Hey everybody! I know it's been a long time since this fic has been updated, but I've made up for it by a DOUBLE UPDATE! That's right, you get two chapters instead of one! Enjoy!

Review Response Time!

Chidori vs Rasengan: If you think about it, Naruto and Sasuke's weapon are already S Class. Elemental powers should make up S Class weaponry or something like that. However, it will probably just be 'S Class' in theory. There won't be any mathematical figures going into here. Imagine how weird it would be if there was... O.o

Dragonman 180: Is Gatou really an evil character in here? He's just the king's advisor. He got Itachi to spare the Hyuugas. For them to take vengeance upon him would be silly, as he has done nothing wrong.

Rainingblood666: Not everything in a fic will be green meadows with flowers and butterflies.

A/N: My beta was unable to respond, so I had my friend (SolarisAstrum) beta it for me. Hopefully my normal one will return. Otherwise... Also, on a non-beta related note, I will not be POSTING UC lemons. If you want it, send me a PM. Of course, I don't have one up and ready right now. I'll have to get to the proper place first.

Finally, one last thing. How many of you would like to see a sequel to Encyclopedia Ninja? Before you answer though, let me warn you. If I do make a sequel, it will have a very different context. Also, if I do make a sequel, that means you may be seeing less frequent updates. Keep that in mind while you pick.

I do not own Naruto or Fire Emblem.

Onward!

Chapter 9: Enemy's Territory

"Why did you make me do it?"

"B3c4us3 1t w4s wh4t y0u w4nt3d, n0?"

"If I wanted it so badly there were political ways to achieve it!"

"P0l1t1cs w1ll 0nly c4rry y0u s0 f4r. 3v3ntu4lly y0u'll h4ve t0 r3ly 0n f0rc3. 3v3n 1f y0u h4d d0n3 s0, y0u w0uld 0nly h4v3 p4rt14l p0w3r."

"… What if I didn't want this to happen?"

"Th3n 1t 1s t00 l4t3 t0 ch4ng3 th3 c0urs3 0f h1st0ry"

"But it doesn't have to be this way, does it?"

"Wh3n H3 w4nts s0m3th1ng d0n3, 1t g3ts d0ne. Th3 w0rld d03sn't r3v0lv3 ar0und y0u."

And the slithery voice disappeared.

---

Hinata awoke at the dreadful time before daybreak to the noise of yawning, greetings, breakfast, and the packing of tents. She groaned a little before shifting around, rousing the red ball of fluff on her stomach. As Kitsune-chan got up it yawned and stretched a bit before sauntering off. With a playful manner it approached Hinata and gave a gentle lick on her cheek, attempting to get her to rise from her bed.

Eventually she opened her eyes and turned to the small fox. "Good morning to you, too," she said with a small smile. It yipped before dashing over to the tent entrance, attempting to open the flap. "You want out, Kitsune-chan?" the fox nodded at her before waiting in anticipation for Hinata to open it.

As she reached over, another hand had already opened the tent, letting in tiny fractions of light. Kitsune-chan quickly left and Naruto's face looked in. "'Rise and shine' is the worst way to start a day off, wouldn't you say?" he said.

She jumped at the voice and quickly pulled up her sheets to cover herself, blushing. "N-Naruto-kun! W-What are you doing? I'm h-half naked!"

"Umm…" Naruto paused, "No you're not." She looked down at her self and indeed she did have her clothes on.

"Oh…" she trailed off. And then, "…H-How did you know that I had clothes on?" Was he… peeping on her?

"You fell asleep during night watch so I carried you back. And I'm sure you would have something against me undressing you so I simply tucked you in."

"I-I see…"

"Well no worries. It's time to get packing, Hinata."

---

By early morning the group had arrived at the Rock capital. Gaining entrance was unbelievably easy; a simple Henge and a large, well-timed leap got all of them over. As Sasuke landed, he spotted Shino and Katame, the two new… members in his ragtag army. While he had no idea where they had come from or whether they were safe to be around with or not, they said that they knew Naruto.

That wasn't enough to buy them his trust but with Naruto's abilities, he opted to leave the conversation at that.

They had all removed their crests to prevent being identified. Both Hinata and Neji simply transformed their eyes to hide their trademark bloodline. The easiest thing for them was to be an elder brother and younger sister. The small fox simply hid in her sweater hood.

Sasuke focused his eyes at the animal. If anyone figured out that they were housing such an animal, their chances of staying hidden would sink. He grimaced.

"I suggest that you gather supplies while you still can," Sasuke said to the group. He had once again donned his simpler clothing, his sword resting hidden in its sheath. He looked older, his Henge used to add wrinkles and spots on his skin. His hair had started to turn gray. "I'll accompany Sakura to get a new sword. We'll meet back here around three PM." Turning around, he left to follow his teacher who had already found a somewhat respectable blacksmith and had begun to haggle with him.

