The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto: A Beginning

by General Grievous

[Naruto x World of Warcraft][Part 1] Naruto travels through a world filled with mystery, treachery and loads of different kinds of ramen. He sets out to become a legend. [NaruxOC]or[NaruxSaku] [New Story Up: The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto: Soul of Fire]

24. Veroden and Ventursaurus Rex

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or World of Warcraft!

"O RLY?"

YA RLY!

"NO WAI!"

"BUTTSECKS?"

Here's the next installment of The Legend of Uzumaki Naruto!

---

Flames.

Smoke.

The smell of burnt flesh and smoldering fur, of charred leather and scorched wood. The smell was entirely unbearable, filling Naruto's nostrils with the acrid smell of death.

But, it was nothing compared to the sight.

There were dozens, maybe even more than that, littering the ground atop the great bluff. There were countless bodies of tauren men, women and children, dead or well into the process.

From there stemmed another unpleasant sense- the wailing of the still living, clutching the bodies of their fallen loved ones; and the dying moans of the ones who would not live to see another day.

Kaine could not look; his face was ashen, his eyes wide with disbelief and horror. He hadn't realized that he was crying until the tears clouded his vision, causing him to lift a hand and brush them away, not to get rid of them, but to see if they were actually there. His mind had come to a complete halt, and everything that he had previously been processing was blown from his mind- the victory over the Venture Co., the hope that he may be able to save his father and grandfather, and the feeling of joy that he would get at seeing the happy faces of his people, when they returned with news of the destruction of the camp. They had very few casualties, and more than three quarters of the group that left had returned. They would have returned, their heads held high, their spirits soaring, to the cheers and smiles of the people of Thunder Bluff.

Instead…they got this.

There were no happy faces no cheers, no tears of joy; only despairing looks, sobs, and tears of pain and sadness.

A sadness that Kaine could feel inside him, as well. A sadness that derived from seeing people he had spent his whole life around in such agony.

He walked forwards, numb. He walked between the fallen bodies of many tauren, some so brutally murdered that Kaine couldn't tell who they had once been. Others, however, who were still mostly intact, bore looks of frozen shock and horror; ones that Kaine knew would haunt him to the grave.

But he couldn't close his eyes.

He couldn't push it all away.

He would see them all, in death, and remember.

He would remember them when he met the person who had done this.

He would remember them when he removed that person's still bleeding, black heart.

He would always remember them.

Golbarn watched Kaine calmly, only his experience keeping him from punching something. He had seen this before, and had learned that no matter how mad you became, it would do no good to anyone.

But this was new to Naruto.

The boy hadn't moved from his place near the elevators, his blue eyes hidden beneath the fringe of his hair. He was shaking, and realized that he too, was crying. But the shaking was not from sobs, but from his using every ounce of his power not to explode in rage, not to rush off and find the person who had committed this crime, and ripped them limb from limb. In the back of his mind, he could almost hear the Kyuubi urging him to do so, but he pushed that away and focused on the present.

He wiped his eyes, but still more tears flowed. He followed after Golbarn and Kaine, the latter having broken from his shock and had begun to run in the direction of his grandfather's cabin. Naruto didn't break into a run, however, because he, like Kaine, wanted to remember this.

This was what a ninja saw everyday. Destruction, death, pain, suffering, ninja experienced it all, and from that experience, they grew. They became stronger, they learned and they matured. Naruto was going to be Hokage- and if he wanted to be the best, then he'd have to experience the worst.

He had experienced much of what the worst had to offer, most of it in his childhood. He had had people glare at him, sometimes throw stones at him and shout at him to leave them alone. He'd had shopkeepers refuse him service, and had people go out of their way to spit in his path.

And yet, while he had experienced the very worst of human nature, he still could not understand why it happened.

Why would someone commit such a crime? Why would someone kill innocent people? Naruto, though he was not a part of the tauren race, believed that because they acted like humans, then they were just as good. No more, no less.

What would lead one of their own to commit such a horrible act? What drove people like that to do such things?

The smell of blood and death was everywhere, but to someone who had had as much experience as Naruto in smells, that could be looked past (so to speak). Underneath the coppery smell of blood, and burning flesh and wood and leather, Naruto could not detect the faintest trace of goblin. He couldn't smell any troll, ogre or gnoll. There was only tauren.

A tauren had done this.

Kaine through open the door of his grandfather's cabin, looking wildly around.

"Veroden!" he cried, calling out to the temporary chief. There was no answer, so he rushed into his father's bedroom, and met a figure within.

"Vero-" he began, but stopped when he saw whom it was.

It was Hamuul.

"Hamuul? What is going on? What happened here? Who did this? Where is Veroden?" the boy would have continued rambling, but Hamuul silenced him with a hand.

The old Archdruid was dressed in tattered clothing, his face scratched and bloodied, his eyes dim and full of sadness and resignation. The ancient tauren did not want to speak, he did not want to answer any of the young tauren's questions, but he had to.

"Many things have happened in your absence, young one. Many terrible things. You will not like the news that I have to bring…it is so unfortunate that this was the time they would strike…and he would reveal his true intentions," Hamuul muttered, letting his eyes drift back to the prone body of Cairn. Kaine followed the older tauren's gaze, and he watched his grandfather for a time, before he realized what was wrong.

"Wha-?" he choked, rushing to the still form of the High Chieftain.

"There is no life left within that husk, young one. It is now nothing more than a sack of bones and flesh. Cairn Bloodhoof does not reside here anymore," Hamuul said.

"Then he's…dead," mumbled Kaine, feeling the last vestiges of hope fly from him like a sparrow from a wily cat.

"No."

Kaine blinked and looked up, staring wide-eyed at the old tauren.

"Wha-?" he said for the second time in two minutes.

"I did not say he was dead…I said that he no longer resided here. He is now in the state of your father…lost to us…likely taken by the traitor," Hamuul said, walking up next to the now kneeling Kaine, his face still composed, though his eyes still full of pain.

"The traitor…" growled Kaine, very nearly losing control at the mere sound of the word. Such as disgusting, vile and hateful word.

Traitor.

"Who was it?" growled the young tauren, his amber eyes beginning to glow like miniature setting suns. Being the grandson of Cairn Bloodhoof, the strongest of the tauren, Kaine commanded a formidable battle spirit, and possessed the potential to be as great, if not greater, than his grandfather. His battle spirit filled the room, making it seem so much smaller suddenly.

Yet Hamuul was unfazed. He had faced much stronger spirits in his life.

"Veroden…" the Archdruid whispered.

It was as if a god from above had swept down and with a simple exhalation, blew Kaine's fiery aura right out, as one would a candle. Kaine's face turned ashen once more, and he felt his body freeze in much the same manner as it had just minutes ago, when he had laid eyes on the scene at the top of the Bluff.

"Wha-what? V-Veroden?" he gasped. It was absurd, impossible, and inconceivable! There was no way that he would do something like this!

Veroden…Kaine's hero, the person whose strength he had admired for so long…the person that had not only taught Kaine almost everything that he knew…but the person who had given him hope where there had been none…after his father had been taken.

The traitor…and Veroden…were one and the same.

"No…" he said quietly, slumping. He looked up at Hamuul, almost begging the wise tauren to say otherwise. Instead, Hamuul just watched him sadly, his once composed face now cracked, full of pain and sadness.

"W-why didn't you stop him!" cried Kaine, looking up at the druid desperately.

"I could not. Veroden destroyed the bridges to the other rises…and I was on Elder Rise when it occurred. I did my best to repair it, but he rebuffed my attempts each time, and used a powerful technique to drain my chakra. His strength was immense…and he used a much darker breed of shamanism. He crippled the Ragetotem forces and the Bluffwatchers by using this power…and then simply butchered anyone in his path. He left by taking the elevator, and headed north. I would have sent warriors to pursue him…but they were needed here, to tend to the fallen, and to guard the elevator, in case he returned."

By the end of the explanation, Kaine was seething. He clenched and unclenched his fists, at released the battle spirit that had peeked through earlier.

Hamuul watched silently, letting the young tauren rage quietly. There was not much else he could do. They had all been played for fools…deceived by Veroden for so long.

But Hamuul still could not understand. Why had Veroden done this? What had he possibly been offered by the Venture Co. to betray his own people? Money? Power? Land? None of those things appealed to Veroden. He had never had any interest in money. He had always believed in working to gain strength by himself; he would never take power if it were offered to him willingly. He had no use for land, either. Mulgore was for all tauren, and Veroden knew that.

So why had he done it?

"Old man Hamuul…" muttered Kaine, looking up into the ancient's eyes.

Hamuul looked down at the tauren, who was getting to his feet. The pain, the confusion, the sadness, was gone from his eyes.

All that was left was rage.

Rage and purpose.

"I'm going…I'm going to follow him," he said, his voice thick with hatred.

Hamuul gave him a level stare.

"I would not advise you to. Veroden is leagues beyond you, young one. You may possess your father's wartotem…but you do not possess the power and spirit that he had…not yet at least."

"I don't care," Kaine retorted, reaching back to touch the massive totem on his back. "I'm going to find him…and crush him. I won' t let anything stop me."

"Even the fact that you have no idea where he may be headed?" the elder tauren shot back, raising a grey eyebrow.

Kaine's determination faltered for a second, but it surged back with a vengeance seconds later.

"I don't care! I'll search every corner of Mulgore! I'll go to Stonetalon, to Desolace, to the Barrens! I'll go to Ashenvale, to Feralas, to the Thousand Needles! I'll go through all of Kalimdor and the Eastern Kingdoms if I have to! But I'll find him!"

"Your determination is admirable, kid," boomed a voice from behind the two. Kaine whirled, and met the eyes of Golbarn, Naruto at his side, near the entrance.

"But, even so, it's entirely unnecessary. We know where he is going."

Hamuul raised an eyebrow.

"May I enquire how?" he said, looking at Golbarn levelly.

Naruto pointed behind him, and said, "He told one of the guards near the elevator. He said that when we returned, to tell you:

'I'll be waiting in Camp Aparaje… don't be late, Kaine.'"

