Author's note: You know, no-one's commenting on the Tora scene in the last chapter.I kind of would like to know what you thought of the scene through the cat's to Hanabi's actions all Shirou stats have been reduced one rank for the meantime. Though, his skill levels remain the same, Shirou now requires twice as much Prana to trace any weapon. Please keep this in mind for the next several chapters.
Flashback
Naruto was terrified, the whole village was in an uproar looking for Saber. The word was, that he was in terrible danger, or was it he as in trouble. Rumors varied from the Hyuga attempting to assassinate Saber to Saber taking on the entire Hyuga clan in a duel. Only two facts were consistent in the rumors, the Hyuga's were involved, and Saber needed to be found quickly. Naruto had summoned over a hundred shadow clones to search for Saber. Naruto first searched his house, only to find the brief note.
'What the hell?' Naruto thought 'It doesn't say where he is. And what does he mean hurt? What's going on?'
Naruto sent several of his clones to rip the house apart. It didn't occur to him later that Saber would be furious of the mess he had made. He sent several clones to clean the house while he continued the search.
It was the clones who suddenly heard "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN DYING YOU FOOL? ARE YOU DAFT" The voice seemed to echo through the area. Several people across at Ichiraku heard the voice as well. Unfortunately, no-one could identify where the voice came from. Thus, no-one was able to find the hidden room.
Naruto continued to search frantically for Saber throughout the day. The entire village was entering a state of emergency over Saber. Several clans had believed some of the more outrageous rumors and were demanding that the traitor Saber was hunted down. It would take hours for these war hawks to find out that Saber was the injured party.
The Hyuga's were suffering a severe loss of face for harming one that they had sworn to protect. Much of the village knew that Saber constantly visited Hanabi at least once a day after the kidnapping. While most people did not know the full story of the rescue, it was known that Saber had rescued Hanabi. To find the girl Saber had rescued had possibly killed her savior was a major scandal. A few lesser clans saw this as a sign of weakening of the Hyuga family. Several people began sneering the former high and mighty white eyed clan.
Hanabi was terrified that she had hurt Saber. Though he had said she was forgiven, she couldn't forgive herself. "I'm sorry onii-chan" she kept crying. She found herself falling into despair,.
'What if he hates me? What if he never want's to see me again?'
Hanabi felt a pair of arms wrap around her. It was her sister
"Hanabi," Hinata said softly, "He'll be back"
"How do you know?" Hanabi yelled crying even harder.
"Because I do," Hinata reassured. "Saber would never abandon you. He visits you every night, he comes to help you sleep. He won't leave you now"
Hanabi continued to cry, but she felt a bit better from Hinata's words.
TenTen rushed to her dad's store hoping that she could find Saber there. She knew that everyone else would be looking in the obvious places, his home, his training grounds, Ichiraku. TenTen figured that Saber would have too much pride to let himself be seen by others. She had always watched how he carried himself.
Saber was always confident, he always knew he was better than everyone else. It was in his walk, that cat-like grace in his steps, each step would let him counter any attack made at him. Someone who always walked like he expected an attack would never let himself be seen in a moment of weakness.
"Dad," TenTen called inside her store, "Have you seen Saber-san?"
Her father shook his head, "No TenTen, I haven't seen him in here in over a month."
TenTen continued to search asking all the grocery stores in the hopes that Saber had come to buy medical supplies. Instead, none had seen him since yesterday or early in the morning. Finally, after hours of searching, TenTen gave up looking. Where ever Saber had gone to hide, he was doing a good job of it.
Danzo was interrogating his two Root ninja he assigned to watch Saber. The fact that they had lost him was infuriating Danzo. The Root were supposed to be the elite of the village, but Saber was constantly trumping them. 'The man is good, there's no denying that' Danzo thought. It was a pity that no information had been found on the woman other than her name was Ria and she was blond.
That little tidbit had been overheard once during a sparring match between Saber and Naruto. Saber had then quickly hit Naruto for mentioning the name. Yet, no-one matched the description. Danzo was now peeved that Saber had gone missing. Danzo couldn't afford the risk that Saber was selling information to the enemy. True, the loyalty Saber showed to Naruto was unbreakable, but the same could not be said of Saber's loyalty to the village.
In fact, Saber was doing a remarkable job staying neutral to the village and manipulating the villager's opinions of him. Saber never got involved in the needs of the community, yet he was always making sure the population thought highly of him. Between rescuing the Hyuga girl, the new Ramen recipes that were a big hit, and the rebuilding of the Uchiha compound, much of the villager's opinion was that Saber was a respectable person, even if he served the Uzumaki child. Yes, Saber was good at manipulating the people, and that was the problem. No-one knew where he was from, what his purpose was, and where he had trained. Saber had too many unknowns about him. Anyone else with that many unknowns would have been held in contempt and suspicion, yet, Saber was trusted by the majority of the community.
"We must find out everything about Saber. He is too dangerous to leave alone." Danzo ordered. "I want increased patrols along the borders. If he is selling information to someone, I want to know who."