She turned her eyes into a deep black and her hair to match. She too aged herself, although only by perhaps a year or so.

However, there were some… new additions to her body. She seemed to be a bit curvier. The difference seemed minimal almost, but with such a subtle change she was almost someone he couldn't recognize.

"Come on, mister! You have to let me use your forge!" She urged the middle-aged man.

"As much as I would welcome your patronage, I cannot allow you to use it without some sort of identification. For all I know you could be enemies of the king!" he said, half jokingly. "Perhaps you have a crest you could show me?"

She slammed her hands on the counter in front of her. "Sir," she said calmly but with ice traced in its midst, "I am not a shinobi and therefore would not have one. I'm a citizen from the Fire Country."

The blacksmith grimly replied, "Your arms say otherwise."

She lifted them and grimaced. Written upon them were scars and toned muscle from years of training and use. She had to think quickly.

"She's his daughter," a voice said from the side. Looking over, they spotted Naruto admiring the shop's merchandise. "They both work in blacksmithing and he's just passing down the trade."

When Sasuke heard that he was her 'father,' he faltered a little but recovered. "I didn't think I would find you here… old friend."

For a moment, there was a flash of pain in Naruto's eyes.

It was a needed cover-up. Turning around he faced the mysterious man of his troupe. "What are you here for?"

He could have sworn that he saw a single long… something make a quick sweep behind him. 'I must be seeing things…'

"Oh the usual: rare weaponry."

"I see."

"Ahem," the blacksmith coughed. "Ahh…" he turned to Sasuke. "I'm rather sorry about the fiasco. I'd be glad to allow your daughter to forge a sword for a small fee."

There was that strange swish behind Naruto again.

"For free I mean! The forge is in the side room over there," the blacksmith said, pointing at a door in the sidewall. Then he quickly trotted over to Naruto. "So, interested in rare weaponry? Would you like to see my stock? I'm not sure if there are any 'rare' weapons but why not take a look, eh?" The pair walked off into a room in the back.

Sasuke thought for a moment. What had Naruto done to the blacksmith? There was no way that he would believe such a simple alibi if he was in his right mind. He seemed to have a sharp eye, judging on how he could spot the muscles in Sakura's arm and that his mind must have been just as keen as well.

"Come on, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura hissed before grabbing his wrist and dragging him into the forge. "If you stay out there, you'll seem suspicious!"

When she opened the door the pair was greeted with a blast of heat. Half pulling him in Sakura shut the door and walked over to the furnace. "I won't be able to make a Haruno sword quickly so I'll have to stick with a simple steel katana for now. Hopefully it will last until we can go somewhere safer."

Sasuke nodded in agreement. Already sweat was beading its way down his face as well as Sakura's. Grimly remembering his thoughts from that morning, he gulped before taking a seat in a nearby chair. She had taken off her Henge. Perhaps he ought to as well.

Hell sure was hot.

---

"This city is HUGE!" Bright violet eyes flashed with wonder and curiosity as Maeka traveled from stall to stall, admiring the merchandise on sale. Almost wistfully she looked for small things, little trinkets that weren't useful, but amusing at the least. Her father had always told her that the best things in life were free and that the next best things were the trinkets.

Despite the relationship to the Haruno family, the Kasen clan operated outside of the jurisdiction of most countries. They did not receive missions from officials, meaning that their source of income usually came from other things besides shinobi affairs. Most in her family ran two occupations, often short term ones.

Unlike most shinobis, her clan had no permanent source of income. They were vagrants. Most of her clansmen traveled from country to country, taking jobs and returning during the winter with money and supplies. When they came back they would bring little things from their travels, a souvenir maybe.

This was her first time outside of the clan grounds. She was lucky enough to have stumbled across the troupe; before meeting them she would have been swallowed up by the city, victim to the strange sights, tourist traps, and shady deals.

She sighed. Life in the city was expensive. Or so it felt like it. While she had some money, she didn't know what was a good price for anything. With a pained smile she walked away from the merchants and into a more open part of the city. Taking a seat on a nearby bench she leaned back and listlessly exhaled, closing her eyes.

"You know, if you're not careful someone could steal your wallet while you sleep."

Her eyes snapped open and she whipped around to face Kiba. She gritted her teeth in a mock smile. "How nice to see you, Inuzuka-san." While it was painfully obvious that what he said was true, he could have worded it a little nicer. "Have you decided to give in?"

"Hmph," he turned his head away. "So long as we can't hurt each other for the fear of our lives, there's no way I'm going to marry into your family."

"And afterwards?"

