Night Raid's Lazy Assassin

by KenzoXShuyita

Meet Naruto. Idiot, genius, badass, dumbass, intuitive, clumsy, bastard, and a number of other details, but officially a lazy blond teen that prefers doing nothing over everything. At least quick assassinations should fit his lazy character, right? "I really don't feel like doing anything today. You guys can skedaddle and I'll just...actually, I'll just kill you all now. Cheers!"

11. Chapter 11: Changes

Chapter 11: Changes

A/N: Back to back! Hell yeah, let's do this! Hope you all enjoy!

Definitely a different writing style from PAWS.

Chapter 11 START

Akame was crying when she awoke. She had a nightmare that Naruto had sacrificed himself. The blond had told her to run away and to save Night Raid, and that he'd come back for her and...

That was last night. That was last night. Akame felt a sickly feeling gurgling in her stomach and rising, and she rolled over the bed to throw up. When nothing came out, she dry heaved and closed her eyes shut from the pain. Only the physical aspect ebbed away.

After a few minutes, she tried to sit up, but her left arm groaned in rejection. It was broken, and the sling and bandages seemed to affirm her suspicions. She pushed off the blankets from the rest of her body with her right hand and appraised the rest of her body. Nothing else was broken, but there were a lot of bandages that covered her legs and her stomach. The bruises marked her like Naruto's target board when he was having an off day; they were all on the target, but not quite dead center.

She carefully placed her feet on the tent floor, ensuring that her legs were in working condition. Determining that her feet fit for walking, she stood up and ignored her muscles' protest to move around actively. She knew she should be resting, but there was something else she felt the need to do first.

She stepped outside and caught the sight of a massive hill directly in front of her. A wind pushed her hair to the side, but it felt off. Reached back, she felt the locks that went down to barely past her shoulder and remembered that Naruto had sliced it in order to release her from Esdeath. Looking to her left, the visage of the city they had escaped was at the edge of her vision. They had traveled at least thirty miles...she had forgotten. The group had traveled all night, listening to Najenda's orders. Otherwise, the group traveled in complete silence. It was difficult to talk when their mission was a success but it felt like such a failure.

Walking over to Najenda's tent, she almost stepped in when voices began to lift loud enough for her to hear.

"What do you mean we can't save him?" Leone was clearly frustrated, and Akame could imagine the bestial Teigu user grabbing at her hair and pacing in dissatisfaction. "He saved us, so what are we supposed to do? You seriously want me to just sit down and wait and let him get chained by the Empire?"

Akame heard Najenda breathe out deeply. It seemed to be filled with struggle and slight resentment. "He already is taken by the Empire. And yes, I expect you to listen, Leone."

"That's -"

"That's how it is!" Akame flinched at the harsh tone. "We've had this conversation for long enough. If we rush in, with our injuries and our current physical capabilities, we may win...but it's a far lower percentage than if we recuperate. True, we allow Esdeath and her subordinates to recover as well and the Empire to slightly regain some semblance of control, but! - they've lost much strength, and ours only grows as time passes. The Revolutionary Army is preparing to attack, and it seems that discontent in the Capital is growing steadily and is about to reach a breaking point. Not only that, but we've taken a lot of Teigus from our battle, and it's only a matter of time until we find new users."

"...But...Naruto...how strong was he?"

There was silence.

"Boss...how strong was he in order to prevent Esdeath from just chasing us down? How important was he?"

'Important...'

Akame stood outside with baited breath, also waiting impatiently for an answer. She wanted know. She needed to know how her partner went down. She had looked back while they were running away and had seen the thunder and felt the force exploding from the Cathedral, but she didn't know where that had ranked her blond partner in importance and strength. Najenda was a general in the past, and was a leader for the Revolutionary Army now, and with at least a decade of experience of leading under her belt, she was sure to have some inside information.

'The General Budou has a lightning associated Teigu, and he is the second strongest general, only weaker than Esdeath herself.'

When it seemed like Najenda wasn't going to answer and Akame was ready to walk in to force the conversation, Leone suddenly yelled at the boss to tell her the truth and to stop wasting time.

"I, at least, deserve the truth! So does the rest of Night Raid!" she thundered. "Najen - ...Boss...please."

There was another uncomfortable, roaring silence. The tension was a string getting pulled at both ends, ready to snap at any moment. Any more pull, and it would crack and the whole camp would probably hear it.

"He had a Teigu."

"What?!" Leone cried out. It was loud enough for anyone within fifty feet to hear the martial artist.

"What?!' Akame scrambled mentally, her face barely splashed by surprise. 'Enough. I need to know.' She decided that she had waited enough and walked through the entrance of her boss' tent. Both looked to her when she had stepped inside, but neither seemed surprised. The two were sitting across from each other on top of a blanket. Leone was showing signs of Teigu activation, whereas Najenda was the image of stoically smoking, but she was anything but serene and tranquil.

"Boss." Akame looked down at her sling, and then lifted her eyes to match her leader's. "What Teigu?"

The next words that left her boss' lips her both assassins rattled to the core. "He had The Founder."

Akame's eyes flared with alarm. "You've...said that was the first Teigu." Najenda nodded, her lone eye blinking slowly in recollection.

"It's the origin of all Imperial Arms. I told you this before, but I've only said that it's been lost for hundreds of years. No one knew where it was, but the Empire had kept information on it for centuries. All information, however, was simply theory to us, and we weren't sure how true it was. But I'll tell you what I do know...and the rest of you lot outside of the tent."

Hardly a few seconds passed, and then the rest of the team walked inside. They didn't look awkward or ashamed of getting caught trying to listen in. This was important to them as well. When they were all seated, and the tent marginally uncomfortable at how cramped at it had become, Najenda spoke again.

"Until yesterday, I didn't know Naruto had a Teigu. But my best guess is that Naruto has, from what I recall, the Teigu that all other Teigus were branched off from. It took on the form of a necklace, and it is unknown how other Imperial Arms were created from it - that information was burned and is long gone. But it was said that The Founder was ridiculous in power and absurdly malleable, but it was equally strict in who could use it. From my knowledge, only about five others had used it, and the last one had been centuries ago."

"Wait. The necklace that Naruto wore...was that it?" Chelsea interjected. Najenda affirmed her question. "His father...also wore that necklace. He told me it was a precious necklace. When I was younger, he cryptically said objects had power...he might have been able to use it as well."

Najenda placed the knuckle of her real index finger against her chin and thought deeply for a moment with her eyes shut to the world. Without opening them, she spoke, "Then Naruto was stronger than his father at the age of five when he had obtained the Imperial Arms. Esdeath said that she had lost to Naruto, and that meant that his father had lost to her. I sincerely doubt any owner of The Founder would lose to any of us here if they had activated it beyond the second stage and had trained with it for years. Hell, anyone able to activate it at all is a threat to be reckoned with, even to a person that lived their whole life with a Teigu."

The whole tent recoiled in shock. All eyes were glued onto the Boss whose eyes were still closed. "His father probably had not activated the Teigu and was probably safekeeping it. Otherwise, I doubt he would have lost."

"What are the stages?" Akame spoke up. Najenda opened her eyes.

"So before each stage is released, the user of The Founder has to pass some stipulations by the semi-sentient weapon itself...and to wield the Teigu, the owner must be able to utilize the first stage immediately. It's not uncommon in having stipulations to have a Teigu, but the specific rules that the weapon stated, from what the users have written down, are ridiculous to pass. First off, an extraordinary amount of life force is necessary, similar to being able to activate Susanoo. After that, it's said that the Teigu analyzes the speed, strength, willpower, and compatibility. I've even read that it can somewhat understand your thoughts, and that has an impact on whether you are worthy or not.

The first stage unleashes your physical prowess, allowing you free access to breaking your limiter and going far beyond what a normal human body could accomplish. Akame could break mach speed. So can Naruto with just his first release. Once you release the second, legend says that all the elements are within your will. It's actually Life Manipulation Energy, but it allows the user to calls upon the world's energy as well to enhance their strength. And as for the final stage...no one knows. The first user never had the need to use it, or no one wrote about it. Perhaps no one lived to tell the tale."

Another puff of smoke.

"But...couldn't any of us activated it?"

Najenda looked each person in the eye, stopping at Tatsumi, who had asked. Then, "I don't know...but Naruto is the youngest of six to activate it, and only one of two to be able to activate the second stage. I'd say I sincerely wish you could but...it's highly against the odds."

"...So how strong does that make him?" Leone brought up her original question. She had deactivated her Teigu, but the boss' explanation was not making her feel any better. Something was pissing her off, and she couldn't get rid of the feeling, and that only fueled her irritation more. It was like an itch that wouldn't go away telling her something was wrong.

"If he had trained and had not lost his memories...I have no doubt he'd be the strongest the world had ever seen in this century already. He was able to instinctively use the second stage of his Teigu, utilizing both Chi and then Life Energy Manipulation. And once he activates the second stage, the Teigu allows him to permanently use the second aspect at no further cost."

