If the first week was hell, the next two weeks were a close second. Every one of the genin were forced to push their chakra levels to the limits trying to learn new jutsus before the exam.
TenTen had grasped the basics of the bow easily enough, but she was nowhere near the level of Saber. Saber kept telling her that she needed to envision the outcome right after the shot and accept it, but she resisted the whole way. She seemed to want to hit the center every time like Saber, but could not grasp what he was referring to. The second week of the camp had been focused on archery, but the third week, that was focused on sword play. TenTen would always admit she was more of a long range weapon specialist, but Saber was adamant that she needed to focus more on short range. By the end of the last two weeks, TenTen was adequate with the bow and competent with a katana.
Shino was given a scroll provided by his family on various jutsus and had successfully learned Destruction Bug Stream (a jutsu that sends twin spears made of bugs at the enemy and sends them flying), and Destruction Bug Projectile (a cloud like projectile of destruction bugs is fired at the enemy) While it was hard to tell, Shino was proud of the two new techniques and planned to work on several ideas when he got home.
Ino and Sakura had been introduced to the the Mystical Palm Technique, but had been informed that they were still a long ways away from being allowed to use in on a human. They had only been able to heal the wings of birds and work on fish, but no creatures that even resembled human anatomy. Their instructor, one Yuuki Saito, spent much of the two weeks working on the girls control as well as their dodging ability. According to Yuuki, the modern theory of medical ninjas was that the medics had to be perfect at dodging attacks lest they become a liability.
Kiba was forced by Danzo to work on his Fang over Fang technique with Akamaru. Danzo was not impressed with the lack of control and the excess movements in Kiba's technique.
"Any chunin worth their vest will be able to evade that technique with their eyes closed boy. Tighten the net." Danzo yelled.
Kiba, out of all the others suffered the worst during training, as he was always stuck with Danzo.
"Faster boy, your mother would beat you for being this slow. Is this the best the youngest of the Inuzuka can do?"
"No sir." Kiba roared as he pushed himself faster.
Choji was made to spend the last two weeks increasing the rotational speed of the Human Meat tank technique. A technique that caused his body to balloon out into a giant ball followed by him rolling over his target. The technique called for several wires with kunai strapped to the body to give it a deadly edge. In addition, Asuma had Choji work on his clan's multi-sized jutsu in an attempt to gain super multi-sized jutsu. If Choji could accomplish that, he would be able to stretch his body to the size of a giant and crush his opponents. While the attempt was unsuccessful, Choji was able to expand his body twice as much from what he could do before.
Neji and Hinata spent several days expanding Byakugan to their limits. Neji was able to expand it to 200 meters, but Hinata could only do less than 100. Saber was at a loss of what to do with the two of them. Much of their style required secret clan techniques, and he had no intention of letting the two of them spar with him. Hanabi's earlier actions may have been a one time thing, but Shirou was unwilling to let the two of them try their abilities on him. The best he could do was spar with them and keep from getting hit. It was Kurenai who was the most helpful for the pair. She was constantly keeping illusions around the two who had to determine what was real and what was fake.
Shikamaru was forced to work on his clan's jutsu regardless of his own personal dislike for work. By the end of the training, Shikumaru was able to use Shadow Neck Bind Technique, a technique where one used their shadow to bind a person and choke someone to death. The problem was that it would only lasted a few minutes before it wore out.
Sasuke and Naruto were the two who benefited the most from the two weeks. Kakashi used several fire jutsus in from of Sasuke while Sasuke used his Sharingan to copy them. While it would take the rest of the two weeks to fully use them, Sasuke was able to use Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique, Fire Release: Dragon Fire Technique, and Fire Release: Fire Dragon Flame Bullet. Each of these jutsus were devastating offensive attacks that could burn his enemies away. The most annoying technique Kakashi taught him was Earth Release: Double Suicide Decapitation Technique, a technique that allowed Sasuke to drag an enemy underground up to their neck. It was a humiliating technique that could be used for torture or execution depending on intent.
Naruto on the other hand, was taught Wind Release Stream to allow him to change direction in mid air, useful for Orange Flash. Asuma taught Naruto Wind Release: Wind Gale Palm where the user channel wind chakra to their palms and release it in a thrust. This could be used for either increasing the speed of thrown weapons, or to knock opponents off balance. Asuma also taught him Wind Release: Great Breakthrough, a simple C rank jutsu where the user sucked in air and blew it out to create a great force of wind that was used to knock opponents off their feet In addition, Danzo taught Naruto Wind Release: Vacuum Sphere, and Wind Release: Vacuum Wave. These two techniques involved inhaling then releasing wind chakra at enemies. Unfortunately, Naruto was still unable to use their full potential as he had yet to master his wind element. Instead of being able to pierce a tree, he could only cut about halfway through his practice logs.
Naruto would at the beginning of each morning summon a hundred clones and split them into groups according to the instructors' wishes. About half of them would work on elemental manipulation while the rest worked on the new jutsus he was taught. Asuma and Danzo were impressed that Naruto was almost able to completely cut a leaf in two. If they had more time, Naruto would be able to fully cut the leaf, but they ran out of time.
"All right everyone," Asuma told the twelve genin, "Congratulations on finishing the camp. It's been three weeks since we started, and I have to say, you all have improved significantly from where you all started."
"With this, there will be no objections to you twelve entering the next chunin exams a week from now." Asuma glanced over at Saber who was nodding his agreement. It had been an ongoing battle between Saber and Danzo versus the four jonin instructors on whether the twelve were ready or not.
Now, at the end of the training, Saber had given his acceptance that the twelve genin were all a lot closer to what a chunin should actually be.
Kakashi and Asuma argued that it would be a good way for the kids to gauge their abilities. Saber had scoffed at the idea back in the beginning and pointed out that there was an average of three deaths per exam.
"You want them to test themselves in an exam with guaranteed fatalities every time? You two are fools." Saber argued. "If you want to test them, set them up against several chunin similar to the final exam to be a genin."
Saber pointed a thumb towards Anko, "Better yet, have them go up against her."
Anko had grinned evilly at the thought of an all out match against the twelve brats. The thought made her shiver with excitement and made her feel as giddy as a kid in Christmas. The screams, the wails, the moans of agony...not that she took pleasure in that sort of thing. No, she would just, er...train, yes train the twelve of them harshly. Better to know how far they had to go before they were ready for the real ninja world.
Something like that.
Below the instructors, the genin cheered. Finally, after three excruciating weeks, they were finished training. They were all stronger, faster, sneakier, and all around better than they were before the camp.
"Hmm, this looks fascinating," Hiruzen Sarutobi said from the side of the clearing.