He moved to take a seat next to her, Akamaru walking up and resting his head in her lap, asking to be pet. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves, now," he said. She turned away from him. "I saw you walking down the street earlier."

"Oh, so you're following me now?" Maeka snapped as she gently moved her hands through the dog's fur.

"No, it was just a passing glance." He looked up towards the sky. "You were like a lost child in a candy store; happy, but still scared."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"Is this your first time in a city like this?" With a disgusted pout, Maeka nodded her head.

He stood up. "Come with me."

"What?" she exclaimed, her eyes widened. Akamaru lifted his head off of her lap to join his master.

"It's your first time in a city, right? Now would be the time to learn the tricks to getting around in one. You might not get another chance."

"…"

"You'll enjoy it, trust me."

"… Fine then," she said in a huff. "But if you try anything funny, I'm going to kick your ass!"

"Try that and you're as good as dead."

---

While they may have undergone a slight physical change, Hinata and Neji were still… well, Hinata and Neji. With no needed character to impersonate, they simply played themselves.

And so they found themselves at a bar not to different than the one in Hyuuga City.

Hinata quietly sat at the bar counter. True, she was just a tad bit young to be in a place like this, but Neji had managed to get her in, but not Kitsune-chan. So they snuck him in and he was currently residing inside her sweater. Having ordered a simple dish of rice, pickled vegetables, and some light meats she turned to face her 'brother,' who was once again playing pool.

It was hard not to giggle. Being ever so curious, Kitsune-chan was slowly traversing up and down her shirt, exploring the magic that was inside Hinata's sweater. Eventually he popped his head up under Hinata's chin. Looking up, he licked the bottom of her head and gave a small yip to get her attention.

She looked down and gave a rather small smile. "Sorry, Kitsune-chan, but you can't be seen in here. I'll tell you when the food arrives." Giving another affectionate lick the fox dove back into her sweater. She could feel him curl up at the very bottom with his tails gently whisking back and forth, basking in the warmth of her body. Once again she looked towards Neji.

What was this Naruto? Everything he did was cryptic and arcane. He had the strength of years flowing through him, years beyond the age of man. To see him fight like that, it bordered the edge of a shameful desire to see more of its power and a guilty aftertaste in seeing what it ravaged and destroyed. It was like watching a master strategist and his enemies in battle; he would be the last one standing, the flawless victor, and she would know before the first blows were exchanged.

Neji was playing pool, again. He was playing with Tenten, again. She was winning, again. Apparently the two of them shared the same interests. Frustration was building in Neji's body language, frustration and a grudging respect.

Hinata could tell that she was playing with him, giving him opportunities that no competitive player would have slipped in. It was the same with Naruto. He somehow knew that she was onto him and he let some words just flow by. Keep your findings to yourself, he told her. Was this an invitation to investigate him? Was it an opening to find the truth?

She shook her head. Seeing how Naruto had such power that no man could have earned for one of his age, he must know ways of concealing himself from her. Did he not trust the group? Whenever he looked at her, at anyone in the rag tag troupe, she could sometimes see something flicker in his eyes. A small shift downwards that was there for immeasurable moments in time before zooming back up, as if she was imagining them.

It was obvious whether or not she pursued these answers; he would not let her know so easily. But she would dig. It was an invitation by him, she told herself. Closing her eyes, she took a breath and slowly let it out.

She would win, and he would lose. She didn't know how, she didn't know when, but she will come out victorious.

The waiter had arrived with her food. Gently she tapped Kitsune-chan through her sweater and the small fox climbed its way to the top, once again licking her chin. Taking a small piece of meat, she blew on it a little and then held it in the palm of her hand to the animal.

Tenten would win, and Neji would lose.

---

In the northern part of the city there was a small shrine. Small steps lead to a small alter on which there was a small placard that read, in small letters, "To Him."

Kneeling on a mat was Konohamaru, muttering words of prayer. He held burning incense sticks between his clasped hands. With a final breath he placed the sticks inside the pot in front of him where they would burn down to ashes. Picking up his mat and staff he strode over to the corner and placed the cushion on top of a pile of them.

"I didn't think you were the religious type," a voice called out from behind him. Turning around, Konohamaru came face to face with Naruto. The whisker-like scars on his cheeks seemed to soften in the orange glow of the candles lighting the shrine, making him seem flawless.

"Technically," Konohamaru said, "I'm not. There is a difference between religiosity and spirituality."

"Oh, is there now?" Naruto asked. "Care to tell me the difference?"

Konohamaru sighed. "Religiosity is simply following what the laws of the religion state while spirituality is actually caring about what the word says and following it because they want to."

"So you say that there is a difference between the two, despite how it is almost the same thing?"

"Yes," Konohamaru said in a finishing tone. "Why do you care so much about it anyway?"