Danzo considered for a moment and added "Send two of our best to follow Naruto as well. It could be a distraction while the boy sends information outside the country."
Yes, if Saber was using his disappearance as a stalking horse, Danzo was prepared for it. The Root would support the tree in the shadows.
The village finally called off the search for Saber in the middle of the night. No trace was found of the man, and it was deemed to risky to continue the search until tomorrow. Team Kakashi's moral was terrible. All three genin, even Sasuke were worried about Saber's fate. What was worse, was the fact that Kakashi was not going to hold up the mission for one man. Tomorrow, the entire team would set off for the Wave country, with or without Saber.
"But why?" Naruto asked.
"Saber said that he wasn't really a part of Team Seven Naruto." Kakashi explained. "We all knew that he only attached himself to the team. As it is, Team Seven has accepted the mission, and once accepted, the team must complete the mission."
Kakashi placed a hand on Naruto's shoulder "I know that you're worried, but you need to get ready for tomorrow."
Naruto walked dejectedly back to his new home. Losing Saber was like losing an arm. Saber had become a strong pillar in Naruto's life. Where others ridiculed and hated him for the fox, Saber accepted and treated him like a human. It was because of Saber that his life had improved. Naruto was no longer lonely. To leave him now, it was like a kick in the stomach. Naruto had to have faith that Saber would return, if Saber did not, Naruto was sure he would breakdown.
Naruto tried to stay awake until Saber returned, but his eyes were too tired.
An so Naruto dreamed.
It was a fairly normal day at school, but then Shinji called Saber out. Saber followed Shinji, and went to his house. There, Naruto saw Rider. She was beautiful in an odd way. He hair was long and purple, her eyes were covered with a strange mask. Yet, Naruto was sure she could still see through them. Her clothes left little to the imagination. Her skirt was short and black, She wore black gloves and a purple choker around her neck. On her head, a strange red brand was clearly displayed. Naruto swore he was looking at a shrine maiden of sorts. Her entire aura felt holy, yet demonic at the same time. Her entire existence seemed contradictory.
Shinji tried to form an alliance with Saber, but was rejected. Not only because Shinji was a slimeball, but because Saber had promised to ally with Rin. Saber would not go back on his word. Shinji seemed to take it in good grace. He even warned Saber about another Servant st the temple on the mountain. Shinji then orders Rider to escort him out the house.
Somehow, Saber has the courage to ask Rider if Shinji was telling the truth.
Rider is quiet for a bit, then, in a kind and gently voice, Rider says, "It was no lie, there is a witch on the mountain." Naruto is surprised by Rider's voice. It's so soft, almost like a mother to a child. Rider continues, "Be careful of the witch, she knows how to manipulate men."
Saber thanks her for the warning. Before he leaves, Rider speaks once more, "You are a kind person. I can see why Shinji wants to be with you."
Saber goes home and cooks dinner. After dinner, Saber tells Ria and Rin about the meeting with Shinji...things deteriorate quickly. Rin and Ria yell at Saber for doing something so foolish as meeting the enemy alone and unarmed. It takes a while, but Saber finally tells them about the temple. Rin is taken aback by the news. Ria tells about how it lays on top of a fallen Ley line, which Rin reacts violently. Naruto can't quite figure it out, but it sounds like a Ley line is some source of power from the earth. The three begin plans on assaulting the tower later. Ria tires to convince the other two to fight at the temple, but Rin and Saber overrule her.
That night, Ria disobeys her master's orders. She heads for the temple, heedless that it might be a trap. Saber wakes up. He knows what she's done, and he is afraid. Heedless of his own vulnerability, Saber rushes after Ria. It is at the entrance of the temple that Saber glimpses it. There, on the steps, Ria faces a man in purple robes. Ria looks stunned, like she had just seen something incredible.
"Looks like someone's come to pick you up Saber," the man says. "Too bad, there have been too many watchers in this match."
The man waves his hand, "Go home Saber, we'll finish this another night." The man turns slightly to the left "Well the, will you be willing to fight me?" It is as if he is talking to someone in the shadows. Naruto hears the sound of chains in the night. Whoever was there is gone now.
"Wait Assassin," Saber yells, "Are you running away?"
Assassin shakes his head, causing his hair to whip in the wind. 'My job is to guard this gate Saber, should you attempt to pass through it, I will gladly fight you."
Ria moves as if to attack, but Saber stops her. Saber is able to get her to back down due to her injury. The two go home, but Saber is clearly exhausted from the battle, her armor dissolves, and Saber has to half carry her home.
Before Naruto can watch any more, his head meets with a mighty collision
SMACK
End Flashback
Back in Naruto's Home
BANG
"OW" Naruto yells. The force of the blow to the head forces his head to bang on the table, making his head hurt in front as well as on the top.
"Gooood morning" Saber says pleasantly enjoying the sight of Naruto rubbing his head.