Kaine grinned ferociously, and made to leave the room. He now knew where to go, where he could find the one who did this. Camp Aparaje was a small, deserted tauren village in the Stonetalon Mountains. During their training sessions, Kaine and Veroden had used that place as a camp. The Venture Co. rarely ventured in that direction, preferring to focus on ridding Windshear Crag and Mirkfallon Lake of life instead of heading in that direction. In the same area, too, a small camp of Grimtotem tauren rogues who continued their nomadic ways and were quite famous for being the most brutal and clever tauren. They had never bothered to attack Kaine or his teacher because of the power that Veroden possessed.

But it didn't matter now…he would go, and he would destroy that traitor.

However, Hamuul stopped him by laying his hand on the young tauren's shoulder.

"Revenge is a foolish path to take, Kaine."

Kaine paused, slightly surprised at Hamuul's use of his name. Before it had always been "young one".

Kaine opened his mouth to speak, however, Naruto spoke first.

"He's right, dumbass. I know someone who walks that path…and I'm not going to let you make that mistake."

Naruto settled into a fighting stance, one hand on his sword, the other next to his weapons pouch. The boy glared up at Kaine, a hint of red leaking into his eyes.

Kaine stared back at Naruto, for a few seconds actually considering fighting Naruto. But he stopped himself. He couldn't fight Naruto like this.

As much as he hated to admit it, the boy was probably his only friend in the world. All of the other tauren his age treated him like a prince, who should be treated with the utmost respect. He had never wanted that. He had wanted to be recognized for his own strength, not his grandfather's. Naruto, though a human, did recognize that strength, and was even fun to be around, to boot.

He could fight Naruto in a sparring match, he could also fight him with words, but he could never fight him just to remove the boy from his sight. He would not let himself destroy the only friendship he had ever had.

He stepped back, hanging his head a little.

"Geez, you gave up too easily."

Kaine's head snapped up, and he frowned at the boy, who now stood with his arms crossed, grinning at the young tauren.

Naruto continued, "You act like you have to do this all by yourself…if you let us help, then we could probably beat that stupid bastard together. Don't do this for revenge…do it for your grandfather. So let's go get that asshole and kick his ass!"

"For once," smirked Golbarn, fingering the blade by his side, "I agree with the brat. You were right that now is the time for action, not self-pity, or emotional drama or things like that. We must meet Veroden at Camp Aparaje, and retrieve your grandfather's soul. We must make haste, Kaine…we wouldn't want to be late."

Kaine stared at them for a while, disbelieving. His first impulse was to shout at them, telling them that this wasn't their fight. But a second, more powerful impulse gripped him, and he could only choke out two words.

"Thank you…"

"You're not gonna cry are ya'? Guys don't cry, crybaby!" Naruto said, snickering.

Kaine's battle spirit evaporated the unshed tears in his eyes as he exploded,

"NARUTO! I"LL KICK YOUR ASS!"

"JUST TRY IT COW BOY!"

"I WILL, PINK PIGGY!"

"WHAT? PIGGY? YOU BASTARD!"

Even in the direst of moments, Hamuul couldn't help but sweat drop at the sight.

Golbarn rolled his eyes, but was smirking all the while.

What a kid...

"Now…on the matter of you getting to Camp Aparaje…" said Hamuul, clearing his throat to catch the attention of the two arguing boys.

They turned, both blinking rapidly at him.

"It would take you days to climb through the mountains…and I highly doubt you want to wait that long. There is only one other way to get there as quickly as possible…"

He turned and walked to the window, his eyes settling on the large, spiraling tower-totem in the distance.

Naruto and Kaine followed his gaze to the tower, and both their eyes widened in realization. Naruto grinned, a familiar feeling of excitement bubbling up inside him.

In the distance, a wind rider let out a screeching call, piercing the fading moans and cries of the dead.

---

"So who is this Veroden guy anyways?" Naruto asked, as he, Golbarn, Kaine and Hamuul walked across the village.

There were far less dead bodies now, leaving only bloodstained patches of grass or charred craters. Every Tauren they passed was grim-faced and weary, some had bloodstained hands and blood covered their tunics, others were clean, but looked the same as those who were covered in blood.

Kaine looked up a little, recalling his memories of the regent chief.

"He is my teacher in the shamanistic arts…or at least one of them. He was also my father's most trusted friend in battle and my grandfather's most trusted advisor. The clan heads elected him to be regent chief because both my father and grandfather trusted Veroden so much.

"But his past…I don't know much. My grandfather took him into the village shortly after the beginning of the last war. I don't know his clan or his background. I only know that my grandfather admired his prowess in battle, as well as his skillful dealings with the clan heads. They did have their disagreements, but none of them tore their friendship apart. My father admired Veroden immensely, and sought to become as strong and skilled as he. They were like brothers, almost, my father being the younger brother who wants to be as good as his elder brother. That's why I can't believe he would do this…"

"No point in wonderin' right now…" Naruto responded, drinking in the information.

Kaine nodded in agreement as they reached the bottom of the wind rider tower, were Hamuul stopped them.

"This is as far as I go…I must attend to the wounded now. I can only wish you good luck, for you will certainly need it. Veroden is immensely powerful, and you must exercise the greatest caution in fighting him. He possesses a strange ability…one that I have never seen before. It drains chakra, and removes the effects of seals and runes. He is also a very skilled warrior and shaman. Be careful, young ones."

Kaine nodded, flashing him a somewhat reassuring smile. Naruto grinned in his usual way, while Golbarn nodded in acknowledgement of the blessing.

"I will return with my grandfather's soul…as well as my father's. We won't let this go on any longer," said Kaine, turning and shooting a look at Naruto and Golbarn.

"Yep!" Naruto responded.

"Definitely," retorted Golbarn.

Kaine nodded, and grinned once again at Hamuul, before turning and walking into the wind rider tower. Naruto and Golbarn followed swiftly. Hamuul watched them go for a while, before turning and walking back in the direction they had come.

I hope…that you can do it, young one. But I feel that Veroden may not be the true foe that you seek…

---

Veroden sniffed the air, the wet scent of decaying wood and wet leather meeting his nose. The ruins of Camp Aparaje were exactly as he remembered them.

The camp was small, only about four-dozen yards across, and was circular in shape. On all side of Veroden there were ruined tepees, the animal skins long since stolen, only the wooden pegs that held them up remaining. There were also two log cabins, whose roofs were caved in, and had many holes in the sides. There were several fire pits, all of them now large puddles, filled with murky, black water from the charcoal of burnt logs.

It was raining, too. He hoped that Kaine arrived soon.

It would be the perfect backdrop.

He inhaled the air once more, letting his mind drift some. He idly fingered the glowing green shard that now hung around his neck. Every time he touched it, he swore he heard a voice, the voice of his friend, Cairn. But it would pass quickly, and the clearing would fall silent once more, save for the pattering of raindrops on the ground, and the surrounding ruins.

In the distance, he swore he could here the sound of machines being driven, the crunching of wood as it was crushed between huge metal claws from the large deforestation machines that the Venture Co. had developed.

He ignored it, for the most part. He hated those sounds with a passion. It was why he hated visiting the camps. He rarely did it, only visiting to check on the progress of the sights, before sending a report back to Cyrussian. The Trade Prince himself would come once a year only to see if he was telling the truth, and possibly to fulfill whatever sadistic whims that he had come up with in the past year.

He looked towards the mountains, remembering what Cyrussian had told him in the message.

"Bring them to me." He had written, so forcefully that his anger seemed to ooze from the page.

He would do so, of course.

Or rather, he would bring two of the three to him.

Kaine would remain here…he had plans for his student.

There might still be hope… he thought.

Kaine was the last hope…the last chance for redemption of the Bloodhoof clan. He didn't know if the young tauren would stand a chance, but Kaine was talented…incredibly so. He would no doubt surpass his grandfather in strength, when he gained more experience in battle, that is. The boy had the potential…he just needed to tap into it.

He needed to learn to rely on his own strength.

His attention was suddenly diverted, when the far off call of a wind rider reached his ears, even in the pouring rain.

He smiled.

"You are right on time…Kaine."

The wind rider began to move towards the ground, moving at a much slower speed than it had previously been.

But Naruto didn't care, for as long as he was in the air, he would enjoy this experience to the fullest extent.

Flying is so cool!

Rain splattered his face, but he was wearing his goggles, so his vision was unimpaired. He shot a look over at Kaine, who looked torn between trying to enjoy the flight and trying to look cool. Golbarn was doing neither, as he had his head low, and had his arms wrapped tightly around the wind rider's neck.

The wind rider itself, a large, gryphon-sized beast with the head of a lion, the wings of a bat, and the tail of a scorpion, looked like it was fighting for every breath it took.

Naruto winced, thinking that Golbarn was probably very strong, and he made a mental note not to hug the huge orc any time soon.

The rain bore down on them in torrents as they descended, and Kaine raised a hand, pointing towards a small clearing in the trees, deep in a large valley. Naruto urged his wind rider towards that direction, hoping it would follow his orders. Luckily it did, and soon they found themselves in the ruins of a long deserted village. It was small and circular, with the tatters of fallen houses and tepees on all sides of the clearing.

But it was in the center that Naruto's attention was focused.

For in the center stood a lone tauren, dressed in black armor, clutching a large, black spear, and following their descent with deep, violet eyes.

He shot a look at Kaine, who looked as if he would leap from the back of his wind rider so that he could challenge the former regent chief sooner.

But he didn't, instead waiting for his wind rider to settle on the ground, its chest heaving, exhausted from the flight. Naruto's touched down next to his, and he felt all the excitement from the flight abruptly disappear. It was immediately replaced by the fiery determination that he thought himself famous for.

And the faces of the tauren who had been killed back on Thunder Bluff.

He gritted his teeth, feeling the familiar boiling chakra of the Kyuubi begin to stir inside him.

But he didn't act, instead simply leaping from the wind rider, and walking up next to Golbarn, who stood a little ways behind Kaine.

Kaine now stood in the center of the ring of ruins, his wartotem clutched in his hands, his breath visible in the surprisingly cold air.

"I'm only going to ask you once, Veroden," he growled, hefting the wartotem to rest on his shoulder.

"I'm only going to ask you this once…then we'll fight, and I'll kill you."

