The Forgotten Rider

by Ten-Faced Paladin

A Kamen Rider BladeNaruto story inspired by works of Dark Magician 41. Watch how the power of the Undead and the powers of chakra and Biju combine. An understanding of Kamen Rider Blade is necessary to understand aspects of this fic.

3. Chapter 3

I do not own Naruto or Kamen Rider Blade. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for pure enjoyment and I hope you all enjoy too.

The Forgotten Rider

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 3: Battle of the Bridge

Kyle yawned as he woke for the day. It was his day off so he was looking forward to relaxing for the day. Well, for part of the day anyway. Looking around, he noticed that Naruto, Sasuke, and Kakashi were all gone from the room. They had all probably woken up and went off to do what ninjas usually did in the mornings Throwing on a set of clothes, he exited the room and started walking down the hall. As he was walking, he almost walked into Sakura, who seemed to be still half-asleep.

"Good morning, Sakura," Kyle greeted politely.

"Good morning, Kyle," the pink-haired kunoichi yawned.

Conversation was kept to a minimum before they reached the dining room. Tazuna and his grandson were already at the table while Tsunami was getting breakfast ready. Sasuke was sitting at the table while Kakashi was leaning against a doorframe while sitting down. He was finally off his crutches, but he looked a little nervous or agitated. Well, agitated if the way he kept clenching his hand into a fist was anyway. Kyle turned his gaze to the table and noticed that a certain blonde was missing.

"Where's Naruto?" Kyle asked, still blinking sleep out of his eyes.

"He didn't come back last night," Sakura sighed. "He stayed out to keep up with the tree exercise. He's always doing stupid stuff like that. He's probably passed out due to chakra exhaustion."

"Are you sure he'll be alright?" asked Tsunami worriedly. "I don't like the thought of a kid outside alone at night, especially with men who work for Gatoh out there."

"Naruto will be fine," Kakashi said reassuringly. "Although he may not look it, he is a decent ninja."

"Hnn," Sasuke snorted. "Knowing Naruto, he probably got himself killed from chakra exhaustion."

"Okay," Kyle sighed, turning to the door. "I'm going to see if he's okay."

"But what about breakfast?" asked Tsunami.

"I'll eat when I get back," Kyle smiled. "If I don't come back fast then you guys can split it among yourselves. I'll just eat some berries or something."

"Oh, okay," Tsunami nodded.

"See you later then," Kyle smiled before slipping on his shoes and heading out the door.

With that, Kyle walked out the door and out into the forest where Kakashi and his team were training. Hopefully Naruto didn't hurt himself too badly. The kid was going to be an important player in the future of a lot of things to come. Kyle was finding that he had to keep reminding himself of what he knew about events to come for Naruto and his team. All he had to do was remember that he knew these things were going to happen.

As he was nearing the general area where he was sure that Kakashi was training his team, it was hard to tell in the early morning fog, he heard voices. One was definitely Naruto, but the other was much softer. Feminine sounding to an extent, but a little deep too. It was either someone who was pretending to be a boy, or was just rather feminine. Kyle took a few steps closer and spotted Naruto picking herbs with a girl who had long dark hair and was wearing a pink kimono. Kyle's eyes instantly widened on seeing her. This was Haku.

Kyle had to admit that Haku was very femenine looking. Personally, he didn't totally buy the ice-user's claim of manhood. Unless they were using a henge, an actor, or had serious mental problems, no one would actually dress like a woman. The claim was only further disproved by the choice of clothes Haku was wearing. No way Haku could be a guy and look that good in women's clothing.

"So what are you doing out here?" Haku asked Naruto curiously.

"Training!" the blonde replied eagerly.

"So, are you a ninja or something?" asked Haku. "I mean, with that forehead protector..."

"Believe it!" Naruto grinned. "I am a ninja!"

"Wow, you must be amazing," Haku blinked. One could almost see Naruto's ego swelling from the compliment. "But, why were you training?"

"I'm training to get stronger!" Naruto replied proudly.

"I see," Haku blinked. "You look pretty strong already."

"Even so, I want to get stronger and stronger!" Naruto replied enthusiastically.

"Why though?" asked Haku.

"Because I'm going to be the number one ninja in my village! I'll make everyone recognize my power!" Naruto answered. "Also, I want to prove something to someone."

"Oh?" Haku replied. "Are you doing that for someone else, or for yourself?"

"Huh?" Naruto blinked in confusion.

"Do you have someone who is important to you?" Haku continued.

At this point, Kyle's fears were laid to rest. This wasn't going to be some kind of preemptive move that came about by his presence. It was just Haku getting some herbs to help Zabuza recover from the pressure points she had used to make him look dead. Just like in the books, she stumbled on Naruto and they begin talking. This would be the point where Naruto would hear the philosophy of protecting his precious people. In the Rider's opinion, it was a very important lesson to learn.

Kyle just walked away from the pair. His first thoughts were towards breakfast, but he wasn't very hungry just yet. That was when his thoughts drifted to another idea.

"Why not?" he asked himself. He reached into his shirt and pulled out a silver buckle which had a clear panel in the front. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out three cards. The first had a stag beetle on the front with a diamond on its abdomen and the word 'Change' written on the side. The second had a Caucasus beetle on it which had a spade symbol and the word 'Evolution' written on it. The last card was the Remote Tapir card.

Kyle took the Ace of Diamonds and slipped it into the buckle before placing the other cards on the ground. He put the buckle to his waist before a silver belt wrapped around his waist. Reaching down to the buckle, he griped a small handle on the side of the panel where he put the Ace into.

"Henshin!" Kyle called before he pulled at the handle. The panel flipped over to reveal a gold diamond on a green panel.

"Turn Up!" the buckle called as a blue field was ejected from it that grew until it was big enough for a person to fit through. It had the image of the stag beetle from the card on it. Kyle took a breath before he charged at the field and slipped right through it. However, he had changed again.

He was now donned in a red bodysuit which had silver shoulder pads, boots, gauntlets, and chest plate. Diamond symbols were imprinted on the shoulders and the middle of the chest. On his right arm, there was a black box-like device which had a clear panel on it. The helmet was silver and had two horns sticking from the top which was like the stag beetle's horns. His eyes were green and an ornate gun was at his side. Kyle had changed into Kamen Rider Garren.

"Okay. Glad that worked," Garren sighed in relief as he looked himself over. "Now for stage two."

Garren walked over to the two cards he had left on the ground and picked them up. He also drew his gun before throwing the Evolution Caucasus card into the air.

"Remote!" the Rouzer called after Garren slashed the card through. He then pointed it at the falling card and let the beam strike it, releasing the Undead that was kept within it.

This Undead was a Category King. It was covered with golden carapace and had large horns jutting from its head. In its hands were a wicked-looking sword and a broad shield with spike jutting from the sides. Its face seemed to be scowling as it looked over Garren.

"What do you want?" it asked, obviously agitated.

"I need a little sparring practice," Garren shrugged as he tensed. "There's a fight coming up with a guy who has a sword and you're the only high-level Undead who uses one."

"Heh," the King of Spades snorted. "Is that so? Well, I could use the exercise. Who knows? You might actually learn something."

"I'm betting on it," Garren smirked as he took a stance.

--

Haku was just standing up as she and Naruto finished their conversation. She told him of how her precious person had found her gave her a real meaning to be strong. Naruto seemed to be a little confused at what she was talking about. That was okay though, he would figure it out soon enough. As she was walking away, she decided to keep her ruse up about her gender.

"Oh, by the way," she began, but was suddenly cut off when a loud clang echoed through the forest.

"What was that?!" Naruto cried as he suddenly leaped to his feet.

"I'm not sure," Haku blinked. She had to control herself from reacting like her training taught her. If she did then she was going to give herself away. She looked in the direction of the sounds. "I think it was this way."

"All right!" Naruto nodded. "It's probably that jerk Gatoh or some of his men! You'd better stay here! It could get dangerous!"

Haku made slight nod. Even though she could take care of herself quite easily, she didn't want to blow her cover just yet. Of course, that didn't mean she couldn't follow Naruto if she wanted to. She hadn't heard of Gatoh's men going to fight anyone so what were these sounds of battle?

Naruto rushed forward through the trees towards where Haku had pointed the battle was coming from. He was so intent on figuring out what was going on that he didn't even notice that Haku was following him. The two continued following the noises until they found another clearing. The sight made Naruto freeze and Haku gasp with shock.

Before them was who they assumed to be the Rider. Naruto wasn't sure since the armor was different and Haku wasn't sure since she had never seen the Rider before. All she knew about him was things she had gotten through rumors. Still, the golden insect creature that he was fighting was a sight to behold.

Garren dodged another sword strike from the King as he fired more shots from his gun to try and get himself some space. The King was quick to react though as he used both his shield and his sword to deflect the bullets. It did give Garren the desired space he needed. He reached to the back of his gun and pulled out several panels which held his numbered Rouze Cards. The King knew he couldn't afford to let Garren use any of the cards so he charged to stop him from drawing any.