Naruto blinks for a second, making sure he's not seeing things, then his expression darkens, "Where the hell were you?"
Saber hold up a hand, "Curled up in a ball screaming." Shirou explains. It's too troublesome to tell Naruto the full story of what happened, besides, he needed to investigate that room further...as soon as they got back of course.
'Rin is going to be pissed,' Shirou thought. Rin would probably spend days looking in from where ever she was trying to find him again. Unfortunately, Shirou had a long mission ahead of him.
Naruto began questioning where Saber was, but Shirou held up his hand once more. "Where I was, Master, is of little concern. I was close to you all this time, however, I was in no position to aid you. I needed time to recover from yesterday. If you truly want to know what happened, you will need to waste a command spell."
Shirou pointed at the seals in Naruto's arms. Naurot looked back at the seal and remembered that he could order it. Naruto examined the mark once more. It looked similar to one of the swords Saber had used the first night he appeared. The mark was separated into three sections, The first section looked like a curved Chinese blade, the second was the guard, and the third was the hilt. The design was intricate and beautiful.
Naruto shook his head, "No, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't force you. I trust you Saber"
Shirou sighed with relief. "Thank you Master-"
"Naruto," Naruto interrupted
"Naruto, it means a lot to me." Shirou said.
Shirou handed Naruto a plate and served breakfast. Shirou excused himself to wake Sasuke.
Inside, he found Sasuke preparing to eat a bowl of cereal.
"Where've you been?" Sasuke demanded, he had spent a long time looking for saber the day before.
"Curled up in a ball screaming." Shirou answered unashamed.
Sasuke snorted, it made sense. Saber looked like the kind of guy who would only cry when no-one was looking.
"Breakfast is ready" Shirou told him
Sasuke grunted, only to be hit on the head with Torashinai. Rubbing his head, Sasuke said, "Thank you, I'll be there soon."
Shirou excused himself and went back to Naruto.
"Naruto," Shirou said solemnly, "I have to go out for a bit. I'll meet you at the gate"
Naruto understood, many people had been worried about him. "Go" Naruto indicated the door.
As Saber left him, Naruto felt a sense of peace fall upon him. 'So he never left me,' Naruto thought.
Saber had told him that he had been near, it made Naruto feel at ease for the moment. As long as Saber kept coming back, Naruto knew that he would be fine.
Shirou hopped over to the Hyuga's compound. He needed to see Hanabi one last time before he left. It was early in the morning, but there were still people on the streets. As he passed, Shirou noticed many people were cheering, and others were cussing at him. 'Clearly I left a bit of chaos in my wake yesterday.'
Shirou waved to several people who cheered him on. What surprised him was the sheer humber of people who were cheering him. It was nostalgic in a way, the last time he had a large number of people cheering was when the Battle of the Blood Moon ended.
Shirou continued on to the Hyuga compound, he barely landed in front of the entrance when a familiar voice rang out. "ONIIII-CHAAN"
Hanabi was bolting towards him. Shirou took one look at her face and saw how much she had been crying. Her normal white eyes were almost pure red, and dark circles lined her eyes. Clearly Hanabi had not slept a wink last night. Shirou went down on his knees and held his arms out for her. Hanabi eagerly took the invitation and tackled him, rather hard if truth be told.
"Oof," Shirou said softly, "There, there Hanabi, it's all right."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry Sabernii-chan. Don't ever leave me like that again." Hanabi pleaded as she cried even more.
"Hanabi," Shirou said, "I can't stay, I am bound to protect Naruto. We leave today for the Wave country."
"No, I don't want that," Hanabi cried. It was too much, why wouldn't Saber stay with her. He was supposed to be her knight.
"Look at me," Shirou said. Hanabi looked up and saw he was crying as well. "I know what it's like to lose someone, but I promise you, I'll come back."
"Promise?" Hanabi asked timidly.
"Promise" Shirou answered.
Hanabi held onto Saber for as long as she could, but Saber eventually pulled her away. He turned her around to see her entire clan looking at the two of them. Hanabi blushed, the entire clan had seen her act so disgraceful, she was sure that her father would be disappointed. She watched as her father walked over to Shirou. Hiashi got down on his knees and bowed "Saber-san please accept my apologies for my daughter's behavior." Many of the clan were shocked by the display, it did not bode well for them to see the head bow before outsiders, even ones as respected as Saber.
Shirou went to Hiashi and pushed him to sit up. "I told you," Saber said, "Do not bow to me. There is nothing to apologize for, I already forgave her."
Shirou smiled slightly, "She learned a valuable lesson yesterday. Action without thought leads to devastating consequences. I would gladly suffer a hundred times for her to learn this."
Many of the clan acknowledged the wisdom of such a lesson. For Hanabi to learn this at an early age would benefit both her and the clan in the future.
Saber stood up and help Hiashi up as well. Shirou leaned forward and whispered to Hiashi, "Use this, she can become far stronger if you use this correctly."
Hiashi nodded, Hanabi would receive advance training immediately.