Everyone turned to stare at the Hokage, except Danzo.
"Jiji? What are you doing here?" Naruto asked
Danzo hmpfed, "What were you expecting boy? Twelve genin vanish for three weeks a month before the chunin exams. Of course he's going to come check it out."
The Third nodded slightly to his old friend. "Indeed, I was curious to see what was going on here, and I have to say, I am pleased with the dedication you all displayed over the past few weeks."
Saber dropped down and approached the Hokage, "You might want to consider making this a part of the academy before graduation. It should have been done long ago, but no-one considered it before."
"Hmm, I have to think about it." Hiruzen muttered.
The twelve were released while the adults followed the Hokage to his office. Only Rider excused herself to keep an eye on her master.
"I want to thank you all for the time you put in training the twelve of them." The Hokage said formally
"I have decided to treat that as a C rank mission and paid you all accordingly." He held out the envelopes containing the standard pay for a C rank mission.
Saber was grateful that he would not have to dive into his savings to buy Anko her Dango.
"This is probably nothing more than formality, but are any of the teams ready for the chunin exams?" The Third asked with a smile.
"I nominate Kiba, Hinata, and Shino for the chunin exams," Kurenai said smiling
"I nominate Choji, Shikamaru, and Ino for the chunin exams," Asuma said taking a drag of his cigarette
"I nominate my beloved students Lee, TenTen, and Neji," Gai said with gleaming white teeth.
"Under my name as Hatake Kakashi, I nominate Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke, for the chunin exams," Kakashi said while reading Ichi Icha Paradise.
"Very well, have them fill out these forms and have them arrive at the academy in one week in room 301 before 8:00." Hiruzen commanded.
The four jonin instructors left while Anko put Saber in a death grip, "Now Saber, I seem to recall you saying you would treat me to all the Dango I could eat."
Saber nodded, "Of course, I never forget a promise to a beautiful woman."
Anko began half dragging Saber towards her favorite dango shop. Today was going to be great. She could feel it.
Danzo was left alone with his old rival.
"So Danzo, what was it like training the twelve of them?" Sarutobi asked.
Danzo considered the question, "Restricted, Saber was keen that they only be pushed so far. But, I will admit he was willing to push them further than those soft instructors."
"Old friend," The Third said softly, "Your methods would break them into mindless drones."
"Ninja's are weapons you old goat." Danzo retorted, "Ninjas are to fight and die for the good of the village. We are tools."
Sarutobi could feel a headache pounding in his head. They had argued this topic a million times. Danzo's past had been too colored by the fact that his father and grandfather gave their lives to buy the village time to mount a sizable defense. Danzo would always believe that the best thing a ninja could do was sacrifice themselves to secure the village's future.
"Please Danzo, not this again. For the first time in years, the younger generation thinks better of you."
Danzo scoffed, "They'll think better of me when they pass this exam."
"You believe they will?" The Hokage said in surprise.
"I know they will. They are the finest genin this village has produced in a long time thanks to the camp. Though, according to Saber, the camp should have lasted six months to a year for full effect." Danzo said.
'A year?' The Hokage thought. From what he had seen, the twelve had undergone phenomenal leaps in just three weeks. The changes a year could make was almost too much to comprehend.
The two of them continued to debate the merits of the training for hours before Danzo excused himself.
He began making his way back to his home to see how the operations were going.
The Root would support the tree in the shadows.
Tea and Dango Cafe
'Wow, that is a lot of dango.' Saber thought. He lost track after Anko had eaten over sixty sticks of dango and ordered for more.
"Your such a sweetie," Anko said beaming at Saber while she waited for the set order to show up. "So much dango, all for little me."
"Your worth it," Saber said honestly. Anko had been invaluable during the camp. She was a fountain of knowledge about area forty four. He advise, warnings, and straight forward attitude had kept the twelve alive and healthy.
Anko blushed from the compliment, only to wince.
"Ah, ow." Anko yowled as she held a hand on her neck. Something was causing her a great deal of pain. She began convulsing in agony. Clenching her teeth to keep from screaming.
"Hoy, what's wrong?" Saber asked concerned.
Anko forced herself up and smiled, "It's nothing, just an old wound."
Saber nodded and accepted her explanation. "So what? Is it going to rain?" He joked.
Anko snickered a bit at the lame attempt. "No, it just happens when I feel too strongly about something."
Shirou tilted his head a bit, "Weird, never heard of a wound that did that before."
Anko snorted, "Yeah, got it as a result of a damned snake."
Shirou began to analyze the problem. It sounded like a poison from a snake, but any residual toxins should have left the body, unless the wound was recent. He would have to ask her about it later.
Anko continued to feast upon the dango for an hour before she finally filled herself. Shirou paid the bill with his pay and found himself left with ten ryo left. He considered it and nodded to himself.
"Wait here a minute please," He asked Anko who was confused, but agreed.
Shirou went into a store nearby and came out with a present for her. "Here, it's not much but I think these suit you."
Anko opened the small bag, and pulled out two small round red earrings. They looked almost like red pearls, if only they weren't made of plastic. They weren't very expensive, but Anko found herself smiling. She never wore jewelry, but she knew she would be wearing these for a while. She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks handsome." Anko said gratefully. "I'll wear these in memory of our first date."
Shirou wanted to argue, but found that they had been basically dating for the past few hours. He had taken her out to dinner, talked to her, and even got her a gift. 'Yeah, that's a date.' a part of him told himself. He felt a shiver crawl up his spine, the snake was encircling him, and he was almost throwing himself at her.
Anko walked away, swishing her behind suggestively as she strutted away. Knowing full well that Saber was blushing at the sight. This was going to be fun. The man seemed so innocent in so many ways, it was hard to believe that the man wasn't a virgin. 'Not a bad catch at all,' Anko thought playfully. She was going to enjoy Saber to the fullest soon enough. Behind her, she heard him sneeze loudly. 'Hmm...so, he's that sensitive. This is too funny.' Anko thought as she made her way home to try on the earrings.
Ichiraku
Naruto had finished his tenth bowl of ramen. For three weeks, he had been without his ambrosia and was now trying to make up for lost time. Ayame and Teuichi were grinning at Naruto's attempt to consume his body weight in their cooking.
"Another one please." Naruto ordered. "Hmm, make it a Saber's Special this time."
"Coming up," Teuichi called back. "So where were you for the past three weeks Naruto?"
"Area forty four, aka hell." Naruto answered.
Ayame paled, "Forty four? The Forest of Death?"
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, we were attacked by giant bugs, a couple of bears, three boars, a swarm of birds, and had to run from an ant rush."
