Naruto and Sakura let loose a mighty bellow of excitement. On the horizon, they saw the walls of Konoha sticking out of the trees. Home, they were home again.

"I've got to tell Iruka-sensei about our mission." Naruto declared. He was certain that Iruka would be proud of him. Shirou suddenly grabbed him and shook his head.

"First, you need to bathe Naruto." Shirou said smiling slightly, "You don't want to kill him when you hug him."

Rider nodded her head while standing back a ways. Truly, every one of the humans stank. Only the two Servants were free of such an odor. Though, she was looking forward to a bath herself.

"Haaaiii," Naruto drawled.

The entire group made it to the gates and showed their identification. Only Saber and Rider were unable to produce such evidence. The guards knew Saber, his clothes and face are easily recognized, but they have nothing on Rider. No surprise really, considering she'd never been here before.

"I need to take her to the Hokage," Kakashi said. This was way above his level.

"Very well, but we'll need two jonin to accompany her." one of the guards said.

Shirou rolled his eyes, "Upping the security a bit aren't we?"

The other guard narrowed his eyes, "Watch your mouth outsider. I've got my eye on you."

Shirou looked over at the first guard. "Is he always like this?"

The first guard refused to comment, which was more than enough confirmation for Shirou.

Shirou began leading Rider towards the building with Kakashi in tow.

"Hey," the second guard said. "You need to wait for the escorts."
Shirou glanced back, "We are the escorts."

Kakashi chuckled, Morinya had been a thorn in the collective jonins' sides since he was promoted.

"You three can head home," Kakashi called back, "The mission is over for now."

The three adults walked silently towards to Hokage's office. All around them, the three received curious glances. Well, it would be more accurate to say that Rider was receiving the glances, and the other two were getting glances of confusion.

The three genins walked back home. Sakura went straight inside her house and went into the shower.

"Good afternoon Sakura." Her mother said cheerfully, "You might have wanted to let me know you were back."

"Just came back mom," Sakura called out.

"How was the mission?"

Sakura sighed, she knew her mother would yell at her when she told her. "I'll tell you when I'm clean." Sakura said. She did not want her bath time to be disturbed.

"Sure thing Sakura. "your dad will be home soon as well. Why don't you tell us about it when he gets home."

Sakura knew this day was going to suck.

Naruto paused by the entrance and called over to Ichiraku. "Hey, Ayame, Teuichi, I'm back."

Ayame stuck her head out of the restaurant. "Naruto? Your back!" Ayame dashed out and grappled Naruto into a bear hug.

Naruto was having a noticeable difficulty breathing at the moment. "You're safe! Dad had a bad ache in his legs and my favorite tea cup cracked while you were gone. We thought you might have been hurt."

Naruto began tapping her arm trying to get her to relax. He was now close to suffocating. "U-uncle. Uncle." Naruto whispered.

"Dad's fine Naruto," Ayme assured him hugging him even tighter. Completely missing Naruto's meaning.

"Naruto," Teuichi yelled as he came out of his kitchen. "Your back, Ayame was worried sick about you." With that, he embraced Naruto as well.

Naruto was seeing black spots in his vision from the bear hugs. Oxygen was now in short supply and dwindling fast.

"You must come in," Ayame insisted while unintentionally strangling Naruto. "You need to make up for all the weeks you missed eating out here."

"Yeah, can't have my number one customer lose his place." Teuichi agreed, adding on the pressure.

…

"I think he wants to breathe." Sasuke said looking on at the strange sight before him.

The two looked down at Naruto and saw his eyes were rolled back and foam was coming out of his mouth.

"Ah! Naruto!" Ayame shrieked.

Sasuke shook his head, 'Idiots'

Shirou suddenly felt a chill crawl up his spine. For a second, he swore his Master had been in trouble. 'Can't be, we just got back. Who'd be crazy enough to harm him right now?'

The three of them were nearing the office.

"Ah!" came a familiar voice. "ONIIII-CHAAAAN"

Shirou felt a massive force suddenly tackle him to the ground.

*Thud*

Shirou looked at the small thing that was grappling him in a vice grip. "Hanabi, good to see you again."

"Your back, Your back. Your back." Hanabi cried out. Shirou swore there were stars in her eyes.

"Yes Hanabi, I'm back." Saber said, while stroking her hair. "But I really need to stand up now."

Hanabi merely tightened her grip. Shirou sighed and picked himself up with the living clamp on him.

Rider looked on curiously at the girl. Her eyes, they were clearly a bloodline jutsu. Rider couldn't help but remember several children back in the Mist village who had been executed for their bloodlines. It did her good to see a child act so carefree and happy.