Shirou bowed and took his leave, if he hurried, he would only be a minute or so late.
Behind him, Hiashi activated Byakugan, what he saw made him shiver. Before the incident, Saber had been as bright as a sun. Now, he was about as bright as a small flame. It was clear that Saber was suffering heavily from the attack. 'God speed Saber,' Hiashi thought. 'Of course... if you die, my daughter would never forgive herself.'
Entrance to Konoha
Shirou ended up later than expected. He felt mildly embarrassed that even Kakashi was on time for the mission.
"You're late" Sakura yelled. She was still irritated that she was the last one to know that Saber had been found.
"Ah, sorry, sorry." Saber apologized, "I had to say good-bye to Hanabi"
"Li-" Sakura cut off her response. It was a plausible excuse, she knew that Saber doted on the girl. According to the rumors, it was Hanabi that had hurt him, so it made sense that he would see her before he left.
"Alright," Naruto burst out, "Lets go"
"Why are you so excited?" Sakura snapped
"Because," Naruto said cheerfully, "I've never left the village before."
Tazuna sighed and pointed at Naruto, "Are you really going to put my life in his hands?"
Kakashi chuckled a bit, "Don't worry, I'm a jonin. And Saber is going with us." Kakashi pointed at
Shirou who gave a small grin.
"Don't mess with Ninjas old Man," Naruto yelled at Tazuna. Before Tazuna could retort, Saber waked Naruto on the head with a wooden sword. "Manners Naruto, Remember your manners" Shirou lectured.
Shirou was enjoying the right to bop the three on the heads. Behind his back, the three of them kept conspiring to find where he kept the swords and steal them. 'Good luck with that' Shirou thought
Team Kakashi set out for the wave country. While traveling, Shirou directed the three genin to form a triangle formation around their client. Kakashi and himself would serve as the van and rearguard for the mission. Kakashi agreed that this was an acceptable formation to protect Tazuna.
Tazuna was secretly impressed by the ninjas he had hired. True, three of them were snot nosed brats, but they carried themselves better than any brat he had ever seen. Anytime they acted up, the man, Saber, would straighten them out. The leader Kakashi was a strange one, Tazuna couldn't tell if he was strong or weak. The man looked lazy, but his eyes were always looking.
Saber, on the other hand was a true professional.
Tazuna swore the man had done this a hundred times. He was reminded of a few foremen that Tazuna always relied on. Those guys were fairly pleasant, until you mucked up.
Then, they were all over you, yet, they would always lend a hand to fix the problem. Even more amazing, Saber was interested in the construction method for the bridge. He asked pointed questions about the materials and designs. Saber also brought up a good point about rainwater dispersal. Tazuna had never considered a drainage system for the rain before on a bridge, but Saber did raise a good point.
The Wave country was always receiving rain, the bridge was going to be slick and possibly dangerous for horses. It was worth looking into after the bridge was completed...if it was completed. Secretly he hoped that the armed party would keep Gato away, but he doubted it.
The first day of the trip ended without incident. While the party set up camp, Naruto was able to discretely tell of what he had dreamed of the night before. Shirou smiled sheepishly, "I had almost forgotten about Assassin. I barely dealt with him in the war."
"What comes next?" Naruto asked.
"Rider attacks my school" Shirou said flatly. It wasn't a good memory, Shinji had cracked, and he had put Fuji-nee and everyone else at risk.
Later, Shirou went to warn Kakashi. "I hate to tell you," Shirou said whispered, "But I'm working at about a fifth of my strength or less at the moment."
Kakashi was grim. While he didn't expect anything big to happen, he had secretly hoped that Saber would be added insurance for his team. Instead, Shirou was much more injured than he let on.
That night, Naruto dreamed again.
Ria was furious at Saber. Saber held no value for himself, he would gladly die for a stranger. Ria decided to train Saber. What happened made Naruto smile. It appeared that Saber taught how he had been taught. Ria sparred with Saber, no, Sparring would indicate Saber could stop her. Ria dominated over Saber the same way he dominated Naruto. On the other hand, Rin begins training Saber on magic...or at least trying to. Naruto got the impression that Saber was, to be blunt, terrible at magic.
Naruto watched as Saber talked to Illya, she reminded him of Hanabi, if Hanabi was ruthless and a bit bloodthirsty. Frankly, Naruto was having a hard time connecting her with Berserker. How someone so young could command that monster was beyond Naruto. Saber goes home to make dinner, but what happens next is completely unexpected.
Saber goes to take a bath...but Ria is there first. Naruto can feel his nose bleeding. It's one this to use Sexy-No-Jutsu, but a naked woman is something else.
'I'm not sure I should tell Saber about that.' Naruto thought, 'He'd probably kill me.'
In the night, Naruto watched as Saber talks with Archer. Archer berates Saber's dream, tells Saber that he is no more than a cleaner. Saber is angry, how dare Archer look down on his ideal, how dare he look down on his purpose in life. Saber is almost ready, Saber is almost prepared. Soon, Saber will go out in the world and be a hero.