Garren saw his opponent coming at him and grabbed only one card rather than the combo he had been hoping for. This card had a frog imprinted on it with the word 'Upper' written on the side. It was the Category 3 of Diamonds. Closing the panels, he slashed the card through his gun.

"Upper!" the Rouzer called as the image of the card was absorbed into Garren's armor. His right hand clenched into a fist as energy began to ripple through it. The King went for a slash before Garren dashed forward in an unpredicted move. He then used a powerful uppercut which connected with the King's chin with almost explosive force. The King let of a cry of pain as he was thrown several feet away with a throbbing pain in his head.

"This is so cool!" Naruto grinned excitedly. "Seeing the Rider in action is awesome!"

"That's the Rider?" asked Haku. "You've seen him before? How did he do that move? I thought you needed hand seals to do jutsus."

"Eh?!" Naruto gasped, turning around. Haku was right beside him as they watched the fight. "Haku?! What are you doing here?"

"I had to see," Haku replied. "Is that really the Rider?"

"Well, his armor is a little different, but I'm sure it's him," Naruto replied. "I don't know how he does those moves really. I think it has something to do with the cards he keeps around."

"But what is he fighting?" asked Haku.

"Not sure," Naruto shrugged. "It must be one of his summons. Those things are tough, believe it. Me and my team had to fight one. We won of course!"

With the King own for the moment, Garren opened the panels in his gun before drawing three new cards. These ones depicted a whale, a firefly, and a zebra. They had the words 'Drop', 'Fire', and 'Gemini' written on the side respectively. These were the Category 5, 6, and 9 of Diamonds. Garren brought the cards to his Rouzer before slashing them through.

"Drop! Fire! Gemini!" the Rouzer called before the combo began. "Burning Divide!"

The three images of the cards appeared around Garren before they were absorbed into his body. He gave off a cry as he took a flying leap into the air with the King as his target. Much to Naruto and Haku's shock, his feet ignited into fire before he actually split into two identical Riders. Both Garrens' attack hit home on the struggling to stand King, which only sent him skidding across the forest floor. Both Garrens looked to each other before combining back into one Rider again.

"No way!" Naruto cried. "He can do a Kage Bunshin?!"

Haku couldn't find anything to say. The Rider indeed looked like a powerful fighter. It seemed he could control fire as well as ice. Was it a bloodline ability like she first thought, or did it have something to do with the cards he had?

"I'm not done yet!" King growled as he got back to his feet.

"Good," Garren chuckled. Naruto instantly recalled the voice from the green-clad Rider who had helped him. "Because there's something I want to check."

Placing his gun back in his holster, Garren reached to his arm where the black object was resting. He grabbed a small flap on the side and pulled it to reveal three new cards that Naruto hadn't seen him use before. He grabbed the first two and held them up. The first had a gold peacock on it with the word 'Fusion' written on it. The second had two snake heads on it in a yin-yang position with the word 'Absorb' written on the side. These two cards were the Category Jack and Queen of Diamonds. Taking the snake card, he slipped it into the black box so the image was visible through the clear panel.

"Absorb Queen!" the item announced as the card was inserted. Garren then took the other card and slashed it through a slit in the side of the object. "Fusion Jack!"

There was a golden flash of light as the image of a peacock appeared in front of Garren with its tail feathers spread out. The image hovered towards Garren before it passed over him and changed him. His shoulders were covered with gold as was his face and chest. The diamond symbol on his chest had a peacock inside of it. On his back were 6 'wings' which looked like a peacock's tail feathers. His gun had also changed. Now it had a golden blade extending just underneath the barrel of the gun.

"Woah," Naruto gaped as he witnessed the change and saw the result.

"He's so..." Haku whispered. It was like looking at an angel. A golden angel.

Garren Jack Form folded his wings together as he stared the King down again. The Caucasus Undead gripped his sword and shield while Garren JF kept his eyes on him and a solid grip on his gun. Both started circling each other. King made the first move by charging with his weapons raised for another strike. Garren reacted quickly and spread his wings out again. He then quickly took to the air above King, Naruto, and Haku.

"Wow!" Naruto cried in shock. "He can really fly?!"

Haku was still stunned speechless. It seemed the Rider had gotten even stronger in this new form. She was trying to memorize everything she was witnessing so to make a proper report to Zabuza.

"Now I'll show you something Tachibana never did!" Garren JF called as he opened the panels in his gun and drew three new cards. These ones depicted an armadillo, a woodpecker, and a bat. They had the words 'Bullet', 'Rapid', and 'Scope' written on them. These were the Category 2, 4, and 8 of Diamonds.

"Bullet! Rapid! Scope!" the Rouzer called as he slashed the three cards through. "Quick Shot!"

The images of the three cards floated around Garren JF before they were absorbed into him. Looking down at King, he started a dive bomb. He kept his gun pointed at the Category King before he started firing. The King tried to block, but Garren was accurately hitting exposed portions of his body at a very quick pace. Sparks flew from every blow to King's armor. The golden Undead stumbled back further and further as Garren JF rained shot after shot as he flew closer.

Garren finally came within striking distance, and with the King being distracted, he slashed a huge line across his torso before flying past. He landed on his feet. Small explosions of sparks ripped through the King before he fell to the ground in which a fiery explosion followed him. The flames died down before the King's buckle snapped open to reveal the runes which marked his defeat.

"Nice match," Garren JF admitted as he drew a Proper Blank. "We ought to do this again sometime."

Garren JF then threw the Proper Blank at the King and it stuck fast. The Undead was then absorbed into the card which made the image of the Evolution Caucasus card reappear. The card then flew straight back at Garren JF, who caught it between his fingers.

"Wow!" Naruto shouted out, attracting Garren's attention.

"Hey, you're that orange Konoha-nin," Garren said, pretending to be surprised. "And who's your girlfriend?" He was looking at Haku.

When his eyes landed on Haku, Garren cursed inwardly. He hadn't meant to attract anyone's attention. Now that Haku had seen him in action, she was probably going to tell Zabuza what she had seen and what moves he could use. So much for his training as Garren.

"Wait a sec! Haku's not my girlfriend!" Naruto cried with his face turning slightly red. "We were just talking before we heard you fighting and came to see."

"I see," Garren nodded. "Well, I hope you enjoyed the show."

"You bet we did!" Naruto laughed. "The way you changed and blew that thing away was cool! What is that thing you used anyway?"

"This old thing?" Garren asked while regarding his gun. "Oh, just a tool of the trade. What are you two doing out here so early in the morning?"

"I was gathering herbs," Haku replied calmly.

"Training!" Naruto grinned proudly.

"What a coincidence," Garren chuckled. "I'm training too. Hope you liked the show."

"You bet we did!" Naruto cheered while Haku just nodded. Naruto then decided to ask a question. "Hey, why's your armor so different?"

Haku silently took that question in stride. He wore different armor the last time Naruto saw him? That could mean that his abilities varied depending on his form. What was worse, she had no idea how many forms the Rider possessed. That and how many summons he possessed.

"Now that's my little secret," Garren chided the orange ninja. "You ninjas have your own secrets don't you?"

That answer seemed to be good enough for Naruto, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Haku was likewise disappointed since she couldn't get any more information about the Rider. Still, she had some considerable information for Zabuza. That would be extremely helpful in any upcoming battles she or Zabuza may have with him.

"Anyhow," Garren spoke up. "Shouldn't you be having breakfast? Don't want to be hungry all day do you?"

Naruto's stomach gave a loud grumble, which proved Garren's words correct. Haku just giggled at the sudden sounds. Naruto flushed in slight embarrassment before nodding slightly.

"Well, you two better get out of here," Garren sighed. "I have to get going anyway."

With that, Garren spread his wings and took to the sky again. Haku and Naruto watched him go before he vanished among the trees. When he was gone, Naruto turned to Haku with an apologetic smile on his face.

"He's right. My sensei's probably worried about me. So, I'll see you later, Haku," Naruto smiled before he ran in the general direction of Tazuna's house. Haku watched him go for a moment before she quietly walked towards the base where she and Zabuza had been hiding out.

Zabuza needed to know about what she'd discovered. This kind of information was critical when it was time and if they ever faced the mysterious Masked Rider.

--

Kyle returned to the house looking somewhat worn out. After he left Haku and Naruto behind, he decided to train as Blade so he could get used to it. It put him at somewhat of a disadvantage against Zabuza if things were reliant on swords alone. Luckily, he had a few tricks up his sleeve that Zabuza wouldn't be able to deal with. Still, Kyle let his mind run away from the upcoming battle with Zabuza as he entered the house again.

"Hello, Kyle," Tsunami smiled pleasantly. "It's good to see you back. When Naruto returned without you we got a little worried until he started going off about the Rider."

"Well, Naruto seemed to have made a friend so I didn't want to interrupt," Kyle chuckled. "So what did Naruto say about the Rider this time?"