Veroden gazed calmly back at him, nodding slightly.

"Why?"

Even in the rain, the word, so soft that it was almost a whisper, seemed like a shout.

Veroden snorted, also hefting his weapon onto his shoulder.

"I won't tell you. I have no intent to, and never will. My reasons are my own…and I will take them to the grave with me, if you can put me there, boy."

Kaine seethed in anger at the insult, almost breaking into a run at the words. However, Veroden's voice stopped him.

"We will fight, Kaine. However, I have news for the other two members of your party."

Naruto and Golbarn glanced at each other, before turning and looking back at Veroden, whose violet eyes were upon them now.

"You have been summoned by the Trade Prince, Cyrussian T. Venture, president of the Venture Company, to Windshear Crag. He is very interested in meeting the ones responsible for the destruction of the Northern Mulgore camp, so I am letting you go, in order for you to meet him yourselves. The path behind me leads to a fork, where you must take the right path to Windshear Crag. This battle is between Kaine and I, and there is no room for an audience."

Naruto looked like he was about to protest, but Kaine's shout stopped him.

"Go Naruto!" he cried, "I'll deal with this bastard…you can kick the ass of the one who's responsible for all of this! I won't forgive you if you die, either!"

Naruto blinked a few times, before he let out a bright, cheerful laugh.

"Sure thing, cowboy! I'll kick that guy's ass, and if you're lucky, I may save you a bit to kick when you're finished here! Come on, Golbarn! Let's go kick some green, greedy, goblin ass!"

Without a moment's more hesitation, Naruto ran past the two tauren, and disappeared into the trees as he ran up the path leading away from the valley.

Golbarn grimaced, sent a final look at Kaine, before following the blonde, and soon he too was no longer visible.

Veroden watched the two go with some interest, and said to Kaine in a calm voice, "That boy…is very interesting."

Kaine held the wartotem of his grandfather up, and took a step forwards.

"Yeah…he's a pretty cool guy. A little annoying, but I can deal with that." He shifted his stance into a more appropriate attacking stance.

"Now, are we going to fight, you bastard?"

Veroden nodded, "Of course."

With that, Kaine charged.

Raising the wartotem over his head, Kaine brought it crashing down onto Veroden, who blocked the attack with the tip of his spear. There was a great rush of air, blowing away the rain around them, but Veroden remained unharmed. Kaine pulled back for another strike, but Veroden was quicker, driving his elbow into Kaine's gut, followed by a powerful head-butt to the younger tauren's head.

Kaine flew back, landing on his backside, but recovered swiftly as Veroden attacked. Moving as fast as a bolt of lightning, Veroden was upon his former student, kicking him in the stomach with his powerful hoof. Kaine landed on his feet this time, and brought the wartotem down onto the wet ground, delivering a powerful shockwave in every direction. All around him the earth shattered and split, but Veroden leapt out of the distance of the shockwave, hurtling his spear straight at Kaine.

The massive black spear shot with such force that when it struck the ground, a mere foot from Kaine, the ground exploded beneath it, causing debris to fly in every direction. The spear sunk into the ground, causing much of the earth around it to sink as well, making a huge crater.

Kaine was pelted by some of the debris, but was relatively unharmed by the attack. He turned to face Veroden again, but found that he wasn't there.

"Your slothfulness is your greatest weakness, Kaine."

Kaine was blasted from his feet again as Veroden appeared behind him. The blow had been directed at Kaine's spine, which caused his body to freeze, and a series of shocks to run through his body for a few seconds, numbing it. He dropped his wartotem, and was unprepared for Veroden's next kick, which sent him flying into the ruins of one of the houses. What was left of it crashed down around Kaine, partially burying him under several rotten logs.

Kaine pulled himself to his feet, and wiped some of the blood that had appeared by his mouth. He flashed through some familiar seals, and shouted into the torrent of rain,

"Summon: Windfury Totem!" He slammed his palm into the ground, causing a huge totem to appear from nowhere.

Kaine felt the familiar rush of power, and the sudden weightlessness of his body. With a roar, he rushed forwards, appearing in front of Veroden seconds after he started moving. He slammed his fist hard into Veroden's jaw, and followed with another series of powerful blows to Veroden's stomach and face.

The attack drove Veroden backwards, and Kaine suddenly felt his heart lift a little, hope leaking into him. He could win this, he knew, if he just kept it up.

Veroden stood, however, and shrugged off the damage, acting as if he hadn't just been pelted with dozens of rock-shattering punches.

He made several seals, and said calmly as he did, "You are making the same mistake both your father and your grandfather made, Kaine. I am disappointed. Grim Embrace!"

Veroden then slammed his palms together, and from them exploded hundreds of tendrils of shadow, which flew across the short distance between him and Kaine, piercing the young tauren in dozens of places.

Kaine's eyes widened, and he felt a horrible pain shoot through him. It was so powerful that he found himself unable to stand, his cries echoing throughout the entire valley. He felt his grip on his totem vanish, and then, almost as soon as that had happened, the pain vanished.

He blinked, and managed to stand, looking himself up and down as he did. There were no wounds present on his body, nor was there any trace of entry upon his clothes. He looked at Veroden, who watched him calmly, before moving forwards, only stopping to pick up his spear as he walked.

"Using those objects on me…it is no wonder that you and your predecessors have fallen so quickly. You rely far too much on them…you rely far too much on the spirits of the earth…and not enough on your own power."

Kaine coughed, "W-what was that technique?"

Veroden raised an eyebrow. "That technique…is an ancient one, passed down to the greatest members of my clan. It's intent is to drain chakra from the target, but it does so much more than that. It removes you connection from the earth temporarily, and makes those who think to rely on it as blind as bats. It is a technique that my clan developed solely for use against the shaman of Thunder Bluff."

What? Thought Kaine blearily, trying to make sense of the situation. But isn't he a shaman of Thunder Bluff?

"You must be confused, Kaine. So I will clarify. There is a reason that I never mentioned my clan's name to you. I felt that it was both unnecessary for you to know it, and dangerous for anyone else to learn it. Both your father and your grandfather knew it, but because I did so much for them in the past…they overlooked the fact that I was from the clan…known as Grimtotem."

Kaine's eyes widened. Suddenly it made so much more sense. The Grimtotem…the only clan that believed Cairn Bloodhoof and the Horde to be menaces to the world, who fought constantly with them, and who were legendary for their unique brand of shamanism.

One that didn't include the use of totems in their style.

He suddenly realized, that in all their training sessions, he had never once seen Veroden use a totem, for any reason. The fact that he had overlooked something so blaringly obvious was sickening. He had never considered himself to be the most perceptive person, but he should've been able to see this.

Growling in anger, Kaine stood again.

"I don't care what clan you're from…I only care about killing you, and getting my grandfather's soul back. Nothing more, nothing less."

Veroden smiled as grimly as his namesake, and raised his spear.

"Good, perhaps there is hope for you…"

Veroden bent his legs and forcefully catapulted himself straight at Kaine, who flew through some seals, bellowing, "Earth Wall!"

The ground in front of Kaine surged upwards, forming a large, thick, square wall in front of him. However, he did not wait behind it, instead leaping to the side towards his wartotem, which lay several yards away. Veroden drove his spear through the wall, shattering it with ease, and then turned and shot after Kaine, intent on stopping him from getting the totem.

Veroden was a good deal faster than the young tauren, but Kaine refused to give up, managing to reach the weapon only seconds before Veroden. He grabbed it and twisted around to meet Veroden's spear point, which had been going directly for Kaine's heart. The gleaming point buried itself in the near indestructible wood of the totem, which gave Kaine some semblance of control. He wrenched his weapon to the side, pulling Veroden's as he did. He then punched Veroden as hard as he could in the jaw, to little effect. The much larger tauren barely felt the blow, and retaliated with a punch of his own, the strength of which drove Kaine backwards. He was able to keep a grip on his totem, but Veroden managed to wrench his out, before moving forwards to press the attack.

Kaine raised his weapon high, slamming it into the ground in front of Veroden; the force of the attack blasted Veroden back, and caused the wet ground to explode around Kaine, flinging mud in every direction. Veroden landed on his feet several yards away, slightly dazed by the attack.

Kaine took a few steps back, breathing heavily. The rain beat down on them harder now, and Kaine was quickly running out of things to use. Without his totems, he was only fighting at half his power, at best.

This is how he was able to overpower both my father…how am I going to beat him?

Sure he had other shaman techniques at his disposal, however, Veroden likely knew them as well, and that made it impossible to get the drop on him. What's more was that Veroden was faster, stronger and far more skilled than he. He wouldn't be able to win this fight.

Geez, you gave up too easily. Kaine's head snapped upwards at the memory of Naruto's voice, said to him only a few hours prior. He shook his head. Naruto had been right; he had given up too easily. He wouldn't do so again. He looked forwards again, his face set in a grim smile. The memory of Naruto also brought to him a plan, one that he hoped to the Earthmother would work.

Veroden waited no longer, and moved forwards with blinding speed, hurtling his spear forwards, before he began a string of hand seals.

Kaine dodged the spear, which flew past him, and partially destroyed one of the valley walls. He then prepared himself for Veroden's spell, which he slammed into the ground, bellowing into the rain, "Earth Shock!"

His power and skill being so much greater than Naruto's, the attack had far more of an area effect. It obliterated the ground around Veroden, and caused the earth beneath Kaine to surge upwards, lifting the young tauren from his feet. They went numb from the transferal of force from the ground to his legs, but being in the air, that didn't particularly matter.

Veroden leapt into the air after Kaine, hammering him with enormous force into the ground. The wet sound of the muddy ground moving aside for Kaine to land, then returning to nearly swallow the young tauren, filled the air, and Veroden, with nowhere else to land, drove his hoof down hard onto Kaine's neck.

Or rather, what his neck would have been if the person that lay half submerged in mud had been Kaine.

Instead, the tauren vanished in a puff of smoke, replaced by a small, rotten log that looked as if it had come from one of the houses.

Veroden's eyes widened, but before he could fully register what had happened, he was surrounded.

By Kaine.

