Author's Note – First, I would like to address some concerns,
1. For those of you who are asking why Kurama's seal hasn't broken down yet, or why Naruto isn't dead due to lack of chakra. The answer is that chakra is still circulating inside his body, the world is just suppressing him so much that he can't utilize it. 0 Jordinio 0 is right, comparing him to Lee is probably the most accurate explanation.
2. 0 Jordinio 0, the problem with your comment…is that you're completely right. Well, mostly. He can't take in Nature energy since the world is actively suppressing him, and while he did have the option to train like Lee, he simply didn't because he thought that this world didn't require combat abilities and that when Sasuke came to rescue him and brought him back, he would get all his old abilities back. Other than that, it's true, I wanted Naruto to face overwhelming opponents with barely any skills in his arsenal to keep him pressured and constantly in danger. Kind of like canon Naruto. Almost every major enemy he's faced has been overwhelmingly powerful, and the only way that he's been able to defeat them is through surprising strategies, allied help, or both. I wanted to try and capture that very same feel. So basically yeah, in short, I nerfed him so that he doesn't just murder stomp everyone.
"Naruto, we should go on the offensive," Saber suggested as the duo walked home.
Naruto grinned, but otherwise kept silent. He almost looked like a child who was barely keeping himself from letting slip an exciting secret.
"Naruto?" Saber called out curiously.
Naruto's response was an entertained snigger.
Naruto locked the door behind him as he took off his shoes and looked around, "Saber, check the house for any familiars," he asked in an amused tone.
Saber was confused with her Master's order but decided to trust his judgement and did as she was told. She might not have been perfect for this job, but her Master couldn't even sense magic apparently, so the job fell to her.
After thoroughly scanning the house, she walked into the living room to find Naruto relaxing at the table, leisurely eating a cup of ramen.
She felt her eye twitch, 'At least help, you lazy bastard.'
"Ah, Saber! What did you find?" Naruto asked excitedly as he straightened his back.
"Nothing. It seems your suspicions were incorrect, Naruto," Saber reported.
"Nah, it's just as I thought," Naruto casually denied, "I just wanted you to check in case I was wrong."
"What do you mean?" Saber asked.
"Right!" Naruto said, noisily slurping his ramen, "Sit down, then I'll explain everything."
"…Very well," Saber complied, sitting opposite of him on the table.
As soon as she sat down, Naruto gulped down the rest of his broth and spoke up, "So, Saber, how many more times do you think you can fight without receiving additional mana from me?"
Saber took a moment to judge her reserves before she said, "I should be able to fight at optimal efficiency for six more battles."
Naruto's eyes widened a bit, "Oh? Our situation's better than I expected."
Saber gave him a small smile, "Yes," she agreed.
"What about your Noble Phantasm?" Naruto asked.
Saber expression tightened, "I believe it is best if I do not reveal exactly how much energy my Noble Phantasm takes. It is the same situation with my true name; if I reveal it to you, then any decent magus will be able to read your mind and gain a large advantage over us."
Naruto gaped, "That's what you were worried about? I thought you didn't tell me because Rin was there!"
Saber nodded, "That too, but this is the main reason."
Naruto chuckled, "Don't worry about that," he reassured, "I can't use magic, but reading my mind is absolutely impossible. My mind is always protected by a rabbit-eared guardian angel."
'Brat, I…will…MURDER YOU!' Kurama roared.
Naruto made a face of pure bliss, "Oops, sounds like I made it mad."
Saber raised an eyebrow, "What?' She deadpanned.
Naruto casually waved a hand in front of his face, "It doesn't matter," he dismissed, "Basically, even if you tell me your true name or Noble Phantasm, no one will be able to read my mind and find out."
Saber debated the pros and cons of revealing her true name for a few moments before she stood up, put a hand on her chest and introduced herself in a grandiose manner, "My name is Artoria Pendragon, The Once and Future King, also known as the King of Knights."
Naruto gave her gentle smile as he too stood up and offered his hand, "Pleased to meet you, Artoria-san."
Saber stared at the hand in mild surprise before she realized that based on her Master's previous actions, this wasn't actually that surprising at all, "Yes, it is a pleasure to meet you Uzumaki Emiya Naruto," she said with a small smile, shaking his hand.
"Now that we have introductions settled, let's get to work," Naruto said.
"I concur," Saber agreed succinctly, "Please tell me the plan you have prepared for this war."
Naruto put his head on the table and cushioned it with his arms, "Alright, let's start with what you said while we were walking back home," he started, "You said that we should go on the offensive, correct?"
Saber gave a firm nod, "Yes, and I still stand by my suggestion."
"Yeah, well, the problem with that plan is that we're kinda already on the defensive," Naruto said.
"What!?" Saber asked, surprised.
Naruto waved his hands carelessly, "Don't worry, it's part of the plan."
Saber sighed, "Naruto, please explain everything thoroughly, without leaving out any of the details."
Naruto brought his hands together in a resounding 'CLAP' and started his explanation, "Okay, so first of all, we have to acknowledge the fact that while Fuyuki isn't the largest city in the world, it's still pretty big. Blindly searching for the other six Masters is likely not gonna get us any results. So, what do we do?"
Saber responded with a glare, "Please do not extend this discussion with pointless questions. You have already planned all of this out, so please just explain what strategy you have employed."