Yet, Naruto can see it. Saber, he doesn't care about himself. He doesn't value his own life. Naruto has watched Saber grow, and it is not the Saber he knows. Something happened, something changed him. Naruto could only watch and wait for the answer to come.
The morning comes soon enough. Naruto is discrete in telling Saber what he saw, carefully omitting the bathroom scene. Saber tilts his head a second, then said, "Something happened that night. It was a small change, but I began to see things differently."
"What do you mean Saber?" Naruto asked
Saber shook his head, "It is too early to explain. I'll tell you when the war ends."
Naruto leaves in a huff. 'Stupid Saber, won't even tell me what he means.'
The team heads out for the second day of the trip. This time, Shirou notices someone is watching, it's well hidden, but someone is watching. Shirou slows a bit to allow Kakashi to catch up to him. "Somethings out there." Shirou whispered
Kakashi gave the briefest of nods, but the team continues on. Just because they are being watched, doesn't mean that they are going to be attacked.
The day passed easily for the genin. The three were blissfully unaware of the potential threat the unseen observers were. Shirou had pushed his damaged sense to the limit and determined that there were two ninjas on the left. Those two were deemed secondary to the two in the back. Those two were very good.
Shirou estimated them at high jonin levels, it had only been pure luck he had heard a small twig snap. Truly, that was the mark of a professional when it took pure luck to give them away. The ones on the left were less successful at hiding their presence. The would snap leaves every now and then. Granted, no human could ever hear them, but Shirou's Reinforced body was anything but normal.
The day ended, once again with no evidence, of a fight, but Shirou was getting worried. Anyone stalking them this long was doing so for two reasons. Spying, or scouting. Spying would involve the village. Someone to report back what the team was up to. Scouting, on the other hand, would involve someone setting up a trap or preparing for an ambush.
That night, Naruto did not dream of anything spectacular, to which Shirou was mildly grateful. There was enough on his plate between his body still too weak and damaged and the potential hostiles.
The next day, the whole mission changed.
The team was walking along when Saber and Kakashi saw a puddle on the side of the road.
'A puddle? Without rain?' Saber thought. 'Strange...'
Today, Kakashi was in the vanguard. Shirou wanted to signal Kakashi, but he knew that Kakashi had seen it as well. Kakashi continued on, ignoring the puddle. Shirou could only mentally shrug. Behind his back, out of sight of the puddle, Shirou traced Kansho and Bakuya. Shirou mentally winced at the effort it still took to make the two. 'It will probably take several months before my body recovers completely. Note to self: Never get hit by a Hyuga again.'
"This is sooo boring" Naruto said passing the pool of water. "I thought there were supposed to be bandits."
"Be quiet Naruto" Sakura scolded, "We're here for as an escort, not adventure seekers."
Shirou could feel it behind his back, two presences had emerged from the pool of water. Shirou was experienced enough not to show it, but he was ready for battle. He could hear them, one was being thrown by the other, the sound of a chain was audible.
Time slowed down, a man was falling in front of him, edged chains were beginning to fall around him. The intent was clear, they wanted to kill him.
Shirou felt a small smile crawl up his lips. Rather than dodge, he jumped up. Shirou broke free of the trap. Shirou decided that this was a good time to test himself and the team. With effort, he reverted to spirit form. They could no longer see him or harm him. He could now prepare something special, provided the team didn't freeze up on him and need help.
The two attackers looked slightly confused by his disappearance. It was clear that Saber was supposed to die. Instead, the trap had failed. The demon brother ran quickly towards their target. They would have loved to take their time, but the man in red had vanished. Time was against them, the other adult ninja was an obvious jounin. One of the brothers swore he had seen the cyclops' face before, but there was no time.
In their path stood the three brats playing ninja. The two focused on the one wearing orange. Locking their arms together, they swung their arms in an attempt to crush the boy. Yet, the boy jumped out of the way, all the two had done was scratched him a bit. The brothers separated trying to wrap the chain around the old man, but they were stopped.
The boy in blue had thrown a shuriken and a kunai to pinning their chain to a tree. The two had to disconnect their chains to continue the assault. In less than four seconds, their entire ambush plan was falling apart at the seems. The two were now on opposite sides of the old man. In between them was the boy in orange and the girl in pink. The two were doggedly guarding the old man. The other jonin was almost upon them, it was do or die. The demon brothers had prided themselves on getting the job no matter the cost, but right now, the cost was getting steep.
The two prepared to stab their targets, when two swords flew in front of them. The two had to hesitate least they die. One brother risked a glance and saw the red man had thrown the swords. In fact, he had two new swords in his hand right now. It must have been a storage scroll hidden on his body. How else could he have that pair of weapons on him.
That hesitation cost him, while he wasn't looking, his brother was taken out by the jonin. 'Crap' the other brother thought. The whole ambush was finished, the only thing he could do was kill the old man. Before he could do anything, the boy in blue kicked his legs out from under him. As the demon brother hit the ground, the girl in pink hit him in the face, breaking his mask. His world went black.