"...There's a cost?" Tatsumi asked. Najenda nodded and threw her smoke out the entrance. "What is it?"

"There is only one person that has been able to use it, like I said. And it's been centuries, so I'm not entirely willing to bet on the accuracy, so I'd rather ask Naruto..."

'If we rescue him' was left unsaid.

"...But one-third a person's lifespan is what I've read...and to answer how important he is...at this point in time, he would be the second most integral piece other than Esdeath herself after his second release."

Leone was on her feet and had Najenda off the ground in a split second, her Teigu fully activated. Her eyes were red.

"Why are we here?" Her voice was as harsh as the cold that Esdeath could bring, and her eyes as stormy as the worst days at sea that allowed for no survivors. The rest inside the tent remained silent, but they were backing up Leone already. Chelsea and Akame seemed to be on the verge of walking out and attempting to save the blond, despite both of their wounded states.

"Because we can't save him," Najenda stated clearly, conviction strong. Leone glared into her boss' eyes and saw a small glimmer of reluctance and hesitation. She wanted to save him, too. "It's winter," Najenda continued. The rest of the room shivered, recalling how frightening the general of the Empire had been. Fighting her on her turf...in her season...under her rules. "The more the time passes, the less of a priority Naruto becomes in this war. I know that makes it seem pivotal to save him now, but we're stuck in a rock and a hard place when it comes to rescuing him. It's virtually impossible. By the time the attack actually begins, he'll be probably lower in how much of a game changer he is than every one here in this tent, and even some of the Teigu users outside. I'm ordering you to not rescue him unless I allow it."

Leone 'tch'd and dropped Najenda, muttering a curse. She didn't move from her spot, but Akame did.

"When...when can we save him?" Najenda looked away from those hopeful eyes. From all of them. They didn't understand...

"When the Revolutionary Army attacks..."

'It would be at least three months...'

And thus Night Raid's blond assassin was lost to the Empire, and each teammate dealt with this loss in their own way.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: One Week)

The team's spirit was still heavy. Akame knew that she wasn't helping its case, but she couldn't feel it inside of her to make it better. Usually, it was Leone who was the unflinching beacon of good humor and was constantly stoked, brightening others' moods. But even she was in a state of unnatural seriousness, and that had left the rest of the team to fend for themselves emotionally and mentally.

Lubbock had no one to really trade jokes with, and Tatsumi didn't seem to take well to Naruto's lack of presence, considering they joined Night Raid together. Mine was trying her best to help Tatsumi feel better but even she was starting to recognize the loss. There was a day when she tried to joke by saying 'Even Naruto could do it' and immediately, all their hearts twanged together in unison. It was a consistent pang that never really left them at any point in the day.

Susanoo and Najenda were as stoic as ever, but their stoicism seemed to only increase as the days went on. It was becoming less common for the group to chatter boisterously and banter with stupid humor.

Chelsea, Akame, and Leone were struck the worst. One was a like a sister, one was a partner, and the last was the one who initiated and brought the blond into Night Raid. Chelsea and Leone were never at camp, almost always doing rounds and scouting ahead. Leone was also rarely seen in her normal state, and her response was that she was training to push her form even further when asked. It was only when she was asleep when she was a normal girl.

Akame, unlike the other two, didn't even have the option to leave camp. Her broken left arm and shoulder had made her unfit to scout and she had been ordered by Najenda to remain within the grounds. So this left her to her thoughts, and uneasiness had been grabbing her like tendrils that pulled her into the shadows called depression. Her nightmares weren't helping.

She went to sleep with the kunai that Naruto had cut her hair to save her from Esdeath with, hoping that it would be a night without dreams.

She woke up crying the next day again.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: One Month)

They had joined forces with the Revolutionary Army far earlier than expected. Since none of them had any impediments when it came to travel, it was rather easy to catch up to the large encampment nearly three hundred miles from Kyoroch. They had chosen a location near the mountains as a geographic defensive location, and it was studded with trees every couple feet. However, the camp itself had cleared out many of the trees and the grounds were flat and clean.

The leaders in the camp had been grateful to see Najenda and her misfits alive and mostly well. They had immediately extended offers of food and shelter, which they had accepted as graciously as they could.

Akame was the only one unable to even fake a smile and felt no real relief from reaching their next checkpoint. It would be two months until the Revolutionary Army moved forward with their plans actively. Currently, they were attempting to lay a large, impassable wall to and from the Capital. They would starve out the Capital with the lack of trade and commerce, and since it was winter, it would hopefully give the advantage to the insurgents when the time came to attack and the Empire was weakened.

The assassins were left to their own devices.

Akame walked away from the camp and towards the outskirts. Her sword was attached to her hip and she was still prepared for combat, but her left arm would still be quite the hindrance. The bones had mostly healed, however, and it was only a matter of allowing the strength of the bones to increase so that another break was unlikely.

Eventually, she came to a spot that was untouched and isolated enough to be deemed acceptable. Unsheathing her blade, she hopped into the trees. She frowned as she looked down at her legs; it had taken far more energy than she would have liked to jump up to the branch. That would be rectified immediately.

For the next few hours, she practiced her mobility, jumping onto tree branches, dropping to the ground, rolling, flipping, and forcing her lower body to listen to her mind's orders until it wouldn't bend to her will any longer. When she was silently heaving, and leaning against the tree, she then swung her sword with her right hand. She couldn't always rely on using both hands. And any training was better than none.

Within a few minutes, her legs were recovered enough for her to push herself to punishing lengths again. So the process repeated.

When night fell, her clothes were drenched in sweat, and all visible skin on her was covered in a bright sheen of sweat that reflected the light from the full moon. Beads of sweat dripped off her chin with every swing of her sword, but she didn't stop. Her breathing was labored, but she wasn't content yet. She could still push herself. Her muscles were crying for her to stop, but it wasn't begging enough for her to call it off for the night. After all, tomorrow they'd be ready to go for another round.

And hadn't Naruto done these exercises with over two hundred pounds of weights on his body?

Akame stopped and gazed up to the moon, its beauty reflecting on her red orbs. She noted the temperature and then the location of the stars in the sky.

'Someone's coming.'

A few seconds later, "You should head back soon," Tatsumi said from behind a tree.

"Soon," she answered. The boy snorted, not believing her for a second. "I can go just a bit further."

Without warning, Tatsumi was in front of her, his blade leveled and pointed at her. She didn't blink. He was shirtless and sweating profusely. He had been training as well, it seemed.

Calmly, he lowered his blade and produced two practice swords, similar to the one's that they had used in their original base. Melancholic pangs clawed at both of their chests. He needed this as much as she did, it seemed.

"Are you alright with me only using one arm?" she asked seriously. He nodded earnestly, respecting her strength. Wordlessly, the two prepared themselves for the spar.

Tatsumi rushed first with an overhead swing. Akame blocked it easily, directing all of the difference in power between the two down the blade until it was right at her fingertips. While he was still airborne, she quickly ducked and spun, her blade following directly behind, the momentum building quickly. She swung the blade with her whole body's momentum. When the two blades met, Tatsumi was hard pressed to block fully when it rattled his grip on the weapon. Before he could correct his grip, Akame kept pushing forth, pressuring the youngest member of Night Raid with increasing force.

Tatsumi pushed away and was blown nearly twenty feet away. He slid on the ground and slammed his feet on the ground to end the slide. He bent into his usual stance and raised his weapon. Akame slowly raised her weapon so that her right foot was in front of her left, and her right hand was across her hip and her weapon diagonally crossing the front of her body. The Incursio user frowned; Akame had never used that stance before.

He chose not to speak, and he blitzed forward again. Akame rushed to meet him, and the two clashed blades again, and a bout of intense swordplay began. Tatsumi clearly had the advantage in strength, but he was unable to capitalize as Akame used her flexibility and mobility to her advantage, and her slipperiness with this new style left her untouched. The swordsman couldn't say the same when he was struck on the cheek and forced to roll away from the blade that almost struck his temple as a follow up, jumping away to create more distance. His left wrist was smarting, and so was his right elbow and shoulder.

'She's extremely mobile...this style seems more of a hit and run than her usual style. Usually, she is confident enough to out-skill her opponent so she was unafraid to enter extended trades. She only needed a single cut to win anyway. This new style...it seems to utilize the same concept but only in short bursts - as if she is treating me as the wielder of her own weapon.'

A few minutes later, he was frowning with another few bruises marring his body. Akame had yet to be touched by the blade on his hands.

'She still uses punches and kicks when I'm not expecting it. She's ridiculously skilled, even with a handicap...'

And yet...he was grinning without abandon. There was something about this he missed dearly. It reminded him of old days, back when he first joined. Back when Naruto was there with him...sleeping all the time and trying to be as lazy as possible.

'We'll save you,' he promised mentally as he took another kick to the chest, knocking him back. He flipped backwards and strafed to the right immediately, dodging a stab from Akame. 'We'll train...and we'll come and save you!'