Naruto pouted, "Fine, take out all the fun from this," he whined, "I was doing such a great Shikamaru impression too…"
"Naruto," Saber warned.
Naruto raised up his hands in a placating manner, "Right, right, anyway yeah, where were we?"
"You were going to explain how we were going to find the other Masters," Saber replied.
"Right! So, if we're having this problem, then that means they're having this problem too, right? No matter how amazing a magus you are, if you don't even know your targets, then how do you expect to find them?" Naruto asked rhetorically.
"True," Saber admitted.
"Anyway, so if we let our hideout's location slip, then we can expect our enemies to attack us, right? That way, we don't have to find them and they'll simply come to us!" Naruto explained.
"So we are to use ourselves as bait then? It is a viable strategy, but I don't see how you can advertise our location without letting the enemy know that this is a trap," Saber said.
"Huh? Oh that? That's already done," Naruto announced casually.
"Already done? You've already laid the bait? How?" Saber asked, confused and more than a little surprised.
It made little sense after all, Naruto couldn't use magic and he simply hadn't had the time to employ any ideas that he might have had.
So how was it that he'd already laid the bait?
"I didn't, you did," Naruto corrected, "Think about it. There are seven Masters in this Holy Grail War. At least one of them has to be decent magus. After all, this ritual is a fight to the death between mages. Not all of them will share my special circumstance."
"And?" Saber prodded.
"Well, the amount of mana you guys were throwing around down in that cemetery must have attracted someone's attention. I bet all the competent Masters sensed that fight. There's no doubt that at least one of those Masters sent a familiar to investigate," Naruto clarified, "Berserker's attack came at a perfect time."
"Is that why you did not say anything when I suggested we go on the offensive?" Saber asked.
Naruto nodded, "Yep. I didn't want any familiars following us to hear my plan. Now that they think that they managed to find our hideout without us finding out about it, they'll attack us when they think we're most vulnerable. Namely, when we're sleeping."
Saber was still a little confused, "So why did I find no familiars lurking around the house or inside it?" She asked, "You said that you expected that, that means you know the reason, correct?"
Naruto eyes lit up with dangerous glee; commonly known as the 'Oh shit, take cover! Naruto's about to prank the hell out of someone!' look, in Konoha.
"The familiars followed us back to our hideout to discover our location, but they don't want to risk us finding out. If we find out, then we'll prepare traps and get ready for an attack, which will make their task a lot harder for them," Naruto explained, "Simply put, there's no way they'll take such a huge gamble just on the off chance that they'll catch a little bit of more info. It's just not worth it,"
"I see. Yes, that makes sense and your plan could work," Saber agreed.
"Our main advantage is that you're a pretty strong Servant. Most Servants would probably lose against you," Naruto evaluated, "Our main weakness, on the other hand, is the fact that I can't give you any mana unless I use up a Command Seal. It makes things a little difficult, but I probably only need to save up two for mana while I can use the last one for emergencies. It actually all depends on how much mana your Noble Phantasm takes."
Saber looked down at the table, "…One use from my Noble Phantasm takes up almost everything stored up in my reserves," she confided.
"…Shit. That means I can't use a single Command Seal for anything other than restoring your mana," Naruto said.
"yes, that would be wise," Saber said.
Naruto sighed, "Anyway, every time we go to sleep, we should loosely tie a string around our wrists and connect them to the them to each other's string, so that if something happens then the other person will know immediately and the enemy won't find out since the loosely tied string will easily come off."
Saber cocked her head, "Why is that necessary? I shall sleep in your room."
Naruto nodded absentmindedly, "Yeah that makes sen- wait what!?"
Saber cocked her head in confusion again, "Is there a problem?"
"Yeah there's a problem! It's weird! Guys don't sleep with girls unless they're at least intimate!" Naruto exclaimed.
'…Or unless we were on a mission in the Elemental Nations, but there's no way I'm telling her that; she'll just use that point against me,' he continued in his mind.
Saber frowned, "Naruto, you are- "
Naruto put up a hand to stop her, "Besides, if you sleep beside me, then enemies won't take the bait. There's two possible things the enemy will do,"
He brought up his index finger, "One: the enemy will try to kill me. If that happens, my guardian angel will instantly wake me up and I'll at least be able to survive until you arrive to back me up."
He brought up his middle finger to join his index finger, "Two: the enemy will try to capture me to learn all the info I have and then kill me."
He grinned viciously, "Capture is the option we want them to choose; if they capture me, then we will get the location of their hideout, which will give us a massive advantage."
"How? Isn't it better to fight them in familiar terrain?" Saber questioned.
"If we want to kill them, then yeah," Naruto agreed, "That's not what we want though; we just want to know where they live."
"Why? It would be much wiser to simply defeat our enemies," Saber said.
Naruto sighed, "Simply killing the enemy sounds better, but it's actually not. Look, if we know where their hideout is, then we can act rather than react. We can create a plan of attack, we can make alliances and attack together, we can trade our info to get new info, or we can also let the info slip and let the other Masters and Servants do the work. It's a much more advantageous course of action overall. So if the enemy abducts me, then wait a bit and then come rescue me."
"If the enemy knows that we know their hideout's location, then won't they set traps and expect us? This will make our work much harder for us, won't it?" Saber pointed out.
Naruto chuckled, "Heh, do you really think that the enemy can put traps on every single entrance? No matter what someone does to protect all the entrances to their home, there's always a way in. Plus, the amount of pressure we'll put on them just by them knowing that we could attack any time gives us a huge advantage."
