Okay, so this first chapter is my attempt to reboot, or at least to this point, revive, the old fic I had deleted years ago. Because I really felt like a part of me was missing and I wanted to re-invest into it.

My 'Uzumaki of the Desert' fic really went off rails, and it took me a while to realize that. Plus, the hate mail didn't help either. But now I'm giving it a shot again.

Just so you guys realize, this will now be a Naruto - multiple anime crossover, but I will put it in as a Naruto - GATE fic, mainly because Falmart will be where most of the story will take place. Took also some inspiration from Stargate, not going to lie. BUT it will mainly also be GATE that is the story focus.

Main crossovers will include the following animes:

Naruto GATE Shield Hero Familiar of Zero

More will be revealed, but in the chapters, and I might only add characters from other animes in it for into the future. But multiple characters will come from these animes in this chapter.

Not liking to spoil much or anything, but this is Naruto from his canon world, but isekai'd, and lost his memories partly in this fic. I'm telling you all this in front because I tend to get messages of people trying to own me on something they have no idea about.

The story will likely take four years prior to the JSDF coming in, time enough for Naruto's story here to materialize, and the plot to make more sense, because there is where I failed last time.

It will also have other elements, as you all may know, military, meddling worlds, war crimes, and who knows maybe others too.

Hopefully this chapter will be a success, and I might return to this story more often.

Enjoy.

Unknown location

It was night and the sky was filled with an uncountable number of stars that was spread across the heavenly air, glimpsing the earth beneath it with the light, the two moons also stood by in the open space with the stars. Yes, two moons, one that was glowing the blueish light that glowed as it was supported by the lower hanging moon that gave a pinkish glow that gave company to the blue moon, like boy and girl.

The moons and stars weren't surprisingly the only things that were there, also high in the sky, a giant air ship was sailing through the cloud seas, a frigate to be exact with three masts standing up high in the air with the ship being big enough that its only purpose could've been thought of as one ready for war, but in reality it wasn't. It belonged to the Tristain Academy of Magic, an educational institution that teaches the girls and boys of the Aristocratic classes of Halkeginia how to learn their magical abilities.

What was it doing this late at night? The ship with its travelers have been going on a two days sail from the academy for a voyage that most of the Nobility of Halkeginia must do in their young days, having being given an escort of the host country's who's men were manning the ship.

The deck was empty now with most of the occupants being now asleep in their quarters, leaving only one man on the deck with the on-shift crew, who happened to be the teacher at the Tristain Academy of Magic and the guide of his class' trip, his name was Jean Colbert, a man of knowledge and an underlining history of secrecy as he was just staring into the heavens sky.

"It's a beautiful night, isn't it, professor?"

Colbert turned his head around as he saw with his glasses who the person was approaching him. It was one of the knights, not one from Tristain, but a young officer knight who was from the country that they were going to.

"Yes, it is. Thank you, mister-"

"Co Aldo, Grey Co Aldo." The black haired young man said talking to the mage, introducing himself. "But you can call me Grey, keep it short."

"Colbert, nice to meet you." The balding professor said, offering his hand, to which it was accepted as the knight shook it.

"It's a honor to finally meet a mage from the Halkeginia." Grey began to try and have a discussion with the professor. "Especially a renowned one. I must be honest that this is my first encounter with people from the other side of the world."

Halkeginia and Falmart, two of the biggest civilizations that developed vastly different cultures norms and political systems. And yet rarely or ever interacted with each other for the longest time, with that finally having only ended over a decade ago. With the only thing that separated them were the vast oceans that were dangerous to cross, yet until those dangerous sea routes had finally stabilized for uncertain reasons. Allowing those civilizations to interact, after almost centuries of isolationism.

Colbert's curiosity spiked, a question he verbalized. "You ever met a mage before in your life?"

"Yes, Nomadic ones, but also from Rondel. Where you are going, correct?" Grey responded with a question, on which Colbert nodded.