Four, identical versions of his former student stood around him, all clutching wartotems, and grinning a grin that would not have looked out of place on Naruto's face. Veroden had never seen such a technique, at least not used by shaman. He prepared to leap in order to get out of the circle of Kaines, but found that the ground was attempting to eat him. His eyes widened further as he saw another Kaine standing a few yards out of the circle, his hands on the ground, smirking.

He had used his chakra to soften the earth, making it nearly impossible to get a foothold of any sort. The four Kaines, almost as soon as they saw that he had realized this, charged.

The one behind him delivered its blow first, sending so much chakra in the initial strike that it disappeared in puff of smoke,

"KAI-"

Veroden flew forwards, but his flight was interrupted by a second strike from his front, which was directed upwards.

"NE-"

The two remaining Kaines followed his path upwards, and when he was almost twenty feet in the air, two directed two simultaneous blows downwards,

"BLOOD-"

Now merely a blur, Veroden fell straight towards the only Kaine left, the original. Roaring in fury, pain and triumph, Kaine delivered the final strike with his wartotem, driving Veroden into the ground with such force that the wet, soft ground was blown away instantly, leaving only the dry ground deep beneath it for Veroden to slam into. The force was great enough that the remains of the houses and tepees fell to the ground, and trees shook and rocks were dislodged.

"HOOF COMBO!"

It would seem that sparring with Naruto was more than just fun…

The rain faded to a drizzle, before stopping altogether.

Kaine looked down into the huge crater, looking on the unmoving face of his former teacher, and the person whom his father and grandfather had lost their souls trusting. The tauren who had garnered the respect of almost everyone in the village, and yet who had been the one to destroy it. The only Grimtotem that Kaine had ever known.

He noticed something glittering upon Veroden's chest, and moving closer, he saw a small, green stone, glowing with a bright, scintillating glow. He slowly made his way down into the crater, and bent down, picking the stone up, snapping the leather thong that it had been attached to. When he touched it, he felt his grandfather; he felt the warm, safe presence of the old tauren that he hadn't truly seen for so long.

He gave a soft smile, and crushed the stone in his hand; causing the glow to erupt forth from it, circle around him twice, before shooting off into the distance.

Kaine felt a great burden lift from his heart then, and he would have continued to stand there, until a great, and terrible sound filled the air, bringing his thoughts back to the present. He looked off into the distance behind him, and a dread filled his stomach.

There was still one last thing to do.

He cast a final look at Veroden, and remembered his earlier words.

I have no intent to tell you why, and never did. My reasons are my own, and I will take them to the grave with me, if you can put me there, Kaine.

He felt a slight pang of regret that he'd never know why he had done it, whether he had never truly been friends with his father and grandfather, only a deceiver for the Grimtotem, or if he had just lost respect for them.

But right now, he didn't care. His friends, he smiled at the thought, needed his help.

And he would give it.

As he ran in the direction that Naruto and Golbarn had departed earlier, he failed to notice a pair of eyes watching him from the crater.

---

The noxious smell of chemicals and recently greased machinery, of smoke and of fire and charcoal filled Naruto's nose as they walked up the path towards Windshear Crag. Even in the rain, the smell was almost overpowering to the blonde.

They had just moved off to the right of the main path, towards where Windshear Crag was supposedly. There were once trees, he could see, all along the path. However, in the arrival of the Venture Co., there was nothing left, save stumps and long rotten trees. Therefore the road was clear to them, and they could see the looming tree-cutting machines of the Venture Co. in the distance, still visible in the fog. Naruto couldn't see movement, nor could he hear any, save for the rain.

They entered the valley of Windshear Crag, and almost like magic, the rain began to dwindle. They had been walking for almost half an hour, but it was a little bit surprising, and eerie that it stopped just as they arrived.

The valley dipped down into a small, black river, which ran into a surprisingly clear lake to their left. In the fog Naruto could here the creaking of wood and the splashing of water, which meant that they were doing something in the lake.

And yet he couldn't see or hear a thing to suggest that there was anything other than them here.

Then, there was a flash.

And another.

Both Naruto and Golbarn turned towards the flash, which came in the direction of the lake. As they watched, there were several more flashes, then nothing.

They waited.

More flashes began, and Golbarn realized that it was to get their attention. They were calling the two of them, telling them to come in that direction.

It seems he is not here to deceive us…he wants to confront us before he attacks.

He was beginning to wonder if they had not gotten in over their head. He was unprepared, and aside from the fact that he was going to meet the president of the Venture Co., he had no idea what was going to happen. He had already played and replayed dozens of scenarios in his head on the way up, ranging from Cyrussian calling an ambush of several hundred Venture Co. employees, to him using the powerful, almost indestructible machines that were used for tree cutting and digging.

His only real comfort was that Naruto was with him. The blonde was strong, and used to dealing with the unpredictable, as he himself was quite good at being unpredictable. It was, however, only a small comfort, and he felt a slow, icy chill begin to creep into his stomach. Somehow, he doubted that this meeting, and the inevitable fight, would go smoothly.

He clutched his sword tighter, moving alongside Naruto as they sought out the source of the light.

A few moments later, as the fog began to clear around them, they spotted it. There was a lone tower, several yards away from the shore of the lake. It was wooden, and looked somewhat unsafe. There was a large canopy stretched out on top of it, likely to prevent the rain from getting in.

They also saw their first sign of life, as several goblins, all clutching swords and dressed in armor, stood at the foot of the tower. With the rain gone, Naruto had managed to catch their scent several minutes before he actually saw them, but the small number of them still surprised him.

Either they were very strong goblins, which Naruto thought was doubtful, or they were simply there for show. To make their true foe seem more important.

Naruto settled for the latter reason, before they stopped, several yards in front of the tower.

"Ah! You have arrived then. Good, come a bit closer, I want to get a good look at those who have caused me so much frustration."

The voice, cold and sickly high-pitched, as a goblin's normally was, could be heard easily over the creaking of wood and splashing water that was coming from the lake, the majority of which was obscured by fog.

Both Naruto and Golbarn readied themselves at the voice, and took a few steps forwards, their eyes searching for the source.

"Up here, fools," it snapped, causing both to look up into the tower, where they met the face of Cyrussian T. Venture.

Dressed in outlandish purple vestments, with a long purple cloak that had a black dragon clutching a gold coin on the back, the Trade Prince looked as every bit as annoying as a goblin president should've. Naruto's lip curled slightly as he saw the sickening smile on the goblin's face, which reminded slightly of the same sickening smile of the criminal Gatou, back in the Wave Country.

Cyrussian, in the process of picking his teeth, gestured to the goblins at the foot of the tower to alert their attention.

"You guys go, unless you wish to stay…but I don't pay overtime."

Seconds later, the goblin guards were gone, speeding off into the fog as fast their little legs could carry them.

Both warriors sweat dropped.

Cyrussian didn't seem as amused at their actions, instead focusing on Naruto and Golbarn.

"So…you are the ones responsible for the attack on my camp, eh? I was under the impression that there were more of you…"

"There are," responded Golbarn, "he just needs to take care of something with the traitor first."

Cyrussian blinked, then looked thoughtful.

"Is that so? You must mean my mole, then?" he chuckled, looking a little lost in thought, "he's the perfect example of a great employee. He does whatever he's asked, and does it better than I could have hoped for. He's the best mole that money can buy, I think."

At this, Naruto froze.

Money?

He had voiced this out loud as well, causing Cyrussian to laugh, incredibly amused at the boy's response.

"Oh yes, money! The greatest force in the entire world! It can buy loyalty! Power! Fame! It can make or break friendships and inspire love; it can fight wars, make legends, it can create alliances, destroy others, and it can even purchase souls! Amazing, isn't it? There isn't anything in this world that money cannot acquire!"

The sheer disbelief etched on Naruto's face at the words quickly changed to a burning, furious anger. At the time, he didn't believe he had ever been as angry as he was then. He felt the demon's chakra so close to the surface that only a small wall kept it from exploding out from him.

This guy had the nerve to suggest…!

Golbarn had adopted an unbelievably cold expression, one that would be nearly absolute zero if one were to measure it with a thermometer.

Cyrussian continued, smiling at their reactions.

"He was a cheap one, as well, so I am getting quite a bit more for my money than I had originally intended. He even came to me, looking for work! He said that he'd take whatever I'd offer him! I felt obligated to give him a tidy sum, which has steadily increased. He has saved me much more money than I would have thought. You just don't get help like that these days. He even delivered to me the insurance that I used to keep those stupid cows in their pen for the last few years. Unfortunately that doesn't seem to be working now…but he did well in bringing you to me. Massacring all those cows! Haha, I should've asked him to bring me some, I could make a hamburger!" he sighed, smiling wistfully. "If there were only more like him in this world…I'd be even richer than I am now!"

"SHUT UP!"

The sardonic smile was wiped from Cyrussian's face at Naruto's shout. The boy was simmering, both literally and figuratively. Reddish chakra was leaking from every part of his body, and the wet earth beneath him began to steam from the heat.

"You bastard! You can't honestly think that that guy did this for money? Are you that stupid that you think money is so important to everyone?"

Golbarn, whose expression had gotten even colder than before, spoke as well.

"I agree with the boy…you are immensely naïve if you think that a person like that could be bought off. You would have to be even more naïve to think that money can do all the things that you said it could."

Cyrussian's eyes were wide with disbelief. Never in his life had anyone challenged his philosophy! The shock, however, began to melt away, and a fiery maelstrom of rage exploded within him.

How dare they?

"You…bastards…think you can say that to me? You have not only cost me thousands of gold pieces in labor and equipment, but you now have the nerve to challenge what I know is true? I am disgusted that a human, an orc and a bunch of walking steaks could do so much harm to my business and myself. I think that it is time that I end this. I will start with you, then I will move onto the rest of the cows, and exterminate them, completely removing their presence from this world. I will do so with anyone who stands in the way of my business…"

Cyrussian reached inside his robes, removing a small, purple rod with a circular attachment on top, and buttons and dials on the side.

"I would like you to meet a friend who is very close to my heart…at the proof that my words are true. SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!"

With the utterance of one of the most clichéd movie quotes in history, the little goblin pressed the side of the rod, causing the circular piece on top to glow bright green.