"Oh, well he went on about all the moves the Rider used," Tsunami smiled. "Something odd he mentioned was that the Rider turned gold and became able to fly. We didn't hear of the Rider being able to do that."

"A little something I'm saving in case of emergencies," Kyle shrugged. "I didn't mean for anyone to see me."

"Can't be helped," Tsunami shrugged with a smile. "Still, it's good to know people are trying hard to help us. You, Naruto, Kakashi-san, the others, if we can beat Gatoh and finish the bridge then I don't think that we'll be ever be able to thank everyone involved enough."

"Don't forget that you're helping too," Kyle smiled. "You helped hire Kakashi and his team too. You're helping just as much as everyone else."

"Good point," Tsunami smiled. "Still, the people of Nami will be very grateful for everyone who helped make this happen."

"I think seeing Gatoh's ticked-off face will be more than enough of a reward for a lot of people," Kyle snickered.

"No doubt," Tsunami giggled in agreement.

As the two were talking, Kyle's stomach began to grumble very loudly. Kyle himself turned a little red at the sounds he was making, but Tsunami only broke out into even more giggles, "A little hungry are we?"

"Um... a little," Kyle blushed embarrassedly.

"Well, you shouldn't have been out training and skipping breakfast," Tsunami scolded in good nature. "You're also lucky that I decided to keep your breakfast safe."

"Lucky me," Kyle chuckled. His mind then turned to the notable absence in the house. "Where is everyone anyway?"

"Well, father is at the bridge as usual," Tsunami explained as she went to retrieve Kyle's share of food. "Inari is in his room. Kakashi and Sakura went to give Naruto some lunch. Naruto himself went to go train. I hear he's getting better at the tree-climbing exercise. Sasuke is off guarding father."

"Okay," Kyle nodded. "It's nice to see that things have been going rather smoothly."

"Yes," Tsunami agreed. "I'm just worried that something is going to happen soon."

"I know that feeling," Kyle nodded as he took out his Rouze Cards. The Ace of Clubs and the Jack of Clubs were sitting at the top of the small pile.

--

Inside of their base, Zabuza was sitting on a chair and pondering what he had heard from Haku.

"So you saw the Rider in action," Zabuza muttered.

"Yes," Haku nodded. She was now donned in her green clothes which helped hide her gender better than some of the clothes she liked to wear.

"Well, this confirms what the Demon Brother had said about him," Zabuza commented. "He can use jutsus without the use of hand seals. You said he used some kind of cards instead?"

"Yes," Haku nodded again. "He had them stored in his weapon which he could get to quickly before slashing them through."

"I see," Zabuza nodded. "And the two attacks you saw, Burning Divide and Quick Shot, how did those attacks work?"

"The Burning Divide technique required him to put three cards through his weapon," Haku explained. "The weapon said the words 'Drop', 'Fire', and 'Gemini'. He then leaped into the air and made a clone of himself. Both of them had their feet catch on fire before they hit their opponent. The force of the blow sent his opponent back several feet. The burn damage alone would be extensive on a human body."

"So I know what to look for," Zabuza commented. "And the Quick Shot?"

"This one had the weapon call 'Bullet', 'Rapid', and 'Scope'," Haku continued. "This attack allowed him to use that projectile weapon of his at a rapid pace. It affected his accuracy to a point in which he never missed. He hit several sensitive points on his opponent's body which was the final blow."

"Okay," Zabuza nodded. Those attacks sounded formidable, but nothing he couldn't deal with. "What about how he made his armor change? The gold version."

"Again, he used his cards," Haku explained. "But he didn't keep them in his weapon like the others. He kept them in a device on his arm. I think it announced them as 'Absorb Queen' and 'Fusion Jack'. An image of a peacock appeared before it fused with him to give him those wings and gold armor."

"Understood," Zabuza nodded. "Now, would you say there was a difference in strength between the two forms?"

"Considerable," Haku answered. "The Burning Divide technique hurt the summons, but didn't defeat it. After the change, the Quick Shot technique is what finished it off."

"I see," Zabuza frowned behind his bandages. "Then if we don't want to be on the receiving end of the Rider's other techniques then we will have to hit fast. Tomorrow we strike."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama," Haku nodded obediently

--

Another day fell to night as Kakashi and Sakura returned with Tazuna. Sasuke wasn't with them since he had gone to continue his training. Tazuna eyed Kyle for a moment before he continued to tell his daughter how their day went. Sakura found this slightly odd that Tazuna didn't get upset with Kyle since he was supposed to be working. Tazuna got angry enough with people who were slacking off on the job as it was. Why was Kyle such an exception?

The boy himself was playing cards with Inari. The younger boy seemed to prefer Kyle's company along with his family. It wasn't long before the night had totally set. As Tsunami was getting dinner ready for everyone, the door opened wide as Sasuke and Naruto came stumbling in. The last Uchiha was half-carrying the blonde boy into the house. Both of them looked a little dirty, making everyone wonder just how strenuous the training was.

"What happened to the two of you?" asked Tazuna in some curiosity. "You try to kill each other or something?"

"Heh," Naruto snickered. "We made it. We made it to the top of the trees."

"Good for you," Kakashi 'smiled'. "Now you two can protect Tazuna tomorrow."

Both boys just snickered. They didn't mind the guard duty. After all, it was part of the mission. Now they had the added training to do a better job for it. The concept of Zabuza going against them didn't scare them as much as it did before. Not that they were scared of the missing-nin, not at all.

"Well, if this is everyone for dinner, I think we can start," Tsunami smiled. It was so nice to have a lively house.

Dinner was its usual spectacle. At least this time Sasuke and Naruto didn't make themselves throw up from eating. Everyone was rather civil at the table for a change. After dinner, Naruto seemed close to nodding off as he rested his head on the table.

Inari looked over at the snoozing blonde for a moment. Kyle steeled himself for what was happening. If he recalled properly, this would be where Inari explodes on everyone, saying they were too weak too stop Gatoh.

Inari's mind was going over memories. He could recall times when Kaiza would help the people of Nami in their times of need. He remembered how he would continue saying that he would protect others with nothing but his two arms if he had to. Of course, that led to the day Gatoh executed Kaiza, and destroyed Inari's belief in heroes. Then, a more recent memory flashed into his mind. It was the day that he met Kyle and first saw his power. The next memory was where he witnessed Leangle defeating the Demon Brothers so to keep his grandfather and the others safe.

Inari released a frustrated sigh, "I don't see why you guys are even here. You aren't strong enough to go against Gatoh. He'll just kill you guys too."

"Hey!" Naruto cried. "The Rider's not the only one who's strong! We fought his summons and we beat it! Not even the Demon Brothers could do that!"

"Big deal!" Inari snapped. "That was a Category 3! The one he used to beat the Demon brothers was Category Jack! It was way stronger than the wimpy one you took out!"

Kakashi listened intently to Inari's words. Category 3? Jack? It sounded like the Rider classified the power levels of his summons. So if what he called the Mole Undead was the second level, then how strong was this one he called Category Jack? Even more curious, how did Inari know about them? Did he make up the system or did the Rider tell him?

"We beat that one, and we can beat the rest!" Naruto shouted back. "Then we'll kick Gatoh's ass right out of Nami!"

"Don't say it so easily!" Inari snapped. Tears were beginning to appear in his eyes. "You don't have any idea what's it's like for us! You sit there with grin on your face as if nothing's wrong! The Rider is the only one who cares and he's the only one strong enough to stop Gatoh! Only strong people can beat other strong people!"

"Are you done?" Naruto asked coldly after a moment of silence. "Is this why you act in your own personal tragedy and just cry?"

Inari blinked in some confusion.

"An idiot like you can just keep crying," Naruto continued. "You little crybaby!"

"Naruto!" Sakura scolded. "That's too much!"

Naruto snorted and shoved himself away from the table. He didn't give anyone a word as he left the room.

--

Inari sat at the edge of one of the docks as he watched the moon over the water. It was one of the times that Nami seemed truly at peace and problems like Gatoh didn't exist.

Kakashi waited in the shadow of the house. He had decided to talk to Inari and try and make him understand Naruto's situation. As he was planning to walk, something interrupted him.

"Change!" a drone-like voice echoed through the night air as Kakashi whirled around to face the one behind him.

"Relax," came the voice of the Rider. "It's only me."

Kakashi was little hard-pressed to believe it. The Rider was donned in a suit of armor he hadn't seen before. It was mainly black and gold with a red heart acting as a visor.

Inari heard the small commotion and turned to see who was there. His face brightened somewhat when he saw Chalice next to Kakashi.

"Onii-chan," Inari smiled. "What are you doing here?"

"Came by to see how you were doing," Chalice shrugged as he walked past Kakashi and sat down next to the younger boy. Kakashi likewise sat on Inari's opposite side. "Heard about your little fight at dinner."