"Good job Sakura, I knew you had a good right hook." Shirou complimented. Shirou was impressed at the teamwork the three had done. True, Naruto was unable to do much this time, but he had positioned himself to aid the other two if their plan had failed.
Naruto was upset. He had done nothing, Sasuke and Sakura took one of the two out, but all he had done was flee. It wasn't right, he was going to be Hokage, he couldn't remain dead last. Saber was complimenting Sakura for her punches and Sasuke for his throwing technique, but Naruto knew he deserved no praise. He was a failure, just like always, everything he did failed.
"You all right scaredy cat?" Sasuke taunted. Naruto felt humiliated, he was scared, everyone else had been so calm, yet he was scared. Why? Why couldn't he be as brave as Saber. Saber never hesitated to throw himself into the way of Berserker's attack. Saber had not hesitated chasing after Ria to the temple. Why couldn't he be so brave?
"Naruto," Kakashi called to him "Don't try to move, their claws are soaked with poison."
Naruto looked down at his hand. Beside his command seals, he was bleeding from a new wound.
Kakashi turned to Tazuna. "We need to talk. The mission called for protection from bandits."
Kakashi pointed to the unconscious Demon Brothers. "These two are former chunin from the Hidden Village in the Mist. These two are known to keep fighting no matter what."
Tazuna looked down, not meeting Kakashi's face.
"If they had been bandits it would have been one thing," Kakashi continued. "But this mission has now gone from a C rank mission to a B rank mission."
Kakashi pointed to Tazuna. "You knew this would happen, but you couldn't afford a B rank mission. I'm sure you had your reasons, but we are now operating outside our duties."
"Lets go back" Sakura burst, "We're not ready. If we hurry, we can take Naruto to a doctor."
Kakashi considered it, "Hmm, it might be too much. I guess we should return to the village and treat Naruto."
Saber considered the dilemma. Frankly, he felt the team really needed a medic. Saber didn't really fear any poison working on his master, the demon would cancel out most toxins, and the more potent ones could be treated by a traced noble phantasm. Shirou could trace the dagger of Hippocrates, the dagger would cure any poison in Naruto with a simple cut.
Shirou was suddenly brought to reality when Naruto rammed his knife into his hand.
"Holy Shit!" Shirou cried out. He dashed towards his stupid master.
Shirou raised a palm and slapped Naruto on the cheek. He then began examining the wound. 'What the hell were you thinking?" Saber demanded of the moron.
"With the pain of this knife," Naruto intoned, "I swear to protect the old man. We're continuing the mission." Shirou was almost taken aback by Naruto's expression. Rather than pained, he looked like he was both excited and eager. Shirou was not going to have any of that. Tracing Torashinai, he began hitting Naruto several times on the head. "So you decided that it would be a good idea to stab yourself? Are you stupid, that is the worst way to remove poison."
Shirou went back to examine Naruto's hand. His eyes narrowed at what he saw. The wound was healing, rather quickly in fact. 'It must be because of the demon.' Shirou thought.
"Ow, Ow." Naruto cried, "I'm sorry. Please stop it Saber."
Shirou sighed. "Don't ever do that again Naruto," Shirou warned, "If I ever see you do that again, I'll beat you within an inch of your life." Truly, he had been summoned by a strange Master.
'Still, he's destined to go far with that kind of attitude...if he lives long enough.'
In the shadows, something had seen enough and went back to report. What would have taken a ninja three days to travel, was traveled in a few hours by the shadow. The journey stopped at a hut in the forest.
"So...you've come back Rider. Have the Demon Brothers finished the job." the man with the huge sword asked. In front of him sat a small man with black glasses, an expensive custom suit, and poofy hair.
Rider shook her head. "No Master, the two were soundly defeated."
"What the hell do you mean defeated? You lousy ninja's can't get one job done right." the short man said. "I paid you good money to kill the old man Zabuza. Don't think I can't get another dozen ninjas like you."
Zabuza swung his sword in the direction of the shorty. "Stop bitchin Gato. This time I'll go and cleave them."
"Master," Rider interrupted. Zabuza was surprised, Rider was not one to talk after she lost her first Master.
"What is it Rider?" Zabuza asked curiously. If Rider was speaking up, then it was important.
"One of the escorts, he's a Servant"
Zabuza considered that tidbit. He knew Rider was a challenge when they sparred, and she was always holding back a great deal. Rider had once told him that there were other Servants out there, but he hadn't expected one to show up now. Zabuza narrowed his eyes in contemplation.
"What the hell are you worrying about a footman for?" Gato asked ignorant of what a Servant really was.
"Shut up," Zabuza warned. Looking sharply to his right, "Haku, looks like you'll need to follow me in case something goes wrong."
Zabuza turned back to Rider, "Did you determine what class he was?"
Rider nodded curtly, "I overheard he was Saber... but..."
Rider trailed off.