Ayame was furious, "And who was crazy enough to send you into that forest?" Area forty four was famous for being the deadliest training area in the entire fire nation.
Naruto scratched his head and answered, "Well lets see, there was Kakashi, Saber, Kurenai, Asuma, Gai, Anko, Rider and Danzo there. They wanted us to get ready for the chunin exams next week."
Ayame mentally began preparing her rant and planned to practice her throwing arm the next time she saw any of those no good morons. Area forty four, what were they thinking sending Naruto there?
Naruto continued to eat unaware of the death threats Ayame was muttering. Kakashi and Saber were going to get it if it was the last thing Ayame did.
"Hey boss." A young voice called out. "Where ya been?"
Naruto turned to the source of the voice it was Konohamaru, and his two friends Udon and Moegi.
"Hey guys, hows it been?" Naruto said cheerfully as he began to eat his eleventh helping of ramen.
"Iruka-sensei has us working on the leaf exercise." Moegi answered.
"We're working on basic Algebra" Udon said happily.
"He still can't take a joke," Konohamaru said solemnly. He had been given a huge lecture after he used sexy-no-jutsu on Iruka.
Naruto smiled, "Yeah, I had to spend three weeks in training in area forty four."
"Cool," Konohamaru said excitedly, not knowing the area's reputation. "You must know some cool new jutsus."
Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I've got several wind jutsus these days. I'm one step closer to being Hokage."
Konohamaru thumbed his nose, "Just you wait boss, one day I'll be stronger than you and I'll earn the right to be Hokage."
Naruto smiled, right now, life was going swell. Good food, adoring fans, life couldn't get any better.
Outside of Konoha
Baki didn't let it show, but he was nervous. According to the spies, several genin had gone through an almost jonin level training camp over the past several weeks. While it could be a coincidence, there was the possibility that the village was gearing up for war. If so, that would probably mean that they were aware of the invasion plans. This in turn would mean that any invading army would probably be slaughtered attempting to attack the village.
Temari and Kankuro were professional enough to realize that this was a potential threat to their father's plans. Mentally both of them were conflicted on the issue. Suna and Konoha had been allies for years with stable trade. The only reason that their village was planning the attack was because of the Daimyo of their country. The fat bastard was cutting back funds on the village and selling off several ninja jobs off to Konoha.
Yet, if the village was gearing up for war itself, it could be that Konoha was planning a preemptive strike themselves. The question would be who? Who would they attack? Kumo? No, that country was too heavily militarized for a successful invasion. Kiri, while caught in a civil war, was too far away for a profitable war. Iwa was a possibility. The two villages had hated each other for generations. The fourth Hokage, the legendary Yellow Flash had killed hundred of Iga nins all by himself in the Third Great Ninja War. Konoha might be planning to attack Oto if that new village's plans had been discovered. Konoha could declare war on Oto and force Suna to decide which side of the fence it would stand on. Alone, Oto would fall. Only with Suna would it stand a chance against the full might of Konoha.
It was also possible that Konoha was planning on finishing off Suna while the village was weakened.
Temari and Kankuro shook their heads. This was way above their level. This was something that the council and their father the fourth Kazekage would deal with, not them.
Behind the three of them, Gaara continued walking at his pace, Berserker following in his shadow. Temari and Kankuro shivered at the memory of what that monster could do and did to anyone that looked at Gaara wrong. One of the spies had been ripped limb from limb and left to die by Berserker for coming too close to Gaara.
Temari studied Berserker. If he wasn't a raging lunatic with too much bloodlust, the man would be rather handsome. He was tall, about six foot one, with the perfectly toned body. He wore a metal breastplate and a thick leather kilt. He wore a helm that covered most of his head, but left his face fairly exposed. Only a nose guard that came down in from the top of the helm gave any sort of protection to his face. At the top of the helm, a red crest of horse hair trailed from the top of the helm down the back of his neck.
The man had the most beautiful shield she had ever seen. Countless images of cities, people, oceans, vineyards, and cattle were carved onto the shield. The thing was, the shield was fairly large, almost four feet in diameter.
Berserker had two weapons a short sword that seemed to catch fire in the light, and a spear that was about twice as long as Berserker was tall. With a single swing, Berserker, could cleave a man in two.
She had seen time and time again how fast that monster was. Not even the fastest of Ninjas using body flicker could evade a single attack that monster. As fast as a ninja was, Berserker was faster.
As far as anyone could tell, Berserker could not say a single coherent word. All Berserker did was roar like a sandstorm and kill a target. Temari shook with fear every time that creature looked at her. At a gesture, Gaara could send Berserker out to kill her. Gaara was bad enough alone, but Berserker made Gaara an instrument of pure terror. Neither she nor her brother could sleep easily knowing that Gaara could kill them on a whim.
Before her stood the gates of Konoha. She had been assured by Baki that they would have to let Berserker through as a bodyguard as long as they filled out the proper forms. Konoha had reduced a great deal in security since the last Great Ninja War and the extermination of the Uchiha clan.
Berserker was growling for some reason. He seemed to be focusing on another group heading towards the village. As Temari focused, she saw it was a group from Kumo, only they had someone with them as well. It was a man in red with white hair.
"Berserker," Gaara commanded, "Hide yourself."
Berserker seemed to fade away into thin air. Temari had no idea how that thing could do it, but Berserker could become as stealthy as a ninja when Gaara commanded it.
Archer focused on the group from Suna. 'Hmm, only Berserker could give off such a killing intent,' he thought.
"Master," he whispered, "it seems that another Servant has arrived."
Yugito glanced over at him as they approached the gate. "What? Who is it?"
Archer indicated the party from Suna. Yugito looked them over and recognized the Ichibi container instantly. His murderous rampages were known to Kumo, though Konoha might not be aware of it.
"Don't fight him here Archer. We still have our mission to complete." Yugito ordered.
Archer continued to keep an eye on the group. "As you order Master, but they have Berserker with them. It is unlikely that they will have full control over him."
"So what? You want to fight him here? You'll throw back relations between our countries for years for your stupid ceremony." Yugito growled.
"Foolishness kitten," the Niibi reprimanded, "Not even the Kyuubi could fully control a Berserker that powerful. Can you not feel his killing intent? As soon as it is set loose, Berserker cannot be stopped until it has killed its target or died."
"I don't care if Berserker could crush mountains, we are not making the first move and starting a Great War. Do you understand?" Yugito hissed.
Archer sighed, "Truly, I seem to be cursed with idealistic Masters."
Rin sneezed violently. Causing her to spill her favorite tea. Rin glared at the offending stain on her dress. "Shirou, that better not have been you."