"Well, it's true!" Inari frowned. "Only strong guys like you can beat strong guys like Gatoh!"

"Maybe," Chalice shrugged. "But how do you think strong people start out? Even the strongest people start out weak. Even I was weak at one point."

Inari seemed shocked at the admission.Kakashi silently agreed with Chalice. No one in history was strong to begin with. Even his old teacher the Yondaime and his home village of Konoha had to start somewhere.

"But...those Rouze Cards helped you get really strong!" Inari spoke out.

"The Rouze Cards only give me an outlet for my strength," Chalice explained. "If I wasn't truly strong then I would probably become possessed by the likes of the Category Ace."

There was the category system again. Kakashi listened as he took a mental note of the words used. The Rider classified his cards in a same way as a regular playing deck?

"To be honest, when I first came to Nami, I wasn't sure what I was going to do," Chalice continued. "If it weren't for a few special people then I might have ended up like the people in town and just do nothing with my time or become a thief."

"Who are these special people?" asked Inari.

"The people who gave me the will to fight and grow stronger were the people who took me in and the people who risk their lives building the bridge which Gatoh wants stopped so badly," Chalice answered calmly.

Inari's eyes widened at the admission. He helped the Rider become as strong as he was? His mother? His grandfather? All the workers? It was because of them that he was as strong as he was?

"Yeah," Chalice nodded. "That orange ninja probably feels the same why I do. That was probably why he got so mad. He knows the pain of what you're going through at the least. He was mad because you just seemed to give up while he kept fighting no matter what."

"You'd be right about that," Kakashi finally spoke. "His name is Naruto. In a lot of ways, he's had it worse than you, Inari. He has no parents. Almost the entire village hates him as well. He's always desperate for acknowledgement and just to become a ninja was an uphill battle for him. He's had very little encouragement along the way."

Inari looked to Kakashi a she heard about Naruto's life. Chalice listened carefully. He knew that after things wrapped up in Nami, he was going to Konoha. He knew a lot of the villagers held a deep hatred of Naruto for the thing he kept prisoner inside of him. It was ironic. The villagers were hoping to get rid of Naruto for the Kyuubi's crimes when he was the one person making sure they don't happen again. Still, Chalice promised himself that if he caught anyone trying to hurt Naruto for those reasons, they would be dealt with harshly.

"Rider-san's guess about Naruto's anger is probably correct," Kakashi continued. "Out of all of us, he probably understands you best."

Inari remained silent after the talk. All three males just sat silently and watched the night sky. Eventually, Inari stood up and said a silent 'goodnight' before heading inside. Kakashi and Chalice continued sitting.

"Do you have questions, Kakashi-san?" Chalice finally asked.

"You know who I am," replied Kakashi.

"Ninja of a thousand jutsus," Chalice snickered. "There's always someone who knows about you and spreads the information. Took me a while to recognize you."

"I see," Kakashi nodded. He was a familiar face in a lot of places. "Inari mentioned a system which you categorize your summons."

"He let that slip, eh?" asked Chalice. "I do. Category 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Ace. Category 2 is the weakest while Ace would be the strongest."

"I see," Kakashi nodded. So that was the full range of his summons' power. His team seemed hard-pressed to beat a Category 2. Well, they were beginners. What worried Kakashi was his thoughts of how much stronger the other Categories were compared to the one his team had fought. Naturally, the Rider would have to be stronger if he wanted to control them with just words. The larger animal summons that he had witnessed usually wanted something like food or something before they did anything.

"What do you plan to do if we beat Gatoh?" Kakashi finally asked.

"Depends on how things play out," Chalice shrugged. "If we do win then Gatoh's hold here crumbles. It won't stop him from trying other dirty tricks to get it back. I'd stay until we're sure he's gone for good."

Kakashi again nodded. The two remained quiet for a little while longer before Chalice got up and left, leaving the masked Jounin to his thoughts.

The sun rose the next morning like it always did for the people of Nami. Inari heard his mother talking outside and he just decided to sleep a little more. He turned in his covers and noticed a small note next to his futon with a card on it. Now curious, Inari took the card and gazed at it. It depicted a very large gold spider and had the word 'Evolution' printed on the side. This was the Category King of Clubs, Evolution Tarantula.

With surprised gasp, Inari turned to the note.

'Good morning Inari

After some thought about last night, I decided to lend you this Rouze Card. It is a very powerful one, but also very noble. I think something may happen today so I left it with you. The creature inside is named Shima. He's very pleasant and will protect you should you need him. However, if you wish to unlock his power then you must be truly strong. It is in this strength that you will find the power of a king.

Sincerely

Kyle.

Inari looked down at the Category King card in his hand. He was very surprised that Kyle would entrust such a thing to him of all people. Still, Inari would keep it safe and return it when Kyle came back.

"Inari," Tsunami called from downstairs. "Could you come help me?"

Getting out of bed, Inari went to get some clothes on before tucking the card into his pocket. It was later that he would be thanking Kyle for the gift he had given him when everyone would return.

--

Kyle and Tazuna were being guided to the bridge by Sakura, Sasuke and Kakashi. The Jounin was finally recovered from the battle with Zabuza and was now helping in the mission beyond training. Kakashi had left Naruto behind since he gauged that the blonde wouldn't be able to use his body for the day so he could sleep in.

"We should be able to complete the bridge soon if we keep up the pace we're at," Tazuna spoke optimistically.

"Gatoh's going to get desperate then," Kyle snickered. "I only wish we can see his face when we finally finish this thing. He's going to be pissed."

"No doubt," Tazuna chuckled.

As the small group came to the bridge, they noticed that there wasn't anyone around. That in itself was odd since some of the workers who hoped for overtime pay came early to get some work done.

"Maybe they're working at the very end," suggested Sakura.

"Let's go check." sighed Tazuna as they started walking. Kyle started feeling tense. Something was wrong.

The group continued walking until they came to the end of the bridge. This was when their blood began to run cold. Strewn about in front of them were six bodies of the workers who had come early that morning. Some were groaning in pain while one or two others looked like they were actually dead.

"What…what happened here?" gasped Tazuna.

"I'll give you three guesses," Kyle frowned as he reached into his shirt to grab the Rider Buckle he had brought along. So much for a secret identity.

As they were transfixed by the violence, a large fog began rolling in. It covered everything from view. Even the ends of the bridge were hidden from sight.

"This mist!" Kakashi gasped. He then turned to his team. "Sasuke! Sakura! He's here!"

Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura each took a point at Tazuna's side and front. Kyle took the back as he drew the buckle and another card. This one had the image of a Kabuto beetle with a spade on its abdomen. The word 'Change' was written on the side. This was the Category Ace of Spades.

Kyle slid the card into the buckle, which looked exactly the same as the Garren Buckle. He then placed it on his waist and a red belt circled around him and secured itself. The sudden pulsing noise caught the ninjas' attention

"Henshin!" Kyle called as he pulled the handle on the buckle, revealing a red panel with a gold spade on it.

"Turn Up!" the buckle called before a blue field was ejected from it. This one had the image of the kabuto beetle on it and grew to the size in which a person could run through it.

Kyle dashed forward toward the field with the ninja's unsure of what he was doing. Tazuna, on the other hand, had a smirk on his face. Zabuza was in for a surprise. Kyle kept running until he passed right through the field, causing it to fade away. Of course, Kyle had changed again.

He was now donned in a blue bodysuit with silver armor that covered his chest, shoulders, helmet, forearms and legs. His chest had a silver spade depicted on it with a spade on each of his shoulders. His helmet was mainly sliver with a single horn. His eyes were a blood red as well. On his side was a sword which had panels inside the hilt. Kyle had changed a fourth time. He was now Kamen Rider Blade.

"So," the deep voice of Zabuza echoed through the mist. "The Rider was one of the workers on the bridge. He's in a new form too."

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke were all shocked by the revelation that Kyle was the Rider that they had talked to. He was living under the very same roof that they were! How could they have been so blind?

"Sorry to keep you waiting, Kakashi," Zabuza chuckled in the centre of the mist. "I see you still have those kids with you."

The two younger ninja had already drawn kunai to help defend themselves. Blade had stepped closer to Tazuna before drawing his own sword. His hand was positioned properly so he could reach his cards fast should he need to. He would probably have to since they were dealing with Zabuza and Haku. Things were not going to be easy.

"That one is still shaking," Zabuza snickered as he mentioned Sasuke. It was true. The last Uchiha was trembling. "How shameful."

Sasuke's face turned into s light smirk at the comment. It was like he knew something that Zabuza didn't. Of course, the smirk didn't last long when seven Zabuzas came out of the mist and landed in a circle around the group of five.

"Mizu Bunshin," Blade observed.

"Heh," Sasuke snickered. "I'm shaking in excitement."

Each of the Zabuza clones only seemed to smirk at the statement.

"Go for it, Sasuke," Kakashi 'smiled'.