Saber reviewed his plan, "hmmm…"
Naruto shrugged, "Besides, worst-case-scenario, they leave and find a new hideout. Even at the end of that scenario, we gain a new back up hideout!"
Saber froze as a thought flashed into her mind, "...Naruto, that situation you described, isn't that the exactly same situation we are in? Our enemies know the location of our hideout and there's simply no way for us to set a trap on all the ways in."
Naruto nodded, "Yep! Now you know what a giant gamble we're taking. We're using a plan that puts us at a disadvantage to find our enemies. The only difference is that no one is expecting us to prepare a counter-attack."
Saber sighed despondently, "I…see," she raised her head with fire in her eyes, "Naruto, I cannot allow you to be purposefully captured. This plan of yours is efficient, but puts you too much in harm's way. I cannot agree to it."
Naruto waved his hand carelessly and gave her gentle smile, "I'll be fine, and I know that I won't die. A hero always arrives at the last minute, and you're an ancient hero aren't you? I have faith that you'll arrive just in time to save me."
Saber's cheeks tinged red for a second, but she managed to wrestle it under her control just as fast, "V-very well, I shall not fail you. That is my vow, the King of Knight's vow."
Naruto closed his eyes and unleashed a bright smile, "Thank you."
They talked a little more, mainly about the details of Saber's Noble Phantasm, before they decided to call it a day and went to sleep. Saber insisted on sleeping in the room directly adjacent to her Master's, and Naruto honestly had no reason to object.
As they set up the futons, Saber, now dressed in a white shirt adorned with a blue ribbon, over a blue skirt and black stockings, spoke up to voice a concern that had been floating around in her mind for some time now, "Naruto, this plan of yours makes sense, but it is all based on the assumption that at least one Master noticed the battle between Berserker and me, consequently decided to send a familiar to tail us, and found our hideout."
Naruto raised a brow as he adjusted his favorite froggy pajamas (he'd started cheering like a lunatic when he'd finally been able to find pajamas with a design extremely similar to the one he'd used in the Elemental Nations), "And?" He prompted.
"As good as this plan is, it is still just based on an assumption. What if that assumption turns out to be wrong?" Saber asked.
"If no one attacks us after a few days, then we'll think up new plan. Simple," Naruto said.
Saber shook her head, "We will simply end up wasting a lot of time like that."
"Exactly. This gamble is a lot larger than you think. It's not just about betting our lives, it's also about betting our advantage and time," Naruto explained.
Saber frowned, "I do not think that making such a large bet is wise…"
Naruto shrugged, "Too late for that. let's just hope this gamble pays off."
Saber furrowed her brow but did not complain any further, "Very well, good night, Naruto."
Naruto watched her get into her futon out of the corner of his eye before he walked into his own room and responded warmly, "Yeah, good night, Saber."
Ring, Ring!
Click.
"Hello, Emiya residence," Naruto asked tiredly.
"Naruto!" Fujimura's cheerful voice called out, "Good to hear that you're actually awake by ten o' clock. I'm glad that you're getting over your bad habit of sleeping in on the Sundays."
"Yeah, it's great," Naruto sarcastically agreed, "Unfortunately I'm making lunch, so I can't really talk right now. Good-b-"
"WAIT!" The brash teacher called out.
"OW! TAKE IT EASY WITH THE YELLING, LADY!" Naruto admonished, holding out the phone in front of him to prevent further ear damage.
"WHO THE HELL'S YELLING NOW, HUH PUNK? DO YOU WANT YOUR ABSOLUTELY, DROP-DEAD SEXY TEACHER TO DIE?" Fujimura yelled right back.
"SEXY!? WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? IS IT HIRATSUKA-SENSEI? IT'S HIRATSUKA-SENSEI, RIGHT? IT'S GOTTA BE HIRATSUKA-SENSEI!"
"Y-YOU BRAT! I'M A THOUSAND TIMES SEXIER THAN HER AND YOU KNOW IT!"
"Pfft. Yeah, right," Naruto sarcastically said.
"WAAAAHHHH," Taiga cried dramatically, "NARUTO DOESN'T LOVE ME ANYMORE!"
Naruto sighed, "Fine, fine. Whatever, I'm sorry. Happy?"
"Of course! I knew I was a thousand times sexier than Hiratsuka-sensei!" Fujimura stated, satisfied.
Naruto face-palmed,' Wow, she bounced back fast,' he thought as he said, "I wasn't apologizing for the sexiness comment, y'know? I still stand by what I said; Hiratsuka-sensei is a lot sexier than you."
"Kuh!" He could almost see her grabbing her heart in an overly dramatic manner, "D-damn it! I won't lose!"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Naruto brushed off uncaringly, "More importantly, what did you call me for?"
"Oh right!" Fujimura exclaimed, finally getting back on track, "Naruto, I forgot to bring lunch, can you please make and bring me some?"
Naruto's response was delivered clearly and without hesitation, "No."
"W-wait! What do you mean no!?" Fujimura hysterically asked.
"No means no; I'm busy," Naruto explained in a dull tone.
"Pleeeeease!" Fujimura begged, "I'm sooo hungry! I need food!"
Naruto listened to Fujimura's pleas devolve into incoherent babbling for a few seconds before he sighed, "Fine. Wait for me, I'll be there in around twenty minutes. I've already started making lunch."