For the next few hours, only the sounds of wooden blades clacking and making contact against the other was heard in that expanse of the forest.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: Next Day)

"Chelsea, are you able to scout this area?" one of the generals asked. She looked to where he was pointing on the map and confirmed that it was possible.

"That'll be easy. Will I have any backup?"

"You can take whoever you'd like with you."

"Alright." She didn't plan on having any company, but perhaps it would be better to be safe than sorry. Lubbock would be a decent partner for this kind of mission, as would Leone. Susanoo was not really an option, and Najenda was a hard pass, considering that the general was practically planning with the other generals or getting to know the soldiers every waking moment. Tatsumi and Akame had returned late into the night, drenched in sweat and one significantly more hurt than the other. She had taken care of both of their wounds, chided Akame lightly for pushing her body too far, and then left the two to sleep.

In the distance, she could see Leone (in her human form, thankfully), talking to one of the soldiers over some food and drinks, the two sitting on the trunk of a cleanly cut tree.

"Oh, Chelsea," said the blonde when she was only a few steps away. She coolly, yet amicably greeted the soldier. The male soldier, cheeks flushed red and hot enough to burn off the snow on the ground had he touched it, stood quickly and excused himself, forgetting his cup of tea in the process. Chelsea giggled and sat down, taking the cup and drinking from it. It was steaming and was a decent mix.

"You heading out?" Chelsea glanced up from her cup and hummed to answer. Leone clicked her tongue and shrugged. "Figured. You always go out on some kind of expedition every day."

"Would you like to join me?" asked Chelsea after she had lowered the tea. "It's just a bit east - couple miles down the road. We'd be looking for anyone trying to cross the line in either direction."

"I'm game. Just let me finish my food."

"Sure. Where'd you get the chicken anyway."

"It's Danger Beast."

"Can I have some?" Chelsea pointed at the uncooked meat by Leone's feet. Said girl grunted, already chewing into her meat. Taking that as an affirmative, she took a few pieces of wing and thigh and made her way around the camp to find a fire. There was a circle of soldiers and some with leadership chatting in the morning, their breath fogging like small clouds. She made small talk and chatted only as long as her meat took to cook fully, and then said her farewells and returned to her partner for the day.

"That was fast," Leone said. She took another bite from a thigh and pulled on it so the skin and muscles ripped. "Ai wha -"

"Maybe don't talk so much with your mouth full, hmm?" Chelsea said. "We have some time, anyway."

"Meh." A look. "Hnnngh...hine (fine)." Leone managed.

They sat there in the cold for a bit, letting the morning tick by slowly. When Leone was almost done with her large meal, Chelsea put down the cup on the trunk, certain the soldier would come back to find it eventually. There weren't many replacements out here in the wild, hundreds of miles out from civilization.

"Are you ready?"

"Yeah, sure. Let me just throw the bag of meat at a soldier." Leone spotted a pair of female scouts strolling nearby and, without warning, threw the bag at them. The girl closer to the bag caught it without looking and went on her way. "That was...unexpected," she mumbled, doing her best impression of a marionette with her mouth.

"Yeah yeah, let's go." The two stood up and were making their way through the road. There really wasn't much to look at on the way to their destination. Trees, more trees, a hill, and significantly more trees. It was entirely monotonous. Chelsea decided she had enough of the nature and wanted something to break her boredom. "No activation today?"

Leone looked at her, then back to the road. "Naw, not today. I've been pushing my body a bit too much with its active state and it needs a rest. There do seem to be some positives though. I have a keener sense of smell and increased range for hearing, and I can feel my muscles a bit more intimately. I think that's a good thing."

"I think so, too," Chelsea said, her grin like a Cheshire.

"Laugh it off, whatever. I'll use it if it is needed, but I'd prefer to not today. Besides, I'm starting to feel a bit more like my old self. Might as well enjoy being a human for a bit longer."

"What's that supposed to mean?" The conversation was taking a turn Chelsea wasn't expecting. "Are you implying that you'll become a lion and transform?" Leone shook her head, denying the conjecture.

"Eh, we're assassins, so I suppose our humanity and morality are already really questionable, but something's got me thinking. Naruto always said that this world was gray...and that the world was wrong." Her voice was carefully neutral. "I think he's...well, he's not wrong. The Capital is the largest central mass of humanity by far, and it has the greatest say in how people live. Even tribes that don't really have any connections have to pay a tax to just live. A few years ago, I would've said that was normal. That's just how the world works." She laughed ruefully. "How fucking stupid of me. I was just another cog in the broken machine.

"But I was a human. And then, you know, tragedy struck. I joined the Revolutionary Army and got my own Teigu. But recently, I think something clicked. Actually clicked. We're doing this because it's for more than just us. I was doing this for myself, and then for my team." A patch of cold fog escaped her lips. "I don't really know anymore...to play the game of the Empire and to fight them, and to be strong as their strongest trump cards, you have to give up your humanity as much as they do. But history only knows the victors, and if we win, then we'll be written as heroes...they probably won't know how much violence and fear we caused to the unknowing public."

"They know you are terrorists," Chelsea pointed out.

"But they don't know why, and how much damage we truly cause," Leone was quick to counter. Her eyes drifted over to where the sun was beginning to creep over the tallest trees and cast a deep shadow across the path. "I think Naruto was a breath of fresh air. He...I know he liked Akame. Hell, he may even love that girl. He said that he would change the world just to see her happy." Leone chuckled at the memory. "He didn't say it to me, by the way. Kind of just came across it one day. But damn...he was convinced."

"He was naive," Chelsea said bluntly, but with a sad smile. Leone tactfully maintained silence for a few moments, giving respect to the kid. "But he was true to his self in the end."

"Yeah...I think...I think I've been following the rules of this world a bit too much. I fight them on their terms. I listen to the generals, who play the same game that the Empire is playing." Chelsea's eyes widened compulsively.

"Wait, what are you say-"

Leone took two large strides and stood in front of Chelsea so that the other girl would have to walk around her to keep moving forward. The two stood at a standstill.

"I want to break the rules," she stated, her eyes as still as the mountains in the far end of their view. "I don't want to play the game that the Empire is conducting anymore."

"Don't be naive!" Chelsea hissed, her eyes dangerously cross. "Naruto was naive, and look where that got him!" Shock was plastered on Leone's expression, but it was quickly replaced with anger.

"I'm more experienced that he is! I've been thinking about this for the past month and I think we can get him out!"

"And he fought Esdeath; how is that not playing her game?"

"He fought her to save us," she hissed angrily. "He didn't have a choice in his mind."

"But Naruto committed violence as a means to an end as well. How is that breaking the rules at all?"

"It was always to save someone or to fulfill someone else's hopes. It was never really for himself. Everyone else in this world fights for someone else's survival, but he always fought for others." Leone's mood was worsening quickly. "Seriously, who's side are you on! I thought you were his surrogate older sister! Don't you want to save him? We can save him! And if we do, we can all change the world!"

"If you're so confident," Chelsea stepped forward, staring up at the taller blonde, "then why haven't you told Akame yet?" Leone's anger found itself doused in cold water. The lioness looked away, and then stepped back and looked at the ground with a heavy expression. "Of course I want to save him. Akame wants to save him. Hell, all of us wants to save him, and I'm glad you want to take the action to do so. But dying isn't going to be the way we're going to help him live." Placing a hand on the slightly older girl's shoulder. "You're the big sister of our team, aren't you? Please...just lead us and be a big sister again. Just for another two months. Nothing reckless."

Leone grit her teeth, gnashing them audibly. "Then after two months..." she conceded through tight lips. "What if he's dead? Or he's a completely different person?"

At that moment, Chelsea understood Leone completely. She was already being the big sister. She was afraid for her little blond brother who had been taken away from her. Her eyes shone with worry and concern, rage and despair, but a determination to fight back and a willingness to do anything necessary to make her hopes become reality.

Then she couldn't let Leone lose hope.

"He was gone from me for over ten years, and he ended up slightly different, but his core values are the same. I don't think even torture can change him," Chelsea told her with strong faith in her adopted little brother.

"You're sure?" Leone asked after a few more tense moments. The smaller girl gave her the most self-confident, assured nod that she had ever received. "Alright..." she closed her eyes. "I'll trust you."

"Trust in Naruto, too. Okay? After all, he is the most human out of all of us."

"...Okay."

XShuyaX

It was the small things that Najenda noticed. Leone was cracking just a bit more jokes. Chelsea was conversing more with everyone, slowly returning to her talkative self. Lubbock took this as his cue to talk with the girls and be the older bro for Tatsumi more, and this came with its own pros and cons. Susanoo reported that Tatsumi was in better moods ever since he had been sparring with Akame. And Akame...had smiled once, genuinely. Over meat,but it was something.

