse." It was actually quite fascinating if he was honest. His own home was a realm of mythic monsters and Gods, both kind and capricious. "When I first came here, I wandered about the smaller towns and outposts around Konoha and gained a bit of insight into how things work here. I never went into one of the Hidden Villages, however, since I didn't want to stand out too much and wind up in some conflict with the Shinobi there. No offense, but your kind are a secretive bunch, and are quick to perceive what is too different as a threat.
Naruto didn't argue. He knew if someone had wandered into Konoha wearing full plate armor and looking like Gideon, he'd have at the very least been detained, and if he tried to use magic to get out of things, that would really not go over well. And he realized that that was exactly what they were trying to do now, though this time Gideon would at least have a shinobi of the village to vouch for him...if he hadn't been declared a rogue ninja at least.
When they reached the gates, Naruto knew immediately that things were going to be troublesome. The way Izumo and Kotetsu just stared, mouth's agape at him as he drew closer made him realize that his earlier fears might indeed have been founded. He hoped that he was thought KIA as opposed to becoming a Missing Ninja.
"Naruto Uzumaki?" Izumo asked, almost hesitantly, as though not believing what he was seeing. Naruto realized that it wouldn't be out of the question for the Chuunin to mistake him as being someone else in disguise, or even a genjutsu, and so he held up his hands in an open gesture.
"Plus one extra," he said, motioning with his head toward the larger White Mage behind him. "Look, guys, it's been a long time, I know. But I need to see Granny Tsunade, and I need to do it as soon as possible." The two Chuunin looked to each other before relaxing ever-so slightly.
"Yup," Kotetsu stated. "Only the real Naruto would so casually refer to the Hokage as an old woman." Izumo didn't look fully convinced, but nodded. He wasn't so sure that that info wasn't common knowledge, but also realized that Naruto did it despite constantly getting bashed by the Slug Princess. If this wasn't the real Naruto, they'd know the minute he called the Sannin an old woman and got pummeled by her.
"We'll call an escort for you to the Hokage's office," Izumo said. "You've been gone a long time. I know it never was really your thing, but I hope you'll humor us for a bit of precautionary protocol." Naruto nodded, crossing his arms and trying to quash down his anxiety over everything. He turned to Gideon, who seemed to be staring intently at the center of the village.
"Do you feel that?" he asked, and Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You've been learning about Mana and Magic since flaring yes?" And Naruto's nod, he continued, ignoring the curious looks from Kotetsu, Izumo having gone to call for their escort. "Open yourself up to the mana in the area. Someone is pulling together-"
He was cut off by a small explosion from the center of the village, a plume of smoke rising in the distance.
"- Red Mana," he finished. Naruto's eyes widened as he did as Gideon instructed, feeling out the trails of Red mana permeating the village, converging where the explosion had just happened. Swirling in the center, surrounding someone. Naruto's breathing hitched as he felt the deep well of mana flooding through, and recognized the feeling, despite never having felt it this strongly. It was exactly the feeling he got from sparring with...
"Chandra," he breathed out. While it might have been foolish to hope that the girl was right here in the village, Naruto had to see for himself.
"Some idiot genin messing with exploding tags again?" Izumo asked, walking up with someone who looked vaguely familiar to Naruto. The older man had a clear look of resigned boredom, and Naruto realized he was looking at a member or the Nara family, Shikamaru's father, if he remembered correctly.
"Troublesome," the man intoned, looking to the blonde and then back to the smoke rising in the distance. "You show up at the gates after being gone for a year, and then within moments we've got an explosion somewhere in the village." Shikaku Nara looked back down to Naruto. "I don't suppose that those things might be connected?"
"We've got to go," Naruto almost pleaded. "If that explosion means what I think it means, I have to get there quick." Shikaku just motioned for him to continue. "Look, I'm looking for someone," the blonde stated frantically. "I think that's her. She's got a lot of power, but she'll have just been dropped in a new, probably unfriendly place, on top of everything else we've been through in the last day or so. She'll be confused, and scared and lashing out. I need to see if it's her before she gets in too much trouble." As if to punctuate his statement, another small explosion was heard from the center of the village.
Shikaku sighed. "Pain in the ass, but if you're right, we can resolve this peacefully before anyone gets hurt, or worse. Come on," Naruto looked to Gideon, but the Hieromancer just shook his head. "I'll wait here, try to explain what's going on to the guards. You go and see if it's your Pyromancer."
Naruto nodded before he and the elder Nara leapt to the nearest building and began leaping from rooftop to rooftop, heading toward the spreading chaos. "So," he said, trying to get some info on his predicament out of the older man. "Did you guys think I was dead? Missing nin?"