Rin went back to the notes she had made earlier from her previous attempts at using Second magic. She was sure that there was something she was missing in order to travel through worlds.
"Ohohoho, finally it's complete." Luvia's voice echoed through the hallway.
'She must have finished making her mirror.' Rin thought. Rin was unsure whether she should care or not. On one hand, Luvia might be able to communicate with Shirou, on the other, Luvia was lagging behind Rin for once while she had concentrated on making a new mirror. As far as Rin could tell, Luvia had yet to even talk to her alternates.
"Shirou? It is you Shirou," Luvia cried happily.
Rin got up and bolted for Luvia's workshop She'd be damned before she let that bitch have a second alone with Shirou.
Rin burst through the door and looked at the mirror, only to see it blank.
"Good evening Rin," Luvia said airily while drinking a cup of tea. "My, what brings you in here in such a hurry?"
Rin gritted her teeth. Of course, it was a trap. "Damn you Edelfelt"
Luvia sipped her tea. "I purpose a truce my rival."
"A truce? With you? Never." Rin began to walk out.
"Ara, are you sure Rin? What if I meet Shirou all alone?"
Rin clenched her fists, Luvia knew exactly how to hit her weak points. "What do you want you blond bitch?"
"Explain how you were able to speak to your alternate. I know you must have some information that allowed you to do that." Luvia demanded cheerfully.
Rin sighed, "Fine, wait here." With that, Rin walked back to her workshop and pulled out the piece of paper. "Here, this is how I did it."
Luvia looked it over, "I see, yes. This is what I was missing. Very well, I will inform you if I see Shirou in the mirror." Luvia told Rin.
"That was rather nice of you Luvia," Shirou said from the other side of the mirror.
The two girls snapped their attention to the now working mirror. "Shirou!" They both cried.
"Good to see you both." Shirou said happily. He focused for a second, "Say, isn't this Luvia's workshop?"
Luvia laughed, "Ohohoho, as expected of you Shirou, this is indeed my workshop. Rin's carelessness caused her mirror to break after last time."
Rin's nails dug into her flesh at Luvia's unneeded comments.
"I see, I'm sorry to hear about that Rin." Shirou apologized.
Typical really, the man was somehow able to juggle two woman's feelings while being blind to his actions.
Rin sighed, "So Shirou, what have you been up to?"
Shirou beamed, "I sent my little Master through a three week long boot camp."
Rin and Luvia blinked. Yes, they knew he had to be summoned as a Servant, but they were still shocked by the mention of his Master.
"Shirou," Rin asked suspiciously, "Who is your master?" Knowing his luck, it was probably some pretty young thing who had fallen desperately in love with him at first sight.
"Hmm, he's a twelve year old kid with blond hair, blue eyes, and more energy than a puppy . He's trying to be a ninja, though his loud mouth tendencies seem to run counter to the norm." Shirou told them.
Rin and Luvia visibly relaxed. A kid, he had been summoned by a boy who hadn't even gone through puberty. Good. The last thing they needed were more rivals for his affection.
Shirou went on to explain about the training camp he designed and the girls could not help but smile at Shirou's enthusiasm. He was always doing this. Shirou could take the dreariest atmosphere and make it sunny. It was why so many people had like him in life. He lived following an ideal, a flawed ideal true, but he did more towards that ideal than anyone else. Because the people knew about his ideal, they loved him. He was trying to be a hero, so the people loved him. Because they knew why he was doing what he was doing, they loved him. Had he kept it secret, they would have been suspicious. But Shirou was always willing to tell about his ideal, and it's inherent flaws.
He was an inspiration to those around him. There was even a few small cults that believed that he would return in the darkest of hours and save the world again. In the middle east, several statues were erected in his honor, and the new Israel elite forces now called themselves the Red Capes in his honor.
Rin watched as the mirror became fuzzy again, "Shirou, looks like we'll have to end this today."
She saw the blur that was Shirou nodded his head. "True enough, good luck on your studies you two. And don't let Zelretch drive you insane."
The mirror went clear.
Rin blinked then remembered something important, "Oh shit, we forgot to ask about the pendant and will."
Luvia slapped herself on the face, "Indeed, that was a mistake."
Rin grinned, "Well, I guess we'll just have to bring it up next time."
The two of them both began to laugh evilly, Shirou was in for it as soon as they talked to him again.
Team Yugito and Archer had the strangest experience at the gate.
"Hey buddy," one of the guards called out. "When did you leave the village?"
Archer blinked at how the two guards seemed to know him. Yet, this was the first time he had been to Konoha.
"A while ago," Archer lied
"Really? I swore I saw you in the village an hour ago." The second guard called out as he looked over Yugito's passport. "Hmm, here for the exams? Well, everything's in order, welcome and good luck."
Archer shrugged as the others had their passport checked, "You must have been seeing things."
"Yeah maybe, see yah Saber, please invite us over for some of your food later. You're getting famous in these parts." Guard number one called to the group as they walked away in shock.
"Will do," Archer lied effortlessly.
Her team looked over at Archer. There was no way in hell he could be mistaken for anyone else. How many other people with tanned skin, white hair, gray eyes, and a red suit were there in the world? The guards had taken one look at him and didn't even bother to check his identity.
"Archer, have you been here before?" Tamaki asked
Archer snorted, "He said Saber, therefore there is another Servant here."
Yugito paled a bit. There had been a brief, but explosive battle between Archer and Lancer when they met before they had been Commanded to back off. There was now a formal alliance between Archer and Lancer until they were the last ones in the Ceremony.
"Three, there's three of you here." Yugito said with a trace of fear. This place was going to explode.
"At least," Archer confirmed. "In addition, it seems that Saber looks a great deal like me."
"And there's Berserker back there," Yugito said pointing a thumb back at the Suna team that was approaching the village gates.
Naru looked pale, she had seen part of a mountain destroyed by Archer's arrow once. "W-what do we do?"
Yugito looked her over, "You will take the chunin exams. The Servants will have no interest in you, only me and Archer."
"So long as the Hyuga don't attack us on sight," Ace muttered quietly. That diplomatic mission had been a political disaster when the ambassador failed at kidnapping the Heir to the Hyugas. Many countries had stopped sending Kumo various missions because it had been a diplomat that had attempted the kidnapping.
There had been rumors of a fringe group attempting to kidnap another one, but had apparently met an untimely end with a band of mercenaries or brigands.
Yugito snorted, "As long as you act polite and make no moves against them, the Hyugas will not make a move against us."