Najenda was entirely overworked, and it was showing if she was thinking about the mental states of her band of misfit assassins rather than focusing on the present, where a group of generals were arguing about the best course of action for the next week. Was she even needed here? They'd argue if she wasn't there either way. It's not like they asked her for an opinion for the eight hours that she had been sitting out and listening instead.

'Perhaps a break is in order.'

Right before she called it off, however, a girl entered the tent. She was...a spy, Najenda recognized by the outfit, for the Revolutionary Army that returned from the Capital. Short, lithe, dressed like a civilian and pretty enough to dress well in middle class to upper class. The blue-haired spy saluted, and waited to be called.

"What news?" one of the generals gruffly asked without looking up from the map.

"Esdeath has left the Capital and is joining the front to directly battle against the threat that is our army."

'And that made the whole day planning worthless,' Najenda groaned. But now wasn't the time to show mental weakness, even if the generals were starting to buckle in fear at just the name of the Empire's strongest.

She clapped her hands, and all side conversation ceased immediately. She internally grinned; it seemed she still had that effect on people. She eyed each of the generals and said, "I think that's enough for today. It's going to be sundown soon, and we've been at it for nearly twelve hours. Go to your troops and raise their morale. I will do the same with mine."

"Ah, yes. Of course, General Najenda. Fantastic idea."

"Understood."

"Well, good night, then."

"I'll be heading out now."

One by one, each of the generals walked out without argument. She overheard one of them bring up beer, and that general was soon besieged by the rest who thought that alcohol was a splendid idea. She softly chuckled; alcohol to help them cope. She wouldn't argue against that; besides, it's not like they were going to attack quite yet. They were just a looming threat to the Empire, and it was extremely unlikely that Esdeath would attack full force without threatening to destroy all of her forces. Even the great general could possibly fall against over one million soldiers.

About to head out herself, she noticed that the girl was waiting for her. "More news?" A curt nod and a salute. She waved for the girl to relax. "For me?"

"Esdeath had been torturing the insurgent Naruto Uzumaki, and immediately after the general left the Capital to join the front lines, the prisoner had been moved to the dungeons. One of our spies saw the transfer and discovered his location and stayed near the area for additional information. He is getting tested on by the doctors." Najenda mentally winced. The doctors...were cruel for the sake of cruelty. They did their jobs well, but they were a sadistic bunch that she wouldn't wish anyone to suffer through. "Also, it was overheard that he was able to regenerate lost limbs and to survive with no food, so none was given to him. Even though he has been given specialized chains to limit his movement severely and the power of his Teigu, his regeneration is beyond incredible, according to some of the doctors. At least, that is what the spy overheard. I apologize for informing you so late; the information only got to us right now."

"It's alright. It's because Esdeath left her base in the Capital that this new information on his state and anything about him was able to be discovered. There was possibly no other way for us to garner this kind of data." The spy agreed, but didn't say anything. The general walked outside, signalling the girl to follow.

The girl revealed all the information that she had received, including the amount of protection Naruto was under, the locations of guards throughout the city, the schedules of any important targets. All relevant information, Najenda memorized. When the spy had run out of things to report, Najenda said, "Tell the spies that was holed up near the Jaeger's base they've done well. And take the day off for yourself; you've earned it if you just arrived from the Capital."

The spy allowed herself a small smile with her salute before she bounded off.

Najenda then walked the way to her tent alone, so deep in thought that she didn't recall entering her tent, sitting down, and considering all the possibilities for a few more hours. The next time she was welcomed back away from her mental world, all of the current Night Raid members were in her tent with dinner. They knew not to bother her when she was in deep thought, but usually she would at least notice if someone had come into her tent. Perhaps she really needed a small respite. She had been throwing herself at planning and management and delegating, and this landmine of information just crashed into her head. Yes, a good night's rest and then she'd be back to work.

But...first she had to tell her team.

"Boss, you're alive," Leone piped up. Najenda chuckled and picked up the plate that Susanoo had left for her. More Danger Beast tonight. Well, who was she to complain. "What's all the news about the Ice Bitch being out in the front lines?"

Ah, so that's why they were all in her tent. "That's not important. My guess is that they ordered her to be prepared for an attack from us. We won't attack and will simply continue to siege. Esdeath can't launch an all-out blitz on us. The Empire's strategist made a mistake and put themselves in a lose-lose situation. She'd have been far more useful in the Capital.

"What is important, however, is the additional information one of the spies just brought back. Actually...what time is it?"

"You've been in your head for hours, boss. We've been waiting for you since sundown, and it's pretty deep into the night," Lubbock said.

"Right. Well," she coughed into her fist. "I've just heard news that Naruto is alive and that there is a general idea on where he is kept."

There were a myriad of reactions to this revelation. Akame, Tatsumi, Leone, and Chelsea looked as if they wanted to leave the tent at that very moment and rush straight to the Capital. Fuck all of the warnings, they were about to demolish shit and get to the blond to save him. Lubbock and Susanoo were more controlled, although Lubbock seemed far more antsy and also willing to join in the rescue if the boss allowed for it. Mine had a reaction in between. She was genuinely happy to hear that Naruto was alive, but she knew that this was a situation that had a protocol in her line of work. But even still...it didn't stop the tug at her heart that released some positive feels.

Najenda was thankful that none of them ran out and was given the opportunity to explain the situation.

"We can't rush in. Esdeath is at the fore front, and the Empire's guard is still at an all time high. The rounds that the soldiers are taking, however, are practically breathing down the necks of every person in the Capital other than the abhorrent rich. If Esdeath rotates, then our camp has to rotate as well, since this is where the majority of the force is. We cannot allow for any mistakes at this point; our dance with Esdeath will determine how long this standstill can last and how much longer we can starve out the Capital."

"But we can enter the Capital when Esdeath isn't in front of one of the main entrances," Akame pointed out.

"Exactly. She won't attack us, but we can pull her away from an entrance. Give it a month of us tracking her position, she'll think that it would only be natural for her to follow our main camp if we moved. Until then...train as hard as you can. Do everything you must to become more elite than you are now! You may not save him in your first entry into the Capital, or the second...but we will do our best as long as we have information on his location and know that he is alive. Is that understood?"

"Yes, boss!" All resounded in unison.

XShuyaX

Lubbock cursed, kicking another tree. He was frustrated.

When Najenda had told them all that Naruto was alive, he was happy, of course. But he wasn't elated like the rest of the team seemed to be. All of them, even Susanoo, seemed to have a light in their eye and just knowing that their blond teammate-taken-prisoner was still alive in this world. So why was it that he was the only one that seemed to not be ecstatic about his survival? Hell, even Mine of all people was relieved to hear the news.

He threw his hand out, and a tree fell as his strings cut through the trunk like a sharpened blade through a neck.

This had been bothering him for the past month and had ebbed and gone away slightly, but tonight, it had returned with such a force that his annoyance was at an all time high. He hadn't been this upset since...well...ever. Even getting rejected eight times in a row wasn't as bad as this.

"I had a feeling you'd be here. Nice work on that tree, by the way. We'll use it for firewood tomorrow." Lubbock turned around and saw Najenda in her suit and clean shoes. Her usual outfit, but just one more article of clothing to keep her warm: a large, black jacket. "What's going on?"

He looked away. "Nothing," Lubbock lied. Najenda moved to close the distance. She sat on the trunk that he had cleanly destroyed and looked at him. He didn't meet her eyes.

"Alright. Nothing's wrong, then. Want to just talk?" She pulled out a smoke and lit it smoothly, all in a practiced, controlled movement. It was as if she had done it for years and knew the motion perfectly.

Lubbock finally looked at her after her third drag from the carcinogens. "What are you doing?"

"Just talking to you." Casual.

"Why me?"

"Everyone else is training," was the quick reply. "You were also the only one nearby my tent. Well...relatively. One mile isn't too far."

"No, seriously...what are you doing? Nothing's wrong...and it's not like I have anything against you talking to me. In fact, I'm really glad and I love that you did but..."

"What? I had some time, there were no generals to hound me down tonight to talk about strategy or convince that it may be my last few months in this world so we should do 'something', and I wanted company. So I found you and here I am." Lubbock struggled for the right words to say. He couldn't, so he remained silent. "Sounds kinda lame, huh?"

"N-no, not at all, boss." He clenched his fist. "I mean...I'd love to talk to you. Sounds a bit lonely."

Najenda took another pull from the smoke before throwing the finished stick to the snow. "Yeah well, loneliness happens. It's not like I ever see you guys that much lately, and planning and strategizing, despite giving me meaning and purpose, isn't quite as fun as delegating you lot and spending time with you idiots."

If he was at a loss for words before, he was in an abyss where spoken word hadn't been invented. She had practically said in plain words that she missed them. Seriously, what was a guy to say?

"I mean...I'm here for you, boss. And I know the rest of the team is as well," he tried. She looked up to the night sky. Another full moon.

"I didn't tell them everything," she told him honestly. "Naruto's been getting tortured by Esdeath until she left the Capital, and the doctors are now onto him."

