Chapter 4, coming at ya!

Rejoice! Come watch the rise of greatness as the King of all graces all with his glorious presence! Bare witness to his incredible power!

Chapter 04: He Will Be King!

Akabane Elementary School

Sitting under the shade of a tall tree, Azuka patiently waited for her big brother and big sister to pick her up. Her day was quite dull, mostly because she kept thinking about her brother's claim that he wasn't a King.

While it might not seem like a big deal to others, it was to her. Naruto said it was just a childish dream he had, but it meant a lot to her. Naruto was King. It wasn't some childish dream or fantasy! It was a reality to her! Just look at yesterday! How he beat that big mean monster! If that wasn't kingship, she didn't know what it was! How he looked all cool and heroic...because he was a hero!

He was her hero!

Hugging her backpack, Azuka frowned, puffing out her cheeks angrily as she rested her head on top of it. "Naruto-no-Baka..." She grumbled.

"What seems to be troubling you, Hime-sama?" A voice suddenly asked, surprising her. Raising her head, Azuka's eyes widened when she saw it was the same guy from yesterday, the one who saved her brother!

"It's you!" She gasped. Woz smiled at her, kneeling down with his head bowed, arm placed across his chest in a genuflection (one-leg kneel) salute.

"Greetings, Azuka-hime. I am Woz, faithful servant to Naruto-Mao-sama. As a relative of his Greatness, that makes you royalty and deserving of praise." He proclaimed, making Azuka blink, stunned.

"Servant? Royalty?" She asked, getting a nod from Woz as he smiled.

"But of course. I would be a fool not to follow any order given by he who will come to rule all. The Future King of Time and Space! He will bring a new age to this world! He who will come to gain the powers of past heroes! He who is the Ultimate! He who is Supreme! He who is Unparalleled! The All-Powerful King! Ohma Millennium!" Woz shouted out, standing at full height, throwing his arm into the air as he announced for all to hear, with Azuka looking at him, awed by his words.

"Onii-chan will really become like that?!" She asked.

Woz smiled down at her, nodding. "But of course! It is as the future decided." He said, holding up his book. Flipping it open, he held it for Azuka to see. Before Azuka's wide eyes, she saw a video play on the pages. She saw Naruto, looking as he did yesterday, in armor, yet...different. She watched, awestruck, as the Millennium in the book fought scary-looking monsters, going through them, one after the other. She watched as he did incredible and amazing things! Like a fairy tale or superhero movie! She then saw him change, looking different, his armor becoming black and gold, looking intimidating, yet majestic.

Like a King!

Before she knew it, the video ended, and Woz closed the book. She blinked up at him. "But...Onii-san said he didn't want to be King. He gave that girl his watch thing that let him change!" She said, frowning. She then felt a hand on top of her head, looking up to see Woz smiling down at her.

"Do not lose faith, Hime-sama. What might seem like a lost chance, could still be salvageable. Soon, Mao-sama will come to realize his destiny, and take his true step towards achieving his goal and become King." He said, before turning around and walking off, leaving a thoughtful, but eager Azuka. While she might not completely understand what he meant, she sort of understood.

Her brother really will become a King! He just didn't know it yet, dattebane!

Later that Night - House of Fortune

After a few hours of waiting, watching jealousy as other people had their turn to see the fortune teller, it was finally Umino's turn. Eagerly standing, he entered the room.

Sitting in a cushioned chair in a relatively dark room, lightly fogged from the fuming pot, Umino watched as a woman sitting across from him - having long dark hair, wearing a lavender gown, with red make-up around her eyes and a red dot on her forehead - placed cards upside down around the table, positioning them in a circle, before putting the last one in the center.

Pulling her hand back, she smiled at Umino. "Now then..." She said, before gently blowing.

To Umino's astonishment, the cards all suddenly flipped straight up. "Awesome~!" He gushed as the cards fell on their back.

The woman smirked, a twisted glint in her eyes. "Now, take a deep breath, child." She instructed, with Umino doing so. "Look deep into my eyes..." Mesmerized so far, Umino followed the command, leaning forward a bit as he stared at the woman's Cyan eyes. The woman tilted her head to the side slightly, with the dazed Umino doing the same. Just then, the center card, the only one not turned, began to float, glowing slightly in a strange shine. "Good...you have now become one chosen by the devil. Let him fuel your desires and whims. Let his guidance direct you, providing you freedom as you allow yourself to do anything that you desire to do, without fear of ridicule or shame! Allow all that you wish to be done freely!"

"I...understand..." Umino said, dazed, as his eyes began to glow with an eerie, yellow glow behind his glasses. The 'woman' smirked as the floating card moved towards him, sticking to his chest, where it harmlessly sank into his body.

"Good. Now, go join the others." The woman commanded. Umino stood up from the chair silently, walking out the room, and stood with the other visitors, all of whom had blank, dazed expressions on their faces. Back in the darkroom, the woman smirked darkly. "Soon, you shall possess all the energy you desire, my master." She stated. Behind her, the form of Jadeite materialized from the shadows, smirking wickedly.

"Excellent work, Balm." He praised, before turning his attention to another figure standing in the shadows. "I trust you will deal with the heroes should they appear?"

The figure nodded, holding up a large sword. "Cha! Don't you worry! I'll slice and dice those damn heroes should they show their faces! I'll have my revenge against that damn Kamen Rider for killing my brother!"

Jadeite nodded. "Just make sure they don't foil Queen Beryl's plans."

?

Naruto frowned as he looked around, once again finding himself having another lucid dream it would seem. However, instead of being in the middle of a forest, Naruto stood in what looked like the hallway of a palace or something, given the light-reflecting marble square tiled floor and smooth concrete walls. It was also very dark, there not being any lights whatsoever around the place - at least as much as he could tell in the darkness - with the only source of light coming from the moonlight shining through the windows lining the hall sides, illuminating the dark hall a small bit.

He stared straight ahead, seeing an opening at the end of the hall. Frowning, he took another look around, to see if he missed anything of importance, before shrugging and began making his way towards the end. If this dream wanted to tell me something, then who was he to complain? As he walked towards the end, he peeked out through the windows. Wherever his dream was, it wasn't in the forest as last time. Instead, just by looking at the outside surroundings, it looked like wherever he was, was either tall or large given the height, with the visible ground looking to be a rocky terrain, given the lack of trees or even grass on the visible land outside. There were also no clouds in the night sky, allowing a large moon to be visible, shining down on him, its large scale giving the illusion of being close enough to touch as it overtook a large amount of the night sky, more than normal.

Pausing for a moment, Naruto stared up at the moon. As he stared at it, his mind flashed back to the events that had occurred that night. Millennium's face/helmet flashed through his mind. His transformation. How he fought that monster. How he destroyed it. However, that wasn't all he remembered. He recalled the sensations he got when he transformed. The rush he felt. The power...like he could do ANYTHING! Like he could take on the world!

The image of Ohma Millennium flashed through his head, making Naruto's eyes widen, flinching as he took a step back. He rapidly shook his head. No. No! What was he thinking?! He swore he would never become...that person!

"Am I seriously already starting to think like a Demon King?! What the hell is wrong with me?!" He muttered, angry at himself. He closed his eyes, trying to calm himself. "Guess it's true what they say; Absolute Power Corrupts Absolutely."

Sighing, Naruto turned his attention back to the end of the hall, where he could see a set of double doors in view.

"Might as well get this over with…" He muttered. Stealing himself, Naruto approached the doors, spine straight and head held high and shoulders firm, ready to take on whatever waited for him beyond them.

Grabbing the knobs, Naruto turned them, before pushing the doors open. He winced as a bright light shined through the opening, temporarily blinding him. Shielding his eyes with his arm, Naruto took a few steps inside, cautious and slow. He was forced to close his eyes thanks to the wall of blinding light making him feel like he was standing in front of the sun. However, in contrast to the white-hot light, a strange smooth, and cool feeling passed through his body, even being a mental representation. As if diving into a cool pool of water after being under the hot sun. Refreshing, cool, and comforting.

After getting a good enough distance into the room, Naruto slowly opened his eyes, allowing them to adjust to the light, only to fully open them, blinking in surprise when he saw that the blinding light was completely gone as if it was never there. Now able to see clearly, Naruto looked around. It looked like he entered a large - and he meant large - empty room, looking to be about twice the length of his school's indoor basketball court. While not a very popular sport in Japan compared to America, many schools still played the sport, including in his own region.

However, looking around, Naruto couldn't see anything in the room. No furniture, no fireplace, not even a chandelier. It was completely empty. "Why am I even here, dattebayo?" He asked no one, though wondering why he was having a dream about an empty room, especially it even being a lucid dream. "Maybe this is some sort of empty space for me to make stuff?" He wondered. Crossing his arms, he tried to test it out, imagining something to appear, like a car, or weird creature. Anything just so it could appear. However, nothing appeared, making him frown. "So much for that."

"Is that why you accepted power? To change the unchangeable?"

Naruto jumped at the sudden voice. He looked around, trying to find the source. That's when he saw something in front of the glass wall at the farthest part of the room, spotting a figure standing there, facing the large moon in view. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto tried to see who they were, though finding their voice oddly familiar.

"Who's there? Who are you?!" He demanded, slowly approaching them cautiously.

The figure kept staring at the full moon. "You have taken the first steps in a change of destiny. You have held power in your grasp, the power to change time and reality. New and strong, but not yet full. Not complete. Soon, and near, is your other half. What part do you intend play, Namikaze Naruto? The Man, or the Beast. The Warrior, or the Tyrant? The Savior, or the Demon? The King...or the Monster?"

Now Naruto recognized their voice. "It's you! You're that lady I saw in that forest!" He exclaimed, pointing at her. "Where are we?! What do you want from me?!"

The woman turned her head slightly towards him, gazing at him from the corner of her eye. Naruto blinked, as even with the great distance between them, Naruto could somehow see her crystal blue eye staring at him, freezing him on the spot.

"I desire nothing from you, Naruto-kun. Merely...for you to understand."

"Understand?" Naruto muttered, blinking. "Understand...what?"

The woman grew an unseen frown, turning her gaze back to the moon. Her eyes staring at the glowing orb, a sense of peace in her eyes, yet also holding a sense of sorrow and conflict. She looked down, staring at the rocky terrain below. "For you to understand, that no matter how much you fight it...no matter how much you resist it...the future is always in your path."

Naruto frowned, not getting what she meant. "What does that mean? If you are talking about me becoming Ohma, that's been taken care of! I gave the watch to Tsukuyomi! I rejected that power! I won't become Ohma Millennium!"

"Do you truly believe it to be that simple?"

Before naruto could demand what she meant by that, the glass wall suddenly shattered inward, shards flying all over the place as they were pushed by a hard gust of wind. Eyes widening as he saw the shards flying towards him, Naruto crossed his arms to protect his face, wincing as shockingly enough, he felt pain as the shards cut him. "What the hell kind of dream is this, dattebayo?!" He demanded over the harsh wind. Fighting through the sharp pains, Naruto made a small gap between his crossed arms, peeking through to try and see if the strange woman was alright. He frowned when he couldn't see her anywhere. "Where did she go?"

Suddenly, everything stopped. The wind. The glass shards. It all just...stopped.

Opening his eyes - when did he close them? - Naruto straightened up, blinking as he looked around. He was no longer in the large room. Instead, he found himself in what looked like an open field, crushed rock and orange sand under his feet, blowing in a strong wind. He frowned. This dream - if he could call it that anymore - was getting stranger and stranger by the minute.

His spine then tensed, feeling like there was someone behind him. Spinning around, Naruto froze, eyes wide as his breath got caught in his throat. For standing before him, gazing right at him, was none other than Ohma Millennium. His "Demon King" future self. Just being in his presence, knowing all that he has done and what he was capable of, froze Naruto, a feeling of dread struck him to his very core.

His dream just became a nightmare!

Ohma hummed slowly, his form strong and firm. "So...once again you try to stand in my way."

The sound of Ohma's voice, strong, powerful, monstrous that it could make the ground shake, made Naruto jump with a cold sweat, wondering if he was talking to him. However, he then felt someone else standing behind him. Praying it wasn't some monster looking to kill him, Naruto risked a glance behind him. His eyes widened when he saw who it was.

It was the strange woman!

She stood her ground, spine straight as her face, still mysteriously hidden behind a veil of blur and shimmer to Naruto's eyes, staring right through Naruto, and straight at Ohma, as her long silvery-white ponytails flapped in the wind. In her right hand, the woman held what looked like a long staff with a sphere at the top.

"I made you a promise before, Ohma. I will stop you! I will end this senseless reign of destruction and death!" The woman declared, Naruto somehow felt an unseen glare aimed at Ohma, as the woman moved the staff to grasp with both hands, pointing it right at Ohma.

Ohma Millennium let out a short, amused chuckle. "Heh! Very well then! Let this be our final battle, dear Sailor Guardian." Ohma announced, his hands moving down to the gold device attached to his waist, grabbing two large grips on either side, before pressing them inward simultaneously.

"Shūen no Toki! (End Time) Ohma Millennium Hissatsu Geki! (Finishing Strike)"

Ohma began to glow a golden light, a wave of black and golden energy wrapping around his form, while the woman also began to glow with white light. Naruto began to get nervous, standing right between the two as visible energy could be seen surging off the two. "Oh shit!" He shouted as the two lept high into the air, Ohma extending his foot out, while the woman extended her staff.

Naruto stared up in shock and awe as the two flew toward the other, their forms crashing in the middle as a large force erupted from them. Naruto shouted as a blinding light hit him. He shielded his eyes from the intense light, trying to gaze through the light.

His eyes narrowed, swearing he could see something in the light.

Something large. And whatever it was…

It stared back at him.

Eyes snapping open, Naruto shot up with a gasp, a layer of sweat saturating his face. He breathed heavily, pupils shaking as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart. "A dream...just a dream..." He muttered, trying to reassure himself. He groaned, holding a hand to his head. "More like a nightmare." Seriously, he heard of people having dreams about falling from a high place, but what he just experienced, felt too real. He then frowned, his mind flashing to the appearance of Ohma. He shook his head.

'It was just a dream. Nothing more. Besides, I gave the watch to Tsukuyomi, and she's no doubt back in her own time with it! I won't become Ohma! He no longer exists...Right?' He thought, feeling worried.

Suddenly, he felt something bump his side. Looking down, he gained a soft smile as the slumbering Azuka slept beside him. She had appeared in his room just before he went to bed, practically begging to sleep with him. It wasn't a rare thing, as she would crash in with him during thunderstorms, or after accidentally watching a trailer for a horror movie and was too scared to sleep alone. However, soon his frown returned. 'I haven't really spoken to her yet about what happened. I'm such an idiot! She's only 6! For all I know, she could've been traumatized for life!' There was no telling how that monster's attack could have affected her mind! She could have been having bad dreams, or hallucinations! What kind of big brother was he, that he didn't think of that?! He swore he would try to speak to her in the morning before his parents tried questioning her and she accidentally told them the truth.

While he really wasn't that scared about his parents finding out about his one fight and temporary transformation as it would never happen again, he would like to prevent them from going all frantic with worry and concern and being all over him when he just wanted to put what happened behind him.

Sighing, Naruto laid back down, staring at the ceiling for a moment. "Hopefully tomorrow things will be better." He muttered, before closing his eyes to go back to sleep.

The Next Day

Well into the early morning, Naruto walked his usual route towards the school zones with Yuriko and Azuka. He looked at the latter, frowning in slight worry. He should take the opportunity to talk to her.

"Azuka, hold up a sec." He called, getting his sisters' attention as he stopped.

Azuka blinked at him, confused. "What's wrong, onii-chan?" She asked, tilting her head.

Looking around to make sure no one was listening, he knelt down to her level, looking at her with a serious, but worried look. "Listen...we haven't talked about what happened...that night." He hinted, making Yuriko realize what he was talking about, frowning as she realized that he was right as she looked at the confused Azuka.

"What night, dattebane?"

Naruto sighed, scratching the back of his head. "You know...that night...with the monster." He explained, making the young redhead's eyes widen, catching on, frowning as she looked down at the ground, pressing the tip of her shoe against the pavement nervously. Naruto frowned, placing a hand on her shoulder, getting her to look at him. "I'm sorry it took me so long, but I need to know...are you okay? I know what you went through...it must have been scary. I don't blame you for being scared. It was something no kid your age should have gone through! I just want you to know that if you want to talk about it...even though I'm just as confused as you are about all of it...I'm here for you. Because that's what big brothers do. And not just me! Yuriko is also here for you!" He stated, with the Murakami teen nodding in agreement, smiling at her sister in all but blood as she also knelt down, looking at her kindly.

"Naruto's right! We're here for you, Azuka-chan! We always will be! So, if you want to talk, either with me or Naruto, whenever you want, we'll be there to listen. Okay?" She asked. Azuka was silent for a moment, lips pressed together, teeth biting against the bottom. Her hands gripped her school bag's straps tightly as her shoulders shook.

Naruto and Yuriko frowned, watching sadly as Azuka struggled to hold in her emotions. Of course, being so young, she could not hold them back for long, as tears began to escape her eyes as she began to weep. Without a word, Naruto and Yuriko embraced her, holding their sister as she finally released all her held feelings from what she was forced to experience. Memories of that monster's appearance and attack flashed through the young girl's mind. The recollection of the intense fear she felt as she and Yuriko struggled to escape capture. The desperation she felt, hoping beyond anything that her big brother would appear to make all the bad things go away. The relief and happiness she felt when he finally came before it was replaced with great fear and horror when the monster attacked him. Not even the awe she felt when she watched Naruto become a superhero and beat the monster could expel the terror she felt from that night.

However, she tried to be brave! She tried to act like the big girl she was! She kept her word and did not tell her parents so as to not worry them! She never said anything to Naruto-oniichan and Yuriko-oneechan so as to not worry them either! So what if all that happened was scary! Naruto was her King! He would never let anything bad happen to her! So she had nothing to worry about! And she was a big girl! Big girls didn't cry! They didn't...didn't...

Naruto and Yuriko held Azuka tightly, holding her as she cried. Naruto clenched his fist in anger. Anger at that monster for trying to hurt his sisters. Anger at Tsukuyomi for taking him away from his sisters when they needed him most. Anger at himself for not getting to them sooner. For not getting to Azuka sooner to keep her safe!

'I promise, Azuka-chan...I will never let anything hurt or scare you ever again. That's a promise of a lifetime! And Namikaze Naruto never goes back on his promises!'

Later - Jounan Junior High

"So, Usagi~...Has Umino said anything to you yet?"

Usagi blinked, looking at Naru after she replaced her outside shoes with her school ones. "Hm? Umino? What do you mean? About what?"

Standing up, Naru teasingly nudged her. "You know...anything romantic~"

Usagi tilted her head, confused. "Romantic? Um...no. I haven't seen him lately."

Naru frowned, disappointed. "Seriously?! You would think he of all people wouldn't have a problem!" She muttered, as given how excited he was yesterday in wanting Usagi to be his girlfriend, he wouldn't take so long to do so, given Umino was never really one to hesitate for so long. 'Unless he was actually taking this seriously and thinking on the best approach to do it.' She wondered.

"What did he want to tell me?" Usagi asked, curious.

Naru hummed, crossing her arms. "Well...it really isn't my place to tell you...But Umino totally likes you! Like, likes you, like you!" She blurted out excitedly, unable to hold it in any longer. She had always been a sucker for drama and romance!

"EH?!" Usagi shouted, shocked.

Nodding her head up and down rapidly, Naru leaned close to the stunned teen. "Totally! He told me yesterday, but he was too scared to say anything!"

"Umino...likes me?!" Usagi repeated, unsure of how to react to that.

"What's this about Umino?" Naruto asked, approaching the girls. Naru turned to him, excited about the drama to tell him, part of her hoping to add more drama between Naruto, Usagi, and Umino, but before she could…

"Usagi~..."

Hearing the familiar voice of the person they were talking about, the three turned their heads, only to blink in surprise and confusion as they saw Umino leaning against the lockers, dressed all nicely in a suit and tie. Naruto raised a brow at him, finding his dress attire strange, as well as feeling like there was something strange about Umino today. Naru was surprised at Umino's look, wondering if this was his attempt at wooing Usagi. Meanwhile, Usagi had no words for what she was looking at.

Umino smirked at the three, or more to say, at Usagi. "What do you say you and I go on a date?" He asked smoothly.

Naruto blinked.

Usagi blinked.

Naru facepalmed.

"...What is happening here?" Naruto asked, completely lost.

"Umino? What happened to you?" Usagi asked next.

Naru looked at Umino disappointedly, both for his bluntness and attire. Speaking of which... "Umino you can't come to school out of uniform like that! You'll get in trouble!"

Umino gave an out-of-character scoff. "Please! Who needs school? There are better things to do than this. Like you and me going out, Usagi. What do you say?" Umino asked, smirking at the stunned teen, stepping closer to her.