"Hanabi," Hiashi called out, "They look like they have to go see the Hokage. You can play with him later."

"Promise me," Hanabi said, "Promise me you'll tell me about your adventure."

Shirou smiled. "Oh, it's an amazing adventure, full of bandits, mafia bosses, maidens, and magic." Hanabi's eyes were alight at the sound of a good story. Hiashi shook his head, Saber had a strange sense of story telling. He always seemed to tell the strangest stories he ever heard.

Shirou went down to his knees and gave Hanabi a warm hug good bye.

Hanabi was almost dragged by her father away. "Goodbye Oni-chan, you promised."

Shirou stood up, and saw Kakashi was smiling. Oh, he was still wearing that stupid mask, but Shirou knew he was smiling. "What?"

Kakashi knew better than to comment, life was too precious to throw away. "Nothing"

Rider smiled softly, "You really are kind."

Shirou inclined his head slightly, "As you said before."

Kakashi mussed that information over. The two were showing a strange behavior. He wanted to call it romantic, but this was something else. While Saber would offer a hand, and Rider would sometimes lean on Saber, there were no other signs of affection. In fact, there seemed to be an awkward air between them.

"You know...I've been wondering about this for a while." Kakashi said, "But what's your relationship with her." Kakashi indicated Rider.

Shirou shrugged, "We've tried to kill each other four times now."

Kakashi choked. 'F-four times now?'

Rider shrugged as well, "It was nothing personal."

Shirou nodded, "Nope, just opposite ends of the battlefield."

Kakashi understood the mindset, but still...'These two are nuts.'

The three entered the building and sat down to wait for the Hokage to see them. After a few minutes, the secretary said, "Okay, you can go in now. The Hokage will see you."

The Hokage was busy filling out yet more paperwork over his massive desk.

Shirou sighed, Naruto was clearly focusing on the glory of the job and not the paperwork involved. Ah well, the Shadow Clones would be invaluable for him in the future.

"Ah," the Hokage said, "I see you brought in a newcomer."

Rider inclined her head slightly.

Shirou held a hand out, "May I introduce a colleague and rival of mine, Rider."

"How do you do madam." The Hokage greeted. "There have been rumors of a person who went by the name Rider, but none of them mentioned your beauty."

Shirou narrowed his eyes, the Hokage was fishing for something. "Rumors?"

"Just a few odd things, the most we figured out was that she once worked for the Mizukage." the Hokage said pleasantly.

Shirou was beyond suspicious right now, either there were more malicious rumors out there, or the Hokage was bluffing. Either way, there was nothing he could do but roll with it.

"That may have been another." Shirou suggested, "Rider is the name of a specific classification. I myself had several predecessors who bore the name of Saber."

Rider remained silent.

The Hokage shrugged, "Indeed...so what were you called before?"

Shirou wanted to roll his eyes. What? Did the Hokage think he was born yesterday. "I'm sorry, but upon earning the title I lost the right to my name."

Sarutobi sighed, "I suppose she will be joining you in guarding Naruto if she is a colleague of yours."

Shirou nodded, "Yes sir, her loyalty will be exactly like mine. She will fight kill and die upon Naruto's orders."

Rider smirked at Saber's words, while true, he made it sound like the two of them were mindless drones. Of course, anyone who ever interacted with a Servant learns the truth rather quickly. The only possible exception is Berserker, but only if the Master is incredibly strong.

The Hokage sighed, this was going to cause him to go through even more paper work. "I'll need her to go through a test as well you realize."

Kakashi placed a hand on the back of his hand, "Ah, pardon me. But I think we'll need a different test for Rider."

Shirou nodded, "Riders are famous for their speed, but they tend to be bad at everything else. The only real thing going for them is that they can ride rings around everyone with any kind of mount."

Rider refrained from retorting, there was something going on between the three men here.

Shirou suddenly pounded a fist into his palm. "I know, make her fight Gai."

Kakashi and Sarutobi blinked, then grinned. "In that case," the Hokage said, "I think we'll need to hold off on the test for a while. The chunin exams are coming up soon. That would make an excellent stage for testing her abilities."
Shirou mentally reviewed the scrolls he had read months ago. The Chunin exam was a test that was held every one to three years to test and promote genin. The best analogy he could come up with would be genin were apprentices, while chunin were journeymen. The test was one of several ways for the genin to be elevated to chunin ranks.

Shirou broke in, "Excuse, but how soon is the next one?"

