Naruto - Warlord

AN:

Aaaand, delivered as promised. I don't think i've rushed the chapter too much; most of the more glaring grammatical mistakes SHOULD be taken care of, but no promises. As always, i never mind people pointing it out. One does never stop to learn, that's my motto. One of the many.

Thank you guys again for the love and support after the release of the previous chapter... So many of you sent PM's or reviews saying you were so glad to see that the story's still going and it really touched me. I'm having a lot of fun writing it, so i won't be stopping anytime soon, fret not... Though i will have to make a little confession:

We are nearing a point in the story where there's a lot of finer details i'm more unsure of, meaning i'll eventually need more time to digest the various ideas i'm having difficulties agreeing with myself upon. While the general outline of the story is already made, as i've mentioned countless times, the finer details are slightly more of an issue as the story progresses, but we'll tackle that when the time comes.

Will Naruto ever meet the imprints of his parents within the seal? Undecided. There's an idea for a future arc that i'm toying with... but we'll have to see.

For this chapter, we'll finally be heading towards the next arc, though i won't be saying too much about it just yet. I won't be able to post again for a little while after this one, but i'll try to avoid another month's break xD

Chapter 27, ENJOY!

Chapter 27

During the first night at sea, the wind had shifted and nearly sent them off course. In the morrow, at first light, they'd made count of all the ships to ensure that nobody had been lost to sea. When daylight broke and the storm had stilled, Naruto was delighted to see that not a single boat had been lost to the storm, but 3 boats were in dire need of repairs before they continued. They anchored their boats together at sea and made the repairs that they needed before they continued towards the unnamed island north-east of Wave in the Kaizoku Sea.

His people were surprisingly merry as they journeyed across the waves; All throughout the day, he could hear the crews from both his own boat as well as the boats nearby sing shanties of varying qualities. Some that were definitely taught to them by the locals in Wave, others that were improvised. Naruto had half a mind to force his men to train while they were out at sea, but decided against it. They had earned a momentary respite and he was busy with the Kyuubi anyway.

Another day passed until they finally spotted the island on the horizon. The island sported a wide mountain range and was wide in its size and Naruto could see it's lush, thick forest easily from far away. The sight was met with a loud, resounding cry from the crew that spread from boat to boat. The island marked their salvation and sanctuary from the Fire's Army after all.

They made landfall in the evening, when the seas were still and the weather calm and cool. Naruto's boat was the first to land, the rest waiting at sea for further orders while Naruto sent out scouting parties.

The location of their base, seeing as they were going to stay for a while to rest, had to be made carefully. On the off chance that Fire would follow them to sea, they needed a location that was defensible, yet close enough to their boats so they could potentially escape if they wanted to. They also needed to forage for food and materials, which would be easier the closer to sea they were.

After a quick confirmation that they were indeed on the right island, Naruto sent out some rangers to scout out a hilltop near the beach where they had made their base. Naruto and some of the officers that had accompanied him, like Shou and En, discussed their options while they waited for the rangers to return.

They would make a forward base of operations at the beach that would be manned by at least 2 units at all times in order to protect their boats for the duration of their stay, to be rotated at steady intervals. They'd bring the boats in and make a temporary camp for those who were going a bit further inland as Naruto knew they'd need at least a week to bring everyone along with all of their materials to the main camp on top of the hillside.

When the rangers returned, Naruto quickly put his men to work. Night was closing in and he wanted them all ashore and with a proper and secure perimeter before they slept.

Boat after boat eventually docked upon the beach and soon the sands between the waters and the forest was flooded with people. Men and women were barking and yelling as they carried, stored and secured materials. Posts and tents were raised, trees were chopped down at the edge of the beach and used to make palisades for their perimeter. Bonfires roared warm and bright in the middle of their encampment, but eventually, the camp fell quiet as people collapsed upon their bedrolls. Only a select few from the units who had received night watch responsibilities was awake and patrolling the perimeter.

But sleep had yet to claim Naruto.

Naruto sat at a bench that had been hastily made by a log that had been cut in half, before stacked on top of another pair of shortened logs. While it didn't do much for comfort, seeing as his ass was starting to get uncomfortably sore, it did at the very least provide a place to sit and rest his feet.