"...Holy shit." Suddenly, even Lubbock wanted to genuinely get the kid out of the Empire's clutches. His anger dissipated without him even knowing it.

"Yeah. Worse is that I have to be as objective as possible and not allow my emotions and feelings to get in the way. It's a bit hard when you see someone like Akame, who's trained to kill and murdered hundreds of important targets, cry and nearly break my orders and refuse my commands because her feelings are guiding her more than her logic. She's never been like that since I've known her, and it makes me feel awful to tell her 'no' every time she looks at me. I know what she's thinking. Hell, I know all of you want to save him, and so do I, but we can't. We have to win this war. And waiting it out is just the method with the highest possibility of our victory. That's just how it is."

There was another long pause. Lubbock put his hands in his pockets and sighed deeply before walking over to the tree next to Najenda and leaning against it. If she could tell him her thoughts, then he could tell her his.

"I feel like I'm an awful person," he started.

"You're an assassin," she pointed out.

"I didn't care as much about the fact that Naruto was captured as the others. I don't know...everyone else seemed so affected, and..." he clenched his fists and slammed his right hand against the tree. It shook violently and snow fell in chunks to the ground. "...I feel like it didn't matter to me that much. It's like...it comes with the job. Yeah, I feel bad. But he was captured. We shouldn't sacrifice ourselves to just save one person, especially when the goal is this close. And it makes perfect sense to me when I say it like that, but when I see the rest of the team training so recklessly and passionately, it also makes me think that I'm an idiot and hardly even a person.

"And it's not like I don't like Naruto; I really did enjoy his company and he was a funny guy. But I never went on missions with him and didn't converse enough with him to really get to know him."

"Would you try to save anyone else on this team?" Najenda cut him off. He paused.

"I...I don't know? It's circumstantial."

"If they were in Naruto's position," she clarified.

Lubbock was in thought for a few seconds. "Most likely not. It's too dangerous, and the costs would far outweigh the gains. Even if we did succeed in the rescue, I don't see all of us surviving. It's one person rescued for probably more than one dead."

Najenda nodded, seeing the same resolution to the rescue mission if she were to call for it. "Exactly my thoughts. Now...what if I were caught. What would you do?"

The string user's eyes widened exponentially, and his breath hitched sharply. It wasn't because it was cold.

"Of course I'd go to save you! You're the boss! You're a general of the Revolutionary Army!" he shouted. Najenda met his honest eyes and lifted her lips a touch.

"The costs outweigh the gains in your head?"

"Of course!"

"I see," she said. Her smile seemed sad. "In my head, it's absolutely not worth it, even if I was the one captured. You would have to train on your own, hide together, work together, and win this war on your own. Unless some miraculous situation presented itself, I don't think the rescue mission would ever be an idea I'd order. But that's my logic and general mind speaking. As a friend to you all and someone who has known you rascals for years, I would do everything I can to save you and wait for that golden ticket opportunity to save you. The team feels the same way about Naruto, and they're waiting."

"If you were captured though, we'd have to save you as soon as possible, don't we?" He said weakly. Najenda grabbed his hand with her real one and stared into his eyes. Suddenly, Lubbock felt so naked as he lost himself into her orbs, immersing his soul into her world. "Ah..."

"You're a good kid, Lubbock." She let go his hand, and he felt his palm go cold in its absence. "And how you feel about me...is how the team feels about Naruto."

"They love Naruto?" he blurted out without thinking. When his brain caught up to his lips, his cheeks ripened and burned immensely. "I-I-I mean...ahh - I gotta-"

"I suppose they do," she said, stopping him from fleeing from embarrassment. Her face was serious, and he gulped. "Or at least Akame does, and Naruto would have done everything he could to save her without a second thought. He wouldn't have listened to me; you and I know that." He did know that. "Emotions...love makes us do things we really, really shouldn't do. But it gives us strength, too. It's why a team of friends and comrades will almost always be stronger than a team of just partners."

She made to stand up. Lubbock was solid as a rock and as still as a mouse playing dead. When she turned to leave, she stopped and looked back at the boy.

"Naruto, in a way, saved each person in this team. He gave Akame hope that this world can be changed in a way she couldn't imagine. And he gave that same vision to Leone and Chelsea. And even though everyone questioned him, especially Mine, she grew to believe in him as well. She saw a precious friend die with him. And Tatsumi, who joined at the same time as time, and Susanoo, who acknowledged the kid's strength...they want to just make sure they don't lose another person they respect. He's made every one of them more human, in a way. He may not have affected you in the same way, but you do care about others, Lubbock. Don't get so down on yourself."

"...Yes, Boss," he mumbled with his head turned away from her. She was walking away, and now almost out of hearing range.

"Oh, right. Maybe after the final battle, you could tell me what you thought of me. I didn't get to hear you say it, Lubbock."

And then she was gone.

Lubbock sunk slowly into the tree trunk Najenda had sat on and was rigid for at least an hour.

The next day, it was to everyone's surprise to see the green-haired teen up early and working out with a flame in his eyes.

'If we survive the battle' was unspoken.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: One Month)

'Fuck!'

Najenda threw off her blankets and grabbed her coat. It was freezing and in the deepest part of the night, but Najenda hardly cared for those trivial factors. By the time she reached the meeting tent for strategists and generals, it was already loud with arguing voices. She stepped in and the full brunt of the loud vocals rung in her ears.

"She attacked one of our troop's camps and completely obliterated them!"

"Where was our scout? We were supposed to have a consistent update on her location and make sure she didn't outmaneuver us!"

"I don't know, that was your scouts job!"

"And it was your idea!"

All around, there were arguments similar to the one Najenda had unintentionally listened in on, and they were each equally unproductive. She'd have to take matters into her own hands.

"Generals!" Her voice carried over all the clamor, and all eyes were on her within moments. Her voice softened immensely, but it held the same value of order and command. All listened. "Update."

And so they explained the situation. The more she heard, the more her eyebrows arced downward. When they had finished reporting, she rubbed the bridge of her nose and sighed.

"Alright, stand by." She sat down. Of course Esdeath would figure out a way to work around the dance. According to the general who had her scout on duty tonight, Esdeath had managed to trick the night watch by creating a block of ice that held her reflection. Then she had managed to attack the patrol on the other side of the Capital. The size of the ice blocks in the middle of the Capital must have been enormous in order to have the illusion at the edges of the Capital walls. Just like Esdeath to find a way to deal with her craving for bloodlust. It had been a month since she had entered the fray, after all.

"We lost a Teigu and approximately two thousand men. The Empire lost none. We can't let this happen again. Inform every camp to keep their eyes out for ice reflections of Esdeath and and to double the night watch. We cannot afford to make any more mistakes like this." With that, she stood and left the tent, leaving the generals to delegate and plan for themselves.

'Fuck...this was our loss. I can only hope that no one tries to deal with our lost troops by attacking for revenge.'

As the fates would have it, she was informed the next morning that there were more losses on their side because one of the generals in the other camp had the bright idea to lead their men on the offense. Immediately after Esdeath had attacked. Even a toddler could anticipate that!

And to make matters worse, the general didn't do it for revenge, even. The fucking idiot had done it for glory! In a war! Against the Empire! She would have had the man dismissed from his position and demoted to a cook until the end of the war if he had been alive, but he and his whole garrison was demolished by Esdeath, who had completely anticipated the attack.

'That's another five thousand soldiers we cannot rely on. It's not much, but that means we have more open paths for the Empire to find a way to cross through for trade. It's still unlikely, but we cannot keep getting caught out like this or else we'll have to attack when we could have had a larger advantage.'

"Are you alright, boss?" Najenda was smoking her third cigarette, and any kind of distraction from the idiocy that was screeching like monkeys in her mind was welcome. "You seem taut," Mine said.

"So do you whenever you think you are about to tell Tatsumi how you feel," Najenda replied with an eyebrow cocked up. Mine sputtered. "Why the word 'taut'? Stiff. Stressed. Taut, though?"

"I...ah...I don't know what you're talking about," she stammered with a face that implied she knew exactly what Najenda was talking about. It's not like the tomato face gave it away, either. "Who would like Tatsumi, anyway?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe one of my cute little associates."

"Hnnngh...okay, okay! Stop teasing me about it!" Najenda just laughed at the younger girl's expense.

'Children.'

As if to make the situation all the better for her, Tatsumi rounded into view around a tent and waved when he saw Najenda and the blushing Mine. "Good morning!"

"Tatsumi! Eek...I mean...*cough* the morning is swell, thank you," Mine managed through her twisted tongue. Najenda's laughter returned with double the force, Esdeath almost in the back of her mind. Tatsumi walked over with a quizzical expression, but was otherwise in decent spirits. Both girls smiled; the grin on the boy's face behooved him much better than the frown that had set like stone on his lips a couple of months back. They were both glad the grimace had eroded for something far more natural.

"Right...the morning sure is swelling up," he replied confused, as if he wasn't in on a joke. "Was that supposed to be a riddle or something, Mine?"