"Yay!" Fujimura cheered, "Thank you Naru-chan! I knew I could count on you!"
She then proceeded to cut the phone.
Naruto put the phone back in its rightful place and sighed again,
'Leave it to Fuji-nee to inconvenience me like this.'
Even though he kept complaining about her troublesome habits, he couldn't stop the small smile from creeping up onto his face.
'Well, I've got no choice now. Let's just get this over with,' Naruto motivated himself.
"Saber, no one is going to attack me in broad daylight," Naruto tried to explain.
"Even so, it is my duty to protect you. I cannot let you wander alone outside," Saber said.
Naruto's eye twitched, but he didn't argue any further, "Fine, let's get going. I don't think Fuji-nee's going to be able to handle waiting any longer."
Saber smiled in satisfaction, "I'm glad you understand."
The walk to Homurahara academy was spent in comfortable silence. Nothing out of the ordinary really happened other than Saber acting a bit suspiciously in her overbearing vigilance against possible enemy threats.
"Welcome to my school, Homurahara academy," Naruto faux grandiosely introduced, "The Archery dojo is this way," he said, leading her.
"Naruto, I sense a large amount of lingering magical energy here," Saber informed.
"Is there anything dangerous about it? Can you tell why it's here?" Naruto asked.
Saber shook her head, "No. Although I do believe this magical energy might be Rin's. She is a powerful magus; no matter how much she may try to hide her magical energy, some will naturally flow out."
"I see," Naruto said, putting a hand on his chin,
'Wait a second. Why didn't you tell me about this before, Kurama?'
'…Hmph.'
'…Really? Is this about the "rabbit ears" thing? Are you still angry about that?' Naruto asked incredulously.
'I'm not saying anything until you apologize,' Kurama said.
'…Seriously? You're freaking centuries old! Get a grip, you goddamn fox!' Naruto exclaimed.
'Hmph. No apology, no information,' Kurama huffed.
Naruto glared at the ground in front of him, 'Tch, fine. I'm sorry I said that you had rabbit ears. Happy?'
'Heh, I'll take it,' Kurama accepted with a satisfied grin.
'Now, this energy signature, why didn't you mention it?'
'Because it didn't exist before today,' Kurama answered, 'Or to be more specific, there was lot less lingering magical energy before today. That magical energy was probably that Rin brat's. Now though, something new has appeared.'
Naruto's glared at the school building as his eyes glowed with frightening intensity, 'If this new thing turns out to be dangerous to the innocent people in this school, then…'
Saber glanced at her Master out of the corner of her eye and barely suppressed the urge to shiver, 'This boy… he doesn't know magic and his combat ability is probably nothing to boast about, so why is it that he looks so… terrifying?'
"Here we are," Naruto announced, his features brightening up.
Saber nodded to show that he heard him but did not say anything.
"I'll be eating lunch inside, so go ahead and explore the school as much as you want," Naruto told Saber as he slid open the door and stepped inside.
"Yo, Mitsuzuri," he greeted as the brown haired girl arrived at the entrance to investigate who had arrived.
"Ah, hello, Uzumaki-kun. I assume you've brought Fujimura-sensei's lunch?" She guessed.
"Yep!" Naruto confirmed cheerfully, "Is she waiting inside?"
"Yeah," Mitsuzuri answered, sighing, "Seriously, get some food in her as fast as you can. All she's been doing for the past twenty minutes, is create chaos."
Naruto face-palmed, "That sounds like her alright."
He started walking inside but was stopped by the captain of the Archery club,
"By the way, Uzumaki-kun, who is that blonde beauty outside? Your girlfriend?"
"Please don't make weird jokes like that," Naruto asked in a dull voice, "She's just a friend who came to visit from overseas."
Mitsuzuri nodded, "I see. How boring," she complained, "Well whatever, hurry up and feed Fujimura-sensei before she ends up destroying the dojo."
"Sure, sure," Naruto said as he walked past her.
"Oh, Senpai? Why are you here?" Sakura asked in a surprised tone as he walked inside, "Could it be that you…?"
"Yeah, I'm here to give Fuji-nee her lunch," Naruto said.
"O-oh, I see," Sakura said in a disappointed tone.
"I brought enough for the three of us so let's eat together," Naruto suggested.
Sakura smiled cheerfully, "Y-yes Senpai! That sounds like a great idea!"
'Whoo!" Fujimura cheered, "Now that I'm full, I can finally concentrate again!"
"Oi, Fuji-nee, I'm not your personal delivery boy," Naruto said in a flat voice, "I won't bring you lunch again if you forget it the next time."
"Tch, we'll see about that," Fujimura challenged.
"Eh? Why are you making it your goal to convince me to bring you lunch the next time you forget? Shouldn't you make it your goal to try and not forget your lunch in the first place?" Naruto asked exasperatedly.
"Heh, heh, heh," Fujimura chuckled evilly.
"…"
"Anyway," Naruto started as he stood up and dusted his pants, "I gotta get going for now. I'll meet you guys at the front gate once you guys are done, don't forget to bring the bento."
"Aye, aye!" Fujimura saluted as she ran off to direct her students
"Sorry for making you wait, Senpai," Sakura apologized, "If you want, you can go home right now. You don't have to wait for us."
"Nah," Naruto said, waving off her concern, "I actually have some business left in school, so Fuji-nee calling me was pretty convenient. Don't tell her that though."