"Yes, of course." The professor responded. "It's actually my first time, coming out of Halkeginia."

"We're reaching Falmart, sir!" The man holding the ship's wheel, one of the Saderan Knights reported. "We're going to see the shores shortly!"

"Thanks for the warning." Grey responded to the warning. Grey smiled and turned back to the professor. "Look down below now, professor. It's a good sight."

Colbert turns his head around and saw what the Knight meant and was surprised by what he saw for himself.

Downright there below him, from thousands of miles above the earth, they had just arrived over the shores of the Western Desert - The Holy Land, but it also was known as the-

"Welcome to the Western Desert, professor." Grey told the awestruck professor. "And now, look there, at the lights."

"Lights?" Colbert asked. "What lights- Oh dear Brimir." The shock had finally gripped the experienced Tristain mage.

What the professor saw astounded him. The city in front of him could light up the entirety of Halkeginia twice over as it gleamed against the night sky, illuminating the darkness that it was surrounded by.

The shoreline was filled with several massive wooden and metallic ships, with black smoke filling the sky. The buildings while made of stone took on a shiny appearance almost like iron. This city was far more advanced than what his country had produced.

He noticed that it was so bright that it seemed to make the rest of the world darker in contrast. As if the shadows were chased together, thickening till they were nearly impenetrable unless light was poured directly onto them. Even the Stars in the sky were blotted out by the brightness of the city, their tiny pinpricks of silver and gold in the sky hidden by the glare before him.

Grey couldn't help but chuckle as watched the magical professor being amazed by what he was seeing and asked him.

"And? Beautiful sight, isn't it?" Grey smiled, as he loved the sight of the city they were passing by. "That city that you're staring at, is the Center of the world - Jilachi."

"That's Jilachi? unbelievable." Colbert said, shocked as he fixated his glasses as he kept watching the city. "I've heard it was a very modern city, but this precedes my expectations."

For anything to impress the veteran professor, this was one of those moments that he really was caught off guard. He even had visited the many cities of the Romalian Empire, including the capital where the Pope of the Brimirian Church resided, but none of those cities could've come close to this.

Grey chuckled at the face of the professor, like a young child's first reaction. Something he honestly could relate to when he first entered the city, and he hated what he had to break the news now.

"Unfortunately, as much I'd love to stop here, we've got to continue onwards." Grey told him as he calculated the time. "Now that we've passed by the Saderan-controlled part of the country. We'll just need to go through the other territories of the former country."

This brought the professor out of his stance and turned to the knight.

"Former country?"

"Long story short, a war was fought here over a decade ago against the kingdom and its inhabitants, and under the strategic leadership of the Empire, their land got conquered and divided." Gray told him. "Of course after the war, the Emperor had decided to give some of his allies spheres of influence, Elbe, Alguna, Melromarc and others."

Even leaving out a few other kingdoms, some who were even powerful, to be able to stand up against the Saderans. War sometimes makes strange bedfellows.

"Why would the emperor allow that?" Colbert questioned. "And did you just mention Melromarc? Like Queen Mirellia herself?"

Mirellia Q Melromarc, she was the current Queen and ruling monarch of the matriarchal country that was located to the west of the Holy Land, and she was by no-means a softy. As her track record of leadership showed, how she ruled her country from the day she was given the duty. Being a master of diplomacy, that she got to thanks to her negotiations skills, the Queen was also not a stranger to being a military head, and there she also had a reputation that was often overlooked. As she was just as ruthlessly brilliant on the battlefield as she was at the negotiation table.

Having fought wars against her neighboring countries like Siltvelt and Shieldfreeden, she proved to her enemies, allies and onlookers all across the continent that she was a capable leader who brought victories, but also was a mediator and skilled tactician in politics.

One of those situations was a border dispute with the mighty Saderan Empire, that almost resulted into an all out war that already was with thousands of deaths, but instead ended up in a nonaggression pact where Melromarc and its neighbors were spared from being subjected into Saderan Vassal states.