"Um! I, um...!" Usagi tried to say, but couldn't, too flabbergasted to think properly. So she did the next obvious thing...and hid behind Naruto. "Naruto help!"

"Don't use me as a shield!" Naruto scolded her, before looking at Umino, wondering what's gotten into him. "Umino, you okay man? You're acting...not your usual self."

Naru nodded in agreement. "Yeah, talk about having a sudden boost of overconfidence."

Umino scoffed, turning away from them. "I've never been better! I'm just sick of always acting so held back! Decided it was time I acted more free of mind, you dig?!"

Naru raised a brow at him. "'Free of mind'? What does that even mean?"

Just then, Usagi, Naru, and Umino's homeroom teacher Haruna walked into the scene, spotting Umino's attire, and with a frown walked over. "Umino! What is with that outfit of yours?! You are out of uniform!"

Turning to her, Umino smirked, crossing his arms behind his head nonchalantly.

Growing annoyed at his silence, Ms. Haruna placed her hands on her hips disapprovingly. "Well?! Explain yourself, or do I have to report you?!"

Scoffing, Umino put down his hands. Bending down to grab his bag, he then moved around the teacher. "It's called living free, teach. You should try it sometime!" He said, and to the shock of everyone, he flipped Ms. Haruna's skirt up high enough that her panties could be seen.

"Hey!" Naruto shouted, eyes wide as Ms. Haruna gave a shriek, trying to hold down her skirt, her face completely red, while Usagi and Naru watched, stunned.

All the while, Umino walked off, laughing as an unseen glow appeared on his chest for a second.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

The teacher and three students stood there, stunned with wide eyes. Then, Ms. Haruna began to shake, anger and embarrassment boiling inside of her, tears gathering in her eyes, before she fell to her knees, letting out a cry. "Waaaaahhhhh! I'll never live this down!"

Acting quickly, Naruto moves to her side. "Hey, Ms. Haruna, it's okay! N-No one saw a thing! Promise!" He tried to comfort her, though his cheeks still burned red from the unexpected sight.

"Y-Yeah! Naruto's right!" Naru stated, moving over to help Naruto as they helped get the teacher up. "We're so sorry for Umino! We don't know what's up with him!"

Unfortunately, their attempts to comfort her weren't working as Ms. Haruna kept crying, making Naruto sigh.

'Not again.'

He had just spent the last 10 or so minutes comforting his crying little sister. Now he had to comfort a crying adult?!

What a morning this was turning out to be...

Meanwhile w/ Tsukuyomi

The sound of cars going by.

The endless murmuring and mangled voices of oblivious people.

The strange odor in the air. Both sweet from an open-door bakery nearby, and nauseating with the passing vehicles pumping out smoked gas from their rear pipes.

It all left Tsukuyomi feeling both awestruck and lost as she silently traversed along a sidewalk, mixing into the small gathering of people going about their day. She idly glanced at the people around her, observing them, studying them, if only to learn how people of the past used to act. How they acted, when their world wasn't an endless wasteland of destruction and death, and monsters weren't lurking around every corner and in every shadow like prey hunting for food.

'They look...so calm. So careless about what had just happened. Like they don't care there was a monster attack only two days ago. Like they are used to it.' And indeed they were, apparently. From what little her people in the future had learned about the past, prior to their operation in traveling through time, Japan was no stranger to monster attacks being a common thing, as it has been happening for many decades now. 'With heroes like these Kamen Riders and Super Sentai, I could understand their lack of concern.' She thought, before frowning, wondering about the possibility of if such heroes were in her time, could they have stopped Ohma? Being able to stop constant threats to Japan, they had to be strong, right? If so…

Why weren't there any heroes like that in her time? Where were they when they were needed?

She continued on silently, her expression stoic as she moved with no destination in mind. Just wanting to observe her surroundings, memorizing them like an incredible dream she did not wish to forget. Cementing everything she saw all to mind, to not forget them anytime soon once she returned to the future. Back to her own time. Back to what few friends she had left...should the future have changed at all.

She passed next to a small restaurant. A glance inside, she spotted what looked like a small family.

A mother. A father. A young daughter.

She frowned, pausing in her steps, as she silently watched the family smile and laugh with one another. A sense of longing gripped her heart, wondering about what could have been.

Tsukuyomi was an orphan. At least, as far as she could remember. She lost her memories young, finding herself alone in the middle of ruins. No other living being around her. Lost and frightened, with only the clothes on her back, she wandered the land aimlessly, savoring whatever lucky chance she gained in discovering food and water.

There have been many close encounters with monsters and beasts, even closer calls with those loyal to the Demon King. However, even young, Tsukuyomi had her courage and bravery and had been able to get herself out of those tense moments.

It was by luck that she came upon a camp of survivors, who took her in, fed her, cleaned her, and where she made friends. Like her, they had nothing and lost everything. All thanks to the horrendous attacks from Ohma Millennium. For all she knew, whatever family she had before, had either perished in one of Ohma's attacks; or in the worse case, they abandoned her to save their own lives. She honestly didn't know which scenario she deemed favorable.

A memory flashed in Tsuuyomi's mind, one of the Namikaze Family. She quickly shook her head, forcibly brushing away the memory. "I accomplished my mission." She muttered, taking out the Millennium Ridewatch. "With this, Ohma won't ever be made."

"Greetings, Tsukuyomi-kun." Woz greeted, stepping out from around a corner. At his appearance, Tsukuyomi gasped, eyes wide as she took a step back.

"Woz!" She muttered. Looking around, she saw how the people around them continued on, not paying them any attention. Maybe a glance or two, but that was it. Ignoring them like nothing. She frowned. If only they knew the truth and the danger of who the man before her served…

Narrowing her eyes, Tsukuyomi glared at Woz, pressing the watch protectively against her chest. Seeing this, Woz smirked. "You have something that belongs to my Lord, Tsukuyomi-kun." He stated, standing in front of her, holding his hand out.

Tsukuyomi shook her head, taking another step back, her free hand moving to her side where her concealed Faizphone X was, ready to whip it out if required. "Naruto gave me the watch, Woz. Willingly and wisely! He swore he would never become Ohma. Not after learning of his future. He knew of the dangers of keeping such power. Of the dangers should he become Ohma!" She stated, tensing for any move Woz pulled, knowing how loyal he was to Ohma, and could possibly not like the news.

However, to her surprise, Woz just smirked, an amused chuckle escaping his lips, along with a slight shake of the head. "My past Mao-sama is young, Tsukuyomi-kun. Ignorant of the level of greatness he will achieve. Of the potential he will gain and unlock should he continue down his destined path."

Those words sparked a feeling of anger in Tsukuyomi, her hand gripping the Ridewatch as she glared at the zealous supporter of the Demon King. Greatness?! Potential?! Ohma Millennium destroyed the world! He reduced the human population to only a small percentage! How was any of that 'greatness'?! Ohma Millennium was anything but! He was a monster! A demon! A killer! She will make sure he never came to power and save the future! Perhaps not through the death of Namikaze Naruto, but through the destruction of his source of power!

Woz stared at the angry teen, his smirk still in place. Then, he turned around, walking off, surprising Tsukuyomi. "W-Where are you going?!" She had to ask, confused that Woz wasn't trying to take the watch from her. Was he tricking her? Fooling her into a false sense of security?! What was he planning?!

Pausing, the man from the future looked at her over his shoulder. "Where else, Tsukuyomi-kun? I am going to wherever my Mao-sama requires me."

"What? But...Naruto will never-"

"Do you truly believe it is that easy, Tsukuyomi-kun? You know so little of how the mechanisms of time and prophecy truly work, in ensuring Namikaze Naruto's role in becoming Millennium. It is not a simple desire or goal for him to wield such power. He is meant to possess his power. Nothing - not you nor shadowy threats - could hold him back from achieving that which he is destined to become."

Tsukuyomi frowned, those words making her worried. Was Ohma's power truly so great that it was futile to prevent his rise? So great, that not even the manipulation of time could stop it? Was...this whole thing hopeless since the beginning? Even if she did kill Naruto...would that have done anything? Her hand clenched, shaking. Would that mean that there was no hope for the future? No hope for her friends? No hope for the world?!

Her eyes rolled to the Millennium Ridewatch, the dark, black design of Millennium's face with red lettering visor staring at her. Her mind had to be playing tricks on her, as for a moment, she visualized Ohma's helmet face being what stared at her, his haunting, dark chuckle making her shiver.

She looked up at Woz, who continued to look at her. She narrowed her eyes at him. "What games are you playing at, Woz? You could easily take the watch from me. So why don't you?!" She demanded.

No more games.

No more tricks.

What was Woz planning?!

"Hmph." Woz smirked at her. That annoying smirk that oh so badly made her want to punch him! "No games, Tsukuyomi-kun. Trust me, Mao-sama will regain his watch, as he will soon come to realize that he will truly need the power of Millennium in the times to come. However, I will not be the one to give him the watch. You will."

Tsukuyomi's eyes widened. "What?!"

Woz nodded. "Namikaze Naruto will come to realize that he needs to become Millennium, and so will you. Willingly and wisely."

Meanwhile, somewhere nearby in the city

Out of sight of civilians, several figures wandered around the alleyways behind and between buildings, out of sight and out of sound from any who could detect them.

"Where is it?!" A figure, the one leading the group, exclaimed. They stared at a device in their hand, a beeping sound echoing from it as the display screen showed a radar-like layout, a scan searching through the area. "This damn device says the creature should be around here, somewhere close!"

Stepping out of the shadows, it revealed the person was an armored being of gray and cyan-blue platting with pink lenses on their helmet.

The armored being - male, as indicated from its voice - continued forward, following the detected signal sensed by the radar. Behind him, a squad of Shocker Combatmen followed, armed and alert as they stealthy followed their commander, weapons ready to fire at a moment's notice or if given the signal.

The armored being was known as Delu-Knight, a high-ranked member of the latest reincarnation of the feared terrorist organization, Shocker, under a new name and goal, yet still seeking world conquest, simply through different means compared to its previous incarnations! Currently, Delu-Knight was on an assigned mission, to locate and investigate a strange energy source that has appeared on his organization's radar, following the destruction of Shibuya at the hands of some new Kamen Rider. Should the source be discovered to be a being or object, he was to retrieve it and bring it back to headquarters for analysis.

Should the cause be a threat...he was to eliminate it. Whatever their sensors detected, it had to be powerful enough to be picked up. Whatever power it was, Shocker would acquire it for their goal! No matter what!

Beep!...Beep!...Beep!...

"Hm..." Delu-Knight grunted, looking at the radar, glancing around. According to the device...the source should be somewhere close by. However, he couldn't see anything that indicated otherwise as they stood in the empty ally. He gave the device an unseen glare. "Blasted thing! Is it broken?!" He muttered angrily, shaking it a bit, uncaring about the sound of small rattling coming from it.

Behind him, the Shocker Combatmen glanced at one another confusingly as they watched their commander shaking the radar around violently, their movement halting for the moment, as Delu-Knight let out his growing frustration for the lack of results and aimless wandering for the better part of two days! With a growing shame and anger every time he returned to headquarters empty-handed, before being sent back out to continue his search, no matter how long it took!

While Delu-Knight could understand the need to obtain whatever the source of power was to better aid their Shocker group, still admittedly new in development and in need of financial income and additional manpower, for him to be forced to chase around an anonymous object or being without any clue on their/its location...it was FRUSTRATING!

And this infernal device was not helping with its constant beeping!

As the squad stood at the empty alley, a slight breeze blew by them, scattering surrounding light trash and discarded newspapers, with a lone piece of paper being carried all the way to an opening in the alley, dark and void, as the paper idly swooped before it. All was silent for a moment before a soft growling sound could be heard from the darkness of the opening.

While low and soft, it was loud enough to be heard by the Shocker loyalists, freezing them, as Delu-Knight halted his rant, held in place with the radar held up in the air to be slammed down in frustration.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!...

Instantly, the Gunmen went into action, running to the alley opening, positioning themselves in a semi-circle around the entrance, weapons aimed into the darkness, at whatever was in it, while Delu-Knight calmly walked over, tossing the radar over his shoulder behind him carelessly. He stood behind his men, hand gripping the handle of a long sword he had strapped to his waist. "Who or whatever you are! By the order of Shocker, I, Delu-Knight, command you to reveal yourself!" He ordered loudly into the darkness.

His only answer was another soft growl. A warning.

With a grunt, Delu-Knight nudged the Gunman in front of him. Knowing what he wanted, the Gunman turned on the flashlight attached to their helmet, illuminating the alleyway.

For a split second, something flinched back, away from the light, retreating further into the shadows, out of the light's range.

"This is your first and final warning! Reveal yourself!" Delu-Knight shouted at whatever laid in the darkness.

What came next was not a growl, but a roar. Like a hurricane tunnel of wind, it blasted the group, forcing some of the Gunmen to stagger back a step or two from the force, but they quickly fixed their place, holding their ground, while Delu-Knight remained standing, seemingly unbothered.

The roar held for several seconds, practically half a minute, before finally dying down. Once more, the alley was silent.

Reaching up, Delu-Knight flicked his metal thumb over the nose position of his metal face. "Very well..."

Without needing a signal, the Shocker Combatmen fired into the alleyway. In an instant…

Something shot out of the alley towards them.

Jounan Junior High - Naruto's Homeroom

Naruto let out a breath as he sat behind his desk, idly resting his chin on his palm, his eyes half-open as he was forced to listen to his teacher, Hatake Kakashi, like usual drawn on and on as he gave his lessons to the half-asleep class, quite a few having been lured to sleep, with even fewer actually paying attention and taking notes. In fact, even the teacher sounded bored and tired as he read his textbook, looking ready to fall asleep himself - not that anyone could really tell given Kakashi had nearly his whole face covered with a cloth mask and bandana covering one eye, leaving only his other eye visible - as he stood in front of the class.

'This is absolute torture, dattebayo!' Naruto thought in anguish, ready to slam his head onto his desk. Maybe it would put him out of his misery…

"RAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"

Naruto let out a gasp, jolting straight up in shock, getting the class's attention, turning to him.

Kakashi raised a brow at his student. "Everything alright, Naruto?"

"Huh? I...uh..." Naruto stammered, glancing around in confusion, looking for whatever caused the strange noise. He grew embarrassed as everyone's eyes were on him. "Um...yeah. Yeah! Sorry! I just...uh...slipped." He lied, his cheeks reddening as he heard some chuckling. He mentally groaned. Smooth move, Namikaze…

"Hmm..." Kakashi hummed, before turning his visible eye back to the textbook. "Please pay attention, Naruto. You never know when this could be important." He said, before continuing his reading.

Naruto sighed, shaking his head. 'Important my ass!' He mentally argued, before turning his head toward the wide window beside him, staring out at the blue sky.

He frowned, wondering what the heck was that sound was. It sounded like some kind of beast. Like a lion? Or a…

Naruto stared up in shock and awe as the two flew toward the other, their forms crashing in the middle as a large force erupted from them. Naruto shouted as a blinding light hit him. He shielded his eyes from the intense light, trying to gaze through the light.

His eyes narrowed, swearing he could see something in the light.

Something large. And whatever it was…

It stared back at him.

Blinking, Naruto shook his head. No, stop! No more thoughts involving the future, or Millennium, or Ohma! He wanted to put it all behind him!

!

Suddenly, everyone heard noises coming from the classroom next door. They could hear what sounded like shouting and scuffles. Kakashi narrowed his eye. What was going on next door?

Just then, the door to the room was swiped open. "Kakashi!" A man, who everyone recognized as a teacher to the class they just heard noises from, stood at the entrance with a frantic expression on his face. "I need your help! One of my students suddenly went crazy, and is attacking the others!"

"Nani?!" Kakashi asked, surprised. Closing the textbook, Kakashi looked at his students. "Stay in your seats! That's an order!" He told them, before following the man out of the room. Immediately, the students began murmuring to each other.

"What do you think's going on?" Kiba asked his friends.

Shikamaru sighed. "Something really troublesome."

Naruto frowned, wondering if this was a normal thing between emotional teens, or if something was going on. Just then, something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Huh?" Turning his head, he looked out towards the courtyard, where he saw several other students out and about. His eyes widened when he saw them suddenly start going havoc all over the place. Picking up trash bins and throwing them into windows, breaking vending machines, kicking stationed bikes, etc. His classmates also began seeing what was happening.

"What the hell are they doing?!" Kiba demanded, shocked by the sudden events.

"Are they crazy?!" Ino questioned, startled at the behaviors of the students below. The gathered students watched on as the crazed students continued to cause environmental wreckage to the pavement and room windows. It wasn't long before campus security and police officers showed up, wrestling with the students to apprehend them. They winced as they saw one of the students get in a lucky punch right to the face of one of the cops before he was tackled to the ground by the others.

"This is madness!" Sakura muttered, wondering what the hell made the students act like that. Suddenly, Kakashi's students heard the sound of rough scuffling happening in the other room. They could hear shouting as a loud thud was heard against the wall.

"I hope Kakashi-sensei is alright..." Hinata said, frowning worriedly.

Naruto was worried about this whole strange event, even more worried for Yuriko. Hopefully, her class didn't have any trouble-making students in it. He clenched his hands into tight fists.

'If anything happened to her...'

Making up his mind, Naruto turned around, pushing through the small crowd against the window, before making his way towards the door.

"Yo, Naruto! Where are ya going?" He heard Kiba ask. Pausing for a sec, he turned towards his friends.

"I'm just going to check up on Yuriko and Usagi, make sure they're okay. I'll be back as fast as I can!"

"What if Kakashi-sensei comes back before you do?"

Naruto waved the concern off. "I'll accept whatever punishment he gives me!" He said, before heading out.

Any punishment was worth it, as long as his sister and best friend were safe.

What was supposed to be a normal, boring school day for Usagi, a time in which she would attempt (and fail) to stay awake in class as Ms. Haruna gave her usual boring lessons; where she could enjoy a nice, yummy lunch with her friends and bestie Naruto as they ate together; where she could forget all her troubles and worries of life and scary monsters...Sadly, it was anything but that day.

All because of Umino and his strange behavior.

Now, it wasn't about the surprising fact that Umino liked her - n-not that she could blame him! With how pretty she was! But she didn't like him like that! Besides, she liked Motoki! Umino was...sweet and all, but she only liked him as a friend! Like Naruto!

Still, while she found his attempt at impressing her strange yet a bit charming, what with his change of attire and confident attitude, Usagi did not like how much of a jerk he was being!

After what he pulled with Ms. Haruna, Umino kept on causing trouble throughout the school day, like how he would ignore Ms. Haruna's teachings and instead spend his time reading a comic book he brought, laughing loudly and ignoring all the warnings he was given.

However, what was really strange was that Usagi saw a few boys in the class acting like how Umino was. Evidence being how when Ms. Haruna was marching towards Umino, having gotten tired of his distractions, one of the boys in the row actually tripped her! They even openly laughed at her and said some rude things!

"Geez! What is going on with Umino and the others today?!" Naru demanded, annoyed. Currently, she and Usagi stood behind a building to talk.

Usagi frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Some of the other boys were also acting weird. Do you think there was something in the water?" She asked, wondering. Naru scoffed, crossing her arms.

"It's probably just boys being stupid as usual!" She said, before frowning in thought. "Though...Umino's attitude is so out of character! He seemed fine yesterday. He seemed excited about asking you out, but I never would have thought he'd act like this! I wonder if it has anything to do with the House of Fortune?" She said, muttering the last part, but Usagi still heard her as she looked at her, surprised.

"What? Umino went to the House of Fortune?" She asked, curious.

Naru nodded. "Yeah, I told him about it to get advice on how to ask you out. I think some other students like those other boys also went there too."

Usagi hummed, finding that suspicious. Maybe she should call Setsuna and tell her about it? See if it could be a monster, like with what happened at OSA-P…

Suddenly, the two heard the sound of glass breaking, getting their attention. Looking around the corner, the girls gasped as they saw a group of boys, the same boys they were just talking about from their class with a few others, gathered together, chucking rocks at a room window as they laughed. The window then slid open as a staff member looked out, glaring at the teens. "Not again! What do you think you're doing?! You're all in big trouble!" He warned, not happy that more students were damaging school property after the last group got taken away by the police, and now had to deal with more. He then gasped and quickly ducked back in, as more rocks were thrown, breaking the window even more.

Umino and the boys all laughed darkly, enjoying the chaos they brought, their eyes and chests glowing an unseen eerie glow, before vanishing just as Usagi and Naru ran up to them.

"Hey! Cut that out right now!" Usagi demanded as she glared at the group.

"What do you guys think you're doing?!" Naru scolded. However, their words were ignored as Umino smirked at Usagi.

"Hey, Usagi~..." He said slyly, creeping Usagi out.