"What is it Rider?" Zabuza asked.
Rider shook her head. "Be careful Master. He is dangerous."
Zabuza felt himself smiling at that. Rider had warned him before that Saber was considered by many as the ultimate Servant. Zabuza could feel his sword tingling in anticipation for the fight. Oh, how he longed to fight a worthy swordsman again. It had been ages since anyone could challenge him in a sword fight.
"How would you rate him Rider?" Zabuza asked as he stood up to leave.
Rider contemplated what she saw. "He's careful. He never revealed his true abilities. Rather, he left the Demon Brothers to a bunch of kids." Rider thought back, "He wields two swords with a high degree of refinement."
Rider remembered her own past for a second, "I know of several stronger swordsmen than him, but he will be no pushover."
Zabuza was impressed. This was the most conversation he had gotten out of Rider in months. He thought back to the fateful day she had first appeared. The third Mizukage had summoned her over two decades ago. The whole village had been surprised by her skills. She had been quiet as a mouse, and deadlier than any of the seven swordsmen. The Third had always been sweet on her, and why not, she was gorgeous.
Then...everything changed. Yagura began using more and more ruthless testing measures. Eventually, the Mist had been known as the Bloody Mist. No-one could understand what was causing him to become so violent. He had been a gentle person when he was younger. It wasn't until a few years ago that Zabuza had his eyes opened. The Third had called him in for a meeting. He noticed that Yagura was holding his head in agony. It was there that the Third told him the truth.
He was being controlled. Yagura ordered Zabuza to kill him, but he had been too loyal to his Mizukage. It would always be his greatest regret. Time and time again that meeting, Yagura begged for death, each time, Zabuza refused. Finally, in despair, Yagura had cut his own arm off.
Rider had come rushing in the room to see her Master harmed. She was going to kill Zabuza but was stopped by Yagura. In the last moments of his sanity, he ordered Rider to serve Zabuza.
Rider had been upset but obeyed. She fled, carrying Zabuza with her. She then transplanted the seals onto his own arm. The next day, Zabuza was declared a missing nin and the bloodline limits had aided in attempting to kill the Mizukage. The bloodline limits were to be purged. Zabuza swore to follow his Mizukage's orders and kill the Third.
The coup d'état failed miserably.
Zabuza was now trying to raise funds to attempt to kill Yagura again. Zabuza wasn't worried about dying, as long as he fulfilled his Mizukage's orders, he would be happy to die.
"Let's go. Rider, Haku, follow me." Zabuza said.
He had the Mizukage twice, he would not fail a third time.
Team Seven
The team continued on for the wave country. Naruto would not back down saying, "I swear I will never run from an enemy." Shirou, being the sensible one, hit Naruto on the head for such foolishness. It appeared as though Naruto was trying to followed Shirou's stupidest moments in his life. Before they entered the wave country, Naruto had one more dream.
Saber had been sparring with Ria for hours when he received a call. It was Shinji. He sounded weird, somewhere between hysterical and hilarious.
"Come to school alone. If you hurry you'll be able to see it." Shinji said.
Saber was about to reject it when Shinji said, "Don't hang up! You have to come! You have to!"
Shinji was almost freaking out. Saber grew a bit worried.
Without telling anyone, Saber dashed for the school. As soon as saw the building, he saw the sky was red. It looked like some kind of creature was engulfing the school.
Saber dashed inside, the people were unconscious. Many of them were moaning in pain.
Saber dashed up to the fifth floor.
Shinji was waiting. He was laughing, like this was the funniest joke ever.
Saber demanded that Shinji stop the madness. Shinji only laughed harder.
Saber charged Shinji, intent on beating Shinji to stop him.
Rider appears before him.
She kicks him, Saber is sent flying. She kicks him again out the window.
Saber is going to die again. Naruto is unsure if he should be horrified or not at how often this is occurring.
Saber is pissed. He won't let it end like this. The others need him. He makes a decision.
His arm glows pulsing with power.
With a might roar he cries out "SABER"
The very fabric of space warps.
A hole in the air forms.
She emerges.
In a blue blaze of glory she come forth.
Grabbing Saber, Ria lands on the ground safely. She looks like she is about to argue with him, but Saber will have none of that.
"Save them," Saber demands of her. "Save them or I swear I will use a command spell"
She smiles slightly, "There is no need for that Shirou. I will deal with her."
"Good" Saber grounds out. "Shinji is mine" Saber's eyes are ablaze. How dare Shinji do this. How dare he harm innocents.
The two dash for Shinji, Saber grabs a broom along the way.
Ria takes on Rider, it is clear Ria is the better one. Shinji tries to stop Saber. Using a book, waves of darkness charge at Saber.
It is there, that Saber does something different. The broom becomes a strange metal. With one swipe, he banishes the dark.
Shinji squeals like a girl. Time and time again he sends waves of darkness only for Saber to banish them.
Saber continues to advance upon Shinji. With each step, Shinji squeals even louder.