"Yes, that Melromarc, and yes, that queen." Grey sighed in remembrance of that short but heavy conflict. "They control the Western parts of the desert, and don't ask me about details, it's all politics and I don't even know how to start."

"And that politics is power, my friend. And that power means money."

The two turned their heads around to see another occupant had come out from his quarters, this time it was a citizen from Melromarc, but it was one of the worst people to ever come out of the country. A governor of his own district, he was on a diplomatic mission, but also on a personal business trip.

Idol Rabier, a nobleman who in practice was perhaps the worst possible noble you could come across to, Both in appearance and his background of what he's known for. A revolting man who looks like the worst kind of noble, overweight, unkempt hair, middle-age and a personality of an arrogant fanatical person who wouldn't take any criticism from anyone from a different viewpoint. A follower of Melromarc's Church, he was a devout fanatic who had an extreme hatred for certain species, something both the Halkeginian professor and the Saderan knight have witnessed at first hand.

"You were saying, Governor Rabier?" Colbert asked, for clarification. "I did not catch what you were referring to."

The small mustached man chuckled. "Politics, dear Mr. Colbert. Politics, money, its power. And with power, you can do a lot of things." He chuckled with a hint of arrogance. "Enough money to have control over whatever you like."

"Including slaves?" Colbert brought up, bringing up the very fact on why this man was coming along was for a commodity he was well known for.

"Oh, don't be such a intellectual, Mr. Colbert. Slavery is perfectly legal, even here in Falmart and the Holy Land." The Melromarc Noble stated so normally. "Besides, you don't need to feel sorry for them, they're mongrels and heretics. They are in the eyes of God and the Church our enemies."

"Yet the Church of Brimir is not an enemy of yours?" Colbert stated an daring question for the devoted follower of the Heroes Church. As the professor himself, was rather neutral in his beliefs, but couldn't stand religious fanatics normalizing their beliefs.

"Oh, please. I have no ill feelings towards you. Don't get me wrong." The governor said, holding his hands up in a peaceful gesture. "Even when we are different in our customs, religion and land, I still believe you're more superior being than those savages whose land we're flying over."

If this was meant to be a compliment, then it was non-existent to Jean Colbert, who's only response was that of silence. Forcing an awkward moment that was soon broken by a bodyguard.

"My Lord. There's trouble in the brig." The guard said. "One of your slaves are causing a scene."

"Which one? I've obtained a lot of slaves lately through the recent summoning rituals and purchases." Rabier scoffed his guard before adding. "A bit more precise, please."

"One of the monsters, of the opposite sex, my lord."

The mention of it in that last mention only made the spectating professor and knight turn disgusted and disapproving of it while keeping a normal gaze on their faces, to keep their composure.

Idol Rabier on the other hand, grew a very satisfying grin on his face, almost borderline perverted as he showed it.

"Ahhh, you mean the girl with the raccoon features?"

"Yes, my lord." The guard bowed his head, confirming it Idol chuckled loudly and it turned into a laughter that fits his diabolic tendencies that he clearly showed.

"I guess that they'll need to learn some proper manners then." Rabier stated before turning to the others. "If you excuse me, I got to go now."

Colbert and Grey nodded, watching as Governor Rabier and his men were walking away, towards the entrance that led towards the brig, leading them right towards where the slaves of the governor were kept.

The moment they disappeared down below was the moment Colbert released a sigh of frustration and turned his head forwards to let it out.

"What an insufferable man." The professor stated. "I've met arrogant nobles, but never have I come across the human equivalence of a swine."

Grey chuckled. "That's perhaps the most polite and honest insult I have heard about someone."

"Yeah, but I don't regret saying that." Colbert replied, shaking his head. "I don't understand why the Queen Mirellia chose this man as a representative?"

"I've got a strong feeling this decision was solely made by her husband." Grey commented on that. "Seeing the governor is a close ally of his, both in their beliefs and politics. I should've guessed." Colbert grew curious about the mention of the Melromarc king.