Naruto was irritated as he nursed a jar of wine he'd taken out from his personal storage. He'd been unable to sleep, as every time he closed his eyes, Asuka's broken and maimed body would haunt his mind. He had intended to down as much of his wine as he had to in order to lull himself into blissful slumber, but for some reason the Kyuubi actively burned it from his systems. Naruto had tried to confront it, but received only silence in return. Trying to cut their connection didn't help either and the beast merely continued to boost his metabolism, forcing his body to burn it away faster than he could drink it.

It was infuriating, making him only angrier as he sat alone, in front of a bonfire in the dead silence of the night in front of his personal tent, with only his memories to keep him company.

"Naruto!", a shriek yelled out, breaking both Naruto's and Kugimiya's focus for just a moment. Snapping his head to the side and towards the yell just as Kugimiya's blade descended, a body crashed into Naruto's body, shoving him out of the way from Kugimiya's blow.

That shriek, the last sound that ever came from his former lover, had been his name. Her voice which only the night before had been moaning his name passionately into his ear as they slept together, had screamed his name with such fear and trepidation. It was the last sound he'd ever hear from her and it felt like the only thing he would ever remember of her too.

'Why did she do it?', Naruto thought irritably as he took a deep swig from the jar in his hand. His halberd laid at the ground beside him, his helmet on top of it's handle where it laid momentarily forgotten. 'Why did she fucking do it?'

"You idiot! I had everything under control, I was-!" As his eyes trailed over Asuka's back, his words got stuck in his throat, as Kugimiya's blade had nearly bisected his lover across her middle. A large gash had parted her armor and her skin and the open wound was quickly letting loose a steady amount of blood.

Asuka herself just laid there on his chest, limp like a puppet without strings. Her hair was matted across her face by sweat, hiding her face from his sight.

Naruto snorted to himself derisively. Leave it to him to make his last words to someone who gave their life for his, was to call them an idiot. A part of him hoped that she was already dead or unconscious when he said it; He didn't want to imagine that the last thing she heard was his harsh, inconsiderate choice of words.

As he raised the jar yet again to take another drink, a hand suddenly descended upon it, pushing it down and away from his lips.

"I think you've had quite enough."

Recognizing Shou's somber voice, Naruto groaned with annoyance, pulling the jar out of Shou's hand while sending his friend a glare over his shoulder. Shou stood in his armor right behind him, looking down at him with a worried frown.

"Not you too.", Naruto admonished irritably, his irritation only worsening. "The Kyuubi is already stopping me from getting drunk as it is. I don't need lip from you on top of this."

Pulling his eyes away from Shou, a surge of shame welled up in Naruto as he already regretted his choice of words to Shou. Silence stretched on between them for a couple of seconds, before Shou wordlessly seated himself next to Naruto. He was close, but not enough to be intrusive.

Glancing at him revealed Shou to be looking thoughtfully and somberly into the fire before them, but he was otherwise silent. The silence eventually grated on Naruto, enough to become annoying.

"Shouldn't you be with Hono right now?", Naruto eventually groused.

"Hono does not need me right now."

Naruto frowned at Shou's unspoken meaning. As Naruto had seen them happy and loving with one another earlier that day, it was obvious what Shou meant. Whatever response that Naruto had died in his throat. It was only after several minutes of battling the conflicting emotions within him that he was able to bring himself to open his mouth.

"...Aren't you going to ask...?", Naruto muttered somberly. The annoyance and irritation had bled from him quickly since Shou seated himself.

Shou took a deep breath, but his somber expression remained the same, his eyes still locked on the fire ahead.

"No.", Shou began quietly. "But if you wish to speak, feel free to do so. If not, I'll just sit here, if you don't mind."

He tried to say that he did in fact mind, but the words just wouldn't come. A part of him wanted to rage and yell, tell Shou to walk into the ocean and never return, but another part was terrified of Shou leaving him again to his own.

Asuka and Shou. Ryu, En, Masaru, everyone... He didn't deserve any of them, something of which Ryu had apparently found out. Naruto supposed the rest might eventually figure it out as well, considering how he treated those close to him.

Naruto eventually directed his gaze towards the fire as well, just like Shou. Minutes passed where they did not speak, but true to his word, Shou never left. They just sat in a silence that was filled with pain, remembering those they had lost.

Naruto did not make another attempt to drink throughout the entirety of that night.

Days passed as they sorted their materials between their forward beach outpost and the main camp, now located on the top of a hillside overlooking the beach less than a kilometer away. On the very top of the hill, at the highest point, was where Naruto had put his tent, the rest of the camp built around his chosen spot. His Iron Guard slept close along with Shou, while the rest of the officers slept close to wherever their units were located.