Yugito found a hotel willing to accommodate her and her team easily enough. Again, the people there seemed to think they were with this Saber person. Apparently, he had helped them refurbish several rooms and fix the plumbing with a genin team. Yugito shook her head, whoever this Saber was, he was clearly more helpful than her own Servant. All Archer was willing to do was brew up a nice cup of tea and protect her.
"Now Kitten, Servants are weapons, not maids." Niibi told her.
"Indeed," Archer added, "Whoever this Saber is, he has little pride or his Master has used a command seal on the Servant."
Yugito looked on her left arm where her two remaining seals glowed. She had to us one of them to stop Archer from attacking Lancer while Kirabi did the same to Lancer.
"Would that really work?" Yugito asked.
"Not exactly," Archer told her. "A general command like 'obey me' will not be near as effective as a specific order like 'strike now.' Only the most powerful of Masters can influence a Servant that way, and even then, the Servant can still disobey but suffer a reduction in their abilities."
"True, but the Saber class is famous for their loyalty and their adherence to orders." The Niibi added.
Archer scoffed, "My own encounters with the Saber class say that their pride would never allow them to stoop to low level jobs."
"Like yourself," Yugito accused pointedly.
"Indeed," Archer agreed impishly.
Yugito sighed. Right now, she suddenly wished she had that Saber. She was sure that that she could get along with that one easier. Saber was probably nothing at all like Archer.
Gaara was humming, a disturbing thing for those that knew him.
Gaara never hummed.
"Very good child," Mother told him. "Keep Berserker hidden until it is time to kill the dead ones."
"Yes mother," Gaara said and went back to humming. He had felt the power of that other Servant. The whole thing was making him deliriously happy at the thought of destroying it.
"Yes, we will destroy them my beloved Gaara." Mother comforted him. "And when we do, I shall hold you in my own arms."
"That sounds nice mother." Gaara said.
Temari, Kankuro, and Baki all looked on at Gaara with wariness. The last thing they needed was for Gaara to go wild before the exams had even begun. This humming was new for them. The last time that Gaara had hummed was when he had been with his uncle, and that had been years ago.
None of the three of them knew what to do with Gaara. Scolding him would only result in their own deaths, but they still needed to keep a leash on his violent tendencies for now. Only the Kazekage had any true grasp over Gaara, and that had begun slipping since they had begun planning the invasion.
"Soon mother, soon I will give you as much blood as you want." Gaara told the sand.
"That sounds nice my child, then we will kill that pretender who claims to be your father." Mother told him. Truly, the pretender would never see it coming. Father never smelled like snakes and forests, father always smelled of hate and wariness. The pretender would die for trying to control the two of them soon enough.
"Yes mother, we will kill them all." Gaara told mother.
Kankuro, Temari, and even Baki felt a shiver of fear crawl up their backs. Gaara was becoming far too unstable, but as long as Berserker was there, no-one was crazy enough to try to kill Gaara these days.
The four of them had a bit difficulty, but they were able to find a hotel that would accept them. While the hotels did know about the exams, there were still many places that did not like catering to foreign ninjas. Luckily, Suna was still thought of as an ally of the village. The Kumo nins were probably going to spend all day looking for a hotel.
Shirou was feeling good today. The training was over, his master was over at Ichiraku having his fifteenth bowl of ramen while Rider kept to the shadows. He had even gotten a chance to talk to Rin and Luvia.
The thing was, however, he was bored. And boredom would make him sloppy. He needed a bit of stimuli.
"I've got plenty of time, a book sounds nice." Saber said to himself as he went to his secret stash. He pulled out several ryo and headed off for the used book store.
Barnes Used Books was a small, crowded store. It was crowded because all the walls, and half the aisles were filled with more books than a person could read in a lifetime. Most of the books were covered with dust, but were still legible. The store was run by an elderly couple Barnes and his wife Himako, known by the woman's council as the old Hanya for some reason. Shirou had no idea why she was called that, as he always found her pleasant and a good judge of character. She could tell at a glance what kind of book a person was looking for. Her husband would then pull out of the stacks exactly the book she whispered in his ear.
So, with that in mind, Shirou was unsurprised when he was handed a book almost the minute he entered the store.
"Here is the book you will want this time Saber." Himako told him. "It's written by an old acquaintance of mine, and the only good book he ever wrote."
Behind her, her husband snickered, and whispered, "Not according to his fan base."
Saber looked at the cover, The Tale of the Utterly Gutsy Ninja by Jiraiya. The author's name seemed familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had heard of it before. He flipped through the first few pages and found himself entrenched by the story. As he read it, he swore he was reading a portent of the future about his own master. The main character was also named Naruto, both of them challenged the established ideas of ninjas, they had fairly close to the same personality, and they both had the same belief in never going back on their word.
Shirou was sure that he paid the couple, because he suddenly found himself out of the building and walking down the street with the book in hand. Shirou looked around and found himself suddenly near the Hyuga residence.
'Wow, good book.' Shirou thought to himself.
"Onii-chan." Hanabi called out.
Shirou turned to see his favorite little Hyuga racing towards him.
He bent down and caught her in his arms as she gave him another one of her flying tackle hugs.
"Disgraceful," an older voice muttered out loud, "A Hyuga must never show such emotions, especially to an outsider."
Shirou looked up at the source of the voice. It was an older Hyuga, roughly about seventy years old.
"What a child can or cannot do is none of your concern old man." Shirou growled as he hugged Hanabi harder.
"I am her instructor, and I say that main branch must never display such wanton displays in the public. She will drag the Hyuga family to shame if she continues this."
Hanabi was suddenly shaking in fear inside Shirou's arms, "No, I want to be with Onii-chan." Hanabi whispered.
Shirou relaxed his arms and stood up, glaring at the pompous windbag.
"I see," Shirou said with iron in his voice, "Would you be willing to back your beliefs up with more than words?"
"You dare challenge a Hyuga?" The old windbag gasped like a fish. The idea that such a lowborn mongrel would challenge him, an elder councilman, was unheard of. Not even the Uchiha would have dared to interfere in Hyuga business.
"Oh, I do." Shirou said eagerly. "In front of your entire clan if I could."
"Follow me then mongrel," The old man said stiffly. The head of the clan would see to this ruffian.
Shirou picked Hanabi up in a mighty bear hug and carried her towards the compound where he nodded to the guards Hayate and Hitashi. The two nodded back and smiled at him, though they remained stoic while the old man was in their view.
"What's gotten into him?" Hayate asked.
"I challenge his right to instruct Hanabi," Shirou informed them.
The two blanched at that, "Do you know who that is?" they asked him.
"My new punching bag," Shirou said dangerously.
The two were unable to form words as Shirou and Hanabi entered the compound.