"Stop saying my name like that!" She said, before gasping as Umino reached out and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her close.

"What say you and I go on that date? We could end it with a kiss~" He said, smirking. Unable to handle how weird he was acting, Usagi whimpered, eyes tearing.

Just then, Umino felt someone grab the back of his suit by the collar, before being yanked backward. "Hey! What gives?!" He demanded, seeing Naruto standing before him in front of Usagi protectively, glaring at him as the girl immediately calmed at the sight of him, with Yuriko standing by Naru, giving the boys a disapproving glare. Seeing the male blond, Umino growled in anger and jealousy. "What's the deal, whiskers?! Can't you see Usagi-chan and I were having a moment?!" He demanded, glaring at Naruto, who glared back, also aiming his glare at the other teens behind Umino.

"I don't give a damn! Not only were you guys acting like assholes and breaking school stuff, but now you were bothering Usagi and Naru! I don't know what the hell is up with everyone today, but if you don't stop right now, I'm kicking all of your asses!" He threatened.

Umino scoffed as his 'posse' backed him up. "Tough talk! You know, I never liked you, Naruto. Always acting so cool and tough! Someone needs to teach you a lesson!" He said, smirking darkly, as Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Oh yeah? Who? You, dattebayo?"

Naruto and Umino glared at each other, with Usagi and Naru standing nervously as they watched, hoping a fight didn't break out, while Yuriko stood beside her brother, backing him up, hands clenched in tight fists. While Umino may be acting like a jerk, Usagi and Naru didn't want to see him get hurt, or for Naruto to get in trouble for fighting and hurting another student. The two boys kept their glares locked on the other for a while longer, before finally, Umino broke off, turning away with a scoff. "Whatever! I don't have time to deal with this! Let's go, guys!" He stated, walking off with his group, leaving the four there.

Shaking his head, Naruto turned to the girls. "You girls alright?" He asked worriedly. He got nods from them as Naru sighed in relief, glad the tension was over.

"Yeah, but boy was that stressful." She said, with Usagi agreeing.

Naruto frowned, staring after where Umino went. "What's the deal with Umino? He never acted like that before." He questioned.

Yuriko crossed her arms. "Not just them, some girls in my class were acting really wild. One of the girls went all crazy and actually tripped her friend over, laughing the whole time! She then said some pretty harsh things, like how she never liked her, and that her friend had always been a...well, you get what I mean." She said, not saying what she heard. Because wow, that was just uncalled for!

Naru shook her head. "Things are getting really weird! First with those monsters appearing, and now students are acting out of control!"

Naruto hummed slowly, wondering if there was a connection. Suddenly, he grunted, holding a hand to his head as a headache hit him out of nowhere.

"RAAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!"

A large green eye with a slit pupil glared at him.

"Naruto!" Usagi and Yuriko called, worriedly as their friend/brother hunched over all of a sudden, immediately moving to his side. "What's wrong?! Are you okay?!" Usagi asked, worried as he looked like he was in pain.

Naruto groaned, massaging his forehead to try and smooth away the pain. "I-I...yeah. It's...going away. Just a slight headache...I'm fine." He said, letting out a breath as the pain went away after a minute.

Naru looked at him. "Do you need to go to the nurse's office?" She asked, but Naruto shook his head.

"No. I'm fine now. Nothing to worry about."

Usagi frowned, unconvinced. The same with Yuriko. After what had happened days ago, she was really worried for Naruto's safety. Whatever was going on…

She hoped it didn't involve Naruto.

Just then, the school intercoms buzzed on, getting everyone's attention.

Unbeknownst to them, hiding under some bushes nearby, Luna peeked her head out, staring in the direction the group of boys went. "I sense dark energy around those boys. This could be the work of dark forces. I best tell Usagi and Setsuna!"

Meanwhile

A Shocker Combatmen flew through the air before crashing hard against a wall, before sliding down, unconscious. All around the alley, bodies of knocked-out Gunmen littered the ground, some bleeding from cuts in their clothing, while some others had their protective armor broken and sleeves ripped off, revealing burns on their arms and chests.

Delu-Knight grunted as he slid back, a sword held tightly in hand. "So...you're the source of the strange energy, are you?" He questioned, keeping his gaze locked on the creature before him.

It was a dragon, more specifically, a wyvern-type dragon. Large in size, but unlike a regular reptilian creature, the dragon before him seemed more machine than organic. Its shelling plate is a crimson red color with black on the underbelly. As a wyvern-type dragon, it stood on its hind legs, with its front set being fused into its large black wings. A hard glare was aimed at him from glowing emerald-green lenses as the beast growled, the light of the sun reflecting off its sharp-looking horn. Behind it, a long, tri-spike-ended tail swayed cautiously. It stood crouched on all fours, back straight and body low, ready to move - either to attack or evade - at the slightest movement from its enemy.

Delu-Knight hummed as he looked at the growling beast. "I was not expecting a creature like you. No matter, I can tell you are powerful. Shocker would gladly make use of your power, Dragon." He stated, aiming his blade at it, making the crimson dragon growl. Sparks of ember seeped out through the small gaps between its sharp teeth, before with a mighty roar, the dragon launched a torrent of flames at Delu-Knight, who evaded by jumping to the side, before charging at the dragon, sword ready.

Seeing the metal man heading its way, the dragon canceled its flames, lifting its body up as it stood on its hind legs. Its mighty wings spread outward, before lapping them inward, launching a mighty whirlwind tornado at Delu-Knight.

With the sharp wind blades slamming against his armored body, Delu-Knight halted his charge, crossing his arm in an attempt to shield against the whirlwind. Even with an armored body, Delu-Knight could feel the dents formed on impact. The wind was quite strong to hold against, his feet sliding back against the ground slightly. Grunting, Delu-Knight forced his body to take a step forward, pushing against the force of the harsh wind. Slowly and carefully, Delu-Knight inched closer and closer towards the dragon. Seeing this, the dragon growled in annoyance, launching large fireballs at its attacker. However, due to continuing its wing flapping, its aim was not proper, and instead, the fireballs struck around Delu-Knight in large explosions.

All the while, said being continued ever so closer towards the beast. Fueled with determination to accomplish his task in capturing the beast for Shocker!

It was time to make true to his given name, and for the brave knight to confront the fierce dragon! One way or another, only one shall be victorious!

Back w/ Naruto & co

Due to the sudden and chaotic behavior of several students around the school, the principal had decided to cut classes early for the day, no doubt to prevent said chaotic students from causing even more damage to school property than they already have and possibly harming the rest of the students and staff, with a few of those troublemakers being forcibly taken by the police when they attempted to do as such.

"Man, today was crazy!" Usagi commented as she, Naruto, and Yuriko walked away from their school. Honestly, Usagi was not expecting the day to turn out as it did. Her life had gotten insane enough with the whole Sailor Moon thing, and now it got even crazier with students in her school acting so out of control! It all felt like some horrible dream! Or even a bad joke!

Unknown to Usagi, Naruto had the exact same thought.

'Why can't things go back to being normal?!' The two blond teens thought simultaneously.

Yuriko nodded in agreement with Usagi. "I know, right?! Like, seriously, what is with all this craziness happening?!"

Naruto hummed in thought, wondering just what could have caused those students to all of a sudden go all bat shit crazy. 'Maybe they just snapped, given the monster's attack after years of silence. People could have snapped from overly worrying about another monster or alien invasion like before. A case of "Last Day on Earth" frenzy? However, Umino seemed fine yesterday. He acted like his normal self and everything! No way he just snapped all of a sudden. Maybe...' He narrowed his eyes, remembering about the apparent return of a certain terrorist organization, wondering if perhaps they had something to do with the students' strange behavior. 'This is probably some kind of generic Evil Villain scheme. Using innocent civilians to cause havoc, or whatever villains plan. Whatever the case, they need to be stopped before things get out of control.' He thought, crossing his arms. What was probably the best way to go about this is to find the possible source that was causing the students to behave as they were, and deal with it before anyone got hurt. Of course, that was easier said than done. If those detective movies he used to watch taught him anything, what he should do was figure out what connection they all had, then he could-

Naruto froze in his steps, blinking. Realizing just what he was thinking, he aggressively shook his head, much to his sister & friend's confusion. Ignorant of the looks he was getting, Naruto raged over his thought's continuous attempts to refocus on that particular trend.

'Why do I keep thinking like this?! Of being some hero?! Of doing crazy stuff?! I just want to live my life! I just want to be normal, and not have to worry about saving lives and fighting creepy monsters! I don't want that kind of life! That kind of life is dangerous as hell! I could die! The last thing I want to do is make my family sad should something happen to me because I was being an idiot!' He mentally tried to argue with himself, almost as if trying to get his own mind to see reason. Honestly, he didn't know why he kept thinking like that. Maybe it was the rush he felt when he transformed into Millennium? The rush of his first-ever battle and victory? The excitement of battle?

Naruto wasn't new to combat, having grown up taking self-defense classes like karate and martial arts, even competing in a couple of tournaments here and there. Of course, training combat and spars with fellow students were nothing like real, life-threatening confrontations!

Not by a long shot!

However...as what always seemed to be the case, thinking about when he first transformed, made Naruto remember his possible future.

His future as Ohma Millennium.

No matter what sort of rush becoming Millennium gave him, it wasn't worth it if he just grew up to become a demonic ruler!

Right?

….

….

….

….Yeah, not worth it.

"Naruto?"

Usagi's voice snapped him back into focus. Blinking, he looked towards the girls, seeing them stare at him in confusion and worry. He rubbed the back of his head, giving them a sheepish smile to ease their worries. "Sorry, I was thinking of something, dattebayo. What'd you guys say?" He asked, rubbing the back of his head.

Usagi frowned, tilting her head slightly. "Are you alright?" She asked, wondering what had her friend so distracted.

Naruto shook his head, smiling at her. "It's nothing really. I was just hoping that things will get better tomorrow, ya know?" He said. He hoped that whatever was going on with the students of his school, it was just a one-day thing, and things would go back to normal tomorrow.

Yuriko pursed her lips, nodding. "Agreed." She was still mentally exhausted over everything that happened, so would appreciate things going back to how they used to be. At least, Tsukuyomi seemed to have left, no doubt back to 'the future' presumably. Yuriko was really divided on whether to believe the girl's claim about coming from the future or not. Much less that her kind and sometimes goofy foster brother would become some evil, maniacal villain. She just couldn't see it!

'Either way, as long as she's gone forever and no longer telling such ridiculous tales, it's fine with me!'

Usagi looked at Yuriko, tilting her head in confusion, seeing the expression of annoyance on the ravenette's face, wondering what was up with her.

"Ugh!" Naruto suddenly grunted, holding his head as a sudden spike of pain throbbed from it.

""Naruto!"" Usagi and Yuriko both called out, rushing to his side.

The whiskered blond didn't hear them, too focused on dealing with the pain coursing through his head. 'What is...happening?! What is...with this pain?!'

Suddenly, what looked like visions flashed through his mind.

A loud Primal roar echoed through the air, as a large shadow hovered in front of the bright sun. Large massive wings spread out.

A wide panned view of the city of Tokyo. Suddenly, a massive domed explosion erupted from it, spreading out far and wide.

A wall of fire. Hot and bright. A figure within the flames. Hidden and concealed. The only thing visible? Bright, shining katakana-shaped pink-red lenses.

Several watch-like devices, similar to the one Woz gave him with different face designs, all floating in mid-air with a strange glow around each one.

Ohma Millennium was seen, sitting on a golden throne within a large, destroyed chamber. Ohma sat idly, not moving, softly breathing. Just sitting. Suddenly, his head shot up, his deep red visor glowing ominously.

"I see you, my past self."

"AH!" With a loud gasp and yelp, Naruto fell backward, landing on his behind. He was instantly checked over by the two worried girls. However, any questions about his wellbeing they asked him, Naruto ignored, too busy trying to calm both his head and heart, along with trying to make sense of the visions he saw. "What the hell is going on, dattebayo?" He muttered.

Unseen by them, Woz stood on top of the roof of a nearby building, looking down at the three teens. Looking at the confused Naruto, Woz smirked, turning his gaze up to the sky.

"It is almost time for the King to meet his dragon."

W/ Tsukuyomi - Hamarikyu Gardens

Out of the view of nearby civilians out enjoying the peaceful public park with friends or family, Tsukuyomi stealthily trudged through the dense part of the grown forest within the park, silently making her way towards where she had parked the Time Mazine, safely hidden away from any idle wanderers. Hopefully, enough time had passed that the Time Mazine's Advanced Generator power unit has fully charged itself, allowing her to return to her own timeline.

"The faster the power is fully charged, the sooner I can return home and get as far away from this year as I can!" Tsukuyomi muttered, taking out her tablet to lower the Mazine's ramp. As she did so, her mind flashed back to Woz's words.

"Trust me, Mao-sama will regain his watch, as he will soon come to realize that he will truly need the power of Millennium in the times to come. However, I will not be the one to give him the watch. You will….Not only will Namikaze Naruto come to realize that he needs to become Millennium, so will you. Willingly and wisely."

"As if I would ever aid in the rise of Ohma!" She muttered angrily, questioning how Woz would ever believe she would risk Naruto becoming Ohma Millennium by returning the Ridewatch to him. After all that he has done/will do?! After all the friends she had lost?! After Geiz?! Woz had to be out of his mind to believe she would return the watch, after convincing Naruto to reject his goal!

She stomped up the ramp, swiftly moving towards the control station. With a swipe of her hand, she brought up the holographic controls, powering the ship on with an electrical hum. She then went about setting the coordinates of location and time. Once everything was set, she went to lock it in and launch the ship.

…

…

With her finger hovering over the blinking Launch button, Tsukuyomi froze, biting her lip as she questioned herself on why she was hesitating. She had accomplished her mission and erased Ohma from her time. So, what was holding her back?! Why could she not bring herself to leave the year 2020?!

"...What if I go back...and nothing's changed?"

"Then I'll travel to the future with you, and kick the older me's ass, dattebayo!"

Her hands gripping the grip levers, she clenched around them fiercely. The memory of how Naruto had stated those words with a confident grin, it angered Tsukuyomi. He said it so strongly, as if he would actually be willing to face Ohma - his all-powerful future self - head-on! Such a scenario was laughable and suicidal! So why…why did his promise actually make her believe him?! Believe in him! Some stranger she just met! The past version of the Demon King!

"I don't care if I become Ohma or not." Naruto told her calmly, not the least bit worried about the blaster aimed at his face. "What I do care about is the safety of my sisters. So you do what you have to do, and I'll do what I have to do."

Tsukuyomi glared at him, gritting her teeth. "I came back to this time to stop you from becoming Ohma, and you're just going to go ahead and become it?!"

Naruto blankly blinked at her, his eyes moving to the silent Shibuya over Tsukuyomi's shoulder. "Kill me now or after, I don't care. But I'm taking that thing behind you down before it can hurt my sisters." He states, taking a step forward towards Shibuya. Tsukuyomi pressed the barrel of her Faizphone X against his forehead.

"He's just some idiotic boy! He easily accepted the power of Millennium when he should have just ran! He says he would face Ohma himself when he clearly doesn't understand Ohma's might! He's an idiot! A stupid, foolish idiot! How he would grow to become Ohma is a mystery! He should just forget everything that's happened and move on with his boring life like everyone else!" Tsukuyomi ranted, swinging the controls around angrily. Her body moving, she took out the Millennium Ridewatch, glaring at it, blaming it for everything.

Why was she still here?

Why was she not leaving?

What was holding her back?!

The memory of breakfast with the Namikaze family…

Following Naruto and his sisters…

A dirty and cut-ridden Naruto standing firmly and protectively in front of his sisters, glaring fiercely at Shibuya…

"Do you truly believe it is that easy, Tsukuyomi-kun? You know so little of how truly the mechanisms of time and prophecy work, in ensuring Namikaze Naruto's role in becoming Millennium. It is not a simple desire or goal for him to wield such power. He is meant to possess his power. Nothing - not you nor shadowy threats - could hold him back from achieving that which he is destined to become."

Woz's words echoing in her head, Tsukuyomi frowned, noting something. With her free hand, she reached toward the space beside her, where another holo-screen appeared. Silently, she typed in some commands, bringing up an article. Her eyes trailed the passage as she read, and the more she read, the more her eyes widened.

"Oh no…"

Moving its head back, the mechanical dragon dodged a slash thrown by Delu-Knight, retorting with a slash of its own with its spiked tail. Delu-Knight attempted to block it, succeeding halfway before he was sent back by the force.

Continuing its attack, the dragon unleashed a large fireball, which Delu-Knight quickly evaded, along with the following ones, running around the area in quick movements. Raising his sword, he swung his blade against the side of a nearby trash can, using the flat side to send the bin flying at the dragon, using it to take a hit from a fireball. Using the chance, Delu-Knight followed right behind it, leaping through the formed smoke, getting really close, where he slashed his now glowing blade.

"RAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!"

With a mighty roar, the dragon flinched back, a long, straight cut going down its front.

Delu-Knight grunted victorious at managing to finally inflict injury on the beast. "Prepare yourself for defeat, creature."

Growling with rising anger, the dragon unleashed a geyser of fire at Delu-Knight, hitting the metal man and sending him back. While the flames managed to cause some of his armor parts to melt slightly, the metal entirely seems to be composed of a much harder substance, impervious to fire.

Still, it gave the dragon some room, enough to escape, as it turned its form. Wings expanding, it gave a mighty flap, pushing itself off the ground with a rush of air.

Seeing the beast trying to escape, Delu-Knight could not allow it to. Reaching to his waist, he took out a holstered blaster. "I think not!" With quick and precise aim, he fired, hitting the dragon's back with a high-powered energy beam, causing the dragon to roar as it felt pain. Still, it continued to try to escape, reaching several feet in the air as Delu-Knight continued to fire after it. Suddenly, in a seeming change of route, the dragon dove down, heading towards the ground horn first.

Delu-Knight presumed it as attempting some sort of trick, and he guessed correctly, as to his surprise, instead of impacting the cement ground, the dragon sunk into the pavement.

Sinking below, as if it was water.

The only evidence of its presence? A large shadowy form that quickly slithered off.

"Return at once!" Delu-Knight commanded, quickly chasing after it.

He would not fail his mission!

Naruto let out a sigh. He was currently sitting on a wooden bench beside a minimart. While he had told Usagi and Yuriko that he was fine after the sudden brain pain, they were quite firm that he should take a moment to rest. So here he was, sitting beside Usagi while Yuriko was inside the market, getting them some drinks.

"Are you sure you're okay, Naruto?" Usagi asked, giving her friend a look of concern.

Naruto waved her worry off, giving her his trademark foxy smile. "I'm A-Ok, Bunny-Chan! I just had a slight headache is all. No doubt from all those boring lectures and work school gives us." He said, sticking his tongue out in disgust, making Usagi giggle as she nodded in agreement.

"Yeah! They always put me to sleep! They should really learn to make learning fun!" Usagi stated, blaming boring lessons for putting her to sleep all the time!

"Totally, dattebayo!"

As the two friends shared a laugh over their mutual dislike of boring school lessons, they did not notice someone approaching them.

"Meow~"

Blinking, the two blonds turned their head to the sound, seeing Luna sitting before them to their surprise, more so Usagi. Naruto, however, stared at the black cat, blinking before his eyes glinted in recognition, especially with the strange sideways crescent moon mark on its forehead.

'Isn't that the same cat that scratched Usagi a few days ago?' He thought, wondering what it was doing here. Just then, Usagi spoke, catching his attention.

"Luna?!" Usagi questioned, wondering why the talking cat was there.

"Luna?" Naruto asked, making Usagi tense, having temporarily forgotten that he was there. "Isn't that the cat that scratched you? Did you adopt it?"

"I-uh I mean...uh..." She stammered, not sure what to say, knowing she wasn't supposed to tell Naruto about the whole Sailor Moon business. "Sorta?"

Amused by Usagi's - what he assumed - embarrassment, Naruto turned to Luna, reaching down to scratch her behind the ear, getting a pleased purr. "Well, she seems to like you so far, and Luna seems like a fitting name given the strange mark on her forehead." He said as Luna got lost in the pleasurable feeling she was getting, rubbing herself against his hand, making Naruto chuckle. "Hope Kurama doesn't smell her scent and gets jealous. For a lazy fox, he tends to get surprisingly territorial and jealous." He said, stopping his scratching, breaking Luna out of her state.

Regaining her senses, Luna shook her head, recalling what she wanted to tell Usagi. Turning to the girl, Luna gave a meow, getting her attention. She subtly jerked her head to the side, trying to tell Usagi that she needed to speak with her.

Unfortunately, thanks to Usagi's airheadedness, it took several jerks and a few minutes before Usagi eventually got the message.

"Hm?" Naruto questioned as Usagi suddenly and quickly stood up.