The Hokage ruffled through some of the papers, "The deadline for sending entering for the exam is a month from now."

Shirou frowned slightly, it would be close, but he might be able to get the three ready in time. He saw Kakashi was considering it as well.

Rider remembered the chunin exams held back in the mist and shuddered. It had been brutal, even for her. Dozens of people died in the exams for pointless reasons. Rider may be a fallen goddess, but she was not truly a monster, it was the gods who did that to her.

The Hokage informed Kakashi to fill out a mission debriefing while Saber and Rider were dismissed.

Outside Saber and Rider headed back towards their Master. Rider continued to examine the village. It was completely different that Kirigakure. Where the Mist was always damp and foggy, Konoha was bright and warm. There was a prevalent breeze flowing through the village bringing the scents of the forest with it. The people reminded her of her early years at Kirigakure, the people were smiling and happy. Kirigakure had changed before she left. By the end, the village was full of suspicion and deceit.

Her master had gone form a kindly gentle person to a bloodthirsty warmonger She had tried numerous times to understand why her master had changed, but she could find no rhyme or reason.

"Don't be fooled," Saber said interrupting her musings, "According to the reports I read, there have been growing tensions between various factions for generations."

Rider wasn't surprised, the brighter the light the darker the shadow. "What factions?" Rider asked.

Shirou began counting on his fingers. "The various clans have been trying to be top dog since the start, but currently, the Sarutobi clan is at the top. There are various clans that have been allied together for generations and others have been all but declaring vendetta. There was a threat that one of the clans was going to rebel, but one of their own slaughtered them all before he fled."

Shirou shook his head, "The only other survivor of the clan is Sasuke."

Rider thought back on the boy, he did seem to be carrying a great weight on his shoulders.

Shirou continued, "The Hokage has been bitter rivals with a man named Danzo, who has a separate group under his command known as Root. As far as the files say, the group has been disbanded, but Danzo seems to have too much clout for that to be true."

Rider was enjoying Saber's explanation. He was clear, concise, and knew the important details. Honestly, she wished her old priests would have done the same thing. It would have saved her hours listening to them praise her beauty before they got to the point.

"There is also tension brewing between the civilian sector and the ninjas. Not surprising really, the ninja's are a military of sorts, while the civilians want more say in the matter. As this is basically a military base, the odds of that happening are low. Instead, the civilians have to grit and bear with the demands of the Hokage."

….

Shirou paused as he went through the potential threats. "Oh, the Daimyo's representative seems to believe he is the voice of God or Kami as they say here. The Hokage is looking forward to having a replacement sent to him."

Rider smiled, she knew too many men who thought they were special because they had to act as her go between.

"The biggest problem we have is the Hokage himself. He has yet to choose a successor even with his advancing age. He did pick one before, but the Forth Hokage died sealing the Fox in our Master. As it is, we have no clue as to who the next successor is. Supposedly, there are two former students of his, but they haven't been seen in the area for years."

Shirou sighed and looked over at Rider, "The biggest thing we need to deal with is the residual hate for the villagers. They see him as the demon reincarnate instead of a jailor." Saber clenched his fist. "When I came here, I saw signs of abuse, neglect, and isolation on the Master. He was highly malnourished as well as hated by the collective population."

Rider knew this story all too well. Her own Master had been suffering the same for holding the Turtle.

Shirou said carefully, "Apparently, there is a law regarding Naruto. Under penalty of death, no-one is to tell the younger generation that Naruto houses the fox. Instead, the families tell their children Naruto was a bad kid and to stay away from him. I could have counted the number of children who didn't actively hate or ignore hm on the fingers of one hand."

"Have they attacked him?" Rider asked quietly.

"Not while I've been around, but I can't afford to leave him alone while I continue my research. There's something the Hokage is not telling me about Naruto. It has to do with the reasons why Naruto was chosen, then discarded. As far as I can tell, it has to do something with the Fourth Hokage."

Shirou pointed at Rider. "That is why I spared your life, I need a second set of hands to watch over him."

Rider accepted the blunt explanation. She had figured it was something like this. Besides, why was he leaving the master's side? It was like he was asking for the master to be killed.

Shirou suddenly stopped, and Rider realized why. The whole house was filled to the brim with Reinforced magic. She figured it would have taken her a few seconds to break through, even with monstrous strength. Which was, probably the point. Saber may be called the Magis Knight, but all his magic seemed to focus on his swords. The fact he was able to do anything to the house amazed her.

"Obviously," Shirou said, "This is our home. It's not much but it has a few special features."

Rider nodded, "Nice work Reinforcing."