The fog began to swirl, moving aside for the arrival of a monstrous shape, which appeared in an instant, forcing the fog away from it. It was massive, bigger than anything Naruto had seen previously in his journey through this world. Something that resembled Gamabunta in size, but was far more grotesque than the giant toad could ever hope to be.

The creature was terrible to behold, with a deep, black, leathery body, with three long spikes jutting out from its spinal cord. It had front legs the color of bronze, which were covered in scales, and had huge claws, hooked and digging into the wet ground. It's hind legs were flat, possessed no claws, and bulged with far more muscles than the front legs. Attached to the light blue body were huge, leathery golden brown wings, covered in the same scales that the front legs were. Behind it was a tail, covered in armor like plating, curved upwards and possessing a huge stinger at the end, reminiscent of a scorpion. Its head was monstrous, and colored the same deep black that the body was, with long bluish stripes streaking down the side, just above, across and then just below the reddish eyes of the behemoth. Its mouth was filled with rows upon rows of dagger-like, curved teeth, and on both sides of it huge, troll-like tusks sprouted, running the entire length of the beast's snout, coming to a point near the end of it.

Naruto's eyes bulged out of their sockets at the sight, while Golbarn groaned slightly.

I thought it might be like this…he thought, drawing his sword as swift as he could.

Cyrussian laughed, gazing up at the beast with an almost loving look.

"Amazing, isn't it? The most powerful force in the world is money, and this creature's existence is proof of that. It was born from the best alchemy and science that money can buy! The ferocity and hunting ability of a devilsaur, the magic and flight capability of a bronze dragon, the armored exoskeleton and venom of a scorpid, the sheer strength of a kodo, and finally the regeneration abilities of a troll. All of these things come together to form my precious Ventursaurus Rex!"

Giving the rod a little wave, the beast reared back and bellowed into the air, causing Naruto to clap his hands to his ears from the volume.

"Now," Cyrussian said, sneering, "I will reiterate what I said before…there is nothing in this world that money cannot buy…and this I will prove!"

Then, the Ventursaurus Rex charged.

---

Both moving simultaneously, Naruto and Golbarn dodged to the side as the Ventursaurus Rex charged past them, each footfall causing the ground to shake, and mud to splatter in all directions.

The creature turned towards Naruto and launched the huge, scorpion-like tail at him. The blonde had to leap backwards to avoid being skewered by the huge stinger, and retaliated with a few hand seals and a shout of, "Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The fireball surged from his mouth, engulfing the tip of the creature's tail, causing it to retract it, letting out a roar of pain. It swung its tail around several times, before submerging it in the wet mud, dousing the flames.

Meanwhile, Golbarn had moved to its side, and clutching his sword tightly with both hands, rushed forwards, aiming at its hind legs.

Chakra began to coalesce around his blade, and he roared, "Mighty Cleave!"

He swept his sword through the air, causing a blast of wind to streak from his blade, so thin that it could have sliced though a single strand of hair, but so strong that it could have cut through steel.

The attack did its job wonderfully, separating the leg of the Ventursaurus Rex from the rest of its body.

Blood exploded from the wound, and the beast toppled on to its side, very narrowly missing Golbarn. It began to roar in pain from the wound, and Golbarn had no intent to let the opening go to waste.

Naruto had seemed to read his mind, and was already moving towards the tower, drawing his own blade and moving with killer intent towards the president of the Venture Co.

Golbarn rushed towards the creature's head, intent on taking it out as quickly as he could. However, without any warning, the best lifted itself up and turned its head to the side. When it opened its mouth, Golbarn was suddenly struck with an overpowering sense of doom.

When a bronze light began to glow deep inside the beast's throat, he knew that it was more than just a feeling.

Leaping to the side, Golbarn was able to just move out of the way before a stream of golden lightning erupted from the beast's mouth, streaking along the ground and disappearing into the fog. Seconds later the sound of rock shattering and sizzling filled the air as the blast struck the wall of the valley.

He pulled himself to his feet, and grunted in anger as he saw that the beast's back leg had grown back, and creature was already turning towards him once more, its baleful red eyes searching the ground intently.

At the same time, Naruto had made it to the top of the tower, only to have Cyrussian, with a laugh, leap over the railing, and landing with surprising ease fifteen feet below. Cursing, Naruto followed, but Cyrussian danced out of the way, moving with an almost impossible agility, smirking all the way. Frustrated, Naruto threw at kunai at the small goblin, but Cyrussian dodged it again, finding it incredibly amusing that the boy didn't seem to take the hint.

Summoning a group of clones, Naruto suddenly surrounded the Venture Co. president, each of his doppelgangers grinning like foxes as they held their swords up, their intent clear. Cyrussian's smile vanished instantly, but he showed no signs of fear. Instead, he lifted the purple rod into the air, and pressed another button on the side. He flashed the true Naruto a grin, before he abruptly vanished in a slight crackle of electricity.

At the same instant, in another crackle of electricity, the Ventursaurus Rex appeared.

It appeared directly over the group, putting them in between its two clashing pairs of legs. The painful ease, the beast stomped the clones out of existence, forcing Naruto to run as fast as he could from beneath it.

The beast twisted its head to the side, sighting Naruto as he ran out from its right side. It turned its body in that direction, and snapped its tail at the blonde several times, forcing Naruto to leap and dodge several of the lightning fast attacks. Naruto retaliated with an explosive seal adorned kunai, which struck the beast in the head, and exploded seconds later.

Unfortunately, the tough leathery skin of the Ironhide Devilsaur and the hidden, near invisible exoskeleton of the scorpid had given its head more than enough protection from harm. The beast felt it, stumbling backwards so that it smashed through the tower, but the wound was already healing when the smoke cleared from its head, making Naruto growl in frustration.

How the hell was he going to beat this thing?

Golbarn's eyes widened when the Ventursaurus Rex vanished, replaced by its master. He saw the beast appear behind the tower, directly over Naruto and his clones. He cursed, while Cyrussian laughed.

"This rod does much more than summon my pet, orc," the goblin stated, smiling coldly at Golbarn, who growled and launched himself at the smaller creature. Cyrussian dodged a few slashes from Golbarn's sword, moving with grace that did not befit the short green man.

"Hahaha! Is that the best you can do, orc?"

Scowling, Golbarn raised his sword, and muttered, "Heroic Strike!" and in an instant, shot forwards, moving twice as fast as before, and slashed at Cyrussian's head.

But being small in size had its advantages, and with a grin Cyrussian ducked down low, completely avoiding the strike, before leaping up and leaping at Golbarn. He produced a small, gleaming dagger from his robs, now stained with mud, and drove it hard into the orc's leg.

Golbarn did not cry out from the pain instead using the distance he now had on the goblin to attack. He gripped his sheath, and thrust it straight out, causing it to collide with Cyrussian's head. The president of the Venture Co. was knocked off his feet, and stunned by the blow.

Growling, Golbarn wrenched the small dagger from his leg, and flung it at Cyrussian. The goblin, having recovered, blocked it with a second dagger, which he threw at Golbarn.

The orc blocked the knife with his sword, but caused the grinning Cyrussian to press the button on his rod once more, vanishing and being replaced with the massive Ventursaurus Rex once more.

Damn!

---

This is getting troublesome.

When the Ventursaurus Rex vanished, and Cyrussian appeared once more, Naruto realized that they were going to get nowhere if they kept this up. Once Cyrussian was in sufficient danger, there was nothing to stop him from simply teleporting and replacing himself with his demon-spawned pet.

The blonde glared at Cyrussian, who smiled coldly back, clutching a gleaming silver dagger in one hand.

Naruto glanced to the side, watching the Ventursaurus Rex appear and begin to attack Golbarn.

He had to take out that thing first. It was the main danger, and Naruto realized that it would be a whole lot harder to kill if they continued to attack it as they were now.

Luckily, Naruto had a solution to that.

"OI! GOLBARN! GET OVER HERE! I GOT A PLAN!"

---

Before Naruto had uttered this, Golbarn once again found himself facing the might of the Ventursaurus Rex, but this time, he had a plan. The beast let out a tremendous bellow, nearly knocking the orc off his feet, before snapping its stinger towards him.

Golbarn, however, was ready for the incoming stinger, and dodged to the side, slashing the whole tip of its tail off. A greenish liquid exploded from the severed end, and the Ventursaurus retracted its tail, howling. Golbarn delivered a second and third strike to the beast's front legs, causing it to fall forwards, in a sort of kneeling position.

Focusing his chakra into his sword once more, he held it aloft and bellowed, "Mortal Strike!"

He leapt forwards, and drove his gleaming blade into the beast's side, before dragging it all the way along the Ventursaurus' flank. It screamed in agony as blood exploded from the huge wound. When Golbarn reached the end, he retracted his blade and landed deftly on the ground, turning to observe the damage done.

The beast snarled and whipped around to face him, its front legs healed, and Golbarn cursed as he saw the wound on its side begin to heal as well.

Any damage that isn't fatal is superficial to this thing… he thought.

"OI! GOLBARN! GET OVER HERE! I GOT A PLAN!"

Golbarn looked in the direction of Naruto's voice, and without a moment's hesitation ran towards him, hoping to god the blonde knew what he was doing.

Fortunately, Naruto knew exactly what he was doing. Biting his thumb savagely, Naruto began to form hand seals, and then ran towards Golbarn as he did.

Cyrussian watched the boy run with interest. It was obvious that he still believed Naruto stood no chance against his monster, so he did nothing except wait to see what the blonde would offer.

He would not be disappointed.

When Golbarn was close enough, the massive Ventursaurus Rex hot on his heels, Naruto slammed his palm into the ground, and bellowed,

"KUCHIYOSE NO JUTSU!"

Both the blonde and Golbarn suddenly vanished in a cloud of smoke and Cyrussian's pet backed away from the sudden appearance of the smoke.

Naruto reappeared atop a massive brown toad, which was garbed in a blue robe, and had a short-sword sheathed at its side. A huge pipe stuck out of the side of the toad's mouth, and there was a nasty scar over one of its eyes.

Golbarn lost all semblance of calm, his eyes bulging from their sockets and his jaw hitting the toad's thick, warty skin.