"Hiashi-sama," the old bastard called out. "I protest that this mongrel be allowed anywhere near the Hyuga heiress."
Hiashi walked out and looked around, "Heiress? Hinata is inside with me giving me the report about the training camp."
The old man scoffed, "I am referring to Hanabi clan lord."
Hiashi glared death at the man who seemed to ignore the threat. "What problems do you have with Hanabi and Saber Hiro-san?"
"The man is encouraging wanton behavior of the heiress and dares to question my teaching methods." Hiro declared.
Shirou watched as the rest of the Hyugas were all converging towards the area to watch the spectacle.
"First," Hiashi said with a bit of steel, "Hanabi has not been confirmed as the heiress, that title still belongs to my elder daughter Hinata." Behind him, Hinata looked in on the preceding with nervousness, and a bit of pride. Her father wasn't thinking of her as a failure at the moment. In fact, after Saber had entered their lives, he seemed to have relaxed a bit with her.
"Second," Hiashi continued, "Saber has earned the right to train Hanabi as her rescuer and trainer. She and Hinata have both improved with their sparring matches with him over the months."
"But surely you will agree that we cannot let an outsider dictate how we train our children." Hiro argued.
"I challenge you on the right of you training her." Shirou roared. "You would dare to force a child to repress their emotions and their youth? You will make her into nothing more than a rubber stamp for your agendas."
"How dare you," Hiro said pointing a finger at Saber.
Shirou grinned, "I said I challenge you, you old windbag. Back up your words or back down."
"I am a Hyuga, not some low born trash rolling in the streets like a common thug." Hiro said with as much pride as he could muster.
"A challenge," the others were muttering however. There were old customs that allowed outsiders to challenge the Hyugas.
Hiro seemed to realize where this was going and blanched, "Surely you will not allow this swine to use that outdated tradition?"
"Was it not you last week who said we do not respect the old ways?" Hiashi said grinning. "What better way to prove your beliefs than following the Rite of Combat."
Hiro paled, "Surely you will not force an old man like me to fight a young man?"
"I'll fight anyone and everyone of it means I have to." Shirou declared. "If you are afraid, then choose a second who will fight in your stead you coward."
"Anyone?" Hiro said happily, "Then you would not mind fighting the best our clan has to offer?"
Shirou pointed at Hiashi, "Hell, to wipe that grin off your face I'd take him on."
The others glared at that, Hiashi was the pride of the clan.
"Don't do that Onii-chan." Hanabi whispered to him "Father is too strong."
"I'm stronger, I'm the strongest remember? You said so yourself." Shirou said gently
Hiashi sighed, he didn't want to fight Saber, but the clan's worthless pride had been smeared and needed to be salvaged. "Very well Saber, then I must fight you."
Shirou put down Hanabi and traced two Torashinas. "Ready when you are."
The others backed off. This was going to be brutal.
Hiashi stalked forward with resignation.
"What are the rules?" Shirou asked.
"Three clear hits to decide the winner." Hiashi said simply
As soon as Hiashi took as stance, Saber dashed forward at a terrifying speed.
Hiashi barely had time to move his hands before his head was given a solid hit. Hiashi saw stars for a second from the strength of the blow.
The others muttered, the fight should not have started until someone had officiated the match begin, but Saber had waited until Hiashi was in position.
'O-one hit," Hinata cried out. As the heir, it fell to her to officiate the match.
Hiashi shook his head as Saber backed off. Hiashi suddenly raised the skill level of Saber up several notches. If he hesitated at all, Sber would decimate him.
Hiashi went into the Gentle Fist stance again.
"B-begin" Hinata called out.
Saber dashed forward again.
Hiashi attempted to perform Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Saber slipped past the first two palms and smashed one of the swords into Hiashi's gut. Hiashi felt the urge to vomit almost overtake him. It felt like a log had been hurled into his stomach.
Hiashi went down on his knees from the blow.
"O-one hit." Hinata called out nervously. She had never seen her father beaten down so easily before. None of them had. Hiashi was the pride of the Hyuga, the unbeatable clan head. Saber had taken that belief and threw it out a window. One more hit, and Saber would win.
Hanabi was speechless, she had said that Saber nii-chan was the strongest, but she had never understood how true that really was. Her father had been the strongest person before she met Saber, and now...her father was trying not to lose his lunch.
Saber stayed back while Hiashi gasped for air. "Do you yield?" he asked
Hiashi gasped again, but shook his head. To yield would be too much for the clan to accept. They would brand him and his daughters if he gave up. Hiashi gathered his breath and stood up once more.
It took a bit, but he was able to enter his stance once more. There was only one way he was going to hit Saber, the ultimate defense of the Hyuga, Kaiten.
"B-begin," Hinata called out
Instead of dashing forward, Saber merely stood there.
Waiting.
Hiashi was grateful for the reprieve while he gathered his breath. The air was becoming tense from all the clansmen around him. After a bit, Hiashi found his breath back to normal.
"Are you ready?" Saber asked him.
Hiashi smiled, "You should have taken the chance."
Shirou shook his head, "It would not have been honorable." Before Hiashi could reply, Saber dashed forward a third time.
"Kaiten" Hiashi cried as he set loose a large sphere of chakra that should have spent Saber flying.
Instead, Saber had backed up just in time and waited. Hiashi knew he was at a disadvantage. Kaiten could not move from the center. Saber would only have to wait for the circle to vanish before he attacked again. It would be tricky, but Hiashi might be able to raise a second one before Saber struck him.
Saber tested the sphere with a wooden sword and watched as it broke upon impact.
Hiashi saw this as a chance and canceled Kaiten in an attempt to land a blow. Yet, before he could get there, the other sword knocked his hands out of the way, and a new wooden sword in Saber's previously empty hand smashed on top of Hiashi's head.
Hiashi collapsed unconscious.
"W-winner, Saber." Hinata said disbelieving what she was saying.
"How? How could this happen?" The others were whispering. The clan head had not been going easy on Saber. He had used two of the most powerful techniques known to the clan in an attempt to land hits on Saber.
"Anyone else?" Saber asked. "I'm still game if anyone else wants to challenge the outcome."
"This...this... atrocity never happened," Hiro ranted. "Guards, guards seize him."
Hayate and Hitashi looked at each other. There was no way they were as strong as Saber. The clan head could have beaten the both of them while half asleep with one arm tied up.
The others in the clan began muttering angrily. They had been shamed by the outsider.
"I asked if there was anyone else who would like to challenge me." Saber said annoyed. Once again, people talked and talked but rarely did anything about their problems.