Shirou shrugged, "I did what I could."

Rider said softly, "And I will improve it." Shirou had no doubt she would. The two entered the house and found themselves alone. This suited Saber fine. He shifted to spirit form and walked to the hidden door. Rider did the same and followed. Inside, she was almost knocked down from the amount of magic permeating the room.

Shirou pointed to the mirror, not covered in scratches forming an intricate design upon the surface. "As far as I can tell, it works off of Second Magic, but I have no idea how to operate it."

Rider walked forward and placed a hand on the mirror. It began to shape shift and form a picture. It looked like an office of sorts. Book cases lined the walls and pieces of paper were strewn all over the floor.

It looked too familiar for Shirou's comfort. It wasn't Zelretch's office, he had a larger desk made of gold, not wood. No, he swore it looked almost like...

"Rin," a young voice called out, "Look at the mirror."

"It works, ha I knew we had to adjust the crystal." Rin yelled out.

Shirou watched as too many familiar faces came into view. Rin, Illya, Luvia, and he swore he saw Zelretch in the far back, hidden in the shadows.

"Rider?" Rin hissed. "What the hell are you doing there?"

"Working with me now Rin," Shirou called out. Rider took the hint and got out of the way.

"Shirou!" Rin yelled

"Emyia!" Luvia yelled

"Ah, there you are onii-chan." Illya said, like it was the most natural thing ever. She pointed an accusing finger at him, "You broke your promise"

Shirou scratched his head, "Yeah, sorry. I don't think I can keep the promise."

Illya pouted cutely, "Moh, Shirou is a liar."

Rider smirked, "Friends of yours?"

Shirou nodded, "I'm surprised you don't remember Rin. Shinji was obsessed with her."

Rider though back. "Short girl, pig tails, red outfit?"

Shirou nodded.

"Flat as a board?" Rider said smiling

Shirou began to nod, then stopped. Even a world apart, Rin's fury can still kill.

"Ara, it appears that Rider-san has a good eye." Luvia said laughing haughtily.

Rin ignored her rival and concentrated on Shirou. It had been months since she last saw him. She'd deal with the bitch later, right now, she wanted to focus on Shirou. "Shirou," She said quietly, "What's happening? Another Holy Grail war?"

Shirou shrugged slightly, "Well, something like that." He began to inform the others on the properties of the Grand Ceremony. They all agreed, it was way too similar to the Grail wars to be trusted.

"You can come out now Zelretch," Shirou called. The three girls in the mirror whirled around expecting the old man to appear.

The shadowy figure walks into the light and the three girls sigh in relief. It's Acrueid.

"Hello Shirou-kun." she says bubbly.

"You're looking beautiful today," Shirou says polity to the True Ancestor

Shirou stops as he notices all three other girls tense up, though he has no idea why.

"A Shinso?" Rider says shocked.

"Technically, she's the White Princess of the True Ancestors." Shirou says

"Ah, you've met one of us?" Acrueid asks happily.

Rider nods, "I once had one visit the temple." She shrugged, "Didn't stay long."

"Shirou," Rin says dangerously, "Are you ignoring me?"

"Ah, no Rin, it's good to see you again under better circumstances. You look lovely today." Shirou says.

Causing Luvia to bristle. "And you too Luvia, your hair looks nice today." Luvia calms down a bit.

Crisis adverted... for now anyways.

"So Rin," Acrueid asks, "How did you do this?" She points to something outside of Shirou's vision.

"We built it based of of the old bastard's notes." Rin says with pride.

"It looks like his mirror."

"Doesn't it," Luvia says with pride. "No expenses were spared for it's construction"

Shirou narrows his eyes, the picture is getting fuzzier and less focused. "Rin?"

Rin narrows her eyes. "Shirou? What did you do?" The picture is getting distorted.

"Saber," Rider says, "It may have used up it's power for the time being." Shirou looks around, the feeling of magic has decreased substantially in the room.

"I think you're right Rider. Looks like it ran out of charge." Shirou agrees.

Rin's sigh become audible in the background, "Figures," The picture is almost completely faded.

"Shirou,"Rin says quietly. "I have something to say to yo-" The mirror goes blank and Shirou suddenly feels a shiver run up his back.

'Oh crap. Rin hates being interrupted'

Rin's workshop

"GODDAMMIT" Rin yells.

"Riiin," Illya says, "You missed your chance to steal him."

"Tohsaka-san, you wouldn't have done such blatant idiocy in front of me now would you?" Luvia says with a terrifying aura behind her.