"Ah, Naruto! I have to go! I have to, uh...tie my shoes!" She blurted out, and not giving him time to respond, quickly ran off, Luna right behind her.

"...but...you're not wearing shoes..." Naruto muttered, very confused at the outburst given that Usagi was wearing Uwabaki slippers. Left alone, he sighed, forced to wait till Yuriko returned. To try and pass time, he gazed up towards the sky, watching the clouds.

As he did so, he let his mind wander. He thought about everything that's happened in the last few days. Everything he's seen. Everything he's done. Everything he's learned and experienced.

He thought about Tsukuyomi and Woz.

He thought about the possible return of Shocker.

Most of all, he thought about the future and his true role in what could be.

Was he meant to become Ohma Millennium, the Demon King who destroyed the world?

Was he meant to ruin the future?

Was he even meant to become King, as crazy and insane as the thought was?

He thought about Azuka and her apparent belief that he could actually achieve such a ludicrous and childish dream.

He thought about his parents...and the conversation he had with his mother yesterday.

Flashback

"Naruto, can you hold up for a second?"

The call from his mother stopped Naruto before he could head up to his room now that dinner was over. Turning around with a confused expression, he looked at his mother, who was washing the plates. Figuring he had to wait, he sat back done on a chair at the dinner table. Luckily, he didn't have to wait long for Kushina to finish, as she dried her hands with a posted hand towel before turning to face her son.

"What's up, mom?" He asked.

Kushina gave her son a straight look. "It's about Azuka." She began, making Naruto look worried, for more than one reason. Did Azuka tell their parents about what happened? Did they know?

"W-What about her?" He asked, a slight stammer in his voice, though whether his mother noticed or not, she didn't show.

Kushina crossed her arms, looking concerned. "She's been acting strange since this morning. She's quiet - which NEVER happens! - and when she got home, she didn't even say hello to me, and just went to her room. I'm really worried, dattebane!" She said, looking at her son. "Did something happen? Are you SURE you kids weren't anywhere near the monster when it attacked the plaza?"

Seeing the worry in his usually brave and tough-as-a-rock mother, the plea in her voice for an answer, it honestly broke Naruto's heart as he struggled to decide on what he should say. His parents deserved to know the truth, but if he did, they obviously would not take it well. Even if he tried to argue on the nonexistent chance that he would ever become Millennium again after giving the watch away, he doubted it would ease his parents' worry any less. As such, he couldn't tell her the truth about what happened that night, but he had to tell her something! "We weren't there, Kaa-san! I swear, dattebayo!"

Kami, he was a terrible son. Lying to his mother with that look on her face.

Kushina frowned, staring at her son. "Then what is wrong with my baby girl? When I try to ask her what is wrong, she just says it is nothing and leaves with an excuse. I'm really worried, dattebane!"

Naruto frowned, rubbing the back of his head. He tried to think of what he could possibly say to make his mother feel better. What was going on with Azuka? Was it the monster attack? Possibly, but if it was, even if she promised him, she would have shown some sort of reaction. Actually, now that he thought about it...as far as he knew, he hadn't seen Azuka cry once since they got home last night.

Wait no, she did cry, when he showed up. He frowned, recalling how scared she was, begging for him to run when he decided to stay and fight that monster.

Was that the issue? Was Azuka just bottling up her feelings?

Perhaps...but he felt that might not be it. At least, not entirely.

Azuka was young, only 6 years old, and even making a promise to him wouldn't have been enough to stop her from crying to their parents for comfort.

So the question was…what was putting Azuka in such a mood?

Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "That was just the dream of a little kid, Yuri. Nothing more. I mean, let's be real. Me? A king with a pet dragon? Sure we've seen a lot of crazy things happen in Japan, but a king? Seriously? We don't even have a king! We have an emperor, and I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be too willing to allow some unknown teen to take the throne. It was just some ridiculous dream. Nothing more. Especially nothing to take seriously. I mean...who would actually believe that I could be king?!" He said, finding the whole thing laughable.

"I BELIEVE!"

"I know you can become king, onii-chan! You saved me and Yuri-nee-chan from that monster, didn't you?! So you can become king!"

"...sometimes, not every dream can be achieved. That's just how life is."

Naruto winced, frowning. Was it because of him? Was it what he said to Azuka? He did recall the face Azuka made when he said those words; heartbroken and saddened. Like he just shattered her heart under his shoe.

Shattered her beliefs.

But why? It was just a childish goal he had when he was her age! Not really something realistic and achievable. She didn't really think he could become king…right?

…

'Shit…' Naruto thought, smacking his head down to his hands with a groan.

He keeps forgetting…Azuka is a young, impressionable child. Full of wonder, imagination, and dreams.

And like an asshole, he just stomped all over them.

"What is it?" Kushina asked, seeing Naruto face-palm and groan.

Letting out a heavy sigh, Naruto looked up at his mother, a grief expression on his face. "I just realized that Azuka might be acting like that…because of me."

Kushina blinked, once. Twice. She then narrowed her eyes, her hair waving ominously as a dark aura seeped off her.

"Explain"

Fear quickly replacing grief, Naruto gulped. "I-I…might have said some things…"

The dark aura around Kushina jumped, a glass cup on the shelf exploding to pieces.

"Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto…what did you do?!"

Naruto held his hands up in defense, sweating. "I didn't say anything rude or mean! I promise! All I did…well, I just told Azuka-chan that my old dream was just that…a dream!"

Her glare and aura shrinking down slightly, Kushina raised a brow. "Dream? What dream?"

Naruto grunted, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment, not wanting to talk about his 6-year old goal with his mother. "You know…the one I had as a kid, dattebayo…" He muttered, scratching his red cheek.

Her hair falling back down, Kushina took on a thoughtful expression, thinking back. She blinked when she remembered. "Oh! You mean about becoming king?" She asked, getting a shamed, embarrassed nod. A moment of silence passed between the two. Then, a giggle escaped her lips. "You were so cute back then, dattebane~"

"MOOOM~!"

Kushina waved his embarrassment off. "Oh come on, Naru-chan! It was adorable! You with your little paper crown, running around with a towel as a cape! I think I still have a photo of it, in fact!" Kushina gushed, much to Naruto's rising embarrassment as his face burned red. After a minute of gushing, Kushina refocused. "Cuteness aside, what does this have to do with Azu-chan?" She asked.

His face slowly going back to normal with a deep breath and sign, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Well, as I said, I had that goal when I was Azu's age. It was thanks to Grandma Mito's stories." He said. The two paused for a moment, sharing sad frowns as they thought back to the memory of Kushina's beloved and sweet grandmother. Closing his eyes to hold back gathering tears, Naruto exhaled. "It's been years since I wanted to be king. About a full decade. I'm older now. I know something like that is just that, a dream. And…well, it seems Azuka doesn't think so. I know I used to pretend to be a king with her. Playing games like that. However, it seems that she had it in her mind that I could become king. Like, it's actually possible. So, I told her otherwise, and now she's mad at me." He revealed.

Kushina frowned disappointedly at her son, hands on her hips. "Naruto! Why would you do such a thing?!"

"Come one, kaa-san! Azuka's old enough to understand that I was kidding about my dream!"

"You obviously broke your sister's heart! You know how much she looks up to you!" Kushina stated, making Naruto feel even guiltier. "What on Earth would compel you to say such things to your little sister?!"

Naruto flinched, the memory of the video Tsukuyomi showed him of Ohma Millennium running in his head. That was the obvious answer, wasn't it?

Fear

Fear of what he could become. Fear of holding such deadly power in your hands, and going absolutely mad with it.

What had once been a childish dream from a bright-eyed young boy, became a demonic nightmare.

Was that truly the kind of King he hoped to be? The kind he wanted to be?

The king Azuka believed he could be? Warped and demonized?

If becoming king made him into a monster, then he rejected it. Rejected his dream.

Did he regret his words to Azuka?

…

No, but perhaps he could have worded them better.

"It was a stupid dream, mom." He told her, getting a raised brow.

"Why do you think that?" She asked him.

Now it was his turn to raise a brow at her. "Seriously? Come on, kaa-san. Me, of all people, become king? First of all, Japan doesn't have a king. It has an emperor."

Kushina shrugged. "Same thing."

"Debatable. Second, isn't the title passed by bloodline or something? So, that kind of puts a big wall on the whole 'me becoming king' thing, don'tcha think? Unless you're going to tell me we're related to the Emperor or something."

Kushina actually took a moment to think about it. "I'll have to check the Family Tree."

"Mom, come on! Be serious! You didn't actually think I could become king, did you?!"

"Of course I did!"

Naruto froze, staring at his mother in shock. She looked back at him seriously. They held their stares for a while, and still, Kushina gave no indication she was kidding.

"What?" He muttered.

Kushina actually raised a brow at him. "What? You heard me."

"You…actually thought I could become king?" He asked, still stunned.

She nodded. "Of course I did! I never thought otherwise. So does your father!"

"But…it's ridiculous!"

Kushina let out a sigh, before giving her child a soft smile. Coming closer, she took a seat beside him, staring at Naruto. "It might sound ridiculous, Naruto, but it was your dream! What kind of parents would we be if we didn't encourage our children to follow their dreams, dattebane? Minato and I would ALWAYS support whatever goals you, Yuriko, or Azuka had, no matter what. Whether it was to become a doctor, or a police officer like your father, or even become King! We would, and will, happily do our part as your parents and guardians to help you achieve those goals!"

Naruto sat there, silent.

Kushina placed a hand on his knee. "Dreams are things that keep people moving forward. It's what pushes them to grow better and stronger. If you allow yourself to be stopped by obstacles, you can always count on your friends and family to help give you the push you need. Naruto-kun, I'm your mother, and I've never seen you give up on anything. Not during your karate classes when you lost a match. Not your school lessons, even when you had trouble. You're not some quitter. You never gave up on anything. Why should you give up on your dream now?" She asked him, her eyes showing she meant every word.

Naruto felt his eyes tear up, closing them tightly.

Even his parents believed he could be King…

End Flashback

Coming out of his memory, Naruto let out a heavy sigh. Apparently, his little sister, his parents, maybe even Yuriko, they all believed he could become King. A dream that not only he had when he was 6, but was basically next to impossible to achieve.

'Talk about being under pressure, dattebayo.' He thought, leaning back against the bench. Seriously, his younger self couldn't have picked a much better and believable goal to go after? He could have wanted to become a cop, or a chef, or something!

No, little Naruto wanted to become a King of all things!

Part of him blamed Mito-Baa-chan (Kami rest her soul), and her stories about samurai and Lords.

'I mean…it would be kind of cool to be a king. To be adored and respected by a bunch of people…but, I doubt I'd be a good king.' He thought, his mind bringing up the mental image of Ohma. Closing his eyes, he let out a sigh.

"Mito-Obaa! Just watch me! I promise I'll become the greatest, kindest king ever, dattebayo! I promise as an Uzumaki, and we Uzumakis don't ever go back on our word, right?!"

"Just the wish of a child. Nothing more…"

!

His eyes snapping open, Naruto looked around in confusion, looking for the source of the strange sound. "What the…."

…

…

…

!

It was at that moment that the door to the mart opened, with Yuriko stepping out, a plastic bag in her grip. "Sorry, it took me so long! The line was pretty long! I got the drinks…" Yuriko trailed off, looking confused when she didn't see either Naruto or Usagi outside. She looked around, hoping to find them, with no such luck.

"Where did they go?"

Moments Earlier w/ Usagi & Luna

After being forced to separate from Naruto, Usagi followed Luna to a safe location to talk, away from nearby ears. It took several turns and a lot of running, before the two stopped in a back alley, finally allowing the girl to catch her breath.

"Luna…why did we…have to run…for so long?" Usagi asked, panting as she bent over a bit, holding herself up by her knees, with Luna looking at her apologetic.

"I'm sorry, Usagi, but I needed to make sure we were somewhere no one would hear us." Luna told her, getting Usagi to look at her, giving a whining moan.

"Couldn't it had waited until I got home?! I'm tired from school and all I want to do is eat dinner, lay on my bed, maybe eat some snacks, play some games, take a nap…" She said, whining halfway through, before she started going into a muttering rant, listing idea after idea about what she would do to enjoy her unexpected early release, getting a sigh from Luna.

"Unfortunately, the current situation requires immediate attention." She said, finally getting Usagi's attention, as she looked down at the dark-furred talking cat.

"Is something going on?"

Luna nodded, looking at the teen girl with a serious expression. "I'm sure even someone like you must've noticed the strange behavior some individuals are showing."

Usagi glared at Luna. "Hey! What do you mean 'someone like you?!" She demanded, but Luna either ignored it or chose to move past it.

"Focus, Usagi! Do you remember how those boys in your school were behaving?" Luna asked, slightly begging for the young girl to focus.

Holding her glare for a while longer, Usagi then took on a thinking pose, trying to remember. Thankfully, she didn't have to think too hard as she recalled the strange way Umino was acting, along with those other boys. "Now that you mention it, Umino has been acting really weird today, well weirder than usual, and it's not just the fact that he apparently likes me. He's been acting so strange since this morning; causing trouble in class and with Ms. Haruna. Then he started breaking windows and damaging school property, which is just insane! He would never do that!"

Luna nodded, glad Usagi at least realized that. "Yes, I had noticed a strange, dark presence around those boys. A sensation, not unlike one implemented upon those women from two days ago! There is no doubt in my mind they are under the compulsion of a dark and nefarious being. Possible one similar to the one you and Setsuna-san faced."

Placing a finger on her chin, Usagi cutely tilted her head. "Do you think this has anything to do with the House of Fortune?" She asked, wondering.

Luna blinked up at her. "What?"

Nodding, Usagi explained. "Umino seemed fine yesterday, and Naru told me that last night, he visited that new fortune telling place. It might have something to do with why the guys were acting weird. It seemed pretty popular with people."

Luna smiled, feeling proud of Usagi for actually using her brain and coming up with a possible clue. "It just might. Good job, Usagi-chan! We should investigate it immediately."

Frowning, Usagi looked worried and scared. "But…what if there is another monster like that one that attacked Naru?!"

Luna also frowned, nodding. "Unfortunately, that might be the case. Whether there is a connection between that place and the unexpected behavior in your fellow students, I do not yet know. In any case, we must locate and eliminate the source to return those boys, and any other victim, back to normal, and this House of Fortune is the only clue we have." She instructed with a firm nod. This was also a great chance for Usagi to gain some more experience as a Guardian of Peace. Correction, one of the Guardians of Peace.

Or as Luna liked to call them, "Sailor Senshi".

"Eeeehhhh…!" Usagi let out a long whine. "Does that mean I have to fight another scary monster-thing?! The last one was so scary, I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares!"

The cat looked at the girl seriously. "Usagi, you now have a sworn duty to uphold! As a Sailor Guardian, it is your job to protect the innocent and vanquish evil, wherever they may be!"

"THAT'S NOT SOMETHING I AGREED TO!" Usagi argued, waving her arms frantically. "I mean, I know I said I would help Setsuna-san and Sailor V, but…it's too soon to face another monster! I don't even know how to fight! What happened that night, it was just luck! Setsuna-san did most of the work, while I was running around screaming!"

"Usagi, you must calm down. Remember, you will not be alone. Setsuna will be aiding you. I will also be there for you as well. I know you are scared, and it's a lot to be asked of you, but there is no other choice. I'm sorry, but you are Sailor Moon. That type of title and power is not something that can be passed off." Luna told her calmly, trying to calm the girl down.

Usagi groaned, her eyes tearing. She didn't want to face a monster! It was too scary! Why did she have to do it?! She wasn't some kind of superhero! She didn't want to be a superhero! She was just a normal teenage girl!

Ring…ring…ring…

Blinking her tears away, Usagi took out her phone as it started ringing. She was surprised at the number.

"Setsuna-san?"

Delu-Knight continued to chase after the creature, attempting to keep pace with the speeding shadow. Holding his sword up, the blade began glowing a blue shine. Once charged, Delu-Knight launched a large and deadly energy crescent with a slash, sending it flying towards the shadow.

Unfortunately, just as the attack was about to strike the hidden creature, the shadow swiftly moved aside at the last minute, dodging the energy construct as it struck the ground with an explosion. Giving a grunt of annoyance, Delu-Knight attempted once more as the two continued their chase, unknowingly or uncaringly heading away from close by populated areas, and more towards a closed-off section, bypassing construction signs set around.

Deciding he had enough playing around, Delu-Knight unleashed a series of slash attacks, launching a barrage of energy slashes at the shadow, the group erupting a large explosion as they struck the hidden dragon's spot.

Sliding a bit across the graveled ground, Delu-Knight eyed the dust, waiting to see whether he successfully struck the dragon or not. His answer soon came, as the mechanical dragon shot out of the dust cloud, fire gathering in its mouth.

Delu-Knight leaped back, dodging the launched fireballs, rolling, and jumping out of striking range. The Shocker knight retaliated with energy slashes, which sadly were either evaded or canceled as they struck fireballs. The unending fire also prevented him from getting close enough to slash it. 'This creature must have some kind of weakness.'

Observing the dragon, Delu-Knight noted that its metallic exoskeleton appeared quite strong around its abdomen, though not strong enough to withstand a hard energy attack. Were he to land enough good hits, it should allow him to defeat it. At least, if he managed to get close at all, he noted as he ducked out a large ball of heated flames.

'Hopefully, the reinforcements I called for should be here any moment.'

Seeing none of its attacks landing a hit, the dragon growled in annoyance, gathering fire in its mouth to unleash it in a mighty wave.

'Now!'

Charging his blade, Delu-Knight launched an empowered crescent attack, the attack flying like a boomerang, before erupting in an explosion as it struck the dragon's face. To his victorious glee, he heard the creature let out a screech/roar of obvious pain. With the beast dazed, even if momentarily, he would not waste the opportunity, and quickly sprinted forward. Meanwhile, the dragon shook its head, refocusing its vision. Seeing the assailant heading its way, the dragon forwent its plan to launch a wave of fire, and instead chose the quicker option of firing a squadron of fireballs. However, unlike before where Delu-Knight was at a disadvantage with the range, now he had the advantage in speed as he dodged and weaved through the fireballs, getting closer to the dragon.

Once he was close enough, Delu-Knight began to slash at the beast, striking its front, wings, and head. While his sword attacks against the beast's metal body caused a shower of sparks, it was by no means ineffective, as the dragon let out roars of visible pain with every hit. While it tried to counter with fire breath, the knight's speed, movability and smaller size in such close range allowed him to dodge with ease.

Ducking as a large tail swiped the air above him, Delu-Knight retaliated with a wide under-arching sword swipe, slashing up the dragon's chest, leaving a thin gash nearly reaching its neck. As the dragon screeched in pain, Delu-Knight continued on, and with a twirl of his sword to reform his grip on the handle, he stabbed it forward in a strong jab to pierce the dragon's chest. Hopefully, he didn't end up killing it, just damaging it enough to capture. Unfortunately for him, his desired victory was once again halted, as, in an attempt to defend itself, the dragon moved one of its wings in the way to try and block the stab.

Though that plan only succeeded halfway, as while the barrier prevented Delu-Knight from piercing its chest, the blade did manage to cut through its thin wing all the way to the hilt, obviously inflicting pain. Delu-Knight took some small form of satisfaction at hearing the beast's wail of pain. It would seem that, for all its power and ferocity, this creature was by no means uninjurable. Whether that holds any value to the creature's worth to Shocher would be questionable later. In the end, at best, the metallic dragon shall serve Shocker as a loyal pet, or as a nice distraction for its enemies to divert attention.

Perhaps, he could convince his leaders to allow him to claim the creature as his own.

He yanked his blade out of the dragon's wing, getting another roar of pain. "This battle is over. I strongly suggest you stand down, creature. I would hate to have to put you down. Not when you could be of so much use to Shocker."

The dragon growled in anger, its tail slamming against the ground with a mighty smash, cracking it. Folding its injured wing, it gathered fire in its mouth. It shall not be defeated by this strange being! Not when it still sought the one who called it!

The one it needed to find!

Seeing the dragon's defiance, Delu-Knight let out a sigh. "Very well. Hopefully, you do not perish." He said, his blade glowing. Raising his leg, he stamped down on the dragon's head, slamming it to the ground, his metal foot on the dragon's snout, preventing it from firing any attacks. As the dragon glared at him, growling loudly, the Shocker knights raised his sword. "All shall bow before the will of Shocker!"

"Hey, asshole!"

Before Delu-Knight could strike the dragon, something struck him from the side, knocking him away. Rolling across the ground, he was soon able to regain his footing as he slid to a stop, straightening upward onto a knee. He looked up, staring at what, or who, attacked him.

The dragon's growls ceased, its attention laid upon the new arrival.

Naruto glared at the strange person, standing in front of the dragon. "How about you pick on someone your own size, dattebayo?!"