That was all the encouragement Sasuke needed. It was also when the signal in which the water clones chose to attack. All seven of them charged with their blades raised to kill the five targets. Before they could take a proper first step, Sasuke seemed to blur before something slashed through the clones, reducing them back into water. He came to a stop in the same position that he began at before standing straight.

"I guess that training paid off," Blade chuckled.

"Some help you were," Sasuke shot back.

"Hey, Zabuza's seen your techniques before," Blade retorted. "He hasn't seen mine though."

Two more figures began stepping out of the fog to reveal Zabuza himself walking alongside a masked person younger than him. Blade quickly realized that it was Haku. Thanks to Haku's mask, there was no facial recognition, but Zabuza's eyes seemed somewhat disappointed.

"So the kid beat all the clones, eh?" he sighed. "Here I was hoping that the Rider would at least get one. His form is different than what you said, Haku."

"Forgive me," Haku spoke meekly.

"No, you said yourself that the Rider could change forms," Zabuza commented. "Why don't you take the boy. Kakashi and the Rider are mine."

"Yes, Zabuza-sama," Haku nodded.

Blade, Kakashi, and Sasuke took up positions in front of Sakura and Tazuna. Blade gripped his sword with some nervousness. This wasn't going to be like fighting the Demon Brothers. Not in the least.

--

CRASH!!

Tsunami gasped in shock as her front door was slashed open by numerous sword strikes. She turned to see what was happening and saw two men with swords standing in the hole in the wall. One had an eye patch and was shirtless while the other wore a thick jacket and a hat.

"So you're Tazuna's daughter," Hat snickered. "I'm going to have to ask you to come with us."

As this emergency was unfolding, Inari was up in his room, looking at the Evolution Tarantula which Kyle had lent him. His note had said that he had to be truly strong if he wanted to use it to help his family.

"Truly strong," Inari pondered to himself. "What does that mean?"

His musings were suddenly cut off as crashes and his mother's screams echoed from downstairs. Inari was up on his feet in a flash and running downstairs to see what was happening. What he stumbled on was his mother on the ground before two swordsmen who looked like they meant business.

"Mom!" Inari cried in fear.

"Inari!" Tsunami cried as the two swordsman noticed her son. "Run! Run away from here!"

The two swordsmen seemed to consider Inari for a moment before Hat spoke up, "Should we grab the kid too?"

"Don't you dare!" Tsunami cried getting to her knees. "If you so much as touch him then I'll bite my own tongue out! Gatoh wants me unharmed doesn't he?!"

Inari gasped at his mother's words. At this point, he was so scared that tears were running down his face.

"Hnn," One-Eye frowned in disappointment. "Thank your mother, kid. She just saved your life."

Both swordsmen grabbed Tsunami and tied her hands together. She didn't make a sound as she was led outside. Inari watched them go and slid down the wall until he was sitting. He clutched his knees and began to cry.

"Mom," he sobbed. "I'm…I'm so weak. I can't even protect you."

As he was crying, a tear dropped from his face and landed on the Rouze Card that he had clutched in his hand. As the tear fell on the Rouze Card, the image of the tarantula began to move slightly.

'Do you truly believe that?' asked a mature male voice in Inari's mind.

"Huh?" Inari blinked, looking around to see who was talking.

'You have many sources of strength,' the voice continued. 'You just haven't drawn from them.'

"I…haven't" Inari blinked.

'Have you forgotten the words of the people you look up to already?' asked the voice. 'Let me show you.'

Inari began to feel wind picking up around him. As it blew, he began to hear the voices of people, people that he knew.

"Are you done? Is this why you act in your own personal tragedy and just cry?"

"The people who gave me the will to fight and grow stronger were the people who took me in and the people who risk their lives building the bridge which Gatoh wants stopped so badly."

"Protect whatever is important to you with these two arms. Even if it costs you your life."

Inari felt the memories of Naruto, Chalice, and Kaiza run through his mind. Slowly, he stood up again while wiping the tears.

"Will I…will I be able to become strong like Kyle-Nii-chan and Naruto-Nii-chan? Like dad?" Inari asked quietly, not expecting an answer.

'So long as you remember the source of your strength, you will be strong as well,' the voice replied, giving Inari the conviction he needed.

Outside, Tsunami was being led towards a small boat in which the two swordsmen used to get to the house.

"You know," One-eye snickered. "A face like yours makes me want to cut it up. A shame Gatoh wants you unharmed."

"Shut up and walk," Hat grumbled.

The two swordsmen and their prisoner got a little farther down the dock when someone decided to interfere.

"Stop!"

Both of the swordsmen turned around to see Inari standing at the other end of the dock. Tsunami likewise turned and gasped when she saw her son.

"Let go of my mom!" Inari cried out before he started running at the two men.

"Looks like we get to cut something after all," One-eye laughed.

"No!" Tsunami cried. "I swear I'll-URK!"

Tsunami's cry was cut off by a chop to the neck, which knocked her unconscious. As she fell to the ground, the two swordsmen drew their weapons of choice. They were expecting to slice up a kid, but in the blink of an eye, they got something else.

What was in front of them was definitely not a little kid. What was standing in front of them was a man-sized creature that was mostly purple with an orange arm and orange spots on its chest and shoulders. It had four spider-like legs which were sticking out of its back. The left legs were orange. Its head was purple and had a purple visor, but both swordsmen could see a skeletal face behind it.

Shima/Tarantula Undead had both swords held in his hands. He was glaring at the two swordsmen, who were beginning to look somewhat panicked. He only had use of Inari's body to a limited extent. It would be up to the young man to fight for himself.

"Inari!" he called to the boy he had fused with for the moment. "You now have an outlet for your strength! Use it!"

"Right!" Inari agreed as his consciousness took full control of the Tarantula Undead body.

Inari/Tarantula Undead gripped the blades tighter before pushing the two men back. Both still wore faces of complete shock.

"What the hell is this kid?!" Hat cried.

"Who cares," growled One-eye. "Just kill it!"

With that action in mind, the two swordsmen charged with battle cries at Inari/Tarantula Undead. The boy turned Undead was still afraid, but he remembered what was at risk and the people he wanted to help and also made him strong if he would let them.

"Raaaaahh!" Inari/Tarantula Undead cried as he charged

One-Eye went for a sideways slash to remove his head while Hat went for one to pierce his heart. They only had to blink before the monster they were fighting vanished. They were somewhat confused at the sudden disappearance. All of a sudden, they felt someone brush between them. They both looked down to see Inari get past them. Both of the swordsmen turned around to try and get the kid, but they blinked again before the Tarantula Undead appeared in the place of the small boy.

"Go away!" Inari/Tarantula Undead cried as he punched both swordsmen. The force of the blows sent them sprawling.

"Mom!" Inari/Tarantula Undead as he dashed over to the unconscious form of his mother. The image of the Undead vanished to reveal Inari again.

"You little brat!" Hat growled as he and his partner got their on their feet again. One-eye had some blood dripping down his chin. Hat's eye was beginning to swell. "We're going to slice you up good!"

Inari clenched his hands as he prepared to fight again. He still had the Rouze Card his nii-chan had given to him and he would use it to protect his mother.

The action was considered unneeded when two orange blurs came through the air and landed kicks to the faces of the two swordsmen, dropping them to the ground unconscious.

"Naruto-nii-chan!" Inari cried happily.

"Hey, Inari!" Naruto smirked proudly. "Looks like this hero didn't have to drop by when there was one here all along. How'd you do that cool trick?"

"Heh," Inari smirked, trying to hide just how happy he was. "Kyle-nii-chan gave me this one."

"Kyle did?" Naruto blinked. "How'd he do that?"

"This!" Inari answered as he revealed the Rouze Card.

"Eh?" Naruto blinked. "But that's one of the cards the Rider uses!"

"That's right!" Inari smiled. "Kyle-nii-chan is the Rider."

"EHHH?!" Naruto gaped. "No way!"

"Yes way!" Inari smiled. He looked up to Naruto and noticed that the blonde's face was more serious.

"Hey, Inari," Naruto spoke. "Sorry about calling you a crybaby. Crybabies aren't strong like you. Heck, you used the same power the Rider could do."

Inari started sniffling as more tears came to his eyes. He was visibly struggling to try and keep the tears in.

"Damn it," he sniffled. "I don't wanna cry! Now you'll make fun of me again."

"Why would I do that?" asked Naruto. "It's perfectly okay to cry when you're happy."

Naruto then turned to the direction of the bridge. He was about to start running when he turned his head to look back at Inari.

"I can leave this to you, right?" asked Naruto. Inari nodded immediately before Naruto smirked and started running. "Good. I'm off to the bridge. We heroes are always busy!"

--

CLANG!

The kunai and senbon of Sasuke and Haku met each other as the two began their fight. As the two were fighting, the others watched. It wasn't as if they were just watching. Both Kakashi and Zabuza had their eyes on the battle, but on each other as well. Neither of them moved an inch. Sakura was hanging back while silently cheering her Sasuke-kun on while guarding Tazuna. Blade kept his own gaze on the missing-nin and immediate area around him. Who knew what tricks he was capable of?