One man stepped forward and bowed. "I am Horo, the head of the branch family. Honor dictates that I fight in the name of my clan."
"Just remember that I fight in the name of Hanabi's freedom." Shirou reminded the man. The two were supposed to be fighting over that, not the honor of a clan.
Horo acknowledged the truth of the statement. "Very well, you are right. For the right of Hiro teaching Hanabi I challenge you Saber."
Saber took his stance and Horo did the same.
"Begin," Hinata said without stuttering.
Horo barely had time to move a muscle before a wooden sword slammed into his shoulder. He could feel his left arm dislocate from the blow.
"One hit" Hinata declared.
Horo gauged his injury, "I must concede this match, I am unable to continue."
Saber bowed to his opponent who did so in return.
Hiro was furious, both heads, both heads of the clan had been beaten. And the whole clan was staring at the whole event rather than doing something about it. "What are you doing?" He called out. "Deal with the outsider."
"No!" Hanabi and Hinata declared.
"Don't hurt Onii-chan." Hanabi pleaded.
"Saber has won the matches," Hinata declared, "If you disagree with the results then you must challenge Saber." This was new, the young heiress had never shown such backbone before. But, she was right. Tradition must be kept.
"Please," Saber said evilly looking at Hiro, "Challenge me. I dare you."
Hiro looked at the two wooden swords that had beaten the two heads and felt a shiver of fear crawl up his spine. The two swords seemed to be growling at him like tigers.
"N-no," Hiro said hanging his head, "I withdraw my comments."
"I demand an apology from you." Saber smirked.
Hiro looked up and glared at the man, "Never, I am a Hyuga."
"And yet the head of your clan had the humanity and humility to apologize when he deserved to." Shirou countered.
"The man is weak, he has been since his wife died." Hiro shouted loosing his cool.
All around him, his own kin were glaring at him. That had been a low blow. The loss of his wife had driven Hiashi to near suicide that day. If he hadn't any children of his own, Hiashi probably would have hung himself that day.
"I take offense at your words coward," Shirou said angrily.
Hiro was cornered and he knew it. None of the clan would back him up now. "Very well mongrel You shall have the honor of challenging me Hyuga Hiro of the main branch."
"No, I shall have the fun of turning you into my meat bag." Shirou said happily. He needed to get the stress out of his body and get back to his new book.
Hiro fumed, but would not deign to give the trash the knowledge that the trash was getting to him. He was on the council, not a filthy dog with no pedigree.
Hiro entered the courtyard and went into the traditional stance.
Saber seemed to relax, "Whenever you're ready."
Hinata was confused, Saber had always taken a stance before, but he said to begin so...
"Begin the match," Hinata declared.
Hiro tensed up, preparing for the blow that never came. Saber seemed to yawn and pulled out an orange colored book.
'So this is why Kakashi brought this out before. He knew there was no chance in hell that the three kids could hurt him.' Saber thought as he read the next page.
Hiro was fuming, the trash was reading during his match. The outrage, the shame was too much for him. He dashed forward, intent on killing the bastard.
Saber seemed to dance away from each blow while reading the book. "Sloppy," Saber commented. "The other two obviously kept up their techniques rather than relying on their clan name."
Hiro attempted to use Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms, but Saber was too quick.
"Is this what you planned on teaching Hanabi? To have more arrogance than common sense?" Saber continued.
"Kaiten" Hiro yelled, but Saber was long out of reach.
"You know what you remind me of? Sasuke. When I first met him he had the same arrogance. Seemed to think he was entitled to everything being an Uchiha." Saber taunted.
Many of the clan muttered, they remembered the arrogance of the Uchiha clan. To be compared to them was a pointed reminder.
Hiro was tiring, he hadn't seriously trained in years.
"Luckily, I beat that out of him within a week." Saber continued.
This time instead of dancing away, he slammed a sword into Hiro's balls.
"Aiee," Hiro cried cradling his battered manhood.
"One hit," Hinata said with relish. She had hated Hiro since he had first tried to have Hinata branded and Hanabi made heiress.
Hiro rolled on the ground crying in pain.
Shirou looked up form his book and called out, "Hanabi, remind me to read you this book later, it's really good."
"Sure thing onii-chan," Hanabi said happily. Once more, Shirou swore he saw stars in her eyes.
Hiro slowly picked himself up.
"Ready meatbag?" Shirou asked with disdain.
Hirou would not allow himself to yield. He would lose all status in the clan if he did not take Saber down. On the other hand, Saber had to be tired. Three duels should tire anyone. Yes, once Saber was defeated, he would rise to the top of the clan food chain.
Too bad he had never heard of the Battle of the Crimson Moon. Shirou had to fight infinitely stronger opponents for over forty eight straight hours.
Hiro took his stance, "Come peasant, I am ready."
Shirou suddenly began laughing, "You know, I think you out did Sasuke in arrogance right there. At least the boy acknowledged my strength from the first time we fought."
Hiro was pissed, to think, he was being told that an Uchiha had more humility than him. Hiro would wait though, he'd get his vengeance in the next clash.
Shirou continued to read his book for a bit, then placed a book mark between the pages. "Well, I need to hurry this up. Hanabi shouldn't stay up too late, she's got real class tomorrow."
With that, he put away the book.
Saber picked up his swords and dashed for Hiro.
"Kaiten," Hiro yelled as the unbreakable shield formed around him. Saber considered the shield then drew back one of the swords.
It was there that the entire compound swore that a short brown hair woman with white eyes and razor sharp teeth appeared in Saber's place. She was wearing a yellow shirt with black stripes and a green dress.
Behind the woman a humongous tiger face appeared and roared. Hiro was so startled that he shut off Kaiten.
In that moment the woman yelled, "An opening," and swing the sword fiercely, smashing into Hiro's face, breaking his nose and knocking him unconscious.
The woman seemed to vanish and turn back into Saber. "Thank you Fuji-nee," Saber said to the sword before it vanished.
The others stared at the scene before them. Saber was from that moment immortalized in their minds as the strangest man they ever met.
"W-winner, Saber," Hinata said in shock. The image had been too real. Not even Byakugan could see through it. The Sharingan probably could not have seen though it. No, it was as if that woman had replaced Saber for a moment in time.
"It would seem that your demand will be met," Hiashi said from where he laid.
"Clan head, surely you will not let our clan honor remained stained?" another of the elders begged.
"You want to take him on? Be my guest." the Head of the Main Clan said.
The elder looked over at Saber who seemed to be grinning at him. The elder looked at the wooden sword left and shivered. The sword seemed to desire the taste of his blood.
"Hanabi is hereby removed from Hyuga Hiro's care effective immediately," Hiashi declared while feeling a massive headache.