"What about the king?"

Grey took a moment before he'd answer the professor's question, looking over the rails of the flying ship.

"All I will say is that King Aultcray Melromarc XXXII, is the direct opposite of her Majesty. Someone who would fit the same profile as our travelling companion, the governor."

Colbert questioned. "You really sound like you've travelled around the world, have seen things."

"That I have." Grey stated, looking now downwards.

Having long left the lights of the city behind and flying into the desert, his view from the ship now showed how human life had really limited impact outside the city. He watched the desert pass below him.

The Western Desert, a place where the Saderan Empire, and he himself, had shed blood and lost men in the name of conquering it and its inhabitants. A place where he had fought in his younger years, as a conscript for the Imperial Army.

And what he saw would be forever been engraved in his mind. The fighting, the bloodshed, the fierce resistance of the locals who refused to be subjected by outsiders who entered their lands.

Honestly, the thought of nearing these lands again, brought a slight hint of fear into the veteran's mind.

Whatever dangers that laid there down below, he prayed that this ship would make it safe through this desert.

But unknown to him, that prayer would've not gone to fruition, as they were already being followed, from the shadows. And those shadowy figures were high above the ship.

Taking the forms of flying creatures, hiding in the clouds as they pursued the ship with caution.

Beneath the deck

Cages, metal animal cages.

That was that laid in the brig of the ship. With its normal purpose of these was keeping the summoning companions of the students being put here, or for when the Academy would transport animals for scientific purposes. It allowed enough room for those inside to roam around, but it didn't do much for those inside to realize their situation.

But now it was being used to keep individuals here against their free will. For some of them were summoned or bought by as slaves legally, while others of these were unfortunate to be part of the renter's collection.

The room was silent as death itself, with nothing being heard, said or even seen as it was dark and hopeless.

*Sniff!* *Sniff!*

It didn't mean however it was always silent, with it often being broken by the sound of crying, sniffing and despair. Mostly by one of the enslaved girl who was right across another cage that was occupied by another person who was taken against his will.

While most of the other slaves kept themselves quiet and didn't pay attention to the crying girl, one of them however was less tolerant of the emotional distressed female.

"Be quiet, you half-breed!" A lanky man with long hair shouted at her from his cage. "I'm trying to sleep here-"

"Shut it."

"But-"

"I said shut it!"

That shout came directly from the opposite side of the crying girl's cell. Laying there against the wooden wall, on top of a pile of hay. It was a young man, who's face was unrecognizable due to him laying in the darker corner of his essential cell.

He did wear shredded up clothing that had seen its better days, and were pretty different from the types of clothing even the nobility were not seen wearing. Yet, his clothes were so damaged that the scars and wounds were seen of the young teenaged boy who had a blood-stained bandage over his forehead that failed to stop the leaking blood coming out of his re-opening wounds, not like he paid attention to it. And he had an arm that was loosing his bandages, revealing his prosthetic one, having most likely lost his original one.

The young teenager instead turned his head slowly to the complaining slave, showing his eyes that were blueish like the sea, but were giving a clear signal to the moron.

"Go sleep, now."

The complaining man took that threat not lightly and laid back on the hay and tried to sleep again, leaving him alone to turn his head back to the crying girl.

The girl, was literally a child by itself, long unmanaged hair that looked like it wasn't washed in ages, a dirty brown gown and shackles that were around her ankles. But the things that stood out of the girl's appearance was her raccoon ears, meaning she wasn't what he could figure out part of the normal human race.

Still, he couldn't bare to hear a little girl cry, human or nonhuman.

"Little girl…"

The small girl looked up from her crawled up position, showing her watered up eyelids, showing her tea red pupils that showed the innocence of a little girl that was long ripped away from her. And her brown hair that she had was also seen to be beautiful despite its dirtiness of it.