"I see. Good luck with your work then, Senpai," Sakura politely said, slightly bowing her head.
"Yep, thanks. Have fun with your archery," Naruto answered before he headed for the exit.
He walked out the door and closed it behind him.
'Now, where did Saber go?'
Saber examined the man in the green suit and glasses in front of her. The man had no magic leaking out of him, nor did he have any weapons to indicate that he was a fighter.
Nonetheless, this man put her on guard.
Perhaps it was his gait, which wasted absolutely no movement, or perhaps it was his breathing, which was very precisely controlled.
She couldn't pinpoint why exactly he put her on guard, but if her instincts told her that something about this man was abnormal, then she would listen to it.
Those very same instincts had kept her alive for a long time after all.
"Ah, Saber! So this is where you were!" Her Master's voice called out from behind her.
The man in the green suit looked at the approaching blonde boy for a second before his eyes flicked back onto hers.
"Please refrain from wearing outdoor shoes inside the building," He told her in a smooth, calm voice before he turned and walked away.
"That was Kuzuki-sensei," her Master informed from beside her.
"He is quite a strange person," Saber told Naruto.
Naruto nodded, "I know. The first time I met him, I thought he was a fighter or warrior or something."
"It is admirable how composed he is," Saber praised, "He seems like a wonderful teacher."
"I wouldn't know. I don't really pay a lot of attention in class," Naruto said shrugging.
"That is not good, Naruto. You are a student and therefore should be studying. It is vital to your future," Saber admonished.
"R-right," Naruto half-heartedly agreed before he hurriedly changed the subject, "Anyway, how much of the academy have you explored?"
"I have looked at all the areas outside the school grounds and the entirety of the outdoor areas inside school grounds. Only the indoor areas are left now." Saber answered.
"I see, change your shoes, then come on. I'll show you around, it's a great place!" Naruto said.
By the time Naruto had finished showing Saber around, the sun had come down to the point that the school was painted a vivid red.
Saber was happy to say that she had found absolutely nothing significant or abnormal.
On the other hand, while Saber had found nothing of note, Kurama had actually found few areas where the new magical energy was leaking out from.
It's not like they could actually do anything about it though, so they just marked down the locations and moved on.
Saber had quickly changed her shoes and had already walked out of the building while Naruto was in the process of closing his locker when he heard Mitsuzuri's voice call out to him,
"Yo, Uzumaki-kun, I see you haven't left yet," She noted.
"Yeah," Naruto said, closing his locker, "Are you guys done?"
Mitsuzuri nodded, "Yep. Fujimura-sensei and Sakura are waiting for you at the front gate."
"Thanks for telling me, have a safe trip back home," He said as he started towards the main door and waved behind him.
"Wait, Uzumaki-kun," Mitsuizuri ordered in a serious voice that sounded quite out of place on her if you knew her.
Naruto turned back towards Mitsuzuri and asked, "Yes?"
Mitsuzuri looked at his face and stared him intensely in the eyes.
"...?"
"Hey, Uzumaki-kun… what are you looking at?" She asked as she cracked a small melancholic smile.
"…"
Naruto felt a pit of dread form in his stomach.
What was she...?
The ever-present grin on Naruto's face faded a little, "What do you mean? I'm looking at you, aren't I?"
Mitsuzuri shook her head sadly, "Not at all. Your face is turned towards me, your eyes are locked with mine, but those eyes… they see something else."
Why…? Why was she going there? That was...
Naruto's grin had fully faded by now, "My eyes… see something else? That's not…"
He felt like a mouse cornered by a cat. He knew what she was talking about, but he had instinctively kept that thought locked under the deepest recesses of his mind.
His classmate gave him a worried look, "Uzumaki-kun, it's almost as if you're in a dream. Instead of acting, all you do is react. The most I've seen you actively do is greet people. Every time you talk to someone, it's always the other person who starts the conversation."
...Give it up. Please, just give it up. Don't say it. Don't mention it!
"So? I don't see how that resembles a dream," Naruto asked quietly.
"Everything you do, it's like you don't care what the results of your actions are, it's like it doesn't matter to you, because you know that sometime soon you're going to wake up from this dream. You spend time with us, but you're never actually there," Mitsuzuri explained.
...Please...
They stared at each other in silence for a second before she spoke up again,
"That's why I'm asking you. Just what are you looking at? Why won't you even acknowledge reality?"
The metaphorical glass shattered and Naruto's hair shadowed his eyes as he let out a sad smile,
"...You're frighteningly astute, Mitsuzuri; You're the first one who's noticed this about me."
"You're not going to tell me, are you?" Mitsuzuri asked rhetorically, "You might seem like an open person, but out of everyone in class, I think you hold the largest amount of secrets."
Naruto's answer came out as a hoarse whisper, "…Yeah, you're right. About everything."
And she was. She had hit right on the mark with absolutely everything. To Naruto, this excursion to another world was a temporary thing. To him, it felt like Sasuke would arrive any minute now and take him back to Konoha.
What was the point of doing anything if he was just about leave any minute now?
He talked with his classmates when they talked with him, he followed the rules and lived life like a normal person, but his mind was always on what he would do when he got back home.
The fact that this world held no fighting only made this feeling worse. He, who had spent a majority of life on the battlefield, had to simply sit in a classroom and live life like a civilian for ten years.