As the first week came to a close, both camps were well established with a proper perimeter of palisades and patrols. As they would soon resume their training rotation, whoever was on normal duty would be put to raising walls and watchtowers; Naruto wanted them to be ready for anything.

Since a week had now passed and the Fire's army was sure to have made a visit by then, Naruto wanted to send a boat to check up on Wave and see how they fared, as well as scouting to ensure that the army were not making preparations to follow them. Naruto delegated some men from both the Rangers as well as some of the different Spearmen Regiments. He gave them a day to prepare before they were sent on their way.

As they were now established to stay for some time, it was time to take proper stock of their storage. Food, equipment, raw resources, everything had to be accounted for and it was time for some much needed maintenance of their armors and weapons.

The next few days were used to raise forges and workbenches as people were put to work. Everyone who was capable of work did so; Children were apprenticed by the many carpenters, fishermen, hunters or blacksmiths and many other professions. Some of the parents had also began to train their children in the arts of chakra and combat, which Naruto supported, but was wary of officially taking a stance to. He did not want the children in the middle of combat, but it didn't hurt to start their training as early as possible.

Considering the amount of orphans they had, Naruto was happy to see that there had not yet been any issues regarding the families who fostered them. His people from Kisara, the people from Stone and Wind, had all been through hardships that provided them with the empathy that the children needed.

The boats were put to good use, as the oceans were full of life and ripe with food. As far as Naruto could see it, there was no reason that they couldn't resume their training since people were finally starting to get back on their feet and they had everything they needed to stay there for quite some time.

As they resumed their training, the boat that had been sent back to Wave eventually returned with good news. The Fire's Army had left to return to the capital, leaving Wave as it was when they arrived; They had bought their ruse.

Seeing as Wave was safe and the dangers of the Fire's Army potentially following them was gone, they finally began to train and repair their equipment. Naruto began to teach his officers the Water Walking Technique, seeing it as the next logical step of their training since they already knew how to climb trees. They managed to learn it quickly enough, so Naruto began to teach them some basic fire, water, earth and wind techniques after a couple of days, leaving them to train their own units however they liked themselves. They were simply too many now for Naruto to take a personal interest in each and every man or woman. Naturally, some techniques were already in circulation from people with bloodlines or previous training, but it wouldn't hurt to have a basic curriculum for his soldiers.

En was tasked with rebuilding and continuing to build the Iron Guard, bigger and stronger than before. Naruto also began to teach both En and the rest of his current Guard the Iron Fist Technique as he knew it would boost their combat capabilities enormously. The Rangers, or rather 'The Hangmen', began their training with the Shadow Clone Technique after a very stern talk through and under Naruto's strict guidance; Last thing he wanted was for someone to kill themselves because of a lack of control. Only those of them with enough chakra and the needed control to mold it would be allowed to use it, those without would have to train further first.

Lastly, his Medic Unit, a unit he'd been neglecting with a lack of attention over the previous months due to their odd composition as well as the fact that Naruto didn't know a lick of medical techniques, had been working diligently to teach their horde a basic level and understanding of medical techniques, enough that it would make a difference between life and death for some who were mortally wounded. The medical corps was finally outfitted properly with shields and hatchets, bags and satchels with medical equipment fastened upon the backs of their armors.

Days passed like this until a month had passed. They were now well maintained and Naruto was beginning to consider continuing along their journey; It wouldn't do for his people to grow comfortable as their journey was still long.

It was night, when something very peculiar fell upon their encampment.

"Warlord.", a voice, one of the Iron Guards, called from outside his tent. Naruto's pen stopped writing in the journal before him, where he'd been writing from a kneeling position in front of a low end table. An oil lamp glowed softly upon the table as Naruto frowned with annoyance; It was late and there were no reasons for anyone to interrupt him off duty.

"Aye?", he grunted, absentmindedly leaning an ear towards the intrusive Guard, continuing to write as he had before the interruption. "What is it?"

"En's looking for you.", the guard began. "...And there's... There's something else."

Naruto closed the book with a deep sigh, putting the pen down and reached for his halberd. Grabbing his helmet with the other, he walked out of the tent at a brisk pace. Throwing the tent flap to the side, he opened his mouth and made to demand to know what En wanted with him.