"Y-Yes, mister?" The raccoon/tanuki girl asked, whipping the tears that were sliding from her cheeks, of her face with the palm of her small hands. "S-Sorry for me crying."

"It's okay, little girl. No need to apologize" The blonde young teenager calmly told her, even in his bad physical state, he made sure the child was okay first. "I do wonder, can you please answer a question for me that I have? It is really important."

The little girl nodded to the friendly person and answered. "S-Sure, what is it?"

"... Can you tell me… What my name is?"

The girl blinked in confusion, and asked right back. "Don't you know your own name, sir?"

"No, I'm sorry, but I don't." The blonde teenager answered, showing his clear honesty in his raspy voice. "For the last three weeks, I've been struggling to know what or who I am…"

The small girl was bewildered by this, a person who didn't know his own name and was unknown to the position he was in. but then a quick realization came into the girl's mind as she remembered something when he mentioned three weeks.

"Wait, I remember you!" The girl shouted through the bars. "Your name is Naruto! Naruto Uzumaki!"

The teenager looked up in confusion. "That's my name?"

The girl nodded. "Yes! Three weeks ago, governor Rabier summoned you through an illegal ritual, and started to…." The words almost died in the girl's mouth as she was thinking back on what happened in those past few weeks that nearly made her tear up again.

Naruto, now knowing his own name again, decided to ask the girl then. "May I know what your name is, little girl?"

"R-Raphtalia, sir."

"Take your time, and then explain to me what happened to me for you heard happened to me."

The girl revealed her own name to the person. Seeing the person's face was still covered in swaps of dried bloodstains.

Taking a moment to bring up all the memories of the past few weeks, Raphtalia agreed on telling Naruto on what happened in his fatigue mental state, that was perhaps now finally able to digest all the information.

She told him about the summoning ritual that the governor did that brought him here in the first place, without the permission of the Church, who were the only ones who could grant permission for a practice like that. he wasn't supposed to be brought here in the first place and was summoned illegally to this world.

Naruto came to understand what happened to him for the past three weeks once she mentioned the cruelty Governor Rabier was known to practice on the slaves he owned on a daily basis for his own sadistic pleasure.

He'd been sedated multiple times a day by the lackeys of the governor who had put a spell on him that would be lasting until it was reversed, a spell that would mess with his brain to the point he'd lose parts of his memory that left him with flashes of thoughts that he wasn't familiar with without the context.

Memories of faces of people, of whom he couldn't figure out from when they were.

Brutally tortured and whipped, lashed, waterboarded and even burned, all for the pleasure of this man who was in power and claimed to be a devout person who took immediate suspicion of the features on Naruto's face that were his whisker marks.

Yes, that was the main and only reason he was being severely tormented for - his whisker marks indicated he wasn't human, so in the eyes of this governor, it was all justified to beat the half-breed savage. A so-called devout person, with the love of a heathen that he was.

Holding his own hands up to his face, Naruto examined them and saw the marks and scars that were still left on there from the fresh previous beatings he hadn't been conscious to feel or remember.

"So all of this, was just because we're different?" Naruto asked himself before turning to the girl who had suffered the same fate as him. "Is that what you've suffered, Raphtalia?"

Hesitant to answer at first, Raphtalia answered somberly at the question.

"Y-Yes." She answered. "That's how we're treated, because we are demi-humans."

Hearing that, brought an amount of thought processing through Naruto's still struggling mind, as he listened to every word the girl had said, and his gut feeling told him she wasn't of the lying type and every word she told him was truthful.

"Raphtalia-"

CREAAK!

The sound of the creaking door opening caused the conversation to come to an end. As three figures were seen coming down from the wooden staircase, and walking through the hallway and causing the other slaves to stiffen up by the governor's presence.

The fat noble walked through with a smuggish grin on his face, watching the various reactions he was gaining from his terrified subjects. He was going to give them all their daily lessons soon enough-

But first, he turned his attention right back towards the cell where Naruto was in, sitting while remaining silent as he had a neutral expression on his face.