Finally, Saber corners Shinji.
"Call it off" Shirou demands.
"Why?" Shinji tries to sneer.
Saber punches Shinji in the guts "Call the barrier off, or so help me" Saber raises his fist.
"A... are you insane? I won't do that! I will win this."
"I see, then... I will have to kill you... Shinji" Saber said.
"N-no way, you never done this... you couldn't."
Saber then begun to pour force on his grip on his neck.
"Good bye... Shinji" Saber said in a monotonous voice.
Shinji whimpers for a second "R-rider turn it off" he orders.
Rider stands for a second, she exhales. The sky returns to normal.
Ria charges Rider who backs up quickly. She kicks Saber backwards and places herself in front of Shinji.
"Master," Rider says "We must flee"
"How you stupid Servant? She's stronger than you." Shinji accuses. Ria gives a tight smile at that.
"While she may be stronger physically master," Rider explains, "My noble phantasm is the strongest."
"Then quit talking you stupid thing and do it." Shinji orders
Rider takes her weapon and stabs her neck.
Blood, so much blood.
Naruto watches as the blood forms a seal in the air. From the seal, a massive eye emerges.
"Mystic eyes." Ria says in horror. Saber is frozen, he can't move. Ria stands in front of Saber, preparing to guard the attack.
A bright light emits from the seal, with a mighty explosion, something rams the walls. When the light vanishes, Shinji is gone, along with Rider. Saber and Ria are left there, looking at the damage. Praying they made it in time.
Wave country
The team disembarked the boat and headed onto land.
The team walks carefully, this is the perfect place for an ambush.
Naruto sees something in a bush. He tosses a shuriken, rewarded by silence.
Naruto attempts to pose "Heh, just a rat."
Sakura bops Naruto on the head "Stop trying to act cool bonehead."
"Please stop using shuriken," Kakashi begged. "It's dangerous."
"Stop acting like a moron" Tazuna yells
Shirou sighs, "While I applaud your sensitivity-" Shirou suddenly throws a sword into a different bush. This time, a feral shriek emits from the bush.
"What are you teaching him Saber-sensei?" Sakura yells
"Ah, please stop," Kakashi begged, "That's dangerous."
Shirou ignores all of them. Parting the bush, he pulls out a white rabbit pierced by the sword.
"Dinner," Shirou explained.
The three genin look sick at the dead bunny.
"How could you?" Sakura asks with tears in her eyes.
"You're heartless Saber" Naruto adds.
Kakashi sees the hand signal Saber flashes at the rabbit. 'Snow hare. But...why is it white in summer?'
"GET DOWN" Saber yells. The team reacts quickly. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura hit the deck while Kakashi tackles Tazuna to the ground. A massive object flies through the air passing over the ninja. Saber sidesteps slightly avoiding the blade.
'Dear God,' Shirou thought, giddy as a school girl for a second 'What a magnificent blade.'
He could tell, this blade was fantastic. It was designed to cleave heads, but what made the blade so special was its unique property. The sword would actually heal itself using the iron in it's victim's blood. The blade could be cut down to nothing, and it could, with enough blood, restore itself to it's former shape.
'Thanks for the meal' Shirou intoned as he added the sword to his armory.
"Impressive," came a new voice. A stranger landed on the sword embedded in the tree.
"Well well," Kakashi said, "Mist villages former Momochi Zabuza. Once of the seven swordsmen."
The three genin prepare for combat, but Kakashi holds a hand up.
"Stay back," Kakashi said. "This one is on a whole different level"
Kakashi takes a hand to his head plate and moves it out of the way. Saber is impressed at the mystic eye in Kakashi's impression. It is obvious that it was implanted from the scar on his face, but Kakashi is clearly confident in it.
"Sharingan Kakashi," Zabuza drawls. "What an honor. I'm sorry, but the old man is mine"
Shirou almost didn't notice it, the light sound of chains in the breeze. Pushing his body to the limit, he tackles Tazuna out of the way. A dagger on a chain passes right through when Tazuna was standing.
"As expected of Saber" a female voice broke out.
Shirou looked at the source of the voice and whispered quietly
"Medusa"
Author's note; Yes, I'm an ass, leaving a cliff hanger. I first thought that maybe I should keep going, but I decided that the fight needed it's own chapter. Be honset, how many of you were sure it was the same rider? Well..only one more Servant is a reoccurring character. The rest are brand new. guess which other one is returning.
I have to say, it took a while to get this far. The biggest problem was getting the dream sequences done to catch up for the fight. I wanted Naruto to know exactly what Shirou was facing, without knowing all her strengths. Shirou is not going to have an easy fight in front of him. His stats are still one rank lower, and he can only trace about half the number of swords for his fight. On the other hand, he knows Rider's true identity, which will give him a distinct advantage. Prepare for epic fight scene.
Oh, before I forget, I'd like to thank L33t Horo as my beta, who has a poll going and could use your vote, and I don't own any franchises.
...Oh yeah, you lost The Game.