"All you can do is dodge or block my attacks," Sasuke smirked. There was a flash of movement was all there was before both ninjas appeared back at their respective sides

"Haku," Zabuza snickered. "You do realize that you're going to be defeated if this continues."

"I do," Haku answered before she stood straight. Her hands then went into a single hand seal as cold air began to radiate from her body. "Makyo Hyo Sho (Demonic Ice Mirrors)."

The witnesses' eyes widened as the water rose up from the ground and froze into large slabs of ice which looked like actual mirrors.

"Oh no," Blade gasped.

"You know about this technique?" asked Kakashi.

"Just a whisper," Blade hissed, making up another lie to cover his tracks. "About a line of Kekkei Genkai (Bloodline Limit)users who could control ice. It was thought they were wiped out during the cleansing but there were one or two people who believe at least one of them were left."

Haku flinched at his words, which was more than enough for Kakashi to see. Obviously what Blade was saying rang true. This masked ninja was the last of these ice-users. Sasuke was going to have to be very careful of he wanted to get out of this.

Soon, Sasuke was surrounded on all sides by the ice mirrors.

"Now, let me show you my true speed," Haku spoke before stepping inside of one of the mirrors. Her reflection was then produced on every single mirror.

Sasuke was caught by surprise as he tried to figure out which Haku was the real one. Inside of her mirrors, Haku drew a senbon needle and tossed it at Sasuke. The last Uchiha couldn't even move before it whizzed past him and cut his skin.

"Ng!" Sasuke grunted as the pain registered.

"Sasuke!" Kakashi cried as he began running to the dome of ice mirrors.

As Kakashi was moving, a blur appeared ahead of him to reveal Zabuza., a smirk visible through the bandages which covered his face.

"Your opponent is me, Kakashi," he smirked. "Besides, once Haku uses that technique, her target never survives."

Kakashi frowned underneath his mask. That is, until someone else caught their attention.

"Hello, you forget about me?"

Zabuza turned to the voice and saw Blade charging at him with his sword raised, ready to strike. Acting quickly, Zabuza drew his own sword to parry the quick blow. The two blades met with a shower of sparks. Despite Blade's weapon of choice being smaller, it was made to fight against things beyond human while Zabuza's was larger, but made for fighting humans. In all, they were basically even in sword strength.

"Go, Kakashi!" Blade barked as he kept Zabuza focused on their own battle.

"Right," Kakashi nodded before he attempted to get to the dome of mirrors again.

"Oh, no you don't," Zabuza chuckled before making a series of hand seals even with his sword in his hands. "Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Kakashi didn't get too far before he was surrounded by a number of Zabuza clones. There were about 10 in total. Even if the clones had 1/10th of the power the original possessed the numbers he was against would make things difficult.

"There," Zabuza smirked. "Problem solved."

"I thought you would fight against Kakashi first," Blade grunted as he and Zabuza kept their swords pressed against each other. The Rider system enhanced his abilities, but Zabuza was proving to be powerful in his own right.

"Normally," Zabuza replied. "But you're a larger threat. I know next to nothing about you so it would be smarter if I took you out first."

"Wonderful," Blade grunted before pushing himself away from the missing-nin. He grabbed a small flap on the hilt of the sword and pulled out several panels which had cards tucked in them. Zabuza instantly knew what Blade was going to do. He was going to use those cards of his to do one of his jutsus.

"I don't think so!" Zabuza frowned as he focused chakra into his legs and leaped at Blade to stop him from using his cards.

Blade only managed to reach for one card before Zabuza was almost upon him. Deciding to forgo his original idea, he managed to grab another card. This one depicted a trilobite with the word 'Metal' written on the side. This was the Category 7 of Spades. Quickly grabbing it, he slashed it through his sword Rouzer.

"Metal!" was what Zabuza heard before he slashed at Blade.

"No!" Sakura gasped as she saw Zabuza try to cut the Rider down the middle. While she was worried about her 'Sasuke-kun', she didn't really want anyone to die.

Zabuza smirked as he chalked up another kill, but he quickly realized that something was wrong. Looking to the shoulder where he had hit Blade, he saw that the Rider looked different. It was like his entire body had turned to steel. Zabuza's sword may have been able to cut through flesh and bone, but steel was another matter altogether, especially the high-grade stuff.

"Some kind of replacement technique?" Zabuza muttered.

"If you thought that was cool, wait until you see this!" Blade chuckled before he reached to his sword, with the panels still out. He grabbed another card which had a buffalo on it with the word 'Magnet' imprinted on it. This was the Category 8 of Spades. Thankfully, Zabuza's hands were full with his sword so Blade could slash the card through.

"Magnet!" the Rouzer called before the image of the card appeared between the two fighters and was absorbed into Blade's chest.

Zabuza didn't see anything happening immediately, but he did see that Blade's body was returning to normal. Apparently using another card deactivated the previous one unless it was part of a combination. He was going to bring his sword back for another blow, but found that his sword wasn't moving. He also noticed hammers from the downed workers sliding across the ground towards the two. Even Zabuza's own hitae-ate was being tugged toward the armored fighter.

"You magnetized your own armor!" Zabuza growled.

"You got it!" Blade laughed before he revealed a third card he had drawn when Zabuza was distracted by the events. The Category 3 of Spades, which depicted a lion with the word 'Beat'. He quickly slashed it through his sword.

"Beat!" the Rouzer cried as the image of the card appeared and was absorbed into Blade's arm. It became engulfed in energy before the armored warrior put a solid punch into Zabuza's gut, sending him sprawling and letting go of his sword.

Kakashi just planted a kunai into one of the clone's necks, turning it back into water when he saw the real Zabuza get sent across the ground. Despite the pain he was feeling from the cuts he had suffered from some of the clones, he smirked. It looked like Kyle could handle himself after all.

Blade massaged his shoulder. Despite the Metal Trilobite card enhancing his defence, he could still feel some of Zabuza's previous attack go through. It was sore but at least he still had both his arms. Seeing Zabuza down, he thought that now was a good time if any to finish him off. He reached to his sword and spread out the cards again before picking the three he would need for his combination attack.

Blade quickly drew the three cards from his sword. These ones depicted a locust, a deer, and a cheetah. They had the words 'Kick', 'Thunder', and 'Mach' imprinted on the sides. These were the Category 5, 6, and 9 of Spades. Blade held the cards and brought them down to his Rouzer.

"Kick! Thunder! Mach!" the Rouzer called as the cards were passed through. "Lightning Sonic!"

The images of the three cards appeared behind Blade as he raised his sword into the air. As they appeared, the metal things stuck to his body fell to the ground. When the images were fused into him, Blade took a flying leap into the air as he seemed to blur from the speed he was using. He extended his foot and it became engulfed in electricity, aimed right at Zabuza.

The missing-nin in question was recovering when he saw the attack coming. His hands went together and began flashing through hand seals. As Blade collided with Zabuza, the missing-nin suddenly collapsed into a large amount of water. Blade tumbled across the ground with a thud before coming to a stop.

"Damn!" Blade cursed as he got up. "Kawimari."

Looking around, he saw the real Zabuza picking up his sword that was resting near the pile of metal.

"You caught me off guard, Rider," Zabuza spoke up. "Not many can claim that."

A cry from Sasuke caught everyone's attention. Haku was cutting him up with all the senbon needles she was throwing in the middle of the dome of mirrors that she had erected around him.

"Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cried. She only watched the battles unfolding and she quickly drew a kunai. "Tazuna, I'll have to leave you for a second."

"Go ahead," Tazuna frowned. "Looks like the kid needs your help."

Sakura nodded and stepped forward to get closer to the battle. Starting with a run, she took a leap into the air to throw a kunai over to her crush.

"Sasuke-kun! Here!" Sakura cried as she threw the kunai towards the last Uchiha.

The kunai flew through the air closer to the dome of ice. Sasuke, who was bleeding from several points, looked up to see the approaching weapon. He tried to keep his balance so he could catch the approaching knife, but as it got closer, it suddenly stopped in midair as Haku emerged from one of her mirrors and grabbed it.

"She caught it?!" Sakura cried.

Sasuke groaned as his legs failed underneath him as he dropped to the ground. Haku merely watched Sasuke drop as she gripped the kunai for herself to use. Sasuke attempted to get back onto his feet as Haku seemed to consider her next action. However, as she was doing so, a shuriken cut through the mist and collided with the surface of her mask and knocked her out of the mirror.

"Huh?" Sakura blinked.

"About time you got here, Naruto!" Blade called into the mist.

"Didn't you know heroes are supposed to come late?" the voice of the hyperactive ninja. There was a sudden explosion of smoke with the sounds of fireworks before the orange-clad ninja. "Naruto Uzumaki at your service!"