'Not in front of you maybe,' Rin thinks, "No Edelfelt, I needed to ask him about the will and pendant." she lies flawlessly.

Luvia accepts the explanation, for now... "Truly, we need to have a long discussion with him again."

…

"Oh, I think you'll have to hold on that my dear apprentices." an elderly voice says.

"Geh," Rin and Luvia say together. Right behind them is their master Kishua Zelretch Schweinorg the magician of Second Magic.

Kishua looks over their work, "Not a bad first try, not bad at all." While his words sound like praise, his tone is filled with amusement. "Unless you were hoping to use it multiple times that is."

"Grandpa," Acrueid says happily. "It's good to see you." No, Zelretch is not really her biological grandfather, but he might as well be for her. The two have had a long relationship together ever since Zelretch killed the Crimson Moon, the former king of True Ancestors.

"Hello my dear, marriage suites you beautifully" Kishua flatters shamelessly.

"Doesn't it?" she relies swirling around happily.

"What can we do for you Master?" Rin asks nervously. Luvia is also trembling at the sight of her Master.

Zelretch picks up the book off the table. It is the complete copy of the book in his room as well as the data collected from the other houses. "It appears that you two have completed my little assignment earlier than I expected. It seems that you are ready for the next stage of your training my pupils."

Rin and Luvia perk up at that. It might soon be possible to travel between worlds soon.

"After you finish your punishment of course." Kishua says smiling. "Stealing from one's master is a heavy crime you two."

Illya tromps up to him, "Moh, hurry it up and get on with it, Shirou still hasn't fulfilled his promise."

Zelretch laughs, "Hahaha, just like Justica, never one for standing still. Well, they can move on as soon as they sort the books in the main library, sweep out the attic on the fifth tower, write a report on..."

Rin and Luvia can tell this is going to take a while. 'One day you old bastard,' they both swear, 'One day we'll bury with a stake in your heart.'

In the mean time, they needed to finish the punishment and get on with the next step of training. This is no time to waste, they need to master Second Magic as soon as possible.

Zelretch sees the ambition in his two pupils. 'Truly, that boy is the best motivation I've ever had. I should have done this years ago.'

Naruto

Naruto had finally recovered from his near death experience. Ayame and Teuichi had apologized and offered a free bowl of ramen on the house. Naruto wanted to accept, but he needed to bathe first. Ayame sniffed him and agreed.

Naruto enjoyed every sensation as he immersed himself into the water. The temperature was perfect. Naruto pulled out his ducky, and fondly remembered the good times he had with that old duck. It had been a present from the Old Man when he was three. It was one of his few surviving toys from his childhood. Most of them had been trashed by the other kids at the orphanage. It was one of the many reasons why he had moved out into an apartment.

'Enough reminiscing,' Naruto thought. He was becoming too much like Saber today. Today was a day of celebration. Not only was he going to get to eat free ramen, but he had to tell Iruka all about his new move and the mission. He was sure that Iruka would praise him for what had happened. He couldn't wait to demonstrate Orange Flash to his favorite teacher.

Naruto dressed himself in a new orange jumpsuit and set off to find Iruke. He wasn't hard to find, as he was coming to see Naruto himself. "Iruka-sensei" Naruto called out.

"Naruto, good to see you." Iruka said smiling happily. "How was the mission.?"

Naruto lead Iruka to their favorite restaurant and ordered two bowls of pork ramen. Outside, he had two dozen clones show off his new move. Iruka thought it was the one coolest things ever. When he told about the mission, however, Iruka became upset.

"You did what?" Iruka yelled.

Naruto scratched his head, at the time, stabbing himself had been a good idea. "Sorry, I was caught up in the moment."
Iruka bopped Naruto on the head, "You idiot."
Naruto rubbed his head, "Yeah, Saber did just that too."

"Good," Iruka said satisfied.

Iruka, Ayame, and Teuichi all listened in rapt attention as Naruto told about the battles with Zabuza and Haku. Many times Iruka became upset and angry at the risks they took. He was furious how Saber seemed to disappear on a whim in the battle. Finally, Naruto told about the fate of Gatou, to which Iruka looked sick. The idea of cleaving a man with a giant sword had taken away his appetite.

Iruka told about how he had been filling out forms with the Hokage as an assistant while waiting for the next term to begin. Apparently, Konohamaru Sarutobi was going to be in Iruka's class as well as his two friends Udon and Moegi.