W/ Yuriko

"Damn it, Naruto! Pick up, already!" Holding her phone to her ear, an agitated Yuriko grumbled to herself, tapping her foot against the ground in annoyance. Beside her, holding her free hand, Azuka stared up at Yuriko, a confused and worried look on her face.

Once more getting nothing but voicemail, Yuriko moved her phone away from her ear with a groan. She had been worried sick after Naruto and Usagi vanished from the store without notice or even call. She at first thought Naruto had simply gone ahead to pick Azuka up from her school without her, for whatever reason, but had found out that was not the case when she went to the primary school herself to check.

That begged the question: Where the hell was Naruto?

Yuriko looked down, feeling her hand being shaken. Her dark eyes stared into concerned amethyst ones.

"Is onii-chan okay?" Azuka asked, her young mind realizing that something might be wrong.

Not wanting to worry the little one, Yuriko smiled comfortably at her. "I'm sure he's fine. He's just being a dummy like usual." She joked, trying to lighten the mood, and hopefully prevent further questions.

Azuka silently stared at her big foster sister, her lips pulled down in a small frown. Somehow, someway, she knew she was lying.

Was Naruto in trouble?

Was he okay?

Was he facing another monster?!

The idea of her big brother fighting another scary monster, and possibly getting hurt, made tears gather in her eyes, fear filling her. After going through one terrifying experience with her siblings, either one of them going through another absolutely scared the young redhead.

Unfortunately, her state of emotion went unnoticed, as Yuriko once again tried to get ahold of Naruto by calling his phone, feeling just as worried as Azuka about his possible state of being.

'Naruto…where are you?! Please, for the love of Kami, pick up!'

Frowning, Azuka raised her other arm, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of the jacket she wore. No. No crying. She was a big girl! Besides, her onii-chan wouldn't lose to some monster bully! He was a King! A hero! No, better…a Superhero!

She then turned her head, looking around the area, as if looking to spot Naruto somewhere in the passing crowd or around a building.

However, while she didn't see Naruto, much to her sadness, she did catch something.

Someone familiar.

Someone, dressed in dark clothing.

And they were currently walking away from them, heading in a certain direction.

"Still nothing…maybe we should head home and wait for him the-HEY!" Yuriki began to say, only to suddenly gasp, as Asuka began to run forward, pulling her with a hard tug.

"Come on, onee-chan! I saw that guy from before! Maybe he knows where Naruto-onii-chan is, dattebane!"

"Ah! Azu-chan! Hold up! You're stretching my arm!"

Meanwhile, Across the House of Fortune

From the corner of a building's side alley, Luna popped her head out, looking out towards another building across the street. "So that's the place?" She asked, staring at the building's sign.

Above her, Usagi's head also popped out, nodding. "Yeah." She looked down at Luna. "Do you really think it might have something to do with Umino's strange behavior?" She asked.

Luna hummed, narrowing her eyes at the building, her whiskers twitching. "Maybe…I can't sense anything from out here. We might need to sneak our way in."

Usagi bit her lip, scared. Was she really going to head into danger? What if there really was a monster in there, just waiting to attack her with its big scary claws?! "Shouldn't we wait for Setsuna-san?" She asked, looking around for any sign of the green-haired woman, remembering being told to wait for her before going into the building.

"There's no need, Usagi-chan. I'm here."

With a startled yelp, Usagi jumped at the sudden voice behind her. Spinning around, she gasped as Setsuna, dressed in her Sailor uniform, dropped into the alley from above "Setsuna-san!"

Smiling at the teen girl, Setsuna/Sailor Pluto nodded in greeting. "Hello, Usagi-chan. Good to see you again." She looked down at Luna. "You as well, Luna-san." She said, with the cat nodding back. Peering around the corner, Pluto looked at the House of Fortune building. "Is that the establishment you spoke of, Usagi-chan?"

Usagi nodded. "Yeah."

Nodding, Pluto stared at the building for a moment, before turning to the teen. "Very well. It's best if you transform into your alternative attire in preparation for what is to come."

Frowning in slight hesitation, Usagi sighed as she saw that there was no backing out. "Alright." Nodding, she raised her hand into the air. A moment of silence passed by for a few seconds, before Usagi rubbed the back of her head, sticking her tongue out sheepishly. "Eh…how do I do that again?"

Luna let out a heavy sigh at the forgetful girl, while Pluto shook her head in amusement. "Simply close your eyes and think back to when you first transformed. Empty your thoughts, focus back on what you were feeling that night, and let your instincts guide you." She advised, giving the girl what help she could based on her own first-time experience. There really were no set instructions on how one transforms. It was merely instinct and subconscious actions. Hopefully, it would be enough to allow Usagi to do what she must.

Pursing her lip, Usagi nodded, figuring she could give that a try.

Closing her eyes, she thought back to that might when she first transformed, as well as the emotions she felt. Fear and terror when she first saw that monster lady strangling Naru. The absolute panic when the controlled women were coming after her. Then the safe and protected sensation she felt filled her body when she thought about Naruto, filling her with determination she never felt before.

Focusing on that feeling - on Naruto - her body moved, raising her hand up towards the sky.

"Moon Prism Power…" she muttered low at first, her eyes then snapping open with a glint of fire and determination. "Make Up!"

The brooch given to her by Setsuna, clipped on the bow of her school uniform as a decoration, began to glow brightly, illuminating the darkened alley, forcing Luna to shut her eyes while Setsuna watched on with a proud smile.

From an outsider's point-of-view, long strings of pinkish cloth strands formed around Usagi's glowing body, wrapping around her form in a cocoon, before the light dissipates and she stands before Setsuna and Luna in full Sailor Guardian uniform. Her transformation time span was 2.5 seconds.

Rewinding back, we take a look at Usagi's full transformation played out entirely.

With her arm in the air, her nails turning light pink, Usagi's form began to be encased in bright light. Suddenly, long ribbon-like materials appeared and began to wrap around her. Wrapping around her torso, the ribbons seemed to merge and change, becoming a white, form-fitting leotard, showing her curves. Around her neck was a red choker with a miniature version of the brooch hanging on the front. A blue, white striped collar formed on the neck of the leotard and a large bow formed under the brooch hanging on her front. The bows wrapped around her arms and legs, forming long white gloves and red knee-high boots. Earrings appeared clipped to her ears, followed by a blue skirt with a second big ribbon on the back of her waist. A light formed on her forehead as a red jewel formed, from which a tiara materialized, wrapping around her forehead. In her hair, red round plates appeared in her buns with six barrettes clipped to her hair.

With a proud smile, Usagi, now the entitled Sailor Warrior of the moon, Sailor Moon, stood before her comrades.

"Alright! I did it!" Sailor Moon cheered with a fist pump.

Pluto nodded with a smile. "Good work! Now, we best go and sneak our way into the building before anyone spots us."

Nodding, determination coursing through her veins, Sailor Moon & Luna followed behind Pluto as they quickly ran across the currently empty road. Gathering in front of the entrance, Pluto placed her hand on the doorknobs. Turning them gently, Pluto narrowed her eyes when she noticed that the doors weren't locked.

'Either whatever's within the building is arrogant, or they know we're coming.' She thought, not liking either option. She turned to Sailor Moon. "Be prepared for whatever is inside." She warned.

Moon bit her lower lip, her previous boost of courage being replaced with her usual sense of worry. Taking a deep breath, she nodded. Below them, Luna also nodded, eyes narrowed in caution.

Mentally counting down from three, Pluto slowly pushed the doors open, the three carefully stepping inside.

The interior of the building was blanketed in complete darkness, the windows covered in curtains, shielding against the approaching dusk. With careful, quiet steps (or as quiet as Usagi could do) the three moved together through the establishment's lobby. With Setsuna leading the way, the two females and one cat glanced around, not liking how quiet everything was.

"Where is everyone? Did they go home?" Sailor Moon asked.

"Or were there ever any employees in the first place?" Luna asked. If the House of Fortune truly was an out of nowhere establishment, not even a week old with no news of its build, Luna wouldn't doubt it was nothing more than a shell to conceal nefarious beings behind its walls.

Pluto narrowed her eyes, glancing around. "Be on your guard. Be prepared for anything." She warned her compatriots, mentally going over any and all preparation plans she'd thought over prior to her arrival. She swore to herself that no matter what, she'd keep Usagi safe.

Should everything work out, it should hopefully be a great learning experience for the newly made guardian.

Moving into a hallway, with the now shivering Usagi following behind the tense Pluto and Luna, the group moved cautiously within the darkness, keeping their senses high for any danger.

Glancing around, Pluto suddenly halted, staring ahead where she spotted light peeking out from under a door. Looking back at her compatriots, who also saw the light, she nodded to them, giving them a signal to lay low and quiet. Slowly, carefully, and ready, the three approached the door.

As they grew closer, they could pick up the sound of voices coming from within the room.

"-Everything's proceeding well, it seems." spoke one of the voices. From the sound of it, it was a woman's voice.

"Indeed it is," spoke another voice. This one sounded male. "The energy from these desperate humans has been coming in quite swimmingly. Heh, all just to hear some honeyed words."

"Pathetic as always." said the woman's voice with a slight chuckle.

"Speaking of energy collecting; has Delu-Knight reported in, yet?" asked the male voice.

"...I have not received any notice from him, Jadeite-sama." the woman states.

"Hmm…Curious. What can you tell me of your group's current objective." the man asked.

Another male voice responded, scoffing. "How should I know? I was not informed of there being a secondary objective other than aiding you in gathering life energy."

"You would do well not to take such a tone with me." the first male ordered, a threatening tone in his voice. The second male once more scoffed.

"And you should not think so highly of yourself! You do not scare me. I live and serve by the will of Leader-sama only!"

Another scoff was heard.

"...It matters not what your group desires or plans. Only that you hold up your end of the deal in aiding in gathering the necessary energy for Queen Beryl's freedom alongside Balm."

"Mah mah~ Jadeite-sama. Do not worry. My minions will ensure that my influence over these foolish humans spreads outward, gathering sheep and bringing forward chaos and havoc on the population. From that chaos, dark emotions will surge, adding to the gathered amount of life energy." The female said, a dark giggle being heard.

"Hm. Very well. Continue with your games, as long as you continue bringing the energy Beryl-sama requires."

"By your will, Jadeite-sama."

Inside the room, a lone candle illuminates the interior, as the disguised fortune teller bowed to her master as he vanished before turning to the gathering of her mind-controlled servants, their eyes glowing an ominous purple, making her smirk. Among the controlled victims was a blank-eyed, smirking Umino.

"You have all done excellent work so far, my servants. Now, go out and bring forth a sea of darkness!"

"Not on our watch!"

Eyes widening at the new voice, Balm gasped. "What?!"

With a slam, the door burst open, causing a whirlwind not only blowing out the candle, but causing closed curtains in the room to slide apart, illuminating the room with light from the setting sun.

There, standing at the doorway, the Sailor Guardians of Pluto and Moon stood, Luna watching from behind Moon's feet.

Narrowing her eyes at the humans who dared to interrupt her plans, Balm scowled. "You! You are the troublesome humans who killed Morga, and disrupted Jadeite-sama's plans! You will not stop me!" Shooting her arm forward, she ordered her minions. "Get them!"

With noises similar to hissing, the controlled civilians charged at the two females as Luna took cover.

"Not again!" Sailor Moon moaned worriedly.

"Do not fret, Sailor Moon! We just need to eliminate the controller!" Pluto advised, before leaping over the swarm of civilians, soaring over them, and landing behind the group, facing Balm.

Unfortunately, this left Sailor Moon alone to face the stampede. "Waaaaahh!" Screaming in fright, Moon also leaped into the air to try and escape. While she managed to evade getting rushed, she did not plan her descent, and only managed to land mere inches behind them. This led to the closest civilian to spin around, grabbing ahold of her arm.

"Waaahh! Let me go! Let me go! Let me go!" She shouted, closing her eyes and began swinging her arms wildly. Luckily for her, she unintentionally slammed her fist into the controlled teen's face in a strong backhand punch, knocking them back. Opening her eyes, Usagi blinked at what she did. "Um….sorry?" She apologized to the unconscious teen, before tensing as the other minions turned glowing eyes towards her. "AAAAAHHHH!" With a scream, began to run, the minions right behind her! "Not again~!"

Watching the events, Luna sweatdropped. "I hope this doesn't become a regular thing." She muttered, sighing.

'Times like this, makes me envy Naruto! Because whatever he's doing right now is probably MUCH more normal than this!' Sailor Moon thinks to herself as she runs.

Back w/Naruto

'What the hell am I doing?!' thought Naruto as he dodged another strike from Delu-Knight's blade. He was seriously questioning his mentality or whatever compelled him to not only follow a strange noise he heard, but was now trying to stay alive and not get sliced by a sword wielded by some guy in armor! Not to mention, he was doing it to protect a freaking dragon of all things! 'Seriously! What happened to wanting a normal life, dattebayo?!'

"Hold still, human!" Delu-Knight commanded as he swung his blade wildly at the human that dared to get in his way.

"And let you cut me in half?! No way!"

Growling in annoyance, Delu-Knight paused in his swings, stepping back as his blade glowed. "Enough games!" Pulling back his arm, he swung in an over-the-shoulder arc, launching a large energy slash.

Eyes widening, feeling a sense of deja vu, Naruto threw himself to the side, dodging the attack as it cut through the ground, heading all the way into a constructing building, destroying it with a mighty explosion.

Sighing in relief, Naruto pushed himself up. "I am REALLY questioning myself, dattebayo!"

"It is too late for regrets, human!"

Going wide-eyed, Naruto shot his head up, staring at the armored being looming over him, blade held up. "...shit."

Delu-Knight's cold, empty eyes/lenses stared down at him. "This is the end for you, boy." He started, swinging his sword down.

His blood freezing, Naruto could only watch as the sword came down on him in slow motion, everything going mute except for the sound of his heart pounding. Was this really it? Was he actually going to die? And for what, trying to be the hero he said he wasn't? Trying to protect a large dragon-like monster? Was his own stubbornness in helping others going to be what killed him?

'Kaa-san. Tou-san. Yuriko-chan. Azuka-chan. I…I'm sorry. Guess…I wasn't the king you all thought I was.'

As the sharp sword loomed inches from his head, suddenly, something intercepted the attempted kill, as something slammed hard against Delu-Knight, tossing him away.

Blinking, realizing he wasn't dead, Naruto looked to what saved him, his eyes widening as he stared at the large dragon he had saved earlier, the roles reversing as now it saved him. "Oh…wow! Uh…thanks!"

Unblinking eyes stared at him, its large body looming over him. Standing on its hind legs, the large beast towered over the teen, its long neck curving back. A soft rumbling came from its throat.

The rumble grew louder.

Naruto blinked. "Um…"

Its mouth opening, the dragon let out a mighty, ear-blasting roar, making Naruto cover his ears at the volume. Reeling down its winged arm, the dragon struck Naruto with a back-armed strike, sending him flying like it did Delu-Knight. With another roar, the dragon flapped its wings once, pushing its body into the air, soaring up, before it came back down in a swoop, shooting towards the recovering Delu-Knight, who upon seeing his target approaching, stood at the ready.

As the knight and dragon faced one another, from his prone position on the ground, Naruto groaned in pain. "...Fucking dragon." He muttered, cursing the beast. Suddenly, the sound of guns being cocked reached his ears. Opening his eyes, Naruto came face to barrel with a group of Shocker Gunmen, all aiming their weapons down at him. "...Fucking troublesome."

W/ the Sailor Guardians

While Sailor Moon dealt with the controlled civilians behind her, Sailor Pluto faced the controller. She narrowed her eyes at the 'human' before her. "Drop your disguise! I know you are not human!"

Balm smirked at the woman. "How perceptive of you~" She teased. Just then, her skin began to change, taking on a green, scaly texture. Her eyes grew larger, curving at the end while becoming yellow in color, her pupils sharpening into slits. Her hair began to also grow in length, with long strands floating ominously around her. Balm began to cackle wickedly as she began to float into the air. "Gaze upon your death, foolish human!"

In a flash of light, Pluto summoned her staff, holding it tightly in her hands as she faced the dark creature. Shoulders tense, ready for whatever the creature had up its sleeves, Pluto wondered whether to make the first move or not to try and finish this as quickly as she could.

However, before she could decide her course of action, her instincts, gained from personal training and past experience with battling monstrous creatures following in gaining her powers, flared. Eyes widening, Pluto listened and leaped backward.

It was a good thing she did, as what looked like a large sword shot out from the shadows in the room, piercing into her previous spot.

Landing, Pluto stared at where the sword came from. Squinting her eyes in a glare, she tried to peer into the darkness to figure out who or what threw the sword. The sound of footsteps was then heard. Narrowing her eyes, she tensed as she spotted a figure step out of the darkness. As the figure revealed itself, Pluto gripped her staff as it was revealed to be another monster, this one more monstrous in appearance compared to the first. Black and purple in color. Its face, indescribable, though ugly for certain.

Walking towards the sword, the new enemy grabbed it by the handle, pulling it out and resting it on top of his shoulder. Rolling its neck, pops could be heard.

Floating behind the second creature, Balm laughed. "Ready yourself, human! When I said to gaze upon your death…I wasn't talking about me. Meet my friend…"

Gripping the sword's handle, the black/purple monster slashed down, smashing the ground, causing a small crater. "Yosh! Get ready, Skirt Lady! Shibuyako is here to mess you up!"

Before Pluto could say anything, the revealed "Shibuyako" leaped towards her, blade raised. Quickly raising her staff, the sound of metal clashing and grinding against each other echoed out as Pluto glared into the eyeless face of the creature.

"Don't slow down, baby! Let's get this party started!"

Gritting her teeth, Pluto pushed off and away from the lock, jumping away from the creature. Eyeing both enemies in her sight, she weighed her opinions. Facing two unknown enemies, with no knowledge of their abilities or skills, Pluto wasn't in a good spot. While she could get Sailor Moon to back her up…she was heavily against that option at this point in time until the girl gained more experience.

'Looks like I'm gonna have to do this the hard way.' She thought, clicking her tongue in annoyance.

Meanwhile, behind her, Sailor Moon was still occupied with trying to get away from the zombie/ghoulish-like civilians.

"Get away! Get away! Get away!" Moon begged as she ducked under an attempted grab. Rolling across the floor as several arms tried to grab her, Moon got on her feet. Her body shook as she found herself surrounded by the mass of mind-controlled people. Whimpering, Sailor Moon looked away, trying to figure out a way to get out of her situation. 'Oh man! Why did I agree to do this?! What was I thinking?!'

"Usagi!"

Soaring over the heads of the civilians, Luna dropped in front of Sailor Moon.

"Luna!" Sailor Moon said happily.

Glaring at the controlled people, Luna stood protectively in front of the teen would-be hero. "I'm here to help, Sailor Moon."

Sailor Moon smiled, her eyes glittering in unshed tears. "Luna-chan~!"

Standing in front of the inner circle, the controlled Umino hissed at the two, taking a step forward. Not having that, Luna jumped at him, her claws coming out, glittering in the light. With a swipe, she clawed Umino's face, getting him to cry out in pain.

As Luna dropped back down with a proud smile, Sailor Moon cheered. "Alright, Luna!" She then gasped as someone behind her managed to grab her by the arms. "Hey!"

"Sailor Moon!" Luna called worriedly, but before she could help her, she had to dodge hands trying to grab her.

Sailor Moon wiggled aggressively as she tried to get free from their surprisingly strong hold. "Let me go!" she demanded.

All she got in return were the wicked chuckles from the people, their circle closing in on her. Hearing a dark laugh above her, Moon looked up, spotting Balm hoving over her.

"That's it, my minions! Tear this foolish human to pieces!" She commanded, laughing maniacally.

The sound of the monster's laughter, added with the empty laughter of the mind-controlled people boomed hard in Sailor Moon's ears as she looked around. The controlled people raised their hands, reached toward her with ominous intent, much to the girl's rising fear, as her body shook, eyes wide.

"Stay back." She whimpered. "Stay back! STAY BACK!" She screamed out as the red plates in front of her hair buns begin to glow brightly. Suddenly, either being projected from themselves alone, or merely empowering Sailor Moon's scream, a large wave of sound emitted from the plates. The booming sound rippled out, causing all the civilians around her to stagger back, screaming as they held their ears in pain. Windows cracked and shattered from the wave, while Balm cried in pain as she held her head.

"AAH! Stupid girl! Stop it!"

The shockwave even went as far as to where Pluto was facing Shibuyako. Fortunately it only pushed her lightly, whereas her monstrous opponent was knocked back. "What?!" Shibuyako questioned, but was given a chance to learn the answer, as Pluto slammed a flying kick to its face. Staggering back, Shibuyako shook its head. Growling, it sent a nonexistent glare at Pluto. "You damn woman!" With a firm grip on its sword, it charged a running slash at her.