"Then why don't you help us then?" Blade groaned as he raised his sword again. "We're going to need it."

"You got it, Kyle-nii!" Naruto smirked.

With that, Naruto dashed for the dome of ice mirrors and leaped inside of them. Haku was likewise quick to recover as she dashed back into the frozen slabs.

"Dobe!" Sasuke growled. "Now you're trapped in here too!"

"Who are you calling a dobe!?" Naruto barked. "We'll have an easier time taking her down if there are more of us!"

Outside of the dome, Zabuza began to snicker, "Those two are done for. Haku will kill them. She's the perfect tool."

"I'm sure she is," Blade frowned from behind his helmet. He didn't much care for Zabuza's view of tools and people. If one wished to be a tool of another then that was their business. Blade himself would rather be a fighter than a tool. "Are you ready to continue?"

"The question is; are you, Rider?" asked Zabuza. "I saw how many panels you have in that sword. There were nine of them. You used six of them so far. That leaves three. I also know you have at least two more in that armband of yours. I hope those cards are good ones or else you're not going to last long against me."

Blade knew Zabuza was right. All he had left were Category 4: Tackle Boar, Category 2: Slash Lizard, and Category 10: Time Scarab. While they each would be useful, Blade had to be careful and use them when he was sure he would benefit from them. That left the Fusion Eagle, Absorb Capricorn, and Evolution Caucasus in the armband. He wanted to save the King for emergencies, but right now it seemed time for things to step up a notch.

"I guess I have no choice then," Blade sighed as he sheathed his sword. He reached up to his arm and opened his device. Inside were three cards. He drew one that had an eagle and one that had two goat heads in a yin-yang position. These were the Category Jack and Queen of Spades. Taking the Queen, Blade slid it into his device.

"Absorb Queen!" the device called before Blade slashed his second card through. "Fusion Jack!"

Zabuza's eyes widened when the golden eagle appeared in front of Blade. The golden radiance made the mist look like gold dust which caused pause in the battles to view the event.

The eagle fused with Blade to give his face a gold color along with gold shoulders and a gold chest plate. There was an eagle engraved in the spade on his chest. On Blades' waist, his sword became longer as the blade extended. On his back, a pair of red and silver wings was spread out.

"So this is the golden form Haku told me about," Zabuza frowned. "Strange. She told me it was more like a peacock, rather than an eagle. No matter. Let's see what you're made of now."

Blade drew his new extended sword and took to the air. Zabuza kept an eye on his flying opponent. He hadn't been faced with an opponent that could actually fly. He had faced many ninjas who could jump high enough to be mistaken for flight, but now he was facing the real deal.

Blade built up speed as he circled around Zabuza before going into a dive with his weapon raised. Zabuza stood ready as Blade sped in closer. Blade slashed down with his weapon as Zabuza brought his own up again. A shower of sparks followed as the two pieces of metal collided with each other. Zabuza felt himself actually being pushed back from the sheer force of the blow. This proved to the missing-nin that this golden form was considerably stronger than the silver one.

Inside the dome of ice mirrors the battle was growing considerably worse. Haku had cut the boys up considerable with her needles and both boys had some sticking out of their bodies. Sasuke even had activated his Sharingan, (Copy Wheel Eye) but it was only enough to help him dodge the strikes.

The worst point was when Sasuke took a devastating hit from Haku's needles, making him into something resembling a pincushion.

"Why did you do that?!" Naruto gasped as he held Sasuke, who couldn't hold himself up any longer.

"Don't know. My body just moved on its own," Sasuke coughed. Blood was leaking down his lips. "You know, I had sworn that I wouldn't die until I killed someone; my own brother.

Sasuke then turned to look at Naruto, "Don't you die too."

Sasuke then went limp. Naruto was frozen by what he had witnessed.

"SASUKE!" Naruto cried loudly.

"Is this the first time you had a friend die?" asked Haku. "You'd better get used to it. For this is the path of the shinobi."

"SHUT UP!" Naruto roared. He turned a hateful glare towards Haku in the mirror next to him. His eyes had turned red and slitted.

As Kakashi finished off the last of the water clones, he felt it. A pulse of chakra that felt incredibly vile and destructive. It was a chakra that he recognized very easily. It was the same chakra that belonged to the Kyuubi.

"Oh no," he gasped. "Has the seal broken?"

Zabuza and Blade likewise felt the chakra pulse. Blade, having never felt the Kyuubi chakra before but knowing when it made appearances, guessed right about the source. Zabuza on the other hand was in the dark.

Blade was feeling a sense of foreboding in his gut. There was something beyond the disgust the demon chakra usually emitted. Something that made Blade feel agitated for some reason. It was like looking at someone you didn't like. Just seeing them in front of you grated on your nerves.

As the feeling began to grow, the body of Haku could be seen crashing through one of the ice mirrors she had made. Her mask was cracked. Naruto could also be seen lunging for her with his fist raised.

"Looks like we should finish things up," Zabuza frowned, seeing his tool being beaten.

"At least we agree on something," Blade nodded as he spread the panels of his sword and grabbed another card.

The two swordsmen looked at each other before they both charged as if commended by a hidden signal. Both had their weapons raised and were preparing to finish their opponent and end the battle. As they came closer to each other, Blade slashed his card through his Rouzer.

"Slash!" the Rouzer cried as an image of a lizard with a blade tail appeared. It was quickly absorbed into Blade's body. Energy began to collect in the blade of his sword while he came closer to his opponent.

"Die!" cried Zabuza as he let his strike loose. Blade remained silent as he did the same.

SHANK!!

Things were still for a moment before Zabuza's sword was cut in half with the top half gone flying. Zabuza himself grunted and fell to the ground with a deep gash in his chest. He'd live, but only if he got some medical attention. Otherwise he would die of blood loss.

The missing-nin looked up at the Rider just as the tip of his blade was placed at his to his throat. Blade then kicked the remains of Zabuza's sword out of his hand.

"Momochi Zabuza," Blade spoke, his voice sounding hollow. "You have lost this battle and your mission is a failure. Will you end this or will you force my hand?"

"Heh," Zabuza smirked. "This would be where I call you soft, but since you aren't a ninja then there's no helping it."

"No, I'm not a ninja," Blade spoke softly. "However, I am a Kamen Rider. My duty is to the people who cannot protect themselves. You are a threat to those people. Since you will not surrender, I will have to eliminate you!"

Blade opened the panels of his sword only slightly so he could grab one of his last cards. He kept it hidden from sight as he brought his sword back to separate Zabuza's head from his shoulders.

"Zabuza-sama!" came the cry of a feminine voice.

That was all the notice that Blade. Well, that and the ice mirror which was quickly appearing in front of him. Acting quickly, Blade slashed his card through his sword. This one depicted a scarab insect with the word 'Time' written on the side.

"Time!" the Rouzer called as all went still. The Kamen Rider looked around and saw that not even the mist was moving. Acting quickly, Blade walked past the emerging Haku and delivered deep slashes to Zabuza's arms. If he recalled what Kakashi did in the original battle, the wounds were deep enough to render the missing-nin's arms useless.

Blade came to a stop behind Zabuza as he felt the effects of the Time Scarab wear off. Everything began moving again. Haku just finished coming out of her mirror with her arms spread to shield Zabuza, but instead she found herself shielding him from nothing. Zabuza also suddenly felt his arms go limp as wounds appeared on them. Blood ran down his arms as he tried to recall when Blade had moved. He then recalled the card.

"What…what was that card?" Zabuza asked while gritting his teeth.

"The Ten of Spades," Blade answered without turning around. "The Time Scarab. It allowed me to stop time for a short period to avoid hurting Haku and render your arms useless."

Kakashi's eyes widened in shock at Blade's explanation of the card he had just used. His own Sharingan was uncovered, yet he hadn't even seen the Rider move. The only reason he was looking in their direction was because he had caught Haku's movements heading in that direction. Still, the ability to stop time itself? Just how powerful were these cards the Rider possessed?

"Why?" asked Zabuza. "Why not just kill us both and be done with it?"

"Code of the Kamen Riders," Blade spoke. "The first is to defend those who cannot defend themselves. The second is to never take lives needlessly. I do not see it necessary to end your life when I could incapacitate you just as easily."

"Your folly," Zabuza growled. "When you give mercy to an enemy, that's when they come back from behind and end your life."

"Maybe in your world," Blade frowned. "But I hold fast to my ideals."

Loud sobs broke through the mist and Blade knew that Sakura had come across Sasuke's body. He knew the last Uchiha wasn't dead, but Haku's techniques could make one look like that. He would get up in time.

"Then we are alike in that way," Zabuza coughed.

"Zabuza-sama," Haku fretted over her precious person.

"He he he he he he he," a new voice echoed through the fog. "Looks like you're pretty beat up there, Zabuza."

The attention of the ninjas and Kamen Rider was turned to the end of the bridge as the mist began to fade. As it did, the fog revealed none other than Gatoh himself and a mob of swordsmen behind him.