The two spent an hour talking an eating before they went on their separate ways. Naruto promised Ayame he would come back for dinner later to make up for lost time. It was then that Naruto went to check up on the various gardens. While he would never openly admit it, Naruto loved working in his garden. Back when he lived in his apartment, he had taken meticulous care for his small window garden. Now, the entire compound was his garden. Various windows had flowers, while the compound had two large vegetable gardens, and a small orchard. After watering the flowers, he went to check up on the vegetables. It looked like the cucumbers and carrots were ready to be harvested. Naruto had not been a fan of vegetables before, but he loved the ones he had grown with his own hands.

'Looks like a good crop' Naruto thought pleasantly. He gathered various vegetables and walked back towards his house. He was at the door when he heard a familiar voice.

"Look Gai Sensei, it's my rival Naruto." Lee yelled. Lee had declared Naruto was one of his rivals months ago after Gai lost the duel with Saber.

"Indeed my youthful student." Gai agreed brilliantly.

"Hey guys." Naruto called back. "Look at what we grew." He displayed the various vegetables he was carrying.

The noise seemed to have attracted Saber and Rider, as the two came out of the house.

Naruto watched as Gai flushed red upon seeing Rider. Rider gave the smallest of smirks at Gai. His reaction was typical of many men who saw her.

Gai went down on one knee, "Madam," He said as elegantly as he could while dressed in a green jumpsuit and a bowl cut. "Truly the Sun is no comparison to your radiance."

Naruto had to hold back a snicker at Gai's line. Rider on the other hand gave no indication whether she was flattered or offended.

"Might I have the honor of knowing thy name oh beautiful one?" Gai asked.

"Rider," she said as soft as the wind. Gai flushed even brighter.

"A name fitting such a goddess." Gai said flowery. Rider swore she saw his teeth twinkle. Those were the whitest teeth she ever saw.

"Would you allow me the honor of buying you dinner sometime oh radiant Rider."

Rider mulled it over, and thought he looked tasty.

"No eating him," Shirou whispered.

Rider sighed quietly, it was too bad, he looked tasty. "Perhaps another time, good sir."

"Gai sensei," Lee cried, "She didn't reject you."
"Indeed Lee," Gai cried as well

"Gai-sensie!"

"Lee"

"Gai-sensei"
The two collided and a sunset formed behind them. Rider was taken aback by the phenomenon, but her Master and Saber seemed to have glazed eyes.

She watched as the two began running into the apparent sunset "W-What?"

Shirou nodded sagely, remembering his own experience with it. "Yes, it's a Reality Marble of some sort. No, I have no idea how they do it or what it's for, but it is a Reality Marble."

Rider stared stupidly at the two strange men running into the fake sun in the distance. She shook her head, truly this place was strange.

"Finished showing Rider around?" Naruto asked Saber.

Shirou nodded, "She's seen the house, but we'll decide where she stays later. Right now, I need her to help me on a project."

Naruto nodded, it would give him time to clean up alone and then head off to bed.

Rider followed Saber to a deserted section of the compound where they both shifted to spirit form. "What did you need Saber?"

"I need you to set up a series of detection and Bounded Fields in the village." Shirou said. "While I can detect magic about half a mile away when used, I have a much harder time detecting Servants."

Rider considered her abilities. She could easily set up a field to activate Blood Fort Andromeda as traps, but detection magic would be beyond her.

Saber sighed when he heard her suggestions. "I had hoped you could set up a warning system if they entered the village, but if you can't..."

Rider apologized, while it would be a simple magic for a magus, none of them were any good outside of their own abilities. They would have to rely on quick detection and possible flight before they engaged other Servants.

Shirou sighed, one plan was a failure, but there were options available. "All right, Rider, could you please set up a field in the village. Don't activate it, but have them ready to go off."

Rider nodded, she could set up one of about five hundred meters if needed.

"Alright, we're going to have to assume this compound as the fallback position. The hidden room will be the place for a last stand or siege if needed." Shirou said, the gears grinding in his head. He outlined the various escape routes they might have to make is needed. Besides the gates, there were two hidden exits out of the village with hidden guards posing as beggars nearby.

The village had done a good job of hiding them, but the beggars showed too much of their flash, showing how well fed they were. The best place to escape was here in the compound. While emptying the sewer system, he had found an abandoned and half filled sewer tunnel that led outside the village. There were no guards, and only he and Rider would now know about it.

"I spent two night clearing the tunnel, and placing a false wall in front of it." Shirou said. "You can recognize it by the strip of red cloth stuck on a metal rod five feet to the left of it."

Rider nodded, it was a good option for evacuating the Master.

"I was thinking of adding a hidden passage in the underground room to allow us access to the tunnels. It will take a week or two, but it should be possible."