"Of course!" she lied through her teeth. "And that wasn't the correct answer."

'Wow, she's really committing to digging herself into that hole, isn't she,' Najenda wondered as she enjoyed the hilarity of Mine's plight. Tatsumi kept asking her what the answer was, but the embarrassed twin-tailed pinkette refused to give in.

"Actually, Tatsumi. I wanted to ask you something."

"Huh?" The two teens put aside their idiocy for now and shifted their attention to their leader. "Does anyone from the Jaegers or Wild Hunt know who you are? Or anyone in the Empire for that matter?" Tatsumi shook his head after a minute.

"No. I think they're all dead. The last person that saw my face was Suzuka from the Four Demons, but we eliminated all of them. Last I remember, she was buried under rubble."

Najenda took in the information and played it into her plans. "Alright, I want you and Lubbock to enter the Capital the next time Esdeath tries to make a move. We'll force her to remain in combat, and you two will use that opportunity to gather information inside with the spies. Do not try to save Naruto unless the opportunity is completely in your favor!"

Tatsumi had a gigantic grin stretching across his face. Not only did he finally have an actual assignment, even if it was as small as reconnaissance, but he might also have a chance to bring back his friend.

"Yes, boss!"

She sent him on his way, and the boy was off to find Lubbock with gusto. Mine watched him run off with wariness.

"You should tell him how you feel if you don't want to take chances." The pink-haired girl bit her lower lip and squeezed her fingers between her shirt.

"I know that!" she rebutted and stormed off.

Najenda let the girl be and entered her tent, only to be welcomed by the sight of Akame and Leone. Neither side said a word as the silver-haired adult went to her bed and sat on it to face the two standing at the middle of her tent. "What's with everyone just conveniently showing up today?" she wondered aloud.

"You gave Tatsumi an assignment inside of the Capital," Akame stated, heart wrapped tightly like a ball of rubber bands. She wasn't here to toss around words back and forth. "When will we have an assignment?"

Najenda gave Leone a quick eye. The blonde seemed perfectly satisfied with leaving the talking to the katana wielder. "Well, the first group that I would want dealt with is the Jaegers, but they are too far inside the Capital and are also inside the guard. While their position near Naruto would put them at a higher priority, the spies have sighted Wave far less often, and Kurome has yet to be seen at all. The notorious group, Wild Hunt, on the other hand, would be a second priority. Perhaps when your arm is fully healed, we can talk about a mission for you," Najenda said. Akame gripped the arm under her boss' scrutiny.

"It's healed," she said. Najenda didn't even offer the kindness of a scoff.

"What's with all the lies today. When you can beat me in an arm wrestle, I'll believe it."

"...Understood."

Akame walked out quickly, but the moment she was outside, she mentally cursed her broken arm and felt the full force of the word 'useless'. The urge to puke came like waves and eventually washed away, but she retched nonetheless. She hated this gross sensation that prickled her heavy chest and stabbed viciously at her mind.

She'd...have to change it on her own.

Back at the tent, it was quiet.

Leone and her boss were alone. Najenda took the moment of peace and silence to grab a cup and pour herself some tea. It was going to be another long day, and any substance to keep her going and at full mental capacity would be grandly welcomed with a red carpet.

"She's going to be upset about that, you know?" Leone drawled.

"Oh, I'm very sure I know. Even Susanoo would have been able to handle that better. But we both are very aware of what she was thinking."

"She's gotten even stronger, boss," the blonde commented, side-stepping and steering the conversation. "She was able to beat me and Tatsumi at the same time with one arm. I was transformed, before you ask."

"And Tatsumi wasn't, right?" Leone stared at her boss with narrowed eyes, humor twinkling like stars.

"...Sometimes, I think you're way to acute to details." Najenda shrugged off the finger point and took a sip from her tea. A bit too strong for her liking, but the fuel would do her good.

"Comes with being a general."

"Somehow, I really don't think that's an automatic perk." She thought of the two mishaps recently, and also how often the generals argued and brought up some terri-fucking-ble ideas. "Yeah, your face tells me everything I needed to know. Ooh, would you like me to rub your temples. You're looking real taut there, miss."

Najenda's eyes resembled a dead fish's. "What is with the word 'taut' today?" She shook her head, muttering something that Leone picked up as 'blahblahblah I need a drink blah blah blah bloody children.' "I know you heard that, and don't give me the argument that you're only a year younger than I am again. I've heard it enough."

"Well, wouldn't have hurt to bring it up again."

"Could have fooled me. Hurts every damn time," Najenda snarked with no real bite. How she missed this side of Leone. Ever since the blonde had relaxed more, the rest of the group had found it in themselves to loosen up their 'taut' - 'fuck!' - stiffness and be more like themselves before Naruto had been captured. Of course, the blond was still on the forefront of most of their agendas, but the war came first. But Najenda was proud, to say the least. All of Night Raid was training, and pushing themselves to their limits. She couldn't believe that she had told Naruto that there wasn't much left for Akame to learn. She had limited the girl's growth, and some of the others. Now, however, they were creatively breaking boundaries and becoming more powerful in ways she couldn't have conceived. Her failure as a general and leader, but she was glad she was proven wrong in this case.

"Well, sucks to suck. I'm just a year younger than you are," Leone stated despite Najenda's disposition about the subject. She was shown the figurative door and flipped the metal handed bird. "Rude," was all she said.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: One Week)

"That was easy," Tatsumi let out. The two had just been let into the Capital through the gates. There had been a short line, and the guards at the entrance had denied many entrance. However, when they came across the pair dragging a wagon full of food and valuables, they had quickly been ushered in. It seems the siege was having a remarkable effect on the Capital.

"Shh...we need to make sure we just get a bit further in and then I can get rid of these boobs," Lubbock said. However, something caught his eyes and, looking at it with more focus, his lens returned information that compelled him to swear. "Fuck."

"They have a -"

"Yeah, I know. There's a poster."

Despite the tense situation, Tatsumi couldn't help it but to chuckle. "Guess you're stuck as being 'Lisa'."

"...Go suck a fat cock."

"No, you."

(Time Skip: One Month and Ten Days)

Akame breathed slowly and calmed her beating heart. She prepared herself mentally and wordlessly entered the zone of absolute peak control.

"Are you ready?" Najenda asked across the table. Akame opened her eyes to reveal ruby red stones. Accepting her resolve, she extended her metal arm across the table. Akame met her arm and the two hands were held together by Leone's.

"Are both participants prepared?!" she asked with excitement, having way too much with the spectacle.

"Shut up, Leone."

"I'm going to destroy you, Boss."

Leone smirked and, at light speed, let go of the hands. Suddenly, the table creaked under the two female's strength.

"Oho, not bad, Akame," Najenda complimented without a problem. Akame's arm flexed a bit more, and Najenda found herself hard pressed to support her metal arm. "Practiced some strength, have you?"

"I win," Akame called out her pre-judged victory. "Let me show you a magic trick. Boom."

Suddenly, Najenda felt her metal arm screech as Akame forced it down with ease and slammed it flush against the table. Leone looked akin to a fish gasping for air on land before she was guffawing without control.

"Huh...that's not what I expected," Najenda deflated.

"My assignment," Akame reminded immediately. The boss nodded weakly.

"...Right...I suppose you're strong enough now. When you meet up with Tatsumi and Lubbock inside the Capital, inform them that they are to take down Wild Hunt."

Thousands of chains around Akame's chest burst open and flew away with the force of a shooting star. Never had she beaten the boss in the arm wrestle before. She unconsciously had a smile that was causing Leone's heart to have a major meltdown. It was almost as cute as when Mine finally told Tatsumi her feelings when the two boys had returned for a short time from the Capital.

"Yes, boss," Akame said before walking away, the most excited smile the two had seen on her. It had more emotions than when she had delicious meat cooked by Susanoo.

Leone whistled. "You got destroyed, boss."

"Would you like to take my place?"

"No, thanks. Don't want to pretend to be an old hag."

"...You're grounded."

"Sure, grandma. Sure..."

"Go to time out."

XShuyaX

It was around when Kurome started to visit him regularly that Naruto could sense it. Somehow, he could just tell where a Teigu was located. At first, he was unsure what the little prodding at his brain was, but when his instincts told him someone entering the dungeon and Wave had greeted him not a minute later, Naruto was intrigued. The chains were doing less to stop the power of his Teigu lately. Maybe the amount of strength he had was correlated with how much color was in his combined dreams with The Founder. It was nearly one-hundred percent colored, and he was hearing whispers as of late. Considering that he was nearly powerless in the chains given to him by the Empire and weighed down by hundreds of pounds by the metal, it was still a wonder to him he could have any kind of communication with the necklace. It was a common question to wonder how powerful his Teigu really was.

There was a tug at his mind, and he looked to where the door to the dungeon's entrance would be. Wave had just left, so Kurome would be coming in soon.