Using her staff to block the strike, Pluto followed the momentum by pushing both the blade and arm to the side, getting into Shibuyako's guard. Raising her knee, she slammed her knee into the creature's stomach, getting a pained groan.

"You…bitch!"

Dodging a swiping backhand, Pluto spun around a slash as the orb on her staff glowed. With a cry, Pluto spun her staff clockwise, spinning the staff orb first down her back, before soaring up her front, where it delivered a strong upper swing to Shibuyako's chin, sending it into the air. However, Pluto was far from done, as before the creature could get too far, she gripped her staff's pole, aiming her still glowing orb at the monster.

"Take this!"

The orb glowing brightly, a large sphere of energy shot out, slamming into Shibuyako with an explosion. With the monster's presumeable destruction, Pluto set her staff upright beside her.

'That's one down.' She thought, letting out a sigh of momentary relief. Turning around to face Balm, she readed herself to finish this.

"Yah!"

With a yelp, Naruto quickly ducked behind a construction equipment big enough to shield him from gunfire. Behind his temporary cover, Naruto tried to catch his breath. He had to thank his lucky stars, as well as what could only be the divine aid of his ancestors, that he had managed to get out of being riddled with bullets. He was also glad that he wasn't shot immediately by those gunmen when he first saw them.

'That…could have been bad, dattebayo.' He thought, letting out a heavy sigh of relief. He tensed, as he could hear the crunching of gravel as the gunmen moved closer toward his spot. He sweated as he wondered how the hell he was going to get out of this tight situation. 'Seriously! What the hell was I thinking coming here?!'

He glanced over at where he last saw the armored man and the mechanical dragon. While he couldn't see them, the sound of beastly roaring and explosions let him know that there was definitely a battle going on where they were.

He shook his head. This wasn't the time to wonder about other fights, when he had his current issue to deal with!

Hearing footsteps getting closer, Naruto looked around for anything to aid him. Spotting a lone shovel at his feet, he wondered how long that would help him before he was gunned down. "What other choice do I have?" Grabbing the tool, just as one of the gunmen appeared around the machine, Naruto swung wildly, slamming the metal pan hard against their head. As the soldier fell backwards, Naruto didn't think. He didn't blink. He didn't even breathe.

He just acted.

Before a nearby gunman could register what happened, Naruto charged at him. First slamming hard into them shoulder-first, Naruto then delivered a head-splitting smack to the side of their head.

Hearing the sound of guns cocking, Naruto acted on instinct and tossed his body to the side, rolling over gravel as bullets hit his previous spot. Quickly getting to his feet, he spun around. Holding the shovel in hand near the pole tip, Naruto released his arm around, throwing the shovel like a chained ball towards another gunman. Miraculously, the shovel hit pan-first against the man's gun, smacking it out of their hands. Without hesitation as they were distracted at the loss of their weapon, Naruto charged them, tackling them to the ground, where he began to deliver an onslaught of punches to their covered face. He managed to land over a half-dozen punches, before the trooper managed to regain focus and caught his first, delivering his own punch to the teen's face, throwing him off.

Landing on his back, Naruto was not prepared as the now angry Shocker soldier began punching him in retaliation. He tried to cover his face from the blows, but only managed to block a few. The punches pausing, he was grabbed by his shirt, lifted up before he was tossed to the side.

Groaning a bit in pain, Naruto opened his eyes - one no doubt swelling from the hard hits - and looked up to see a gun barrel to his face.

"...This looks familiar, dattebayo." He joked.

Famous last words, right?

"Time to say goodbye, kid." The Shocker Gunman said, finger on the trigger.

Time. Heh. Funny.

Stubborn to the end, Naruto glared at the gunman. Glared without fear. No fear of them. No fear of death. Why should he fear death?

He was an Uzumaki.

Uzumakis feared nothing.

"Time Mazine!"

Suddenly, and luckily, before the gunman could shoot Naruto's brains out, a familiar flying contraption came flying into the scene, shocking the Shocker soldiers, no pun intended.

Even more surprising, before the Shockers' and Naruto's eyes, the flying machine began to transform, of all things. Parts and pieces moving and shifting, the flying machine took on a more humanoid appearing with arms and legs, landing before the shocked observers with a loud slam.

"Get away from him!"

Naruto blinked at the familiar voice. "Tsukuyomi?"

The Shocker troops were quick to snap out of their daze as they began to fire at the mecha. Unfortunately, their weapons had no effect against the mecha's hard steel. With thunderous steps, the mecha moved in closer towards them, its large arm swooping over and striking against the soldiers, sending them flying away.

Now safe from death, Naruto shakingly rose to his feet, groaning in slight pain. Shaking his head, he stared up at the large mecha, who also turned towards him.

"What the hell are you doing here?!"/"What the hell are you doing here?!" They both asked the other simultaneously.

"I thought you went back to the future!"

"I thought you said you didn't want to be a hero!"

"I…changed my mind!"

"Changed your mind?! What kind of idiotic response is that?!"

"Oi! Who are you calling an idiot, dattebayo!?"

"YOU! You were seconds away from getting killed!"

"I had things handled!"

"You call having a gun pointed at your face handled?!"

"I survived you pointing a gun at me, didn't I?!"

"My blaster was only set to stun! Not kill!"

"Tomayto, Tomahto!"

"You have to be the BIGGEST moron I have ever met!"

"Kiss my ass, Future Girl!"

Before the two teens could continue arguing, an explosion grabbed their attention. Turning, the two saw a damaged Delu-Knight shooting out of a smokescreen, skating across the gravel, the dragon flying from the smoke behind him with a roar.

"What is that?" Tsukuyomi asked, staring at the dragon with wide eyes.

Naruto frowned. "I don't really know, to be honest. Kinda hope it's friendly." He said, watching as the dragon launched a stream of flames at Delu-Knight, who quickly evaded. Before the dragon could go after him, it spotted the mecha, growling. "Uh oh."

Roaring, the dragon shot at the possible new threat.

"What?!" Before Tsukuyomi knew it, the dragon slammed hard into the Mazine, tackling it away, as Naruto covered his face from the hard winds generated.

"Tsukuyomi!" He called, concerned.

Inside the Time Mazine (Battle Mode), Tsukuyomi held on to the controls tightly as the mecha shook violently as the dragon continued to attack it. "Are you kidding me?! I wasn't told there would be creatures like this in the past!"

She tried to stabilize the mecha to protect itself, as the dragon slammed its tail against it. Smashing into the wooden front of a nearby house under construction, Tsukuyomi took the momentary chance to gather her focus. Hearing a roar, she looked through the mecha's cameras where she saw the dragon heading towards her. Acting quickly, she activated the mecha's thrusters located at the feet. The thrusters firing, the mecha slid across the ground, dodging a fierce bit from the dragon's mighty teeth. Standing the machine upward, Tsukuyomi got ready for what could be a tough fight.

"I'm starting to hate this time." She grumbled, blowing a strand of hair off her face.

Staring at where Tsukuyomi and the dragon went, Naruto frowned. Hearing a noise, he turned his head, spotting Delu-Knight stepping out from behind a parked truck. His frown deepening with a glare, Naruto turned fully towards him. Time to get some answers. "Why were you after that dragon?!" He demanded.

Delu-Knight scoffed. "And pray tell, why should I tell you anything, kid?"

Growling in anger, Naruto slowly moved to the side, keeping his glare on the armored man. Halting, Naruto knelt down, picking up the shovel. "I'll make you tell me, even if I have to beat the answers out of you!" He threatened, holding the shovel in his hands like a makeshift sword.

Delu-Knight couldn't help but laugh at the pathetic display. "I'll admit. For an idiotic child, you are amusingly brave." Holding up his sword, Delu-Knight aimed it at Naruto. "I'll try and make your death swift."

Glaring fiercely, Naruto tightened his grip on the shovel. "Just try it, you bucket-headed asshole!"

Shaking her head to clear the ringing after having her high cat hearing suffer Sailor Moon's sudden sound attack, Luna looked around at the still dazed people. Looking up at the also dazed monster, Luna saw the chance for their charge to finish the fight. "Sailor Moon! Now's your chance!" She advised, turning towards the young teen, only to sweatdrop when she saw the still crying, but thankfully with the soundwave, not paying attention as she was too busy stomping the downed forms of her previous capturers.

"Bad touch! Bad touch! Bad touch!"

Sighing at the girl, Luna shook her head. "Good grief…"

Up above, Balm shook her head to regain her focus and hearing. She glared down at Sailor Moon. "Such a troublesome, annoying girl! I'll have to deal with her before she becomes a larger annoyance to Jadeite-sama!"

"I don't think so!"

Distracted, Balm was unprepared for another Sailor Guardian as Pluto flipped over her, spinning around in a twirl before striking the monster with a spinning downward kick, sending her crashing down onto the ground.

Growling in anger as she pushed herself out of the formed crater, Balm glared at Pluto as the Senshi landed before her. "The other annoyance!"

Pluto returned the glare as she aimed her staff at Balm. "This ends now!"

Her scowl shifting into a smirk, Balm chuckled. "On that, we agree." She said, raising her arm, snapping her fingers. Suddenly, the previously downed and dazed forms of the controlled civilians straightened upright.

Sailor Moon shrieked, startled as she fell on her behind as the unfortunate person she was kicking (Umino, much to her guilt) shot to his feet, making her gasp. "Oh no!"

Getting in a guarded stance, Pluto cursed as the victims quickly moved to stand in front of Balm, the monster chuckling darkly as her form became mixed with the people around her. "Please, go ahead and try to blast me, human. But know that doing so may harm the people you sought to save."

Pluto growled, trying to find Balm amongst the people. "Coward! Reveal yourself!"

Moon quickly moved to Pluto's side. "Oh, what do we do now?"

"She has to be around here somewhere. Keep your guard up, Sailor Moon." Pluto told her.

From her hiding spot nearby, Luna tried to sense where the monster could be. "No good. There's a lot of negative energy. It's messing with my senses. I can't detect her."

Umino chuckled darkly, stepping towards the two warriors with his fellow students. "Come one ladies. What's the hold up? Let's play~!" He said, much to Sailor Moon's discomfort.

"Umino, snap out of it! This isn't you!" She shouted, trying to snap him out of the spell over him.

Umino laughed. "What are you talking about? I feel great!"

Pluto glanced at her younger aid. "It's no use. Whatever spell's been placed on these people, it's strong. If we are to save them, we must eliminate the monster."

Sailor Moon nodded. "Alright, but where is she?" She asked, looking around.

Unbeknownst to the two, two shadowed tendrils slithered across the floor towards them from behind. The only one to notice was Luna from her low height. "Sailor Moon! Sailor Pluto! Look out!" She tried to warn.

Unfortunately, the warning came too late, as he tendrils shot out, wrapping around Pluto in a tight hold. Seeing this, Sailor Moon gasped.

"Oh no! Setsuna-san!"

The voice of Balm was heard as she laughed while Pluto was lifted into the air. "You should have eliminated your obstacles when you had the chance! Time to pay for your foolishness!"

The tendrils tightening around her, Pluto groaned in pain.

"Sailor Moon! Do something!" Luna told her.

Unfortunately, Sailor Moon was frozen. Fear freezing her in place, as all she could do was watch as Pluto was harmed. "I…I…"

Back w/Naruto

Ducking under a sword swipe, Naruto retaliated with his own swing of the shovel, slamming it against Delu-Knight's side.

!

Blinking, Naruto stared at the broken shovel, pole in his hands. "...Well shit." He muttered, before gasping as Delu-Knight's metal boot hit his stomach. Rolling backwards, he groaned as he landed on his front.

Looking through a squinted eye, Naruto glared up at the metal knight of Shocker. "Is that all you have left, boy? I must say, I'm disappointed." He commented, shaking his head.

Grunting, Naruto slowly pushed himself upward to his feet, shaking slightly in exhaustion and slight pain. "Don't count me out just yet, you asshole! I still have plenty of fight in me!"

Delu-Knight made a seemingly pleased sound. "Good. This would be boring otherwise." He said, raising his blade. "Come."

Panting lightly while holding his stomach with one arm, Naruto raised the broken pole with the other. "I could do this all day."

Delu-Knight tilted his head up, seeing the moon peeking over the horizon in the distance. "You have about an hour or two left before nightfall. Let's see if you manage to survive till then." He challenged, before charging.

Dodging back from an arching slash, Naruto quickly hit the knight's arm to divert a second slash. Spinning on his feet, he evaded a stab, taking the chance to get in close to slam his shoulder against Delu-Knight's chest. However, thanks to his strong armor, he only managed to make him take two or three steps back. Not giving up, Naruto raised his arms up, choosing to toss the useless pole aside for his fists. Moving quickly, Naruto slammed his fist against Delu-Knight's helmet, ignoring the painful feeling from punching the hard metal and followed it up with a second swipe punch to the other side.

Barely dazed by the hits, Delu-Knight slashed at the teen. While he dodged it, he was not unscathed, as he suffered his shirt being torn at the front, with a light cut on his chest. Standing his ground, Naruto threw a fast punch at the enemy. Unfortunately, Delu-Knight has grown used to Naruto's pattern of attack, and caught the fist in a strong grip. Dropping his sword, the knight landed a hard punch to the teen's face on his cheek, throwing him back.

Staring down at the panting teen, Delu-Knight shook his head. "Time to give up, kid. You're only delaying the inevitable. You can barely stand. Time for this game to end." He said, picking up his sword, pointing it at Naruto.

Hurt, tired, dirty and running short of breath, Naruto somehow still managed to gather whatever strength he had left as he glared at Delu-Knight. Groaning, he rolled his aching body to its front. Placing his bleeding hands on the gravel, he slowly and painfully pushed himself up. "G-Give up?...Heh. Don't…make me…laugh." He groaned out, a pained chuckle escaping his bruised lips. Delu-Knight silently watched as the teen managed to get on his feet, staggering a bit but holding up. Panting heavily, Naruto turned around to face the knight, glaring fiercely at him. "If a-any…thing. You…should give…up…on getting me…to give up!"

Delu-Knight shook his head at the foolish teen. Still, he couldn't help but respect his bravery and determination. "Such a waste of life. Why keep going? Why continue to push yourself to the point of breaking your body?"

With unquenchable fire in his eyes, Naruto glared at the knight. "Because…I made a…promise."

Delu-Knight titled his head, intrigued. "A promise?"

Panting, Naruto nodded, clenching his fist. "I made a…promise…to my family…that I would not stop. I would…not give…up. Not…until I…become king!"

"King? You?" Delu-Knight commented, wondering if the kid was being serious.

Naruto shook his head. "I…don't know…what my future…will be. Who does? However…I swear…I will not…become the king…I am said to be! I will…become a king…my family would be…proud of! I swear…I will become…the strongest…kindest…most beloved king…there ever was! I will not…become a Demon King! I will not…become Ohma! I…WILL DECIDE MY OWN FUTURE!" He shouted, his body shaking with determination, swearing to high heaven to uphold his promise!

His promise to his sisters!

His promise to his parents!

His promise to Mito-Obaasan!

He will become a King, a HERO, they would all be proud of! This. He. SWORE!

Delu-Knight was silent, thinking over the teen's word's. Finally, he shook his head, chuckling. "How amusing boy…just who are you?" He asked, wanting to know the name of this strange, foolish, brave teen…no, man before him.

Glaring at Delu-Knight, Naruto held himself up firmly. "I'm the stubborn, idiotic guy…who will become King! Don't you ever forget it!"

Chuckling, Delu-Knight began approaching Naruto, raising his sword up. "Well kid, sorry to break it to you, but some dreams…don't come true." Standing before the tired teen, Delu-Knight held his sword high, giving his last words to the young man. "For what it's worth…it would have been interesting to see you become king."

With that, the sword came down, its movement reflecting off of Naruto's eyes as it came closer and closer. Still, Naruto felt no fear. No fright.

Only determination and strong will.

"Naruto!"

"Onii-chan!"

!

?

Blue eyes blinking open, they rolled around, taking in their surroundings. Leaves. Trees. Grass. Sky. The sound of birds chirping. Crickets cricketing. Tall grass rustling.

A familiar setting.

A familiar dream.

The sound of footsteps reached their ears.

"What defines power?"

On top of a lone building, Woz gazed towards the rising moon as the last remnants of the sun vanished over the edge, watching as the sky shifted in color, swapping from light to darkness.

He smiled.

"It is time."

Usagi blinked, finding herself in a familiar location. In the middle of a clearing, she stood in front of a familiar set of statues, their aweing stature looming over her like giants.

She turned her head.

A familiar man standing beside her.

He turned to her, smiling. "What defines power?"

Naruto frowned, staring quizzingly at the mysterious woman he saw before.

She smiled a sad smile at him. "Is power only meant to destroy?"

The man gestured toward the statues. "Is power's only role to protect?"

The woman stared down at the land down before them from their spot on the cliff. Naruto followed her and gazed down.

Below them, the form of Ohma Millennium stood.

"If one had the power to change the future…" The woman began.

"...would that person use their power to change the world?" The man asked.

Usagi stared up at the statues, while Naruto frowned down at Ohma.

"Would someone with power be defined as good?" The woman asked.

"Or would the fear and jealousy of others label them as evil?" The man asked.

The man looked at Usagi. "Would you use your power to protect those you hold precious? Would you pay the cost?"

The woman frowned at Naruto. "Would you use your power to change your fate? Would you risk losing yourself on your journey?"

The man smiled at the teen. "Having power to protect and save those dear to you is commendable, but you can only be truly strong by relying on those who stand by your side, just as they rely on you."

The woman held her hand out towards Naruto. In her hand, the Millennium Ridewatch laid. "You could fight to change your future. You could scream and shout that it will never come to pass. However, the more you struggle, the more you may find yourself on the path you seek to change."

The statue suddenly began to crack.

Ohma looked up towards Naruto.

Usagi watched with wide eyes as the statue crumbled, revealing a mirror in its place. She stared at her reflection, who smiled back.

Naruto frowned at Ohma, his hands clenching into tight fists. Suddenly, he stood in front of his future self, the two silently staring at the other.

The man placed a hand on Usagi's shoulder, while the woman placed her hand on Naruto's back.

""What kind of hero/king do you wish to be with your power?""

Crashing across the ground, the mecha badly damaged, Tsukuyomi tried as best she could to get things working as hologram screens flashed red. Hearing the incoming roar of the dragon, she increased her efforts. "Come on! Come on!"

The mecha shaking hard, she saw the dragon on top of the mecha, growling down at it, making her curse. She watches as embers escape through gaps from the dragon's clenched teeth, gathering fire, making her blood turn cold, unsure if the robot's shieldings would be strong enough to protect her against it. "No…"

Just then, a sudden glow caught her attention. Confused, Tsukuyomi grabbed the cause of the glow, lifting it up to see it was the MilleWatch. "What?"

The glow began to increase, forcing her to shut her eyes from the blinding light.

After a while, she opened them, only to blink in shock and confusion.

The watch was gone.

So was the dragon.

The sound of beeping filled the silent, tense room. The room darkened as the curtains were pulled shut.

Several adults stood out along the hallway, all frowning, some weeping, as they all gazed into the room, where a blonde woman gently kissed the forehead of an elderly woman in bed, connected to several machines. Her hair, silver in color and half-lid eyes slightly dull, yet still holding love and kindness within them.

Even while low on energy and health, barely able to keep her eyes open, the elderly woman smiled up at the young woman, who choked back a sob, tears running down her face.

"Tsuna-chan…"

"Mito-baa…" Reaching forward, the woman gently placed a hand on her beloved grandmother's cheek. "We'll miss you, but…we'll be okay."

The dying woman smiled at her. Gently turning her head, she smiled towards the doorway. Shakingly, she raised her hand towards it. "...Naru…chan…"

Standing behind his parents, a crying Naruto tried to clean his face. Hearing his great-grandmother call to him, he raised his drenched, snot-dripping face. As Mito held her hand up towards him, Naruto hesitated. At the gentle push by his father, the young child took slow, hesitant steps into the room. Soon, he stood by his dying relative's side.

"O-Obachan…" He croaked, tears sliding down his cheeks. Mito smiled lovingly at him. Slowly, she placed her hand on his cheek, her thumb lightly rubbing it, wiping away the tears as it traced his whisker-like birthmark lines.

"You shouldn't cry, Naru-chan. Kings…don't cry."

Naruto sobbed, shaking his head. "I'm not a king."

"Don't say that. You will always be a king to me." She said softly, placing a finger under his chin, gently lifting his head up. Smiling at her beloved great-grandson, Mito gazed at him through misty eyes. "I…have a…present for you." She said, turning her gaze toward Tsunade. Seeing her gaze, Tsunade breathed deeply to gather herself. Smiling, she nodded, before moving towards the corner of the room, where a gift box sat on a chair. Picking it up, she brought it to the bed, passing it to Naruto.