...And then his words stopped.

It was snowing. Gentle, light, powdery snow was slowly descending from the sky. It was melting as quickly as it touched the ground, wetting the earth and the grass wherever it fell. His heart skipped a beat, his stomach tumbled; Spring had begun and they were nowhere near far enough north for the weather to be cold enough. That, and the fact that the night air was very warm that night.

'Naruto.', the Kyuubi hissed warily within his mind. Naruto already knew what it was thinking about as if it was his own thoughts.

'I know.', Naruto thought back, narrowing his eyes at the falling snow. The night sky was covered by clouds, obscuring the stars and the moon from sight. Holding his hand out, he let a snowflake fall upon his hands where he watched it melt. 'This isn't normal snow.'

"...Sound the silent alarm and get people from their beds.", Naruto murmured thoughtfully at the Iron Guard who watched him for further orders. "If people sleep, they do so in armor and weapons at their side. I want double the watch, double the patrols. I want regular check ins between us and the beach post."

"Yes, Warlord!"

As the Guard dashed off, Naruto let his hand fall, looking down a distance where En was currently conversing with some of his men, next to the closest bonfire. Naruto immediately made his way towards his Guard Commander who quickly noticed him, shooing his men away when their Warlord arrived.

"You seeing this?", En rasped rhetorically, nodding up towards the sky. "We under attack?"

"Don't know yet.", Naruto began, his voice low, eyes strained and body tense. People were waking up around them in camp as word of the silent alarm spread from tent to tent, people quickly donning their armors. Naruto could already see some officers and captains rushing to manage their orders and their soldiers. "You wanted me for something?"

"Ah, aye.", En nodded, rubbing his chin with a small smirk at Naruto. Turning towards a tent a short distance away, En made his way towards the entrance. "Got something for ya. Come along, before whatever's going on fucks us in our asses."

Naruto raised a brow at his friend, trudging after him slowly. He wondered what would be important enough to show him in the middle of a potential attack or whatever was currently going on.

A pair of Iron Guards waited by the entrance pulling the flap aside for them. When they entered the tall, brightly lit tent, Naruto was greeted by the sight of standing torches in every corner of the tent. In the middle, one of his people's most known blacksmiths was seated on his knees, his forehead touching the ground with humility.

Next to him, upon a weapon stand that had probably been made by his own people, rested a weapon. It was a halberd and it made Naruto's eyes widen upon it's sleek beauty.

The bottom part of the shaft was set in a counterweight that was formed as a spear tip, to be easily used as a weapon. The shaft itself was about as long as his own halberd, but unlike his own, this one had a myriad of engravings and symbols drawn upon it. It's axe was formed almost identically to his own, only thinner, but not by much. It still had it's bladed axe which ended with a sharp tip to be used like a spear, the smaller, bladed axe on it's opposite side as it worked as a deadly counterweight. One could easily see the that it had been made with perfect craftsmanship.

It was only after a minute when he heard En's chuckle that he finally realized he'd been staring at the marvel before his, his mouth open like a loon.

"I think it's safe to say he likes it.", En chuckled, as dryly as only he was able to. While his eyes were on Naruto, it was clearly intended for the prostrating blacksmith next to the weapon.

"I am honored.", the old smith stated from his position. As he rose, an old, weathered and bearded face looked back at Naruto, black eyes glimmering with pride and emotion when he saw the reaction of his Warlord. "I am but a humble smith, but I fight our battles in my own way. I am too old to be of much use in your army, so you would honor me greatly if you carried this into battle."

Naruto's eyes widened further as his gaze bore into the weapon.

"This is for me?"

"Aye.", En nodded, glancing at the smith with a grin before he turned back to Naruto. "We scavenged the swords of which the Fire's Royal Army dropped. All of which was made with chakra reactive metals, now repurposed for our own use." Naruto's mouth snapped shut as he considered the possibilities. "It weighs a little less than your other one, as the metal is lighter in nature, but the axe is also smaller. We used everything we had our hands on to make this happen."

"Us?", Naruto's gaze shifted to En for confirmation.

"Us Iron Guards, aye.", En murmured, his gaze lowering but a moment, before it locked back unto Naruto. "From those of us who are still alive, and from those of us who gave their lives so that the rest of us could go on. You fought and bled for us to survive; While it's a debt we can never truly repay you, our Lord, we offer you this to bring with you into battle. We hope it keeps you safe, when we cannot."