It was a situation that only made his refusal to acknowledge this world worse.
Mitsuzuki's analogy was correct.
This place was like a dream and he knew it. A person who knows that they're in a dream goes along with what's going on, but they're mind is always on what they will do after they wake up.
The only people he had honestly made friends with in this school, were the people who had bullied their way into his life. Sakura, Fuji-nee, that asshole Shinji, Issei, and perhaps, Mitsuzuki.
All these people had pushed and pushed until he had accepted them.
How ironic; the person who had spent his life trying to get friends had to be forced to accept new friends in a new world.
"Uzumaki-kun," Mitsuzuri called quietly, "I'm sure that one day you'll reach whatever you're striving for, but please, until then, don't ignore your friends who are stuck living in this dream. We can't help it if your way of life makes us worry."
Naruto stayed silent.
"We're your friends, after all."
"Naru-chan, are you okay?" Fuji-nee asked tentatively as Sakura and Saber stared worriedly at the blonde boy.
"H-huh? Y-yeah I'm fine," he reassured in a subdued voice.
Fujimura gave him a worried look before she changed the subject, "By the way, who is the girl that's following us, Naru-chan?"
She jerked her head at Saber.
"Hm? Oh her? Her name is Saber, she came here to visit Kiritsugu, so I couldn't turn her away. She's going to be living in my house for now," Naruto informed in the same subdued tone.
"I see…" Fujimura acknowledged worriedly.
Naruto's frown deepened as he thought about what Mitsuzuri had told him.
It wasn't that Mitsuzuri's words made him feel bad for spending ten years of his life not acknowledging this world.
The problem went deeper than that.
To be frank, he did not want to acknowledge the fact that the way he was living in this world was, in an extremely simple word, miserable.
One should not live life like that, and the old Naruto would have immediately realized that fact.
So why didn't he?
That led to his next problem; he did not want to acknowledge the fact that he might have lost the core of his being which had made him "Uzumaki Naruto".
If hadn't lost that "core", then why had he continued with living with such a wretched lifestyle?
And, most of all, he did not want to acknowledge the fact that Sasuke might end up never finding him; that he might end up being stranded in this world forever, never to see his friends again.
All these thoughts and doubts led to single fundamental problem,
'I don't know what to do…'
The problem was made worse by the appearance of the Holy Grail.
If he managed to obtain the Holy Grail, then what would he do next?
Would he give up on going back to Elemental Nations and live out the rest of his life in this world?
Or would he go back to Elemental Nations and leave all the people he had made bonds with in this world behind.
Not to mention that the Holy Grail itself, violated one the cores of his beliefs.
"There are no shortcuts!"
Those were the words he had imparted on to both Konohamaru and Obito.
If he used the Holy Grail, a shortcut gained by murdering six other people, then he was a hundred percent sure that he wouldn't be able to call himself "Uzumaki Naruto" anymore.
What exactly was he supposed to do, then?
Where the hell was he supposed to go!?
He hadn't felt this lost since the time he'd fought with Pein…
But…
He sneaked a glance at the group of three following him.
They all had worried looks on their faces…
If he kept brooding in front of them, then all he would end up doing is worrying them.
He plastered a grin on his face and turned to look at them,
"Saber living in my house is fine, right?"
The three looked surprised at his one-eighty degree turn in attitude,
Finally, after a few seconds, Sakura spoke up, "Senpai, you said her name was… Saber, correct?"
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Yep. quite a unique name, right?"
Sakura didn't answer his question, instead, she balled up her hands and quietly muttered despairingly, "Why…? Why you, Senpai?"
Naruto, unable to hear her words, leaned in and asked, "I couldn't quite catch that, can you please repeat what you said, Sakura?"
Sakura desperately waved her hands in denial, "A-ah, it's nothing, Senpai. I was just talking to myself!"
Naruto squinted his eyes, "I… see?"
"Anyway!" Fujimura interrupted, "I'm tired now, so we'll talk later. Make sure to prepare for the questioning session, Naru-chan. Don't think that you'll get away so easily."
'…Crap.'
By the time the group of four had reached the Emiya residence, the sun had already set.
Dinner was being made by Sakura (as usual) and the other three spent the entire time waiting in tense silence.
Once the food was set on the table, the four silently took a portion of what they wanted to eat, before Fujimura...
..."exploded", for the lack of a better word.
"WHAT THE HELL, NARU-CHAN!? WHY ARE YOU BRINGING RANDOM GIRLS INTO YOUR HOME!?"
Random girls?
Really?
"OI! DON'T MAKE IT SOUND WEIRD, YOU PERVERTED TIGER!" Naruto yelled right back, "AND WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH THIS "NARU-CHAN" CRAP!?"
Both their chopsticks snapped in their respective grips at the exact same time.
"DON'T YOU THINK IT'S CUTE!? I'LL CALL YOU NARU-CHAN FOREVER NOW!" Fujimura heatedly explained.
"Oi, first of all, Naru-chan sounds stupid, and second of all, FOCUS ON THE IMPORTANT PART! I didn't take Saber in because I wanted to do whatever it is you're imagining me trying to do, I took her in because she wanted to visit Kiritsugu and had no place to stay!" Naruto argued back, breathing a bit heavily by the end.
Fujimura thought about the situation for a second before she offered a deal, "How about this: Saber gets to stay here, if you don't complain every time I call you Naru-chan, okay? Take it or leave it."