Naruto frowned, looking from his aunt to his great-grandmother. He shook his head. "Obaa-chan…I don't want a present. I just want you to stay with us!"

Mito smiled at him. "I'll always be with you, Naru-chan." She said, softly poking his chest over his heart. "As long…as you remember me…I'll always be with you." She told him, before she began coughing.

"Obaa–chan!" Naruto cried worriedly. Quickly moving to her other side, Tsunade tried to soften Mito's condition. However, she was stopped as Mito grabbed her hand. Giving two more coughing fits, Mito took a deep breath, patting her granddaughter's hand, she smiled at her. Turning her focus back on Naruto, she gestured to the present.

"Open it, Naru-chan…I'm sure you'll love it."

Frowning, Naruto nodded. Taking out the paper, he looked inside, his eyes widening.

Mito watched on, smiling as Naruto pulled out a stuffed animal.

A dragon.

A red dragon.

"A king…will always need a big…strong…brave friend to help them. Now, with your dragon, you will be the king…I know you will become…for sure."

Staring at the stuffed dragon, Naruto smiled. "I love it…"

Smiled, Mito placed a hand on top of his head. "Remember…Naru-chan. Dragons are loyal…when treated with respect. They are not…pets. They are…your special…precious…friends. Always…treat your friends…with kindness. Can you promise me…Naru-chan?"

Looking at his great-grandmother, then back at the dragon, Naruto nodded. "I promise."

Gazing at the sight, Mito smiled. Her eyes gently closed as she felt her time running out. She gave her final words. "What will you…call it…Naru-chan?"

Not noticing his great-grandmother breathing her last breath, Naruto smiled at the stuffed toy.

"I'll call him…"

"Ryujō…"

Within an unknown location, absent of objects, of people, of anything, nothing but a literal void, Naruto gazed up at the large mechanical dragon floating in front of him.

Glowing green lenses staring back at him, the dragon growled softly.

"My liege…what is thy bidding? Command me…my King"

Smiling, Naruto chuckled, shaking his head. "Things really are crazy, dattebayo. For my old stuffed toy becoming an actual dragon…unreal." Raising his hand, he looked down at the glowing MilleWatch in his hold. "Is this…the power…of Millennium?"

Ryujō tilted its head at the teen. "Do you fear your power?"

Naruto frowned, staring at the faceplate of Millennium. "I fear what such power could make me become. I never asked for this power. I don't even know what it is, or where it came from. Why wouldn't I be scared? Is this power something the watch gave me? Or have I always had it?"

"Should the origin matter, my King? With such power, young and growing, you could achieve your dream. Is that not what you desired?"

Naruto shook his head, looking up at the dragon. "Not at the cost of losing myself. I will never become Ohma. That is not the kind of King I want to be."

"Then don't." Ryujō said, getting a raised brow. "Power…is it purely good? Is it purely evil? Only the person who holds the power can decide that. I know how you feel. Your thoughts. Your fears. You fear that your future is to come as is. You fear your destiny is to become Ohma Millennium, the Demon King. Are you such a weak willed King that you will just decide to allow it to come to pass?" The dragon mocked, growling.

Glaring at the dragon, Naruto looked back at the watch. Narrowing his eyes, Naruto gripped the watch. He scoffed. "I'd have to be a bigger idiot than I already am, to just give in to fate like that, dattebayo!" Tossing the watch into the air, he caught it as it came back down. He smirked at the dragon. "Well, I already promised that I would become the strongest, kindest king there was! Since when have I ever gone back on my word, dattebayo!"

Ryujō made an amused scoff, its metal jaw bending into a smirk of its own. "Then rise, Uzumaki-Namikaze Naruto! Rise! Stand! Command my power, as I kneel before your might!"

Naruto shook his head, stepping closer to the dragon. "No. I don't want to command your power. I ask that you fight with me, as my ally. As my friend. Doesn't that sound better? A would-be king and his dragon, fighting bad guys, saving people, being badass heroes. Doesn't that sound better?" He asked, smirking. Raising his arm, he held out a fist towards his old friend.

Staring at the teen, the dragon scoffed, a puff of fire shooting out of its jaw. "Still the surprising kid, I see. You haven't changed a bit, have you?"

Naruto smirked at it. "Why would I?"

Ryujo returned the smirk as it leaned its head close. "Then I'll gladly stand beside you in the battles to come, my King." It said, bumping its snout against Naruto's fist.

As human and dragon smiled at each other, the Millennium Ridewatch shined brightly, growing brighter and brighter until all was encompassed by light.

W/ Sailor Moon

Her eyes snapping open, Sailor Moon focused back on her situation. Looking around at the mind-controlled people around her, she looked up at the captured Sailor Pluto. Hearing the dark laugh of the dark mastermind behind this event, she frowned.

"There's nothing you could possibly do, girl. Now watch as your friend is torn apart!"

"I don't think so, ugly!" Sailor Moon shouted back. Reaching up, she grabbed hold of her headband. Taking it off her head, the metal band glowed before the ends curved into a sharp ring. As it began to spin above her hand, becoming a fast-spinning saw blade, Moon pulled her arm back. "Take this! Moon Frisbee!"

Throwing her arm forward, the shining frisbee shot out, cutting through the air. Seemingly heading towards the civilians, at the last minute, Sailor Moon threw her arm up into the air. Following her silent command, the disk curved upward into the air. Heading towards the airborne Pluto, the saw passed harmlessly by her, instead cutting through the tendrils.

"Ah! My hair! My precious hair! How dare you?!" Balm shouted in anger. From her hiding spot within the people, she rose up, revealing herself, an expression of fury on her face, seeking to pay Sailor Moon back for her actions!

Unfortunately for her, she would not get the chance!

"There you are! Ha!" Her sight snapping towards her, Sailor Moon shot her arm towards the creature, sending the sharp disk her way.

Eyes widening as she realized her blunder, Balm tried to save herself. "No! Wait! Please, don't!"

"This is the end for you!" Moon shouted, as the frisbee but through Balm.

"No! NO! Jadeite-sama! I'm sorry! I failed you! Jadeite-samaaaa!" With a final cry, Balm broke apart, turning to dust as her essence was eradicated. On the ground, a pile of her ashes gathered, a glowing card dropping on top of it, before it shattered into nothingness.

?

Within a dark chamber, Jadeite watched with a scowl as all the life energy gathered, dispersed, returning back to the freed victims upon Balm's defeat.

"So you failed, Balm. Your destruction is a mercy for your failure." He muttered, angry that once again, his plans have been foiled by a couple of humans. "Should these interruptions keep occurring, Beryl-sama will never gain her freedom. I must do something to ensure such failures do not happen again."

Back with the Sailor Guardians, they watched as the glowing cards on the victims' chests appeared, before the cards shattered, the influence on the people being dispelled. Pluto, Moon and Luna watched with smiles as the people regained their senses.

"Ooh…wah? What happened?" Umino asked, holding his head. Looking up, he blinked at the appearances of the Sailors. "W-Wow! Who are they?!"

Happy that things returned to normal, Sailor Moon let out a heavy sigh, sliding to the ground on her knees, exhausted. "It's finally over!"

Pluto looked down at the teen girl, a proud smile on her face. "Excellent work, Sailor Moon!"

Luna nodded, moving closer to the girl. "She's right! You defeated the monster, and saved the people! I'm proud of you!"

Moon gave the tired smile. "Thanks, but…now I'm starving~!" She moaned, holding her growling stomach, making Luna sigh while Pluto giggled.

Suddenly, everyone heard the sound of something hitting the ground, followed by someone cursing. Turning their heads, the heroines saw a familiar creature standing beside an overturned shelf.

"Oh crap!"

Moon gasped. "It's that scaly monster! Um…the other one!" She corrected herself, remembering that the female monster also looked kinda scaly.

Pluto frowned, having thought she had eliminated it.

Freezing, Shibuyako slowly raised its head, noticing that it's been spotted. "Um…"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...Bye!"

Before the ladies knew it, the monster had already shot out of the entrance, a trail of dust in its wake.

"After it! We can't let it escape!" Pluto shouted, before groaning, holding her side.

Luna looked at Sailor Moon. "Let's go, Sailor Moon!"

Frowning at having to still fight monsters, the girl nodded reluctantly. "Okay…"

Pluto looked at her. "Don't worry about me, I'll catch up. Now go!"

Nodding, Moon and Luna chased after the monster.

Groaning as she carefully moved out of the room before heading towards the entrance, Pluto took a deep breath to push through the pain caused by the tendrils. Thankfully, the pain numbed slightly, so she should be able to help Usagi defeat the monster if need be. Stepping out into the cool night air, Pluto turned her gaze towards the open window, staring up at the now visible moon shining in the sky.

She narrowed her eyes.

'This feeling…'

Yuriko felt as if her lungs were on fire, her legs feeling like lead, and her heart seconds away from bursting like a balloon. For the past half hour ('Or was it more? I should probably get a watch.') she had been running just about an endless maze of streets and alleys, being led by her determined young adoptive sister as they followed the strange man Tsukuyomi called "Woz" in order to learn where their brother was.

"Azu-chan, slow down! You're pulling my arm too hard!" She begged the redhead. Seriously, for a 6-year-old, Azuka had quite the surprising amount of strength in her little body,

"Come one, Nee-chan! Woz-san should know where Onii-chan is!" The girl said, ignoring her plea.

Sighing, Yuriko had no choice but to let herself be pulled. Looking up at the sky, she frowned as she saw it was now dark. 'Uncle Minato and Aunt Kushina have to be getting worried!' She had, thankfully, called them earlier to notify of their possible late arrival, but it didn't make them worry any less. Especially with the newly-placed curfew. They will no doubt receive a stern talking from Kushina when they get home.

"There he is!" Azuka called out, pointing towards the figure of Woz in the distance as the man walked into a construction sight.

Yuriko raised a brow. Why would the strange man go there?

Just then, the sound of explosions could be heard. Becoming fearful of it being another monster attack, Yuriko pulled Azuka into a tight protective hold. "Azuka, we need to go!" She ordered, not wanting to be there should another monster appear.

Azuka looked up at her, frowning. "But onii-chan could be in there!"

"Based on what? That creepy guy with the black scarf and book? Azu-chan, you know better than to trust strangers." Yuriko gently scolds. "Besides, we have no way of knowing if Naruto is or isn't there. Why would he be in a construction site in the first place?" As more explosions were heard, Yuriko grabbed Azuka's hand. "No, it's too dangerous! We'll find Naruto somewhere else!"

Frowning with a pouting glare, Azuka ripped her hand out of Yuriko's grip. "No! I know Onii-chan is here! I'll show you!" Before Yuriko could say anything, Azuka began to run towards the site.

"No! Azuka! Come back here!" Yuriko called out, running after her. Luckily, Azuka stopped at the entrance of the site, standing behind a stack of wooden boards when Yuriko reached her. "Azuka, we need to go! Come-" Her words stopped dead, as her wide eyes looked towards the middle of the grounds, where she saw Naruto standing in front of what looked like a person wearing armor, holding what looked like a sword, raising it high into the air.

"I'm the stubborn, idiotic guy…who will become King! Don't you ever forget it!"

"Well kid, sorry to break it to you, but some dreams…don't come true." The knight-like being could be heard saying. "For what it's worth…it would have been interesting to see you become king."

Yuriko and Azuka both gasped as the sword came down, aiming to cut Naruto's head in half.

"Naruto!" Yuriko screamed.

"Onii-chan!" Azuka shouted, tears falling from her eyes as the sisters could do nothing by watch helplessly as their brother was about to be killed right in front of them.

"Sayanora, kid." Delu-Knight muttered as the sword was about to slice the teen apart.

Suddenly, in a large, booming explosion, a shockwave of what seemed like fire erupted from Naruto, illuminating the darkening area as well as catching Delu-Knight off guard as he was pushed back. "What?!" He questioned, getting up from where he was thrown. Looking up, he gasped.

Opening his closed eyes, Naruto looked down at the MilleWatch in his hand. "Guess there's no going back now." He muttered. He looked to the side, smirking. "You ready?"

Floating in the air beside the teen, Ryujo roared.

In a flash of light, a familiar device appeared in Naruto's other hand. Gripping it, Naruto placed it against his waist, a strap forming around his waist, fastening the driver on tightly.

"Ziku-Driver!"

Smirking at Delu-Knight, Naruto tossed the watch up and down his hand. "Sorry to disappoint you, Bucket-Head, but I'm not out just yet! In fact…I'm just getting started, dattebayo!" With one final toss, Naruto caught the watch. Holding it out, he used his thumb to turn the dial, completing the faceplace. He narrowed his eyes, an intense fire burning in them, practically glowing in the darkness of the night. "My future…STARTS NOW!" He pressed down on the top button.

"Millennium!"

Just then, by some mysterious phenomenon, the visible stars above began to glow brighter, shining the sky like a miracle from Heaven itself, as it illuminated the dark construction site.

Naruto smirked as what looked like a red grid outline of the Millennium armor passed over Naruto. As Ryujo let out another roar, Naruto pressed the button again.

"The Rider of the new era, holding the power to change the future for the next millennia is…"

Reaching down, Naruto inserted the watch into the front center slot. "Lock On!" The wind began to pick up, picking up dust around Naruto in a swirl, his clothes rustling as a large holographic light clock appeared, hovering over him, the sound of ticking echoing through the area as the hands began to turn. "Are you ready?!"

With his eyes hard as steel, and as cold as ice, Naruto raised his arm, holding it outward. His middle finger pressed against his thumb, his index point straight at Delu-Knight.

SNAP!

"Henshin!"

Pulling his arm back, he pressed the button atop the driver. The clock hands rotated fully around, meeting in the 12 o'clock position, before they split apart, moving to 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock as the sound of a church bell rang while red Kanji appeared in the clock.

"Rider Time!"

Large rings formed around Naruto, rotating around him in an armillary sphere-type fashion. Inside the sphere, a material began to appear and spread throughout Naruto's form, encasing him completely in black body armor.

" ~Kamen Sentai~ (Rider!)"

"RAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"

Roaring strong enough to shake the ground, Ryujo flew into the air, swooping up before it dove back down. Flying around Naruto's form, the dragon increased its speed, becoming a blur, as its eyes flashed brightly. Suddenly, in an eruption, the dragon's body seemed to break apart into separate pieces, floating around Naruto, before they shot in his direction, passing through the rings, colliding against his body, attaching one after the other.

" ~Crimson Dragon~... !"

In another burst, the rings broke away, revealing the newly improved form of Millennium. Over its black bodysuit, the pieces of the dragon could be seen attached to various places on his body as armor. The new additions involved red gauntlets on his arms, with the right one having the top of Ryujo's jaw attached to the wrist. The chest had an additional layer of armor, with the shoulders having Ryujo's claws on top of them as shoulder guards. Behind him, the dragon's wings attached to his back, folding closed and laying down his back, seemingly phasing through the belt as the membranes loosened, becoming a sort of coat/cape as it flowed in the wind. On the helmet, a dragon-like design rests near the center of the face.

Above him, the kanjis for "Rider" floated in the air, before falling down, colliding against the helmet, the edges stretching out as the lenses glowed a blazing red.

"Millennium! (He will be King!)"

"Hmm…" Delu-Knight sounded, gazing at the teen's transformation.

Coming from behind a corner, the damaged Time Mazine came upon the scene. Within it, Tsukuyomi gasped as she looked through the camera, seeing the improved appearance of Naruto. "Millennium..." She muttered, frowning, her hands clenching the controls tightly.

Yuriko and Azuka stared wide-eyed at Naruto's appearance, awe by the strong looking armor. "No way..."

"Onii-chan..."

"Iwae! (Rejoice!)" Woz shouted, scaring the two as he appeared out of nowhere beside them. With a wide smile, arms spread out in praise, Woz began walking towards Millennium and Delu-Knight, as he began his announcement. "Rejoice, for you stand before he, who will command the land, space, and time! He, who stands in his full, true glory! His power, burning! His potential, infinite! He, who shall come to wield the power of heroes, old and new! Listen to the wind, as they chant his name! Kamen Sentai Millennium! Kamen, meaning masked! Sentai, meaning squadron! Millennium, meaning thousand! Learn the true meaning of his name! He, who holds the power of a thousand heroes! Today marks the day of my king's true birth!" He shouts as he stops beside Naruto, kneeling before the surprised teen. "It brings me great joy to see you in your true form, my liege."

Behind his helmet, Naruto blinked, recalling the words spoken. "'Power of a thousand heroes'? Is that why you call me Kamen Sentai?'" He questioned.

"Hmm, interesting concept."

Blinking, Naruto looked around. "Ryujo? Is that you?!"

"Indeed. I do not know where I am exactly. If I were to guess, I might be in a sort of representation of your mind. Hmm…kind of empty in here."

"Oi!" Naruto shouted, annoyed at the jab. He grumbled about the 'smartass dragon'. Shaking his head, he turned towards Delu-Knight, narrowing his eyes. "Forget it, let's teach this asshole a lesson." He suggested, punching his hand, a wisp of flames erupting from the contact.

"That, I agree a hundred percent."

Seeing the teen had gotten a second wind, Delu-Knight shrugged, holding up his sword. "Looks like Round 2. Alright, show me what you got, kid."

Under the glow of the risen moon and bright stars, the two armored men stared at one another silently, the wind blowing around them. The faces of their helmets reflected off the light they were bathed in, the combatants waited for some silent signal.

The watching occupants looked tensely at the scene, silent.

Woz smiled as he stood beside the sisters, standing protectively nearby should he be needed.

Gripping his sword, Delu-Knight charged at Millennium, going for a stab, moving like a blurry phantom, the gravel under him undisturbed as he seemingly glided through the air.

"Zikan Girade! Ken! (Sword)"

In a flash, Millennium's sword appeared in his grasp, raising it just in time to block the stab. The impact shot out a whirlwind, reaching all the way to the watchers, the sisters covering their faces against the harsh wind, while Woz stood, unfazed.

Pulling back, Delu-Knight slashed diagonally, only for Millennium to dodge to the side, retaliating with a slash of his own, striking across the knight's chest in a shower of sparks, which landed harmlessly against his visor.

"Gah!"

Keeping his movements going, Millennium delivered a reverse slash, sending the Shocker soldier back. Grabbing the blade of his sword, Millennium pulled it in a wide 180 degrees backwards rotation into the Ridewatch slot. "Jū Mōdo! (Gun Mode)" Spinning on his heel, his cape flapping in the air, Millennium aimed the blaster at Delu-Knight. "Take this!" He shouted, firing several shots at the knight.

However, regaining his standing, Delu-Knight used his sword to cut through the bolts, much to Naruto's anger. Continuing to fire, Millennium charged at Delu-Knight, who cut through all the shots easily. Getting close, Millennium jumped into the air, diving down at Knight with an air kick. Moving out of the way, Delu-Knight dodge the kick as Millennium landed behind him.

Back to back, the two spun around, Millennium trying to shoot at the knight point blank, only for Delu-Knight to push the blaster to the side, the shot missing his chest. However, countering, Millennium grabbed Delu-Knight's hand holding the sword, preventing it from being used. Forced into a stalemate, the fighters dropped their respected weapons and instead engaged in a very close-range fist fight, trying to punch the other, only for the other to dodge by leaning to the side or block the punch.

Backing a step back, the two spun on their heels, both throwing a high kick at the other, only to block the other. At the same time, they grabbed their discarded weapons.

Pushing off the other's leg, blades clashed as Delu-Knight's sword locked with Millennium's Zikan Girade, steel grinding.

Delu-Knight made an approving noise. "I have to admit kid, you're not bad."

Millennium grunted. "Years of training."

Delu-Knight nodded, the two jumping apart. "You continue to impress me."

"Should I take that as a compliment?" Millennium asked, gripping his sword handle.

The knight nodded. "Yes, because now, I can stop holding back!" His sword glowing, Delu-Knight slashed out an energy cut toward Millennium.

"Jump!" Ryujo warned.

Nodding, Millennium bent down slightly. Suddenly, the draconic wings that made up his cape unfolded, spreading open behind him. With a flap, the wings boosted Millennium's jump as he shot up into the air. "Whoa! What?!"

"Did you forget that your new armor is still me? You and I are basically one being. That includes my appendages."

Millennium grinned widely. "Awesome, dattebayo!" He cheered before he had to roll to the side, dodging another crescent attack. The wings flapping, Millennium dove down towards Delu-Knight. Holding his sword up, he swoops towards the ground, curving up to glide above the gravel.

Seeing the incoming hero, Delu-Knight readied himself. As Millennium was but a couple feet from him, Delu-Knight jumped up to flip over him.

However, Millennium predicted he would do so, as he spun his body around, raising his sword, and slashing the knight across his waist as he passed under him.

"GAAAHHH!"

Flipping over, Millennium landed on the ground on his feet, sliding through the gravel, his wings unfolding back into his cape as he came to a stop.