"OI, BRAT! WHAT'S THE BIG IDEA SUMMONING ME? YOU GOTTA LOT OF NERVE AFTER WHAT YOU DID LAST TIME!"

Naruto sweat dropped, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

"Sorry boss…hehehe…but you gotta help me! That thing needs its ass kicked, and I need your help, boss!"

"NO WAY! LAST TIME YOU SUMMONED ME I GOT SORES ALL OVER MY ASS! I AIN'T HELPING YOU!"

Naruto beat down on the toad's back, roaring in frustration.

"Why do you do this with me? I bet you don't do this with Ero-sennin!"

"THAT'D BE A BET THAT YOU WOULD LOSE, SHORT STUFF. I PULL THIS SHIT WITH JIRAIYA ALL THE TIME. BUT I'LL HELP YOU OUT, I SUPPOSE, SINCE YOU SEEM TO NEED IT, AND YOU ARE MY SUBORDINATE AND ALL."

Naruto smiled in relief as Gamabunta turned its full attention to the massive Ventursaurus Rex, which had remained in the same position it had been before the toad had appeared.

Golbarn shook his head in amazement.

This boy just keeps surprising me…

From his place near the toad's foot, Cyrussian could not help but curse, his eyes glittering with malice.

Does that brat think he can stop my pet with a toad?

He fingered the rod, a sneer forming on his green skinned face.

The boy would learn that no amount of power would possibly beat that which money could buy.

---

Gamabunta exhaled, breathing a cloud of smoke into the rapidly clearing air. He observed his opponent with a calculating eye, trying to decipher the best way to go about attacking it. He had never seen anything resembling this monster in his life, which meant that he had no way of knowing how to destroy it effectively.

The beast was smaller than him, but looked as dangerous, if not more so, than Manda, the Boss of snakes. If he were the size of a human, it would be the size of a large dog.

It seemed as if the beast was not as patient as he, as it began to move, rushing towards the huge toad.

Gamabunta drew his weapon in a flourish, slamming it hard into the side of the beast's head. The gleaming blade slashed through one of the tusks, and cut deep into the beast's snout. Blood erupted from the wound, but the creature didn't back away, instead raising its front claw and grabbing Gamabunta's arm, digging its claws deep into the giant toad's flesh.

Grunting in anger and pain, Gamabunta reached up and plucked his pipe from his mouth, swinging it and driving the tip, which was full of burning ash, into the Ventursaurus Rex's eye. This time it did jerk back, allowing Gamabunta to pull his sword free of the behemoth's head.

He grunted in even greater anger as they wounds he had just dealt began to heal before his eyes.

This wouldn't do, he decided.

The Ventursaurus Rex didn't give the toad much chance to consider his options, and opened its mouth, causing a deep bronze glow to emanate from it. Golbarn shouted a warning, and Gamabunta leapt into the air mere seconds before the huge blast of lightning erupted from its mouth, scorching and destroying the ground that got in the way of the blast.

Gamabunta landed behind the behemoth, before propelling himself forwards, driving the blade deep into the monster's back. The force from the thrust threw the beast forwards, knocking it off its feet and causing it roll a few times, crushing the stumps of long dead trees.

"OI, BRAT!" the toad boss roared, rolling its two yellow and black eyes up to look at the blonde that stood on its head.

"What, boss?" Naruto retorted.

"YOU KNOW ANY KATON JUTSU?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, a few, why?"

"WHEN I SAY SO, BREATH THE LONGEST, HARDEST STREAM OF FIRE YOU CAN GET, AND I'LL DO THE REST. YOU HEARD OF THIS TECHNIQUE BEFORE?"

Naruto nodded vigorously, remembering Jiraiya brag about it on occasion during the first few days of his training with the perverted hermit.

"Yep, I'm ready when you are, boss!"

Gamabunta grunted in acknowledgement, and then took a deep breath, causing his mouth to expand, his cheeks filling with a liquid almost to the point where he couldn't hold any more.

Naruto flashed through a group of seals, sucking in his own breath.

"KATON: GAMA YUENDAN! (Fire Element: Toad Oil Cannon)"

Naruto released a powerful stream of fire, exhaling as much as possible. His recent chakra control exercises with Thrall had increased the effectiveness of his fire type ninjutsu by a lot, so it wasn't hard for him to create a stream long enough to reach the space just in front of the giant toad's mouth, where it met a stream of oil that had been exhaled by Gamabunta.

The results were, to Golbarn, unbelievable.

A tremendous blast of fire erupted outwards, shooting directly towards the Ventursaurus Rex, which had recovered from the previous attack, and had been in the process of turning to meet the toad once more.

It never got the chance.

The maelstrom of flames engulfed the beast, broiling its skin in a heartbeat. Its eyes smoldered and burst, before its flesh began to bubble, then melt from its bones, as the oils and fats in its body started to ignite from the heat.

The flames continued to travel, setting the series of houses and machines behind the Ventursaurus Rex aflame.

Gamabunta spat out the last drop of oil, and then wiped the excess off his mouth. Naruto took several deep breaths, and wiped the sweat off his forehead from being so close to the heat.

"Did we get him?" the blonde asked, searching the blaze for any signs of life.

"DUNNO…" the toad retorted, fingering the weapon at his side. He had been in this position before, when Jiraiya had last summoned him. Though he knew that this creature was sufficiently different form Manda, he didn't want to take any chances.

A roar from above was their answer, and seconds later Gamabunta felt a searing pain in his back as the Ventursaurus' tail slammed into his back, injecting enough poison to kill almost a dozen kodos with one, single, barb.

The toad roared in pain, and leapt forwards, landing near the lake, causing the water to ripple from the force. The toad glared, angered as he saw the Ventursaurus land, its wings beating furiously. The creature looked decidedly different from before. Its skin was now a pasty white, though it was rapidly returning to its former black. There was a strange sheen that covered the entirety of its body, almost as if it were covered in some sort of viscous fluid. Even the tail had very little armor on it, though as they watched that began to change.

"What the hell was that?" roared Naruto, looking stunned. The blonde whipped around and searched the dying flames, unbelieving that they had missed. He instead saw a huge, black carcass inside the flames, shaped roughly like the Ventursaurus.

"It molted," muttered Golbarn, looking disgusted.

"It what?" Naruto responded, looking up at the orc, partially confused and partially angry.

"It molted…its what arachnids do when they shed their exoskeleton to grow larger. It seems as though rather than just possessing visible traits of all those monsters, it possesses their natural ones as well. That means that there is an exoskeleton surrounding its entire body. It also means that it is far more dangerous than I originally thought.

Gamabunta fought to stay awake, but was finding it to be very difficult.

"I WON'T LAST MUCH LONGER, NARUTO. I DON'T THINK THAT I CAN HELP YOU, ANYMORE."

"What? But boss…"

"THE STUPID BASTARD GOT ME WITH SOME POISON…I'M NOT SO GOOD WITH THOSE. IF KATSUYU WAS AROUND, THEN MAYBE I WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET HER TO HEAL ME, BUT RIGHT NOW, ITS PROBABLY BEST IF I GO. SORRY…"

Both Naruto and Golbarn protested, but soon found themselves hurtling towards the earth, Gamabunta having returned to whatever dimension toads came from.

Naruto landed hard on his feet, Golbarn a few yards away. The blonde growled in frustration.

This isn't good…

The Ventursaurus Rex had re-grown almost all of its skin, and began moving towards them again.

"You see?"

The two whirled at the voice, and saw Cyrussian walking towards them, smiling coldly.

"You see that you cannot win? You see that you cannot beat my pet? You are both finished…my money has once again prevailed…HAHAHAHA!"

The Ventursaurus had already come up behind them, its massive, rippling body poised to stomp the two to death at a moments notice.

Naruto turned to face the beast, his face set in a ferocious snarl.

He'd be damned if he let himself die now.

He readied himself to fight, but a voice pierced the air, causing Naruto's heart to stop for a second.

"HEY, WHY DON'T YOU PICK ON SOMEONE YOUR OWN SIZE?"

From what could only be constituted as nowhere, Kaine dropped down onto the Ventursaurus' head, delivering one of the most powerful strikes that he had ever managed to with his wartotem. The force of the attack cracked, nay, shattered the beast's skull, and drove the shards deep into its brain. The creature took a few lumbering steps forwards, but looked as if it would drop at any second.

Naruto suddenly felt himself being lifted up, and he saw that another Kaine was gripping him, and had grabbed Golbarn as well, and was moving to out of the way of the toppling giant.

He knows Kage Bunshin? Naruto thought, a little annoyed that the tauren had stolen his technique.

Meanwhile, Cyrussian stared in astonishment as the tauren delivered the fatal blow to his precious pet. He was so stunned, in fact, that he didn't notice the approach of another Kaine clone, which grabbed him suddenly, and lifted him off the ground, preventing him from running off.

Cyrussian let out a roar of anger at this, bellowing, "Let me go, you great fool! Let me go, what are you doing?"

The clone grinned, and hissed in his ear, "Killing you, bastard."

Cyrussian struggled harder, but was slightly confused, as Kaine wasn't tightening his grip, and thusly didn't seem to be trying to crush him. However, when he realized where they were standing, which was directly in front of his dying monster, which was still stumbling around, closer and close to them, he grew afraid.

"Don't!" he cried, trying in vain to get out of the clone's grip.

"DON'T!" he screeched again, as he saw the Ventursaurus begin to fall. Time seemed to slow, and Cyrussian could only watch in horror as the beast that he had paid so much for, and had put so much faith in crashed down, landing with a tremendous boom.

Directly on top of him.

The valley was suddenly quiet.

---

The clone nearest to Naruto popped, as did the one near Golbarn. The true Kaine stood a few yards behind the Ventursaurus, grinning in triumph. He was clutching his wartotem in the crook of his arm, and staring at his work with a satisfied expression.

He flashed a grin at Naruto, who shot a glare in return.

"Looked like you needed some help, pinkskin," Kaine said, smirking at Naruto.

Naruto crossed his arms and harrumphed. "I could've handled it, cowface."

Kaine merely smiled in return, before turning to Golbarn.