"You're officially down as MIA," Shikaku replied, eyes narrowing as they got near the source of the explosions. "After the retrieval, we never found your body, and the Hokage, as well as several of your classmates, refused to consider you dead, and the thought that you'd defected wasn't something that anyone but some of the Elders and the civilians were willing to even entertain." Naruto nodded. At least he wasn't in trouble over something like going rogue, which he hadn't done.
"And how were you so sure it was me and not a trick, like Izumo and Kotetsu thought?"
"Because I pay attention," the man shot back. "When Izumo was bringing me over to escort you to the Hokage, I saw you talking to the armored one. When the explosion hit, you both seemed genuine in your surprise, but you also seemed to know enough about what's going on that you managed to put a name to it. Then you, someone who's been gone for a year, began pleading with me to run towards the explosions, ostensibly to protect a friend. If you aren't Naruto, then you've certainly done your homework on how he puts friends first, himself second. And if you are Naruto...then it's good to have you back. Fair warning though...a lot has changed since you've been gone.
Dropping down from the buildings, Naruto watched with barely contained panic as he saw his suspicions confirmed. Chandra stood in the center of the street, wreathed in flame to the point her already fiery hair was now literally on fire. Surrounding her were several jonin and ANBU, weapons pointed, but the heat had reached a point where they couldn't get closer, Naruto saw someone try to douse Chandra with a bucket of water, but the liquid evaporated to steam before it even reached her form.
"The hell's going on?" Shikaku asked one of the nearby jonin. The high-level ninja stared at Naruto for a second before realizing it was more important to report to the Nara head.
"From what I know, this girl appeared out of nowhere. She had no identification and appeared to be injured. When the pair of ANBU arrived to bring her to the hospital to be looked at and questioned, she freaked out and lit herself on fire. We've managed to douse the fires on the nearby buildings, but even our Water Style jutsu aren't slowing her down. In fact, they seem to be making her angry." As he spoke, Naruto began moving toward the girl, channeling white mana to shield himself from the heat.
The ninja surrounding Chandra parted slightly, seeing the glowing boy moving toward her, though one of the ANBU seemed to visibly step back in shock at seeing Naruto. "Chandra!" Naruto shouted over the crackling roar of her magical fire. The girl seemed to jump at being addressed by name, turning and spotting the blonde moving toward her.
"Naruto!" she yelled back running toward the blonde. By the time she reached him, diving into a hug, the flames around her had gone out, and he felt a wetness through his clothes as the girl began to cry into his chest.
Naruto rubbed the girl's back as he looked up at the surrounding Ninja. He looked to the ANBU, who took off his mask, revealing another, cloth mask beneath it. Naruto raised a brow.
"Kakashi-Sensei?" he asked. The silver-haired man took a few tentative steps toward his former student. The rest of the ninja had lowered their weapons and could only stare at the blonde who had been Missing-in-Action for a year. For what may have been the first and only time, Naruto thought he saw Kakashi's visible eye actually begin to tear up, before he gave Naruto one of the eye-smiles he'd grown accustomed to under Jonin.
"Well, it certainly took you long enough," he said, trying to diffuse the rather emotionally tense moment with a bit of humor. "Now, perhaps you...and your friend...can go see the Hokage. You'll need to report in." Naruto understood the implication immediately, and nodded his thanks to his sensei. Whether he could see that Chandra was just a scared young girl, or he was doing Naruto a favor, he was letting him know that Chandra would be allowed to go with him, as opposed to being arrested and probably interrogated for her rather explosive outburst. Naruto pulled away from Chandra, looking into her still wet eyes and, realizing he'd never seen her openly cry like this, spoke with a greater calm than he perhaps really felt himself.
"Come on. We're gonna go talk to the Hokage, Granny Tsunade, and we're gonna get this whole thing sorted out, ok?" The girl just nodded, not trusting herself to speak as Naruto put his arm around her, walking back towards Shikaku. This was one of many problems solved. Now, as they began walking towards the Hokage's office, Shikaku Nara and Kakashi Hatake escorting the two, Naruto had time to think about his next big problem...breaking the news to Chandra about the deal Baan and the Consulate had offered.
Chapter end
So, as I said up on the top, we're getting to the last couple chapters of this. I said a few chapters ago that Exalted is going to be acting as sort of 'Book 1' and we are coming to the end of the book. There are a few things to cover yet, but for the most part this story was meant to act as sort of a origin/prequel, getting Naruto and Chandra both to Planeswalker status, build up their connection, etc...There's only a couple loose ends yet here before we move on.
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