As expected, Kurome had arrived and was seating herself at the chair and making herself comfortable.

"How many visits does this make this? Eight days in a row?" Naruto asked simply as a method to start the conversation.

"Nine days. You must be getting senile." A chuckle echoed about the cell.

"I suppose so," the prisoner acquiesced agreeably. The lantern burned brighter than normal, and his eyes slowly adjusted to the additional light. "Did you get a new candle? Seems a bit brighter in here."

"Must be going blind, too. I brought two lanterns."

"Oh. Can't really tell when you put one right behind the other."

"Still blind."

"...So what's up? I noticed Esdeath is back, if the gigantic force that's literally screaming in my head is anything to go by. And someone else just arrived as well."

Kurome resisted the urge to grab her sword and stab him. He was a prisoner, and just because he knew that information somehow didn't mean he could do anything with it. Besides, she was starting to warm up to him and beginning to understand why Wave liked the guy...even if he was from Night Raid.

"Yeah, she returned. Has she paid you a visit?" A shake of denial. Relief flushed through her before she could stop her emotions from relaying her feelings. When she saw Naruto's eyes, it glimmered with understanding. He had seen the flicker of emotion somehow, that fucking wild enigma.

"Wave brought me food, by the way," he told her.

'And there he goes again, changing the conversation when he knows I'd be uncomfortable. I really wish he wasn't so good at social interaction sometimes. It'd give me an excuse to kill him.' Not that she really meant to do harm to him, but at least to just scratch him a little bit.

"Was it a slice of cake?"

"No, he gives those to you." She 'hmph'd in approval. Wave knew his place. She pulled out a piece of candy laced with the drugs used to keep her sane and functional. She hated her reliance on the drugs, but it kept away the seizures and the nightmares, and also her dark thoughts of the past and her need to kill something. "Hey, can I have some of that candy?"

"No," she snapped harshly without thinking. Mentally chiding herself, she apologized mentally to the teen across the bars. He already had an expression that was melancholic, as if he knew exactly what the candy really was and was trying to help her. "Why do you always look like you know way more than you should know? It's really eerie."

"I'm an assassin. I'm meant to be able to read people's tells and what makes them tick," he responded, reminding her of why he was their prisoner in the first place. The most dangerous prisoner in the Capital to date. She hesitated, but decided to trust her gut. If she didn't ask, then she may never know.

"My sister...what made her tick?" she asked with her eyes shut tight. Even then, she could imagine the boy's wistful smile and his heart reaching out to her, as if to comfort her. 'It's alright to ask, and it's totally normal to want to know about your sibling' his expression would tell her. Hell, her eyes were closed, weren't they? Why could she still see his knowing face.

"She liked meat. She also was pretty good at fishing, but I'm better, believe it or not. Not only that but, did you know your sister likes some weird fucking stuff? There was one time where..." The younger sister kept her eyes closed, but she eased the tightness a little bit as Naruto continued to talk about her older sister. Soon enough, she had relaxed and opened her eyes and never left the 's gaze. The two of them were completely content to just be in each other's presence. Unconsciously, Kurome was at ease like every other time she came to talk to him, and like after every other visit, she would chastise herself for being so easily pulled in by Naruto.

When he stopped talking, she didn't even realize it for a few seconds. "You really knew my sister well...I wish I knew her the way you did."

"I'm sure she wishes for the same," he said unflinchingly, as if he knew.

"Thank y-"

"Draw your sword," Naruto interrupted, all kindness in his eyes gone, as if the winter had sniffed it out. Kurome pulled out her blade without even questioning. Naruto never interrupted. She wasn't sure why she actually listened to him, but her body had followed his words without a question. A few seconds after her blade sung in the air, the door to the dungeon open.

"Someone's already in here. Is it the bitch, or the fucker that dared to punch my face?"

Syura, she recognized that voice. That pretentiousness could only belong to the Prime Minister's son. Soon enough, his face was visible with the help of the flickering lanterns. There was a smile, but it was grotesque and there was a promise of harm.

"The bitch," he said. "Shame, I was really hoping for the fucker from the ocean town that no one really gives a fuck about."

Kurome didn't rise to the bait, but her heart was starting to race when Syura kept throwing insults. She really wish she had eaten her candy before Naruto had interrupted her. Her emotions were starting to fray, and the person in front of her was quite possibly the very worst asshole to deal with in the world.

"What do you want?" Kurome asked, cutting off the man child. The prime minister's son did not take well to that. No, he did not. The smile slipped off his face like an illusion, and all that was left was lethal anger.

"Your head. It would definitely be a sign to your little partner that gives the tiniest fuck about you. Maybe he would even come after me and then lose his unimportant head as well."

Kurome swore that she was about to lose it.

"You would threaten a member of a group created specifically by Esdeath...when she returned...and then talk about importance as if you held more weight than the wrinkle on my asshole? You're an interesting piece of shit," Naruto commented.

For a moment, it was like the world went still. When it record scratched back into movement, Kurome was almost shaking in laughter. Naruto never insulted anyone in the past month, regardless of the stories Wave and Kurome told her. For him to do so when she was almost about to flip out and in front of the fucking Prime Minister's son himself made it so much sweeter. Fuck the candy, this took the icing on the cake, not literally.

Of course, Syura did not take to this kindly if the aggressive stance he had taken was any indicator. "You fucking dare to -"

"Oooh, what's the big boy going to do? Ram his head into the bar cells and then lose a couple million brain cells?" Naruto goaded. "Shame, that. Not much to lose already, so I'm afraid your plan was doomed to fail before you even started. Oh, wait. You'll use your Imperial Arms to portal into my cell, and you'll let me literally make you into a piece of shit! Didn't know you were that kinky."

"I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

"...Orange is the safe word."

"I'M GOING TO -"

"Orange."

"-OBLITERATE YOU AND -"

"Orrraaaange."

"-DESTROY ANY CHANCE YOU HAVE FOR PROCREATION -"

"No, you."

The prime minister's son, in his rage, was almost frothing at the mouth as he continued to threaten the ashen-haired teen. Kurome had to seriously resist the urge to slice his neck. She looked to Naruto, who had met her eyes at the same time and then flicked his eyes to the right for a fraction of a quarter-second.

'Someone else is here. Not that I didn't know, but the thought is appreciated. It's the Alchemist hiding somewhere in the dark.'

Before she felt it, she saw Naruto's eyes suddenly widen in alarm.

"Who is threatening to start a battle in the dungeon near the Emperor?" All inside the room felt the hair in the back of their necks tingle and rise from the electrical discharge. They heard the footsteps first, heavy and steady. The armor on the man must have been quite heavy, considering how much noise it made. He must have known how intimidating the armor must have been and imposing a figure he created, considering how loud the armor was. Not only that, but an absurd amount of confidence in himself as well, as if his very presence changed the tide of battle and morale.

"Lightning Geezer," Syura spat out rudely, belying the fact he respected the strength of the approaching man.

'Great General Budou,' Kurome realized.

Naruto and Dorothea remained silent.

Finally, the man came into view through the weak light, and Kurome then came to realize how tall the second most powerful, but most respected general in the Capital, was. He towered over her and was a full head above Syura. The man caught her unsheathed blade and she was immediately on the receiving end of his glare. She quickly sheathed her weapon, but she didn't let go of the handle.

It was deadly silent in the room. Budo continued his inspection until it stopped at Naruto. He gave him a quick once-over, and then approached the cell.

"Are you Naruto?" He asked, looking down on the chained, sitting boy, who absolutely reeked. "The owner of The Founder?"

"...I am," Naruto said. He didn't break eye contact, his own indomitable will clashing with Budou's own. The man grimaced slightly (probably from the smell), and looked at the corner of the cell where he could tell was probably where the prisoner took his shits.

"How long have you had those clothes?"

Naruto was taken quite a bit aback, as were the rest of the occupants in the dungeon. "Nearly...well, since I've been imprisoned."

"Four months, approximately," Kurome answered for him.

"When's the last you've been washed?" Budou was already onto the next question.

"About half that, since the doctors stopped checking on me and removing the blood." Naruto replied.

"They...cleaned you and performed experiments, and then put those rags on you afterwards...and put you right back in the dungeon?"

"Well, they actually did all of the experiments in this dungeon. And washed me every once in a while..."

"..."

Somehow, Dorothea couldn't help but facepalm audibly. Doctors...ridiculous.

"The last meal you've had, insurgent?" Budou pressed on, the slightest intonation of incredulous disbelief echoing in his deep tenor. Somehow, Dorothea and Kurome couldn't even blame the Empire loyalist.

"The last time I've gotten food from the Empire was in the middle of when the doctor's started visiting and stopped visiting."

"Approximately two and a half months ago," Kurome supplied, filling in the blanks for Naruto again.