"You okay?"

The orc nodded, walking towards Kaine.

"What's the big idea stealing my technique, asshole?" grumbled Naruto as he moved towards Kaine as well.

Kaine stuck his tongue out at Naruto, saying, "You did it to Golbarn, so why shouldn't I be able to?"

Naruto opened his mouth to answer, before a sudden movement caught his eye. Though words of warning were almost immediately on his lips, he had only managed to get out the first syllable of "watch out!"

The plated tail of the giant Ventursaurus slammed with enough force to lift the tauren off his feet, sending him flying back into the lake. In almost the same instant, the tail snapped to the side, knocking Golbarn back as well.

Naruto jumped away from the deadly tail, shocked by the life that was still left in the beast.

It was dead, he was sure of it. The creature had exhibited no signs of life, and had even smelt dead. So what the hell was it doing alive?

"Hahahaha…"

The voice of Cyrussian T. Venture caused Naruto to freeze, another shock running through him. That was even more impossible!

He watched as the Ventursaurus lifted itself up, turning to face Naruto.

"Did you think that it was going to be that easy, human?"

Naruto watched in morbid fascination as a small lump formed on the beast's forehead. The lump grew larger, and began to take shape. It began to grow a head, arms, legs; then ears, claws, and a finally a wicked grin and purple robes.

Cyrussian T. Venture let out another bark of laughter, brushing his robes off and smiling down at Naruto, who looked back up at him, gobsmacked.

"Surprised to see me?"

Naruto's shocked expression quickly turned to one of rage, which began to grow as the goblin spoke again

"I told you that this was perfect…money can buy anything. This creature is almost a part of my body, I can fuse with it whenever I want, and easily repair any fatal damage that is done to it. So you see…you can't win! Just give up, and I promise to send you to hell without any suffering…well," he grinned, "not too much suffering."

Naruto crouched low, and released his rage. He released everything that he felt towards the monster that stood in front of him, the monster who was the root of Kaine's, and that tauren's problems.

His eyes bled red, his canines lengthened, his fingernails became claws, his hair became wilder, and the storm of red chakra that had begun to swirl around him took on a very fox-like shape. He could hear the Kyuubi howling in approval within him, and for once he didn't care, he would rip this thing apart, using whatever power he had at his disposal.

Cyrussian blinked at the change, and blinked again, realizing that the boy was no longer there.

Seconds later, the goblin felt a powerful, white-hot fist smash into his jaw, lifting him off his feet and sending him flying towards the ground. He struck it and began to skid, striking a stump, and thus coming to stop.

Naruto was already moving towards him, the fox-like outline of chakra already becoming more pronounced. Cyrussian cracked an eye open, and saw the blonde's charge. Growling, he pressed his rod, and vanished, leaving the massive Ventursaurus in his place.

At this point, however, Naruto was beyond caring who he tore up, as long as it was big and intent on his and his friend's deaths.

The Ventursaurus Rex drove its stinger downwards at the blonde, but Naruto immediately stopped, and growled, "Kongou!"

The stinger smashed into his body, but instead of piercing his skin, the stinger broke and shattered, and a flash of reddish chakra traveled up the length of the tail, causing it to shatter and break apart as well.

The beast roared in pain, and struck out with its claw, but encountered the same resistance as before. Naruto stood perfectly still, despite the sheer power of the Ventursaurus' claw. There was another flash of red, and the hooked claws broke and the beast's fingers bent backwards, blood spewing from the places where the bones pierced its skin. It howled in pain again, moving backwards, and Naruto ran towards it, a ball of glowing reddish chakra beginning to take form in his palm.

He leapt up into the air, and with a cry of "Oodama Rasengan!" He slammed the glowing ball into the Ventursaurus' head.

The Rasengan tore through the hard skin, exoskeleton and bone of the giant beast, and ejected it backwards. It toppled over once more, its eyes rolling up into its head, as its brain was shredded to ribbons by the cutting winds of the Rasengan.

Naruto immediately turned, his eyes searching out his other quarry. Cyrussian, however, was nowhere in sight, until the blonde sniffed the air, his enhanced senses picking up the Trade Prince instantly.

Behind him!

He whipped around, but was met, however, by the beast's gaping maw, and a brilliant bronze light, which surged forth from the Ventursaurus' mouth, and slammed into him.

Caught completely unawares by the attack, Naruto was blasted backwards, moving so quickly that he was almost invisible. The reddish chakra had been forced against his skin by the lightning, causing it to crackle and burn. He managed to touch the ground, and forced all of his chakra into his feet to grip the soil, as well as into forming a Kongou.

When the lightning died away, Naruto was left standing, covered in blood, burns, and the red chakra slowly began to fade.

He slumped slightly, unable to hold himself up, gasping for break. His eyes were half-lidded, and he fought to stay conscious, but the force of attack had proved far too much. He fell completely just as the Ventursaurus began to move again.

Golbarn, managing to stand after being struck earlier, watched the beast advance towards Naruto, a laughing Cyrussian atop it. Somehow the Trade Prince had managed to circle around and fuse himself with the Ventursaurus again, healing the damage from the Rasengan.

Golbarn attempted to go to the blonde's aid, but found that he could barely move. His chakra was almost gone, and the beast's last attack and done an enormous amount of damage to him.

Kaine, too, saw what was going to take place, but both the Ventursaurus' final attack and his own killing blow had completely sapped him of chakra. He could only watch in horror at what was going to take place.

He was going to let a friend die.

The beast stopped a few yards away from Naruto, who struggled to get to his feet. Cyrussian was laughing the entire time.

"I'll admit, human that you did well. You and the pesky cow, and that orc managed to cause a lot of damage to my pet. You also managed to destroy part of this camp, and have so far shown yourselves to be worthy opponents. However, I don't particularly like fighting, so all you have done is tax my patience to its limit. So die, won't you? I hope you have a gold coin to pay the ferryman!"

The Ventursaurus lowered its head, and opened its gaping maw, before advancing. It wasn't going to blast Naruto again.

It was going to eat him.

Naruto grit his teeth, and continued to struggle. Never once did his eyes close in resignation. He would not stop fighting.

Not until he died.

"You are truly an interesting boy, Uzumaki Naruto."

Naruto stopped struggling, blinking in astonishment as a figure stepped in front of him.

Veroden Grimtotem, bereft of his black armor and covered in a mixture of blood and mud, stood between the boy and the Ventursaurus, his purple eyes fixed on Cyrussian. The goblin blinked in surprise and motioned with his hand, stopping the Ventursaurus in its tracks.

"You…" he said, frowning, "why are you here? I was under the impression that that cow had defeated you."

"He did," responded Veroden, advancing, "So I have come to do what I must. I have betrayed two friends in the past, and only with this can I make up for it."

The huge tauren flashed through a seal and bellowed, "Binds of the Earthmother!"

Huge tree roots erupted from the ground, spearing the Ventursaurus' legs and then wrapping tightly around them. The beast let out a roar of pain at the attack, struggled to pull itself free. Cyrussian let out a cry on anger at this.

"What are you doing? You fool! You work for me! I pay you! Now I command you to stop!"

Veroden ignored the goblin, and walked forwards, making more seals as he did.

"Why…?" asked Naruto, from behind him, causing the tauren to stop his progress.

"As I told Kaine…my reasons are my own…and I will take them to the grave with me."

Naruto' eyes widened at the strange look on the tauren's face. It was not the same, grim stoic look that he had seen in Veroden's eyes since he had met him, but a look of almost crushing sadness, one that made him think of his own when Sasuke had left. He froze in shock, and could only watch as Veroden continued forwards, stopping just beneath the Ventursaurus, holding his hands up in the air.

To the pain addled beast, recognizing that this one was the source of its pain, decided that he would take his revenge.

Veroden gave a final look, directing it at Kaine, who was captured by the stare. Veroden was not glaring at him, nor was he staring at him without emotion, as he had done for so many years, but he was looking at him with a look that he had never seen on the tauren's face.

It was one of apology.

His feeling conveyed, Veroden turned back to the Ventursaurus.

And was devoured whole.

Cyrussian stopped his angry screaming and began to laugh. The idiot had just gotten himself eaten!

Naruto gaped in astonishment, feeling a sudden sinking feeling his stomach. Was that it? Was he now going to join the traitorous tauren inside the Ventursaurus' mouth?

No.

Without any warning, huge, gnarled black roots erupted from the beast's sides, curling upwards and downwards to encircle the Ventursaurus' torso. It howled in agony and continued to as the roots grew.

More black roots began to erupt from its chest, legs, and finally its head, curling and twisting around the behemoth, turning it into a veritable thicket. Cyrussian screamed in horror as the black roots engulfed him, and soon the beast was unable to support itself, as the black roots grew larger and began to coil upwards.

They slowly blended together, forming a crude trunk, before they began to grow outwards again, like branches. The branches were as gnarled and twisted as the trunk, and soon in the place of the terrible Ventursaurus Rex, stood a titanic, leafless tree.

Naruto fell over in shock, his eyes wide beyond belief.

Golbarn, though the experience was as new to him as it was to Naruto, didn't waste any of his remaining energy on astonishment.

Kaine stumbled, staring at the newly formed tree with wide eyes.

That technique…the Seed of the Earthmother…a spell that turns ones own body into the seed of a tree, using the person's remaining chakra to make it grow. He did that… for us?

Naruto finally got to his feet, brushing himself off and wiping his mouth.

It was over.

He looked up into the gnarled tree, his mind still in slight turmoil. He didn't know why Veroden had done that, especially since he had killed so many tauren for apparently no reason at all. But he decided that it probably wasn't for him to know.

Much like what Kakashi's face looked like.

His thoughts were interrupted one final time by the voice of Cyrussian T. Venture, who, having managed to rip himself free of the roots and phase through his dying pet onto the ground, emerged from the base of the tree.

"I'll prove to you…that money is absolute power!"

Grabbing a deep, black dagger from his robes, the Trade Prince launched it at Naruto. The blade, tainted with enough poison to kill an elephant, streaked through the air and struck Naruto in the chest.

Poof!

The blonde vanished in a puff of smoke.

Cyrussian's eyes widened in disbelief.