He didn't want to accept it.
He really, really didn't.
But this deal seemed like the easiest way to get her to consent to Saber's stay.
…
Ahhh, whatever. This was probably the best chance he would get.
"Fine," Naruto bit out, "Have it your way; I'll accept that deal of yours."
Fujimura grinned triumphantly, "I knew you'd see it my way!"
Naruto sighed despondently, 'The sacrifices I make…'
He turned to look at Sakura, who was silently eating her food, absorbed in her own thoughts, "What about you, Sakura? Do you approve of Saber staying here?"
The purple haired girl looked a bit surprised, "E-eh? Why are you asking me, Senpai? This is your home."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "I know that, but even if this isn't your home, we're still your family. That's why I'm asking, what do you say about Saber living here?"
"..."
Sakura valiantly fought back her tears but barely managed to hide them by escaping into the kitchen under the pretense of washing her hands.
"...I-I think we should let her stay. It's not like she has anywhere else to go, right?" She said without turning her head.
Naruto smiled, "Well, there you have it, Saber. Welcome to the Emiya residence!"
"Thank you for accepting me," Saber politely responded, bowing her head.
"Ehehehe," Fujimura chuckled bashfully, "Don't worry, it was nothing."
"For now, let's finish our food," Naruto suggested, "Hey, Sakura! Can you please get us some more chopsticks?"
Sakura wiped off the remainder of her tears from her face before she turned back to look at the blonde haired boy, "Yes, of course!"
After the debate on whether Saber was allowed to stay in Emiya residence, the atmosphere lightened and dinner turned out to be a cheerful and pleasant affair filled with conversation.
For the most part, conversation revolved around asking Saber what her life was like back in her home country, Britain.
Naruto almost had a heart attack when the two other girls started interrogating Saber, since they hadn't really made a cover story yet.
Contrary to his expectations though, Saber managed to answer all their inquiries with resounding ease.
Seems like she was a lot shrewder than he thought.
"Wow, I want to go to Britain now," Fujimura exclaimed as she finished up the last of her food.
Naruto waved his hand casually, "Yeah, yeah, whatever. Pass me the plates, Fuji-nee; Sakura and I will wash them today."
"Thank you!" Fujimura cheerfully said as she stacked up the plates and utensils and passed them to Naruto.
Naruto easily took hold of them and took them to the sink in the kitchen where Sakura was waiting.
He sighed, "Ready?"
Sakura gave him a determined nod, "Yep! Let's do this!"
Naruto and Sakura both put on gloves, an apron, and got a sponge before they started washing the dishes.
After a period of scrubbing, Naruto noticed something odd, "Hey, Fuji-nee!" He called out, "Why are you still talking to Saber? Isn't it about time for you to start getting ready to drop Sakura home? Sakura and I are almost done here."
Fujimura halted her conversation with Saber and gave Naruto a mischievous look, "There's no need for that."
Naruto raised an eyebrow, "Eh? What do you mean by that? Are you really going to tell her to take a taxi home? What kind of a teacher are you? I knew you were bad but this is just crossing the line. Seriously, I expected better fro-"
"Wait! Stop! Please stop!" Fujimura desperately held up her hand as she interrupted his tirade, "What I meant was that I don't need to take her back home, because we'll both be staying here!"
Naruto didn't hesitate for even a second, "No."
"E-eh? Lightning response? Why?" Fujimura asked, surprised.
"Because I said so, now scram." Naruto said, his tone quite dull.
"Hmph. I refuse to leave," Fujimura huffed.
Naruto sighed as he tried to think of a way out of this mess.
'There's no way in hell I can let them stay here; I've already made this entire house bait. if they stay here, then they'll be in danger too.'
He thought for a few more seconds before an idea struck him.
"How about a bet, Fuji-nee?" He asked smirking.
"A bet?" Fujimura curiously repeated.
"Yeah," Naruto confirmed while washing his hands and removing all the equipment he'd put on for the cleaning session, "A kendo match, to be specific."
"No way," Fujimura instantly denied as Sakura and Naruto walked out of the kitchen, "I already know that you can defeat me, even though you have no idea how to use a sword."
"It's easy to react to your attacks. I don't need to know how to use a sword to win against someone as slow as you," Naruto boasted, "But I'm not talking about a Kendo match between you and me, I'm talking about a Kendo match between you and Saber."
"Naru-chan, just because someone's name means something, doesn't mean that they're instantly going to be good at that one thing that their name means," Fujimura reprimanded, "I mean- you can't create maelstroms out of nowhere, can you? It's the same with Saber: just because she was named after a sword, doesn't mean she's good at using one."
Naruto's smirk widened, "This should be an easy win for you then, right?"
Fujimura furled her brow, "Yeah, but I have a bad feeling about this. You're a really crafty person, Naru-chan; who knows what you've got up your sleeve."
'Wait, so she has complete confidence that she won't lose in a fair match? How egoistical can you get?' Naruto groused.
'Really? Is this really coming from you, Mr. it's-easy-to-react-to-your-attacks?' Kurama asked incredulously.
'All I said was the truth,' Naruto huffed.
'Yeah, I don't think taking pride in beating a twenty-four-year-old with some experience with a sword is really… something worth taking pride in.' Kurama stated, making his opinion known.
'Why? Seems like a perfectly reasonable thing to take pride in,' Naruto disagreed.