There were a few mutters left, but many of them were of praise that the old windbag had finally been taken down a peg. Many of the branch family were mentally raising Saber on a pedestal.
Saber gave a hug goodbye to Hanabi and a promise that he would read her the book after he had finished it himself.
Saber excused himself and left the impending chaos to the clan to sort through.
And Chaos it was.
Many of the elders wanted blood as soon as Saber was out of range. How dare the outsider shame the family so. How dare he harm the heads of the clan and an elder.
Cooler heads pointed out that they could have just refused the offer, but there had been too much desire for blood for a small smear on their name. Now, their honor and pride had been used as a handkerchief by Saber instead of a minor stain.
The few who knew Saber pointed out that Saber would not brag about the duel. So the stain was not a problem as long as it stayed within the clan.
While the adults debated on what should be done, three children felt their worlds alter.
Hinata, the timid heiress to the clan felt a great deal of satisfaction that her little sister had such a loyal protector. Forget the clan, if anyone dared to harm Hanabi, Saber would probably butcher the offender slowly. Hinata was a bit wistful that Saber was not as loyal to her, but then again she did not need as much help as Hanabi did. After the kidnapping, Hanabi had been a ghost to anyone other than Saber.
Only after months of interaction was Hanabi her old self again. Hinata had trained so hard the last few weeks with Saber and took pride that she had come away stronger and more confident in herself.
Kurenai had told her at the end of the camp how Saber had spoken highly of her and expected her to become a great person as long as she kept her goal in mind. Yes, Hinata would do it, she would become a ninja that not only Naruto, but the entire clan would acknowledge.
Neji watched as the supposedly stronger members of his clan were so easily beaten. He thought back to one of the earlier conversations he had overheard with Saber.
Flashback
"I believe hard work will overcome any genius," Lee said.
Saber nodded, "It usually does, unless the genius works as hard as the rest of the people." Lee and Neji didn't know that Saber was referring to Rin and Luvia at the time.
Lee hung his head down, "So you don't believe me?"
Saber shook his head, "Not at all, I am considered a failure by my peers."
Lee looked over at Gai-sensei remembering how Saber had beaten his idol. "Failure?"
Saber nodded again, "Yes, I only have one talent. But, I worked on that one talent so hard for so long that I was acknowledged by everyone."
"Yosh," Lee said with a fire in his eyes. "I will do the same thing as you Saber. And if I can't I will climb the mountain with one hand, and if I can't do that...
End Flashback
"One talent huh," Neji thought as he shook his head. As far as he could tell, Saber seemed to have several talents, yet he said his peers had viewed him as a failure.
Perhaps fate decreed that the failure would be viewed as powerful to others. Perhaps his own genius would be considered nothing but a poor man's trick to others. Perhaps Lee's ability would be considered genius while he was nothing more than the loser for relying on his clan abilities. It would bear some thinking.
Hanabi had now firmly entrenched the idea that Saber would never lose. She would for the rest of her life never doubt that Saber could not defeat any enemy that he met.
Hanabi looked at her beaten father, her cousin, the head of the branch family, and the detestable Hiro who was only now coming around. The Hyugas were supposed to be one of the strongest clans in the village, yet Saber had beaten their best without a sweat. Truly, Onii-chan was the strongest. Hanabi looked at the discarded broken sword and held it in her hands. For a short time, she could feel the strength of a tiger flow though her hands, before the sword suddenly vanished.
The power that the sword showed her would open Hanabi's eyes to a new possibility. The clan always focused on hand to hand combat. Yet, there were weapons that could channel chakra...
The wheels in the head of the prodigy of the main house began spinning as she began thinking of a new style.
That night, Naruto dreamed.
He watched as Saber cleaved Berserker's arm off as Ria held off the blow that would kill Saber. The two were sent flying as Rin fell to the ground. The magnificent sword broke, but Saber brought forth a new one.
"Shirou," Ria called as she added her grip to the hilt of the sword.
Berserker dashed forward preparing to kill the two of them.
The two of them let forth a mighty yell as they slam the sword into Berserker's stomach.
The giant stops moving.
The air is still.
"Is that your sword Saber?" the giant speaks for the first time.
"Yes, Caliburn. The sword I pulled from the testing stone. I lost it in my youth." Ria answers.
"That is not your sword," Berserker tells her. "It is merely the illusion of it. But still...the power of that illusion is not to be underestimated. To think that it would kill me seven times instantly."
The giant fades with the rising sun and vanishes into dust.
"No," Illya says in disbelief, "Berserker." She collapses from the shock of it all.
Rin picks herself up breathing heavily, "Nice work Emiya." Rin begins coughing from her near death expereince.
Saber goes forward and picks up Illya.
"Shirou?" Rin and Saber ask in astonishment.
"Lets go home." Saber says to the two of them as he walks towards home.
The two of them follow silently.
The four of them get back to the Emiya residence and all but collapse.
Rin heads off to her room and Ria follows Saber to a guest room where he tucks Illya in bed.
Saber and Ria head off to their prospective rooms and lay down for some much needed sleep.
The dream shifts,
Poseidon is visiting Rider regularly. Every time, he brings Rider new gifts. Pearls from the ocean floor, a necklace made of coral, a dress made by some of the sea nymphs. Each gift Rider receives with love and joy. Never has she received such gifts before for her alone.
Pegasus is by her side at all times, nuzzling her for head rubs and sweets. The winged horse is Rider's little baby, spoiled rotten.
The two sisters however, view Poseidon's visits with suspicion. They greet him warmly, then try to have him leave as soon as they can. They seem to want Poseidon to spend as little time near Rider as possible.
As soon as Pegasus is large enough, Rider begins to take rides on him. At first, the flights are harmless ways to enjoy the freedom that flight offers.
Then they begin to change.
Rider soon makes trips to visit Poseidon's realm. She is escorted to his temples by nymphs and fishes as she visits the god of the sea.
Naruto watches as Rider enjoys the company and someone who seems to like her regardless of her curse.
Yet, Naruto still sees that hungry look in Poseidon's eye, and he is disturbed.
Author's note: Longest chapter yet.
Well now, I have my voice back, the room isn't spinning anymore, I'm not coughing up my lungs, and it doesn't hurt to swallow anymore. So, I spent my quarantine making this chapter.
Hope you enjoyed reading it. Oh, if you can't tell, I made the broken phantasm of Tora shinai bring forth the spirit of a pissed off Tiger...I mean Tiga.
...
She's right behind me isn't she?
...
This is going to hurt
L33t Horo is my Beta, and I don't own any franchise.