"I see...So what I'm hearing is that they performed experiments in the dungeon, in a location they never cleaned after for any human waste, neither provided clean clothes to the lone prisoner in the most heavily guarded location in the Capital due to threat, and then provided no food as well, and came out with the result that his blood was impossible to use and that all experiments came out as useless." Somehow, even Budou's incredulity was reaching through Syura's skull.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I know you're an insurgent and a part of Night Raid, but even this is beyond what I'd imagine was possible for an uneducated group of children that called themselves doctors. Even Esdeath keeps her torture chambers clean. I'll deal with every doctor that had a hand in this."

"...Thank you?"

"You're welcome," the righteous general said. Despite the fact that he was on the enemy side, Naruto quickly came to realize that the general had a set of moral codes that he followed. He may despise Naruto and treat him as a dangerous villain, but there were still some things that had to be followed for basic human rights. The most basic of basic human rights. "Someone get the key. I'd rather not blow this place up. We're moving the prisoner." Someone outside the door went to fulfill the command. "Also, Kurome, is it?" The girl nodded abruptly, not having expected to be addressed directly. "Go tell the cooks to make some food."

Syura suddenly found it in himself to speak out. He pushed out his chest to the general he begrudgingly held respect for and said, "Sir, I don't think that's a goo-"

Budou didn't even deign to glance in his general direction. "You're right. You go to your cook and get the best food you can command with your power as the Prime Minister's son." When Syura made no stance to move, only then did Budou slowly turn his attention. "Were my orders confusing? Did they get lost somehow in the five feet of filthy air between my lips and your ears? I was under the assumption that you enjoyed stating your lineage and using the power that came with it. Now go and use it for some good, for once in your short, miserable life."

His words came out slowly and in such a deep voice, he may as well have talked about murder and it would have boosted the morale of all of his soldiers and also made women swoon. Oh wait, he already did do the former. And probably the latter as well.

"Ah, yes, sir," Syura said, his voice a few pitches higher than normal. He was making to leave, but the General stopped him with a different look.

"General."

"Yes, general." The general turned away and turned back to Naruto. Syura, free from the General's spell, exited quickly, and Dorothea soon followed after. When the three were alone in the dungeon, silence reigned supreme for a good minute.

"Do you usually sit on that chair?" the man asked. Kurome's mind whirled to life.

"Ah, yes, si - general." He nodded approvingly. "I and my partner come here often and visit the prisoner."

"Does anyone else?"

"No, general."

"I see...you may sit." It was an order disguised as a suggestion. Kurome carefully placed her weapon in front of her and sat on the wooden chair. "I used to come here when I was younger to visit the prisoners as well. It gave me an idea of the way people thought, and it helped me understand the way I thought as a result as well. A counter product of my own reason, if you will." He looked around. "It used to be clean and properly taken care of, too. Prisoners of the Empire are always taken for a reason. Usually, it was because they threatened some aspect of the Empire, or even the very Emperor himself. In this case, I am to understand that this prisoner could have been pivotal in destroying the entire Empire if he had been utilized properly." There was a pregnant pause. "But, here he is, hardly a threat, with no Night Raid to the rescue, but also without a human contact other than the malicious ones of a sadistic general, incompetent doctors, and then two souls under the direct orders of aforementioned sadistic general. For. Four. Months. "

Neither the prisoner nor the child soldier dared to say a word.

"I may be an enemy to you, and I look at you as a possible threat as well, but even I have limits, child. The Empire has done their best to break you, and they have failed, or you pushed past the ordeal. For that, I commend you. I do not give my respect freely, so take it with honor."

"Thank you," Naruto said, knowing this was a moment to speak. "I accept the words of my enemy humbly."

Budou nodded. "The keys are coming."

XShuyaX

Despite how awkward the shower was with Budou in the same room to make sure that he didn't try anything funny, Naruto was far more relieved to finally be clean and to wash away the filth with no chains that weighed nearly three hundred pounds wrapped around his body. Well, other than the ones that reduced his Teigu to practically nothing. But otherwise, no chains. Also, it answered the question of hair color: it was completely white when the dirt had come off.

He could smell how fresh the air was, how the grass smelled. His eyes could see how amazing natural light was. How incredible fresh, clean clothes felt against his skin. And finally, how fantastic properly cooked food tasted. He was salivating before he even saw the dish.

Kurome, Wave, Naruto, Syura, General Esdeath, and General Budou all were in a singular room. The prisoner and the two general were sitting at the table, whereas the Jaegers stood at the end of the room and Syura brought in the food by himself. Wave almost snickered at the extremely irritated and disgruntled face that the Prime Minister's son had with each trip. However, the fact that the great general was present in the same room as he was, and that the general 'what the fuck' factor was through the roof, made him remain oddly silent.

"Eat."

Naruto didn't need to be told twice.

For a bit, the only sounds was the famished assassin ravaging the dishes that Syura had brought in. Roasted chicken cured with honey and topped with seasoning and spice, delicious lamb that had been slowly spun for nearly eight hours, along with creamy mashed potatoes created by the most expensive of butter and cheese. Dishes of equal quality kept on coming, and Naruto, his stomach surprisingly adaptable to the large amount of food present in the room, kept on eating.

Esdeath leaned towards Budou. "I understand where you are coming from, General. And I'll admit that you are one of the few people I dare say that I respect when it comes to strength." Her eyes glided over to the elephant in the room. "But this is a mistake."

"He has the chains that reduce his strength and allows him almost negligible access to his Teigu. He's heavily guarded day and night. He had spent four months as a prisoner and no one was able to break him. And your doctors came with pitiful results due to their own mistakes." At Esdeath's slight change in expression, Budou persisted. "No cleanliness, zero care for the prisoner, no food given to the patient. Is it any wonder that it was found that his blood was considered poisonous if the only reason he was alive was because his Teigu was doing it for him, and only six people in history, including himself, was able to wield it?"

"...Go on."

"I would like to genuinely understand what happened. I don't care that you tortured him; he was a prisoner. But afterwards, why did no one even attempt to research about his Teigu? We have incomplete information on it. How it created the Imperial Arms is completely lost to history. This is what I returned to today. Incompetence. Absolute failure. An additional smirch on the Capital's leadership, and for once I cannot blame Honest. Don't tell me that it wasn't safe and -"

"It wasn't safe," Esdeath coolly said. General Budou seemed to be trying his best to reign in his temper and not destroy the table.

"...We have...two of the most powerful generals in our current generation in the same room as the owner of The Founder, the first in centuries. He is severely weakened and handicapped. Even if Night Raid came, it would practically be a suicide mission this deep into the Capital."

Naruto, who was eating quite avidly, was now keenly listening into the conversation. So were the others that weren't included in the talking. And to be frank, it certainly didn't seem to make much sense why Naruto was chained for so long.

"I don't care that he was detained, but at least do it right!" Budou slammed his fist against the table 'lightly'. Half of the food fell to the ground. The older general glanced at the dirtied floor and then glared at Syura. "Clean it and get more food."

Five minutes of silence as Syura brushed the floor with a broom and then brought more food for the prisoner. Kurome smirked, and Wave stuck his tongue out. Syura raised a fist and received Budou's ire for it.

"Leave. You are dismissed," he told him curtly. Syura growled, gaining some back again.

"My father will hear of this!" he yelled.

"But your mother will not." Everyone in the room flinched; no one knew who is mother was. Budou really didn't hold back on his words. "And soon, your father won't hear words at all once the Empire wins this war. Now leave. I tire of your presence."

Kurome, Wave, and Naruto felt their unconscious respect for the man rise significantly after that event.

When Syura had left, Budou leaned forward, all business. "Do you really believe that this prisoner thinks fighting two generals, your handpicked soldiers, the rest of the Empire's troops, filled with other Imperial Arms users...without his own...is really that dangerous?"

Esdeath paused, thinking for a way to say her words, but even she was stumped. "He's dangerous," was all she could say, with as much seriousness as she could. It wasn't enough.

"He's dangerous with the chains off. He's hardly a threat to the majority near the center of the Capital with it on. Especially without a weapon."

Kurome and Wave looked at each other for a moment, a thought shared in their minds.

'Is Budou...'

'No way...'

"He will be under my eyes from this moment forth."

Esdeath almost jumped to her feet and pulled out her rapier as her first response. The one she gave, however, was a calm, collected smile that showed absolute frostiness.

"Of course. Just don't expect me to do anything for your body when you end up in Hell."

"I never expected it in the first place."

Naruto just stared discreetly at his food, refusing to look up. He could almost imagine the lightning cackling between the two's eyes.

'What the fuck?' was all the white-haired teen could say.

Kurome and Wave, to their absolute confusion, felt slight happiness that the prisoner would no longer be in the shit-stained dungeon. Those were traitorous thoughts and feelings...

Chapter End.

A/N: Thanks for reading the chapter. If you liked it, please R&R! If not, critiques are always welcome.

I'm posting this again without editing. It kinda just came out and I think it's an alright chapter. Not entirely in the direction I wanted, but it just ended up this way.

Again, please review.

KenzoXShuyita,

Peacing Out!