It was a sudden gust of wind next to him that alerted him to Naruto's presence.

He turned, just in time to be struck in the chest with a Rasengan.

In a blue-white flash, Cyrussian's insides were torn apart, and he was ejected away from Naruto. The Trade Prince's lungs were immediately minced by the cutting power of the Rasengan, so he was unable to even gasp a final curse.

Cyrussian T. Venture died on impact with the tree that had become his pet, and all in an instant, the tauren were free.

---

GEEZUS B. CHRIST!

I cannot believe that I just wrote a 39 page chapter…holy hell.

This is unprecedented.

Well, now that that's settled, I want to thank you guys for putting up with the lateness of this chapter. The next one will be a lot shorter, I believe, and will wrap up the Tauren Arc. After that, there will be a short (one chapter) transition between the next arcs, before we head to the south of the Eastern Kingdoms, Stranglethorn Vale! This arc will be one big battle, with very little downtime.

After that, there will be the conclusion of the Orc Arc, which will be somewhat short, before we head to finish up the two remaining Race Arcs.

I know you guys were getting a little frustrated with me dragging this arc out so long, but I felt it was necessary. And cool.

Hehe… I also noticed that you guys seemed to enjoy the little Thrall x Tsunade omake last chapter. I had fun writing it, and if you guys liked it that much, I may write more!

I may even introduce other interracial couplings. Like Kaine x Hinata! Oo

Kidding…

Or am I?

Here's some reviewer answers!

The Forgotten Lord- Hmm…Illidan is super powerful, way stronger than any Kage, while Malfurion is as well. Tyrande is about Tsuande's level, perhaps a bit higher, due to her age. Maeve Shadowsong and Kal'thalas…I have no idea. I assume that Maeve is about Illidan's, but Kael'thalas would be a little less, seeing as how he works for Illidan and everything.

Orochimaru is strong, but not as powerful in raw terms as Illidan or Malfurion. He is stronger than Tsunade, and Jiraiya, most likely, but not as strong as Sylvanas.

Hope that helps!

Legacyzero- Heheh thanks, I enjoy your stories as well. The next race that Naruto's going to meet will be the Rastafarian trolls! There is only one (more like half) of a chapter left in the Tauren arc.

Tokyo no Ecchi- Just be patient…and he won't be alone, mind you.

Really Bad Fanfiction- You are quite right. I had meant to put in a little scene where Kaine praises Veroden and explains his past in a better light, but I somehow forgot…whoops. Thanks for the input, though, its definitely appreciated.

Seeker- He's a fad at my school…I have friends who make t-shirts with his name on them!

X3RO2- Thanks for the kind words! Don't worry about the review thing…you're not alone…(glances at all those who have yet to review…) As for the answer of your question, World of Warcraft is essentially ruled by adventurers, but there are also big armies that players can form. These generally are made to raid capital cities, and there has been a recent event that Blizzard has implemented – The An'Qiraj War, where both the Alliance and the Horde have to work together to fight some new threat. So, there are still big armies, but not that often, and no where near the scale of a real army. I agree with your theory on summoning, and that isn't how Naruto is going to get home. The Dark Portal…maybe.

Needmore- chakra and mana are the same thing, essentially. Only the alliance makes a difference between them. There is only one word for magic/chakra in Orcish, so I have all of them just use chakra, instead of magic, because it makes it feel more Narutoesque. As for the comparisons- see above, I answered what the Elven Races were like up there. Save one, of course. Azshara, the Queen of the Naga, is wicked strong, as is Lady Vashj, but neither are as strong as Illidan, and both are probably Kage level.

A little correction in your classes for the Race leaders- Sylvanas is actually a Ranger, which is like a hunter and uses a bow and arrow as her main weapon. Varimathras is not her pet, and only works for her because she is so powerful. Also Magni doesn't know Engineering, that's Mekkatorque. Magni knows blacksmithing.

Ner'zul, or the Lich King, is a boss and immensely powerful. Way stronger than any Kage, and truly cruel to the core. The Five Dragonflights…they are like Gods to shinobi. They are beyond the power of any shinobi.

Gundam Chief- Believe me, I hear your words. I hate fics where the people alter Naruto's personality (or the personalities of other characters) to fit their own needs so abruptly. They turn Naruto into some wicked powerful, arrogant genius that angsts as much as Sasuke, starts noticing Hinata, and starts insulting Sakura. "Encyclopedia Ninja" was a perfect example of this, and though I admit I enjoyed the first few chapters, I was turned off after he turned Naruto into and asshole and made Itachi into a good guy.

I do have an idea for a Star Wars/ Naruto crossover, actually. It was produced after seeing the third prequel. It involves Mace Windu getting a huge reading of midoclorians on a planet in the far reaches of the galaxy, and when he stops there to investigate, he discovers a whole civilization that, though are quite developed, have yet to devise way to head into space. He then meets Naruto, and insists that he take the boy and train him, so that he could become a Jedi and help out in the beginning war of the Clones. He meets Anakin, Padme, Yoda, and everyone else, and the events follow the events of the second two movies, as well as after. I hope to write this someday…or I give another the right to use this idea, and write their own fic!

Thanks for the input Gundam Chief-san!

Well that's it…Hope you enjoy the chapter!

General Grievous.

Spellbook-

Grim Embrace- A technique devised by the Grimtotem clan, drains chakra and eliminates a person's connection with the earth. This thereby eliminates their ability to use totems.

Kaine Bloodhoof Combo- Just think of Naruto's Uzumaki Naruto Rendan, and replace it with Kaine!

Mighty Cleave- Slices the air, causing a Kamaitachi that slices through anything in its path.

Heroic Strike- A powerful, quick strike.

Mortal Strike- Delivers huge damage to larger creatures by dragging the blade along its side. Only works on things that don't have increased regeneration.

Binds of the Earthmother- Spawns hundreds of roots that bind a person, no matter how large, in place.

Seed of the Earthmother- Transforms a person into a seed, which then uses the person's remaining chakra to create a tree, killing anything that is caught in its path.

Bestiary-

Veroden Grimtotem (Humanoid) (Boss)- An immensely powerful shaman and one time friend of the High Chieftain, Cairn Bloodhoof, and his son, Baine. When he was younger, he was raised by the infamous Grimtotem clan, and led to believe that those who relied on the spirits were weak. However, after witnessing the power of Cairn Bloodhoof, and power that he could wield with the spirits, Veroden left the Grimtotem clan, and offered himself to Cairn as a warrior. Though distrusted at first, he soon began to garner an immense amount of respect. He forged a sibling relationship with Baine Bloodhoof, Cairn's son, and became a an invaluable advisor and friend to the ancient High Chieftain. However, when Baine was kidnapped by centaurs, and Cairn fell into a deep depression as a result, Veroden's past beliefs began to rise to the surface. He watched as Cairn deteriorated, before Rexxar rescued Baine and brought Cairn back to his old self. Later, when the Venture Co. arrived, he saw Cairn's health beginning to deteriorate again, and when Baine mentioned that it was because Mulgore was hurting, and his father was channeling the spirits and their pain, and growing weaker because of it, Veroden lost faith. He reverted to his old belief of those who rely on the spirits being weak, and in order to prove to himself that he was right, he fought and defeated Baine, stealing his soul, and handing it over to Cyrussian T. Venture. He saw Cairn slip further into depression, and so he weaved a life-draining spell over Cairn, stealing a portion of his energy and keeping him weak. He did this to see if Cairn could pull through, and if he was truly not as weak as Veroden had begun to see him. Cairn was unable to, but Veroden didn't want to leave it at that. He began to train Cairn's grandson, Kaine, in the arts of the shaman, so that one day the boy might rise up and show him whether he was wrong or not. Veroden truly wanted to be wrong, and when he was defeated by Kaine, years later, he was defeated not by the power of the spirits of the earth, but by Kaine's own power. Because he still believed that Cairn and Baine were dear friends to him, and though he had been proved correct by Kaine's actions, he decided that Cairn and Baine were too dear to him to let his past beliefs influence him any more. So he destroyed himself, killing the Ventursaurus, to redeem himself in the only watching eyes of the clam whom he had betrayed.

Cyrussian T. Venture (Humanoid) (Boss)- Though he possesses little power himself, Cyrussian is quick on his feet (almost impossibly so) and very dexterous. He has little fighting capability, other than his ability to hurtle knives at his opponents. However, his true power comes from the pet he controls, the Ventursaurus Rex. Using a small rod, he can control the beast in almost every way possible. He can use the rod to replace himself with the Ventursaurus, avoiding damage, and also can use it to initiate any of the beast's powers. Later it is revealed that he can fuse with his monstrous pet, and heal any damage, fatal or otherwise, from the inside. He wields the rod to such effect that he is considered extremely dangerous regardless of his personal fighting ability. He also has a somewhat naïve philosophy, believing that money and gold is the answer to all things and that he can command more power than anyone with it. He also inadvertently quotes popular movies. His favorite saying is, "There is nothing in this world than money cannot acquire."

Ventursaurus Rex- (Beast) (Boss)- Possessing the head and body of an Ironhide Devilsaur, the front legs and wings of a bronze dragon, the back legs of a kodo, the tail of a scorpid, and the tusks of a troll, The Ventursaurus Rex is the best weapon that money can buy. It is utterly obedient to Cyrussian, and possesses very little intelligence, despite being a combination of a bronze dragon, which all possess incredible intelligence, and a troll. It not only looks like the creature's that it is created from, but it possesses all of their properties. Though it only appears that its exoskeleton covers the tail, it in fact covers the entirety of its body. Similarly, every part is enhanced by the strength of a kodo, and can regenerate thanks to the troll. It is imbued with powerful magic so that it can fly, despite none of its bones being hollow, like a dragon, and the leathery skin beneath the exoskeleton, that of a Ironhide Devilsaur, makes it even more resistant to damage. Its jaws can also tear apart nearly anything. It can molt, just like a scorpid, and the regeneration re-grows the exoskeleton quite quickly. It can fire blasts of lightning from its mouth, thanks to the bronze dragon, and can poison people with its tail. It is, as Cyrussian continually believes it to be, the perfect weapon.