"What?" Kakashi blinked.

"So the pig shows himself at last," Blade growled.

"Humph," Gatoh grunted. "So you're the Rider I've been hearing so much about. You've been nothing but trouble since you came. You should learn not to stick your nose in where it isn't wanted."

"Gatoh!" Zabuza growled. "What are you doing? What's with the swordsmen?"

"A little change in plans I'm afraid," Gatoh smirked. "I'm just going to have you killed here. This way I save the money I'm supposed to pay you and no one asks questions. Easy and economic. My favorite words!"

"You slimy pig!" Blade growled.

"Ah ah ah, Rider!" Gatoh smirked. "As powerful as you are, even you can't possibly defeat this many opponents!"

'Wanna bet?' Blade thought to himself as he turned his thoughts to the Category King in his armband. One Royal Straight Flush in King Form would cut down the ranks pretty damn fast. He was snapped out of his thoughts as Zabuza stood up.

"It seems our battle is over, Rider," he spoke as he stepped forward. "I have no reason to kill Tazuna now."

"Seems that way," Blade agreed. Inwardly though, he wondered how he ended up in this position. He had only wanted to take a sidelines position, not replace one of the characters in a fight. "By the way, my name is Blade."

"A fine name," Zabuza nodded before he actually managed to get his bandages off his face with just his mouth. "I have a request, Blade."

"…I'm listening," Blade answered after a moment.

"Watch over Haku for me," Zabuza spoke. "She's too kind in a lot of ways. Perhaps the code of a Kamen Rider will suit her better than the way of a ninja."

"Zabuza-sama?" Haku gasped. Her voice was trembling.

"Haku," Zabuza spoke up. "We part ways here. Goodbye….and thank-you."

With that, Zabuza began dashing towards the collected swordsmen and their boss.

"Zabuza-sama!" Haku cried as she tried to get up. Her progress was halted as Blade wrapped his arms around her and held her still. "No! Let me go! I have to help Zabuza-sama! He's all I have left!"

"Kakashi! I need a kunai!" Zabuza barked as he ran closer to the copy-nin.

Kakashi quickly nodded and drew one. He tossed it towards Zabuza, who caught it in his teeth and continued running towards Gatoh. The crime boss easily recognized that his life was in danger, so he started scrambling to the back of the swordsmen he had hired.

The swordsmen tried to stop his approach, but even with his arms not working, Zabuza was still able to cut a few throats with the kunai in his mouth as he pushed through the crowd of swordsmen. Some of them managed to bury a blade in his back, but he was still getting closer to Gatoh.

"ZABUZA-SAMA!" Haku cried as tears poured down her face.

Gatoh was trembling in fear as Zabuza broke through the lines and charged at him. Despite the numerous blades planted in his body, he still wasn't going down.

'I hope you have a spot in hell reserved for you because we are going down there TOGETHER!' Zabuza roared in his thoughts as he plunged the kunai into Gatoh's heart. He cut into the man a few more times just for good measure. Gatoh stumbled from the wounds before he fell off the end of the bridge and into the cold waters.

Zabuza panted as he dropped to his knees. His final task complete, Zabuza's breathing became erratic as his vision became blurry. He fell to the ground like a doll as the last breath of life left his body.

"NOOOO!!" Haku sobbed as she trembled and cried. She stopped fighting Blade's grip.

"Haku," Blade whispered to the distraught young woman. "You would give your life to Zabuza so to keep him safe because you cherish him so much, right? He just did the same for you. He gave up his own life so you could continue living."

Haku continued to cry and she didn't show any indication that she had even heard Blade's voice. However, she gripped his arms that were wrapped around her not in attempt to get them away, but now for security.

"Damn!" one of the swordsmen growled. "He just killed our meal ticket!"

"Looks like we'll just have to take it out on this village!" yelled another.

"Sounds good!"

"Let's do it!"

"Charge!"

The swordsmen let off a collective roar as they began to charge. They didn't get far before an arrow seemed to fall from the sky and land right in front of the approaching mob. Everyone turned to see who had fired the shot and found themselves looking at the villagers of Nami who were armed to the teeth with whatever was handy. Pitchforks, sticks, sledgehammers, etc. At the front of the army of villagers was Tsunami and Inari.

"This is our home, you jerks!" Inari shouted to the swordsmen. "You're not getting anywhere near it!"

"That's right!"

"Back off!"

"Go away!"

"Everyone," Tazuna gasped as he saw the united villagers.

The swordsmen began losing their nerve as they saw the amount of people out to face them. Some poofs of smoke erupted closer to them and they found numerous copies of Naruto and Kakashi staring them down.

Blade knew that he had to make a stand too. Gently letting go of Haku, he stepped to the front lines of the retaliation force. He grabbed his arm device and pulled out his last card; the King of Spades: Evolution Caucasus.

"You aren't welcome here!" Blade growled as he slashed the card through his arm device.

"Evolution King!" the device called as electricity coursed through Blade's armor. The Spade Rouze Cards appeared above Blade as they grew to large sizes. Everyone watched in awe as they turned gold before flying back down towards blade. The cards began colliding with sections of his body, leaving it covered with gold armor which depicted the card it used to be. The final card was the King which changed the chest and put a beetle in the giant spade on his chest and changed his helmet to a gold one with three horns which looked almost like a crown. Blade opened his hand as a large sword appeared in his hand. It was gold and blue with the usual spades placed on it. Blade had ascended to his King Form.

The villagers and ninja alike were spellbound by the incredible change the Rider had undergone. Kakashi could feel the power radiating from Blade's body. The level of raw power was very intimidating, but facing the likes of the Kyuubi was much scarier. However, if Kakashi hadn't known the Rider beforehand, he might have been scared of this new version of him.

This was all the swordsmen could take. They knew that they wouldn't be able to beat this many opponents. With various cries of fear, they began running for the boat which Gatoh had used to sneak them all onto the bridge. Some were in such a rush they leaped right off.

"We did it!" Inari cheered loudly. It was a cheer which was echoed by all the villagers. To some, it wasn't much of a cheering time for them.

--

The days since the battle were considerably brighter for the people of Nami. With the threat of Gatoh gone, people were flooding to the bridge to get it finished. A number of girls had also come by to meet the Rider and brave ninjas who had helped them in their time of need. Kakashi, Sasuke, and Kyle each had their own little fan clubs. It was a new experience for the Rider, but nothing new to the two ninjas. Naruto himself got some attention, but remained faithful to 'his Sakura-chan'.

Haku wasn't in high spirits compared to the others. Having lost the precious people in her life a second time was a deep blow. Nowadays she followed Kyle around like a lost lamb. She just didn't know what else to do with herself.

At one point, Kyle asked Kakashi if it would be okay if he went back to Konoha with them. The Jounin personally didn't see a problem with it, but he would have to report to the Hokage himself and see what he would say.

Eventually, the day came in which the bridge was completed and the Konoha ninjas had to leave. Kyle and Haku were both packed up and ready to leave with them.

"Nii-tachi," Inari sniffled. "Do you guys really have to leave?"

"Afraid so," Kakashi shrugged. "We have to report in."

"Well, Nami doesn't really need the Rider anymore," Kyle shrugged. "It would be pretty selfish to keep my power locked up when there are other people who need my help too."

"Don't worry though, we'll be back to visit one day," Naruto grinned.

"Promise?" asked Inari.

"Of course," Kyle smiled.

"You're going to get lonely aren't you?" asked Naruto, who was welling up. "It's okay to cry you know."

"I'm not going to cry," Inari grinned with watery eyes. "You can cry though."

"Oh yeah?" Naruto sniffed. "Well…see ya!"

Naruto then swiftly turned around as tears began running from his eyes like a waterfall. Inari likewise cried like a waterfall now that Naruto wasn't looking. Sakura sweatdropped as she started thinking about how stubborn Naruto really was. Kyle just chuckled at their antics while Haku smiled faintly. It was one of the small smiles that barely anyone saw since they laid Zabuza to rest.

The group of six all said final goodbyes before starting a long trek down the newly completed bridge which connected Nami to the mainland. The people of Nami just watched them go with some sad pangs of goodbye.

"That boy put courage back into Inari's heart," Tazuna smiled. "But it was the Rider which confirmed Inari's belief in heroes so he could use that courage to act. Their actions built a bridge of hope and courage for us. Oh! That reminds me, what should we name this bridge?"

"How about the Great Maelstrom Rider Bridge?" asked Tsunami. Naruto's last name did mean Maelstrom and the mention of the Rider fit well together.

"I like it!" Tazuna grinned. Tsunami's suggestion got numerous agreements from the collected people as well.

To Be Continued…

A/N: Whew! This is my longest chapter yet I think! I hope you guys enjoyed it. I just wanted to get the battle on the bridge over with. Kyle is being drawn deeper into the plot than he would like. Can he keep up and really make a difference?