Emotion clogged his throat as the old and familiar sense of self-loathing began to fill him. Not trusting his voice, he merely nodded as gratefully as he could, stepping forward to grasp his new halberd almost reverently.

It's tone was bleak, almost silver in color. As he got close, he noticed the engraving along the shaft to be that of his people, all mingled together with weapons at hand. At the top, where the bladed axe began, was an illustration of Naruto in his armor, standing like a sentinel and engraved within a larger illustration of the Kyuubi whose 9 tails entwined the weapon. The symbolism of them being engraved upon one another upon the blade was not lost on him.

A strange feeling of shock and disbelief filled him, and it took him several seconds to realize that his emotions were not entirely that of his own.

'Kyuubi?', Naruto thought in his mind as he could feel the beast in turmoil. Only silence was returned to him and Naruto refrained from pushing. He did his best to ignore his biting curiosity, as the beast's favor was a fickle thing at best.

Gently lowering his old halberd to the ground, he slowly, reverently, reached for his new one. As soon as his hands touched it, he could feel it's metal almost singing to him as it connected with the chakra in his body.

Before he could marvel upon it further, a voice called out from outside.

"Halt! Stay where you are!"

In the dead silence of the night outside, they could easily hear the shout which had come from the north-eastern watchtower. Quickly throwing each other a glance, both En and Naruto rushed outside as the unlikely had just been confirmed.

They were not alone on the island.

They rushed towards the watchtower, whipping through the snowy air as the Iron Guard followed without the need of command; such was their duty. They arrived just in time to hear another warning shout from atop of the watchtower, a tall wooden platform that balanced upon 4 tall logs that had been anchored to the ground. It provided a good height above the palisades, allowing his men to look far towards the encroaching forest.

Seeing the officer in command of the night's watch at the opening in the palisades that marked their perimeter, Naruto quickly strode up to him.

"Talk to me! What have you seen?"

The man slapped into a salute, his fist slamming against his chest as he nodded his respect.

"Warlord! We've got 1 individual on the approach from the North-East. Whoever it is, is walking slowly towards our camp, ignoring our warnings. What do you want us to do?"

Frowning, Naruto ignored the officer for the moment in order to get a good look at the situation himself. He walked towards the perimeter entrance at a brisk pace, stopping just at the outside of the camp where the light from their fires began to dwindle.

Wordlessly, the Kyuubi sent chakra to his eyes, enhancing his vision as he peered towards the direction of which the individual was approaching from. Sure enough, Naruto could see the individual clearly.

The figure was stumbling towards their camp at a clumsy and slow pace. He observed the figure for just a moment until he'd made a decision.

"Hold your fire!", Naruto roared preemptively to stop the watch from doing something stupid. A cry of confirmation came from the tower and the men on the ground and Naruto felt sure enough to begin his approach.

Beginning his trek towards the figure, he paced towards it at the same brisk pace from earlier. His Iron Guard flanked him wordlessly; If they were nervous, they did not show it.

After a minute, Naruto was finally upon the figure, who stopped when it noticed his presence. Naruto mirrored the person's action and froze, his Guard doing the same without missing a single beat, their weapons poised to strike at a moments notice.

Naruto observed the figure, who clutched it's side painfully. A sweet, coppery scent filled his nose as the Kyuubi enhanced his senses and Naruto realized that the figure was bleeding. Whoever it was had a feminine figure, hair kept in a bun that had become partly undone, as it hunched into itself.

It was a woman.

Naruto's eyes narrowed in suspicion, his body tensing as he eyed the woman's outfit. While her grimy and matted hair hid her face, even to his enhanced eyes in the dark of the night, her outfit was easily seen. She wore dark, form fitting cloth from head to toe, her upper garbs tied together by an obi. A wakizashi, bloodied, dropped from her fingers in exhaustion when she realized Naruto and his Guard was before her.

She was a Kunoichi.

Just as Naruto tensed and made ready to apprehend her, his thoughts running a mile a minute as Asuka's image flittered to the front of his mind, her lips parted to utter a pained and desperate plea.

"...P-Please...Please h-help us..."

I feel like i'm a bit too happy to end off on a cliffhanger... Read and review! I heading to bed now, so i won't be able to respond to any pm's or reviews until after work tomorrow, so you'll hear from me then!

MiNdZeRo here, signing out.