Delu-Knight wasn't too graceful, however, as he landed roughly on his back, groaning in pain, a deep gash on his waist, sparks surging from the cut. "You…bastard!"

As Millennium turned around to face him, Delu-Knight painfully pushed himself to his feet. "It's over!" Millennium stated, not seeing a reason to continue fighting.

Holding his waist, Delu-Knight shook with rising anger. "Don't you…look down ON ME, KID!" He roared. Spinning his sword into a reverse hold, Delu-Knight stabbed the ground. Suddenly, lightning bolts began to erupt from the ground, heading toward Millennium faster than he could react.

Only managing to widen his eyes, Millennium shouted in pain as the gravel under him exploded with lightning, shocking him. "AAAHHHH!"

"Naruto!/Onii-chan!" Yuriko and Azuka shouted.

"Namikaze!" Tsukuyomi shouted, trying to get the mecha to move to help him. Unfortunately due to its damages, it was sluggish.

Being flung into the air, Millennium crashed back down in a slam. Groaning, he tried to get his body to move. "Fuck~"

"Oi! Get up, Naruto! Get up!" Ryujo roared.

"Uh~...give me a sec, would you?"

"You don't have a 'sec'! Here he comes!"

"You were right, brat! THIS IS OVER!" Delu-Knight shouted, using his anger to force his body to made as he leapt towards Millennium, reverse blade held up to come down with a downward stab.

"Get up!"

Gritting his teeth, Millennium rolled to the side, the sword sinking in his spot seconds later. Rolling to his feet, though staggering a bit, Millennium glared at Delu-Knight. Gripping his sword's handle, Naruto used his thumb to press the button above located at the top corner of the handle. The blade began to glow with a surge of pinkish-red energy. Pushing his feet off the gravel, his wings coming back out, Millennium shot at Delu-Knight like a rocket. Tackling the knight, Millennium soars into the air, the Ziken Girade's blade grinding against Delu-Knight's armor. The two shot through the air, flying over buildings.

"What are you doing?!" Delu-Knight demanded.

Naruto gritted his teeth, pushing on. "I'M ENDING THIS!" He shouted back.

Unnerved by the teen's intentions, Delu-Knight tried to stop him, punching into his back, not having his sword. Focusing energy into his arm, the knight pounded his fist into Naruto's back, releasing a shockwave of power, sending the two down. Gritting his teeth in pain from the strike as Ryujo roared, Naruto tried to maneuver this descent toward an unpopulated area. Seeing a park nearby, he angled them in that direction. As the ground came closer and closer, Naruto pushed his sword down across Delu-Knight's front.

"Giri Giri Slash!"

"AAAHHH!"

With an explosion of flames, with what looked like an image of a clock on top of the eruption, Millennium passed by him, shooting down towards the park. Fighting through the pain he was feeling, he flipped his body over upright, Ryujo's wings coming out and spreading to slow his fall, landing on the grass with a stagger. Grunting, Naruto did his best to stay standing, his body shaking in pain. "Is…is it over?" He muttered hopefully.

Something landed hard behind him, shaking the ground. Painfully turning his head, Millennium gazed at the burnt and heavily damaged form of Delu-Knight. It was missing an arm, its chest armor bent and dented, one of his legs was bent the wrong way and missing a foot, while its helmet had a large chunk of its side missing.

Seeing the unmoving machine, Millennium let out a sigh of relief. Finally, it was over.

At least…he thought so.

As Delu-Knight laid in its crater, still, the fingers on its remaining arm twitched. Its remaining eye lens flickered on, as its, miraculously, intact backup power kicked in. Shaking, the Shocker Robot tried to get up.

Hearing the noise, Millennium's head shot towards it, his eyes widening at seeing Delu-Knight still 'alive'! "What the fuck?!"

"Y-You b-baStard-rd-rd!" Delu-Knight shouted, its voice glitching. Pushing itself upward by the waist, Delu-Knight turned its head towards the hero. "Y-y-you cAn't k-k-kill m-Me!" It said, falling to its side, using its one arm to push itself to stand. "F-For the-the Glo-rRY of S-Shock-ER-er! I-I-I wi-Eh-L not FA-ALL"

Staring at the stubborn robot clinging to life, Naruto shook his head. "I don't know whether to be impressed…or pity you." He said sadly. Reaching down, he pressed the Millewatch's button. "For what it's worth…I'm sorry." He said, pressing the button on top of the driver.

"Finish Time!"

"Still…I can't let you-won't let you live to hurt my friends or family." He stated, his visor seemingly glowing under the moonlight. Placing his hand on the lever on the driver, he pushed it inward.

"BOOST!"

Suddenly, a wave of energy erupted from Millennium, embers of flames sparking out from every joint and gap in the armor as his power surged. Kanjis made of blazing energy appeared around Naruto, before flying towards Delu-Knight, surrounding him.

"Oi! Naruto! Don't be reckless!" Ryujo warned him, sensing his host pushing things a bit far. Unfortunately, Naruto did not pay attention, only focusing on taking Delu-Knight down for good!

Kneeling down slightly, the energy around Millennium pulsed, fire erupting and encasing his form. Warping, the flames took the shape of Ryujo, as Millennium jumped into the air. Floating high, he reached his peak, wings spread, hovering as the fire once more changed shape, now taking the appearance of a clock behind him.

The fiery hour hand moved from 12 to 3.

Slam!

From 3 to 6.

Slam!

From 6 to 9.

Slam!

Finally, it moved back to 12.

SLAM!

As the hand reached noon, a booming clang could be heard. The fire clock then processed to seep into Millennium's body, strengthening the fire cloak around him even further.

"THIS ENDS ONCE AND FOR ALL!" Millennium shouted, lifting his legs, while seeing no choice, Ryujo roared from within him as it added its own power. Burning like a miniature sun, Millennium shot down towards Delu-Knight, right leg extended as the fire surrounding him moved towards a point, gathering at the bottom of his foot. From within the armor of flames, the glow of Millennium's visor shone through in bright pink-red shine.

ライダー (Rider)

Down below, Delu-Knight struggled to stay standing as its impending doom got closer, as the floating kanjis around him shot towards Millennium, colliding with his foot, merging into the sole.

At Millennium's sole, a kanji engravement glowed.

キック (Kick)

"TAKE THIS!"

"I've finally found you!" Shibuyako shouted as he shot out of the bushes of the park, running towards the two, sword held high. "I'll finally have my revenge for my brother!" He shouted towards Millennium, eager to exact their revenge for the death of their sibling.

Suddenly, a figure appeared behind him, hand on his back and giving a push, sending him flying forward like a bullet, ending up in the direct path of Millennium in front of Delu-Knight, while the robot was grabbed by the figure, and pulled away.

Seeing his impending death inches away, all Shibuyako could say was, "Aniki".

イ

ン

フ

ェ

ル

ノ

タ

イ

ム

ブ

レ

イ

ク

"INFERNO TIME BREAK!"

With a great quake, an explosion of fire surged out in the park, trees tumbling over and burning while those out of the blast range burned to ash along with the grass. Dirt and sand filled the air as the ground erupted into a large crater.

All became silent, as Millennium stood still at the crater's center, ash raining as fire danced in a small circle around him. Dust covering the air along with the ash, all one could see was the glowing lensed of Millennium's helmet. As the dust began dispersing, Millennium raised his head, frowning under his helmet, having seen what happened.

Someone had saved Delu-Knight, using another monster to take the attack in his place.

Looking around, he couldn't see any sign of them.

"They got away." Ryujo growled.

Naruto sighed. "It's probably for the best. I can't feel my fingers."

Ryujo hummed. "You have pushed yourself well past your current limit. That was reckless of you."

"Maybe…" He muttered tiredly, yet at the same time, he didn't care. Delu-Knight was a dangerous threat. A threat to him and his loved ones.

He would do anything, even risk his own life, to protect those important to him.

Just then, the sound of crunching wood and dried leaves reached his ears, making him tense, fearing it was another attack. One thing's for certain; he would have no chance in defending himself against it in his state. Lifting his head, he reluctantly looked in the direction the noise came from.

A sigh escaped his lips, seeing the form of his sisters with a nearby Woz, standing a safe distance away from the flames, looking at him with worried and relieved expressions, no doubt glad he was safe.

Though, it begged the question of why they were there in the first place. They were also at the construction site...

He softly shook his head.

He'll scold them later. After a day of rest.

Stepping into the ruined clearing, Woz smiled at his lord. "Excellent display, Mao-sama! A truly glorious sight of your power!"

His frown returned at the name. Demon King.

Looking around, seeing the destruction caused by his finisher...it truly did seem a bit much.

"All the more reason to learn to control your newfound power, my King." Ryujo told him.

"Yeah..." Millennium said, knowing that if he truly was going to continue being Millennium, he'd need to learn restraint. "Also...you don't need to call me that, Ryujo. We're partners, aren't we? So call me Naruto, dattebayo."

Ryujo smirked. "Very well, Naruto."

Smiling, Naruto sighed. "Man I'm beat. Time to go home for some well needed rest."

As he turned to leave, a gasp was heard coming from behind him. Crap, someone else was here.

Turning around, Millennium froze, staring at the new arrival.

Sailor Moon and Luna have been looking for the escaped monster for a while now. Thankfully, while they had not managed to catch any sign of it, Luna had been able to detect its negative energy, allowing them to follow it.

"Come on, Usagi!" Luna urged as the two ran towards the direction she detected the monster going.

Behind her, Sailor Moon kept panting in exhaustion as she tried to keep up. "Slow down~!" She whined. She was not made for exercising!

"We can't be slow with a monster on the loose!"

Grumbling about stupid cats and stupid monsters, Sailor Moon tried her best to keep running.

"It's heading towards the park!" Luna told her, sensing which way the monster was heading. She frowned. 'I'm also picking up another energy signature. I can't tell if it's malicious or not. Whatever it is, it's powerful.'

Suddenly, the ground shook as a large explosion erupted from the very same park they were about to head to, catching Sailor Moon off-guard as she tripped, landing on her face. "OW~!" She winced, sitting up, and rubbing her reddening nose. "Why me~?!"

As the quaking held for a moment longer, the teen and cat remains still as they waited for it to end. Thankfully, it soon did. As Usagi let out a sigh of relief while massaging her throbbing nose, Luna raised her head, her eyes widening as she gasped.

"Usagi! Look!" Luna exclaimed, getting the teary-eyed girl's attention. Looking up, Sailor Moon's eyes widened when she saw that the park was absolutely destroyed, once luscious green trees were now nothing by charred sticks, dry, hot, and blackened as a column of smoke rose to the air.

"Wha-what happened?!" She questioned, staring at the display in horrified shock.

Luna narrowed her eyes. "Let's check it out!" She urged, already heading towards the park as Sailor Moon looked after her like she was insane.

"Wait, what?! Luna! Wait!" Sailor Moon called, before having no choice but to follow the brave cat.

Reaching the park, the two carefully moved through the dark, charred, burned forest. Sailor Moon coughed from the smoke in the air. "Luna~, this seems really dangerous!" She warned as she covered her mouth.

Relatively safe from her low level under the smoke, Luna looked down at the splintered remains of trees all over the ground, humming in thought. "We need to investigate what happened. For all we know, this could be the result of that monster's attack on innocent people, or some other monster we didn't know about. We have to get answers."

Looking down at the cat, Sailor Moon frowned. "But..." Looking around, she bit her lower lip in worry. If the monster really did do this...wouldn't it be really dangerous to face it?! "...Maybe we should wait for Setsuna-san."

Glancing at the scared teen, Luna frowned, seeing her point. This kind of damage and destruction...Usage was not ready for something this dangerous. "Alright, see if you can get in touch with her. We'll wait for her arrival and investigate together. Hopefully we can find something before the authorities come, no doubt the explosion was reported."

Letting out a breath of relief at Luna agreeing to wait for Setsuna, Sailor Moon nodded. However, before she could try and find her phone in her sailor uniform...

!

Tensing, Sailor Moon blinked. She looked around, swearing she just heard something. "Wha..."

Blinking, Luna tilted her head as she watched as Sailor Moon looked around, as if trying to find something. "Sailor Moon, what's wrong? Did you hear something?" She asked.

However, the blonde wasn't paying attention to Luna, still turning her head left and right. Just as Luna was about to try again to get her attention, Sailor Moon suddenly began to run off, shocking her. "Sailor Moon?! Where are you going?! Sailor Moon! Usagi!" She called, quickly running after her into the burned trees.

The dry grass and wood remnants crunching under her feet, Sailor Moon ran through the dark, burnt remains of the forest of the park. For once, her attention was not on the fear of the eerie place, but instead, she focused on the strange sensation she was having. She couldn't really describe it. She just knew she had to go in a certain direction. A certain location.

Like something was calling her.

Moving through the darkened woods, Sailor Moon blinked, seeing something in the distance. Narrowing her eyes in caution as the feeling grew stronger, Sailor Moon began making her way towards it. Stepping into an opening in the park, her eyes widened, a gasp escaping her lips as she gazed upon the area.

Like the rest of the park (or at least I good majority of it she supposed), where there was once a clearing of luscious grass and trees full of glittering leaves swaying in the wind, was now a barren and broken place, all former greenery reduced to ash. Uprooted, burnt trees laying around the clearing. Finally, a large crater scarred the ground before her, flames counting the heated soil.

While shocked by the destroyed scenery, Sailor Moon's focus immediately landed on the figure standing within the crater, surrounded by the flames as they cast their form in a nightmarish painting of light and shadows. Her gasp drew their attention as they turned to face her.

A second gasp escaped her as she looked at the identity of the figure. Dressed in impressive armor and clothing from the coat-like tails flapping in the night wind, Sailor Moon's eyes focused entirely on the glowing, almost menacing letter-like lenses of their helmet.

As if just noticing her presence, the figure turned his head, glancing in her direction over his shoulder.

She couldn't see their face, as it was hidden. Covered by a helmet. All she could see were the katakana letters laying across the face, glowing a soft pinkish-red against the light of the moon.

Staring at the figure, her body frozen and unable to move, Sailor Moon, seemingly compelled by some subconscious reaction, opened her mouth. The words slithered out of her lips in a soft murmur, yet they might as well been shouted, as they echoed throughout the clearing against the popping fire.

"Millennium..."

The clearing was silent, as the two stared at each other, neither moving an inch, frozen in place by the other's presence.

"Time Mazine!"

Just then, from above, the flying, time-traveling hovercraft dropped down behind Millennium, a hard whirlwind of air blowing out the flames. "Millennium! Quickly! Get in! The authorities are on their way!"

However, Millennium neither moved nor responded, stuck staring at Sailor Moon.

"Millennium!"

Blinking, Millennium shook his head. Nodding, he turned to the hovercraft as the ramp lowered. Meanwhile, unnoticed by Sailor Moon, Woz moved to the sister's side. "It is time we left, Hime-samas." He said. Before Yuriko could say anything, Woz's scarf stretched, circling the three, before, in a small swirl of wind, they were gone.

Trudging up the ramp on heavy legs, Millennium paused for a second, looking back at the wide eyes of Sailor Moon. Staring at her for a second longer, Millennium soon got inside the Mazine.

The ramp closing, the Mazine soared higher into the air, before flying out of sight.

Left alone in the clearing, Sailor Moon stared after the flying machine, eyes wide.

"Millennium..." She muttered, her hand raising and resting against her chest, feeling her rapidly beating heart.

Was it from fear?

Or from something else?

"So, that was Millennium." Luna muttered as she stepped out from behind cover behind Sailor Moon, staring at the direction the flying machine went with narrowed eyes. To think, that was the threat Setsuna told them.

Stepping up beside Sailor Moon, the cat looked up towards her, seeing the girl staring at where the armored threat was. Seeing her daze, Luna became worried. "Sailor Moon?" She called, with no luck in snapping her out of it. "Sailor Moon!" She tried again, louder. No good. Finally, she shouted. "USAGI!"

"Huh?!" Blinking, the teen hero looked down at the talking cat. "Wah? Luna?"

"We need to go. The police could be on their way!"

Slowly, Sailor Moon nodded, following after her. As she ran, Sailor Moon frowned. 'Millennium.'

The Pluto Sailor nodded. "Yes. According to a devoted follower I encountered, in the future this being laid waste to the world." She stated, crossing her arms in agitation. She would not allow for such a future to come to pass! She would give her life to ensure the planet's protection!

Luna frowned. "Do you know what this threat is called?"

Pluto frowned, narrowing her eyes in a hard glare. "His followers entitled them as Ohma Millennium."

'Ohma Millennium...was that him? Is he the one...who will destroy the world?' She thought, wondering.

Namikaze Residence

Through a stroke of luck, when the siblings arrived home, their parents/guardians had not been there. If Naruto had to guess, his recent actions might have called them away to work. Lucky break, he would say, given the late hour the siblings returned home.

Though he had a feeling there will be a LOT of screaming the next day from their Mama Bear-mother. A lot of pounding as well, in the worst-case scenario.

Without even a word, Tsukuyomi had flown off into the night sky, while Woz simply vanished, leaving the two teens and one child to enter their house silently, returning home tired and drained after experiencing their second monster confrontation.

Talk about bad luck…

After a quick late dinner of ramen and a shower to wash off the sweat and grime, they retired for the night, exhausted from the recent events.

None more so than Naruto.

Laying on his bed, Naruto stared up at the MilleRidewatch in his grasp.

'Will I be able to handle this?' He asked Ryujo. 'This power?'

"Only you can decide that. What you do with that power...is entirely up to you."

Naruto frowned, his mind flashing to Ohma Millennium. 'Can I truly change my future?'

"No one's future is truly set. Anyone can change it. All you require is the determination needed to make the change."

Sighing, Naruto reached over, placing the watch on top of his drawer. It sat upright, the front image facing him like a still phantom. Staring back at the faceplate, Naruto shook his head, leaning into his pillow as he closed his eyes.

"Things are going to get troublesome, aren't they, dattebayo?"

As he allowed his mind to drift off to sleep, the would-be future king had one last thought, his mind going back to the person in the forest.

'Who was that girl? Why did she seem…familiar?'

Meanwhile…

Captain Namikaze frowned as he stared at the burnt remains of the park's forestry. The flames, ignited upon the dry leaves on the fround by the heat of the land, had been luckily put out before they could spread by the firefighters on scene. Looking around, Minato analyzed the situation. His unit had been en route towards a construction site after getting reports of suspicious noises and shaking coming from it, when they had gotten a sudden call of another sudden, more stronger tremor, as well as reports of some kind of fire outbreak occurring from a park.

A park that just so happened to be close by.

Diverting from the group with a second car, Minato had gotten to the scene, only to come upon the scene of destruction.

"What happened here?" He questioned, looking towards the large crater before him.

An officer beside him shook his head. "No clue. The call came from nearby eye-witnesses out late. According to them, they had seen a 'meteor' come down from the sky, crashing down into the park with a bang. There was, what they called, an 'explosion of flames' that absolutely incinerated the park to a crisp. They described it as some 'kind of fire bomb exploding'."

Minato frowned, taking in the information. Kneeling down, he placed his hand over the ring of the crater.

Still warm.

"Have the witnesses investigated the cause?" He asked, getting a shake of the head.

"No sir. Whatever happened, they feared it turning out to be a monster."

Minato nodded, standing up. "Alright. Seal off the area! No one gets in!" He ordered.

Nodding with a salute, the officer moved to spread the order.

"Minato!"

Turning, the blond smiled as he saw his wife heading his way, dressed in a firefighter captain's coat. Stopping beside him, Kushina looked at the crater.

"Any idea what made this?" She asked, eying the crater and darkened soil curiously.

Minato shook his head. "No clue for now, but I don't like it. With Shocker's sudden reappearance, something tells me they might be behind this. What their goal in all of this is…I don't know." He said, cupping his chin in thought, narrowing his eyes. "But I'm going to find out."

?

In an unknown, dark chamber, a spotlight shined down on the damaged form of Delu-Knight.

The sound of heels was heard, as a woman appeared from the darkness, arms crossed as she looked down at Delu-Knight. "Hm. To think one person was able to do so much damage to you…"

Delu-Knight's lenses flickered on and off. "Ma-a..Ma…"

The woman gently shushed the robot man, placing a gloved hand softly on its cheek. "Now now…don't you worry. We'll fix you up better than before. You'll be up and ready again in no time." She said, smiling. Turning her head to the side, she nodded to an unseen figure. She stepped back as robotic arms came down from above.

As its eyes began to dim, Delu-Knight muttered something.

"Mi…lle-lle…n-ni…uuuuuummmm…"

End of chapter

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Ja ne!

Sneak Peek!

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"Hold still and fight me!"

"I said I'm not going to fight you! And stop trying to kick me in the groin already!"

"Kamen Rider Build! The laws of victory have been set!"