'Yeah well, it's a perfectly reasonable thing to take pride in, IF YOU AREN'T A DIMENSION HOPPING NINJA!' Kurama explained, practically roaring the last part.
'Fine, fine, geez. No need to get all prissy about it,' Naruto said, barely managing to restrain the urge to cover his ears.
"Fine. I accept that bet," Fujimura agreed after a large amount of deliberation that lasted for conveniently the same amount of time as Naruto and Kurama's argument.
Naruto chuckled, "Heh, and what about you, Saber? Are you okay with a Kendo match?"
Saber nodded calmly, "Yes, I have no problems. Please do not hold back, Taiga."
"Great!" Naruto said as he clapped his hands together enthusiastically, "Now, let's reconvene in the Dojo!"
THWACK!
"Gah! What the hell, you damn demon woman!? Why are you so strong!?" Fujimura yelled angrily as she tried to stand up again.
"Your technique is good, there are very few people who would win against you," Saber complimented, "Unfortunately, I am better."
"GAAAAAAH! YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS, DIDN'T YOU, NARU-CHAN!?" Fujimura accused, enraged.
"Obviously. I wouldn't have suggested this bet otherwise," Naruto admitted.
Fujimura grit her teeth loud enough that even Naruto and Sakura, who were standing about seven feet away from them - at the entrance of the dojo - could hear it,
"Damnit! I've tried to fight you seven times now, and lost every single time! This isn't fair!"
"Yeah? It honestly doesn't matter," Naruto dismissed, "You made a bet and you lost. Are you going to go back on your word? My, my, Fuji-nee, I didn't expect a teacher to be such a bad role model to her students. I knew you had bad manners, but for a teacher to go this far? I seriously didn't expect this from you. I should file a formal complaint about our teacher being a liar. Geez, how rotte- "
Fujimura, for the second time today, brought up her hands desperately and frantically interrupted Naruto,
"I get it, I get it! Please stop! I'll do it! We won't stay here, I promise, so please stop!"
Naruto grinned, "Now, please take Sakura back home. It's getting really late."
Fujimura melodramatically sighed and walked towards Sakura at a turtle's pace
"…"
"Any minute now," Naruto said tapping his foot impatiently.
Fuijmura promptly stuck her tongue out at him.
"Well, let's go, Sakura-chan. Looks like Naru-chan doesn't like us anymore," Fujimura said as she patted Sakura's back and turned to look back at Naruto with watery eyes.
"There's no point in trying to guilt trip me," Naruto informed dully, "Leave. Now."
Fujimura's eye twitched before she turned abruptly and walked out the dojo with an angry, "Hmph!"
"A-ah, I'll be back to make lunch tomorrow, Senpai!" Sakura yelled behind her as she was being dragged towards the front gate by Fujimura.
"I'll be looking forward to it!" Naruto called back, finally letting out the small smile that he had been fighting to keep under control while talking with Fuji-nee.
He watched the door that they had left from and only turned back to Saber when he heard the telltale sound of Fujimura's motorcycle driving off.
"Shall we go sleep, Naruto?" Saber asked politely with a small smile.
"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. Let's go, Saber," Naruto responded, eager to get some rest.
Saber had already gone to sleep, and Naruto had been adjusting his futon when Kurama decided to speak to him,
'Brat, I think that Sakura girl might know something about this Holy Grail War thing.'
'What makes you say that?' Naruto asked curiously.
'Back when you told that Sakura fleshbag Saber's name, she started to leak an insane amount of despair and worry,' Kurama explained, 'I can't think of any other why she would start despairing just by hearing the girl's name.'
'…I'll look into it tomorrow,' Naruto decided, 'I'll start by questioning Shinji. That fake priest said that the Matous used to have priority in the previous Holy Grail Wars before the magic circuits in their line died out. We have to make sure whether Sakura worrying about me is just because she knows that this war is dangerous, or because she or one of her family members is a Master,' he explained as he settled into his futon.
Naruto turned to his side and closed his eyes, 'I'll be counting on you to keep guard, Kurama.'
'Hmph, don't tell me what to do, brat,' Kurama huffed.
'Always the tsundere, huh?' Naruto rhetorically asked as he instinctively reached out for the light switch and turned it off.
Kurama growled but decided to let the comment go in favor of letting the blonde boy sleep.
Naruto let the silence permeate around him as he tried to fall into blissful unconsciousness.
In barely a few minutes, he felt the comforting darkness reach out to him, but...
before the blackness could engulf him in its soothing embrace, a few haunting words descended upon the void and brought him back to jarring consciousness.
'Hey, Uzumaki-kun… what are you looking at?'
The words that had been spoken quietly at the time, seemed echo inside his skull now.
He slowly cracked open his eyes and glared despairingly at the wall facing him.
'…Shut up…'
Disclaimer – I don't own Naruto nor do I own Fate/Stay Night
Author's Note (cont.) – Not a lot of action in this chapter, so I used this chance to reveal that Naruto isn't as okay as he makes himself out to be. Other than overcoming all his enemies, Naruto also has to overcome himself.
P.S. - So, during Ayako's… speech(?) I tried my hand in a different style of writing. I don't know whether it's an improvement or not, so please review and tell me whether you guys like it or not.
P.P.S - For those of you who caught the SNAFU reference, don't worry. Hiratsuka won't appear in the story at all. I just needed another female teacher's name and I thought the context fit her well.