Rider was impressed by Saber's ability. While he was no military strategist, he was good at figuring out ways to survive a worst case scenario. "Done this before?"

Shirou nodded, old memories haunting him. "Mecca," It had been a difficult battle to hold off the enemy while the entire population fled through a series of ancient sewers.

Rider shrugged, "Never heard of it."

Shirou smiled, "It was built long after your time goddess."

"Don't," Rider said softly, "Don't ever call me that again." There was a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Shirou knew he crossed a line and bowed formally, "My apologies Rider, it will not happen again."

Rider nodded slightly then followed Saber. He picked out the perfect place for her trap. It was large, circular, and could house hundreds of people. The Colosseum was just right for Blood Fort Andromeda if needed. Shirou was more interested in the fact that none came here unless there was a major event. It would be the perfect place to lure enemies without killing innocents.

Rider quickly set up the field and had it begin charging. Once charged, it could be activated at anytime, but would only activate upon Rider's will. As the last seal was placed, Saber put a sword on her neck.

"If you ever use it on the innocent, I will not hesitate to kill you." He warned.

Rider knew that he wasn't bluffing, The Magus Knight had not even used his own Noble Phantasm against her, yet he defeated all three of hers. "Understood."

Shirou removed the swords and headed towards the Hokage's office. "Watch over him." With that, Shirou dashed off to read what he could.

Rider shook her head, Saber was truly a failure of a Servant. The barrier would be the perfect thing to improve her abilities, but he refused. Instead, he focused on sparing as many lives as possible. Then again, what could one expect from a Heroic Spirit.?

Rider smiled, well... far be it for her to disobey him. Besides she had an inkling that Naruto had the same kind of mind-set as him.

"Better than many of my old masters" Rider thought.

She went over to find Naruto, she did not know where he was so she did the only thing she could to find him.

She followed the trail of prana that connected him to her.

"That's quite the amount, he surpasses even my last real master" Rider thought as she jumped from building to building like a shadow.

She found Naruto in a small stall of noodles along with what she thought was a few of his friends at least she deduced that by how casually they were talking, however there was one with a small pup that seemed a tad hostile to him, and there was another girl who was very timid, or scared?

No matter, that was of little consequence right now. She also saw a blond haired girl with deep blue eyes and the pink haired girl from the mission.

"AH! Rider-chan! Ohaiyoo!" Naruto greeted.

Rider nodded to acknowledge her master's greeting.

"Do you want to eat?" Naruto asked

"Talk about an open invitation" Rider thought with a lick of her lips.

"Not that" Naruto said in half a hiss. Saber had warned him of Rider's particular tastes.

Rider gave a faint smile "I know, I was seeing your reaction. I see you will be a good master" Rider said.

"Eh? What's this about master?" the blond girl said

"Ah! Yes, I forgot about that Ino. You see..." Sakura said, but she stopped. She did not know much about what was going on as well.

"I am Naruto's servant, same as Saber. You may call me Rider, and I am here to serve Naruto however he needs me to" Rider as she used 'however' seductively. Enjoying the reactions she was getting.

Sakura, Ino and Hinata turned crimson red, while Kiba and quite possibly Shino were gawking. Hinata was hyperventilating and steam was coming out of her head as images of Naruto with a whip and Rider in an SM outfit and a gag ball.

"Uh...um," Naruto's mouth was unable to form words.

"S-surly you're joking." Sakura said blushing.

Rider smiled coyly, "Why? I am his Servant, his every order is my fondest wish."

Kiba began forming a nosebleed at Rider's description. His mind forming all sorts of fantasies revolving around sex slaves.

Rider seemed to consider something and smiled mescheviously.

"Naruto, I feel I had forgotten something important to tell you on our first encounter, that is about maintaining my power to its peak. If possible I will need you to somehow provide for me energy should I use IT"Rider said

Naruto understood what IT meant, her Noble Phantasm. The others where at a loss on what she meant.

"And how would I do that? I mean recharging your energy?" Naruto asked.

Rider looked at the others around her master and inwardly smiled. Now she knew how her sister felt when they teased her. It was fun, especially seeing the target squirm.

"It is done by a simple ritual of exchanging fluids" Rider said

Naruto didn't understand "Um,Rider-chan...what kind of fluids are you talking about? You mean like water, blood?"

"Semen" Rider said

*SPIT*

All the people who where eating or drinking did a spit take. Many of them began coughing from the reversing of their intake.

"Since you are my master I will need to perform in the bed in order to exchange your seed into energy that I can utilize" Rider said "By the looks of it you have plenty of it" Rider said analytically.