"Eh," Naruto began, "just wondering. You sound well versed. Who taught you?"

"I never actually went through any formal training. However, my grandpa's a minister, so I learned a lot about it from him."

"A minister, you say?" Naruto said acting surprised. "Could you… describe him a bit?"

"Well, he's not really my grandpa. Judging from what he had told me, he found me on his doorstep one day. I just call him grandpa. After all, I'm pretty sure that ministers are supposed to live lives of celibacy."

"I see. What did he teach you exactly?"

Konohamaru bit his lip, almost embarrassed by what Naruto was asking. "Umm… Religion I guess. He told me a bit about how Heaven and Hell was and looked like. You could call it blasphemy but he says he knows a celestial being, which is why he knows so much."

"Celestial being, you say?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I guess you could believe that," Naruto began, lighting and putting a cigarette to his mouth.

"You're not supposed to smoke in here."

"I'll smoke where I want."

"But you can't smoke in here!"

"Then come out side with me." Naruto began to walk out of the shrine and Konohamaru quickly followed after. "This place too stuffy for me."

"You know," the teenager began. "I would like to meet this… friend of his."

"Oh really?" Puff.

"Yeah, really. Grandpa keeps talking about this celestial friend of his. Every time I ask whether I could meet him or not, he just smiles and says it depends if he wants to meet me."

"What does he say about him?" Puff.

"Well, he says that he's always calling him old man, despite how he's much older. And he only shows up when he wants to and usually it's near a river."

"Hm." Naruto removed the cigarette from his mouth before exhaling a ring of smoke. "Well, I suppose I ought to wish you good luck. You may need it in your search for him." He began to walk away from Konohamaru and towards the city.

---

Looking up at the sky through dark sunglasses, Shino idly stretched his thin body. It had been a while since he was needed and spent his time resting for the day he would be called back to duty.

Although his duty now was very much different than what he had to do before. The only thing he was responsible for was making sure that the insects of the world were in balance with the rest of the animals and the creation of the world. As elementals, their job was to help the God make the world and make sure that it ran smoothly.

That meant that they were far older than the angels (and later demons), which came about only after God decided to make humans. However, the many other elementals like him spent their time sleeping, monitoring the balance of their elements with their thoughts.

To actually see the fruits of their labor was quite amazing to them.

"It's so amazing, this thing we've made," Katame said.

"Yeah."

"You know, I think I could just stare at the sky all day and still be amazed at it for what it is."

"Really?"

"Couldn't you? I mean, the last time we saw the sky it was just… well… devoid of anything!"

"We'll have to see."

"Oh don't give me that. You know you've never seen the sky before until now."

"True, but I don't think I could just watch it all day. If we focus on just one of the many aspects of the world, we miss the rest of the things that we've made."

They were leaning back on one of the rare green hills of the Rock capital, staring aloofly into the sky.

"If feels strange," Katame began, "to be under Naruto's command, you know? I mean we're so much older than him"

"That is true, but he was given the power of one of the basic elements, fire. We can be replaced. He cannot."

"So suddenly we're replaceable now? After all we've done, God just turns around and tells us that we're expendable?"

"Think this through before you come to judge him, Katame. While we are indeed older, we have much less real world experience. Also, his previous position within the ranks of Hell was very high, meaning that he would have a large sphere of influence at his disposal."

"Oh."

They continued to stare at the sky.

"What will happen to us if we die?" Shino quietly said.

"Huh?"

"While we are replaceable, an elemental has never died before. What will happen then? Will the element that we control suddenly disappear from the world? Angels and demons can die and we'd know that it is not one of great effect upon the world, as they too are replaced and they take over the role. When they die, they are usually reborn, depending on how they died. But us… how would the world change?"

"No idea."

"Would the transition go over without flaws?"

"Well, it's God we're talking about. I'm pretty sure he has something planned for every little problem."

"Yeah."

"Him and his little board of buttons. I don't think he even knows how to use it completely."

"Well, he's never really had to use it. He just used his God powers to do everything for him."

"So in secret he could be a lazy ass?"

"Maybe."

---

It was three P.M. As mentioned beforehand, the group had meet where they split up. Having restocked their supplies (Maeka had a suspiciously new hairpin tucked in her pink tresses), they were ready for business. With solemn nods, no words were exchanged. The time had come to visit the king.

Strangely, Naruto was not present.

"Should we wait for him, sensei?" Sasuke asked.

"Time is short. I want to leave the Rock Kingdom by nightfall, Uchiha-sama." He noticed that she gave up on correcting him. Whether that was good or bad was left to his discretion. "I think we can leave him behind for now. If his character holds true, I'm pretty sure that we'll see him before we leave."

"Now come on, all of you. Diplomacy isn't something that just happens overnight."

With all words said, they began their march to the castle.

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