This was it, Hinata fainted, while Ino's noodles slipped from her chop sticks, Sakura was gawking, Kiba rose from his seat and clasped Naruto's hands.

"I pegged you wrong, you are a man amoung men." Kiba declared

Naruto was still so stunned by Rider's revelation that he just froze.

"Well I will leave you to your nourishment, have a safe day master" Rider said as she turned into her spirit form to keep watch of Naruto from the shadows.. She had a feeling that things would be interesting to watch for some time.

"R-r-r-r-r-r-Rider!" Naruto yelled as the girls and guys begun to crowd him asking him to explain this development.

Sakura winded up her sleeves and flexed her hand into a fist. "Yooooouuuu. PERVERT" Her fist made contact with Naruto's face, sending him flying and knocking unconcious.

Back in the archives, Shirou feels a new shudder crawl up his back. 'Seriously, is the kid trying to kill himself?' Shirou metally sighed and replaced the scroll. While Naruto was now safe, he could not risk Naruto being harmed anymore and began running back to his master in spririt form.

Colloseum

Kuromaru began growling at the entrance to the grounds. "It's here." he said to Tsume. "This is the place of the foulness." Everyone of the dogs had begun reacting strangely for the past several hours. Tsume had agreed to let Kuromaru find out what it was. Yet, for all of Kuromaru's confidence, she was unable to smell anything herself.

"It's not the smell," Kuromaru corrected his master. "It's the feel."

"What do you mean?" Tsume asked.

Kuromaru shook his head, "It just feels wrong. Much worse than that Saber."

Tsume blinked. "What do you mean Saber feels wrong?"

"Dead, yet not dead. Here, but not here." Kuromaru shook his head once more. "I can't explain it. Every animal knows it though."

"And why," Tsume said dangerously, "Did you decide to hold out on me pup?"

Kuromaru gave the equivalent of a shrug. "He's not hostile, and he respects the pack. Especially the pups." At that, Tsume could understand. Just because something smelled wrong, didn't mean it was bad.

Kuromaru looked back at the Colosseum. "Here, it feels worse. Hostile, hungry." He growled deeply. "It's not safe here. No animal will ever some here." Tsume took in the information. The Hokage would need to know, the chunin exams were coming up quickly. She would not risk her own son being killed.

Kumogakure (Hidden in the Clouds Village)

"I understand your concerns Yugito, but we need to send your team in to scout the competition as well as the conditions of Konoha." the Fourth Raikage A said.

"So your going to send in my half trained students in for a scouting mission?" Yugito asked angrily. "They won't last a minute in the exam."

A sighed, "You judge them too harshly Yugito. Not everyone can be as talented as you are. They've already completed over seventy D missions and five C missions. I fail to see how they are unready."

"Ace is too confident. He seems to think he can take on the Hokage himself. Naru is too meek, she would blindly follow Ace to her death. And don't even get me started on Tamaki. The little rat can't stop egging Ace on to do the dumbest things ever." Yugito said harshly.

"That may have been in the past, but ever since he showed up, the three of them have turned around remarkably." A countered.

Yugito shook her head. The Riakage was dead set on sending the three of them to Konoha. "As you order Raikage." She said through gritted teeth. Bowing she left the office and headed off to find her team.

The three of them were right where she expected, with Him. "All right you three, the Riakage has ordered us to participate in the next chunin exams at Konoha."

"Is that wise? your two villages have been enemies for years." He questioned.

As always, she ignored him. "Pack your bags and prepare for the trip. We need to be there in a month." Her three students stood up and headed off, excited at the chance to show the strength of their village.

He, however remained by her side. The silence was awkward and cold. He sighed, "You never will let it go will you?"

She remained silent.

"I'm going with you, you know." he said.

She refused to acknowledge him.

Archer sighed, it was going to be a long month...

Author's note. Yes, there will be two Servants at the chunin exams. But, I need you my readers. Yes, YOU to vote on who will be Archer. The poll is already posted on my profile. It is up to YOU to determine the course of the story.

I'd like to especially thank L33t Horo on being my Beta this chapter. The Rider and Naruto interaction was mostly his work. Much better than what I had planned. The next few chapters will be preparation chapters for the chunin as well as the meetings of the two new Servants. Look forward to the updates in the next week. I might even have something up in a few days, but only if I get several votes.

I would like to recommend Chaos Theory by Moczo for Fate/Stay night fans. And Naruto Hakate and Political Alliances by Agent-G for Naruto fans. Both of them are good series.