Rabier chuckled and spoke. "Look at this heathen, men. Looking like a moronic creature with no clue what is going on."

The governor still thought he was a demi-human?

"And we gave you all the spells that I could've thought of, giving you the ability to communicate as a normal being." Rabier spoke in such disappointment. Having spent a bit of an effort to enact spells on the Uzumaki, by giving him the ability to speak and read multiple languages, mainly because he thought the boy was a mute or possible a throwaway brat from the slums.

"I guess a mute is still a mute, even when you give it everything it needs, my lord. Even if it is a savage half-breed." One of the guards spoke, degrading the boy before bringing up. "Should I put it out of its misery?"

"No, not yet. But I'm glad at least that its awake." Rabier answered before he turned a smile.

Going back to the other cage, where Raphtalia watched and suddenly felt a pair of eyes focused on her.

"I've heard you were crying, that's nice to hear." Rabier pulled out his whip and stretches it.

STING!

He resumed. "Maybe you'll finally scream for me?"

This caused Raphtalia to flinch, as she again will be the victim of the governor's viciousness as he entered the cell.

And Naruto was forced to watch. As he slowly tried to figure out what to do next.

Up deck

With the ship having dropped in altitude, the frigate was finding itself flying over a giant lake that laid just on the feet of the-

"There it is, the Knappnai Mountains." The knight Grey said, pointing out at the mountain region with a smile.

Giving the professor time to admire the large mountainous region, that had the earth stretch out to the highest places he had never seen, not even in the regions of Halkeginia.

Colbert commented while fixating his glasses. "Fascinating."

Grey informed him. "Once we crossed that region, we're then only a half hour away from Rondel, professor. So long we don't get attacked."

This last bit of information stirred the professor for a bit and made him ask the question.

"Attacked?"

"Yeah, we're still dealing with an insurgency here, if I'm going to be honest. With the violence mainly taking place outside the cities and in the countryside." Grey began, explaining to the professor. "We've been dealing with this insurgency ever since the Sultan was deposed years ago, but we're normally safe so long we're outside the reach of their long weapons."

With it being a abridged explanation, the violence did matter to an concerning extent, as the locals, especially the tribal and nomadic groups, had refused to lay down their weapons and swear loyalty to an foreign monarch. They were a thorn in the eye to many of the authorities in Sadera and other kingdoms, who wanted to squash the rebellion with a sword.

With the abridged explaination it did explain the violence to a degree. There were bound to be loyalists to the old Sultanate, and these tribes probably weren't keen on being ruled by a new monarch hundreds of miles away, let alone other foreign powers. They continued to be a thorn in Saderans and their allies side, who wanted to rush in an squash any rebellion left.

But for the veterans like Grey, who had done their fair share of military campaigns in the desert, he knew that problems like these weren't easily fixable with threats, warfare and purging, as it didn't even seem to be taking effect to these people, who already were living in a harsh environment and had fought numerous past tribal wars that were in their own words vicious and ruthless.

And he did many things that were questionable to his morality: actions from arresting dissident voices from tribal elders to former sultan representatives to even scorch earth policies like burning settlements and destroying holy sites.

Yet nothing, absolutely nothing, had put a dent into those locals their will to resist - even when they were faced with the strength of the Saderan Imperial Army - the Halkeginian's aerial ship bombardments to even the use of Melromarc's most modern weaponry that consisted of firearms.

The only thing it resulted was hundreds, if not thousands of young men's in their deaths. There was a nickname that this land that fitted perfectly:

The Graveyard of Armies.

Grey looked back at the Colbert, and he noticed the long face he was showing to the professor, giving him an assuring smile.

"Don't worry, so long we're high above ground, we'll be fine." Grey said to him. "They don't have the capabilities to attack frigates from such high ground."

Meanwhile, in the back of the ship, the unsuspected figures were getting awfully close to the sides of the frigate.

The Ship's wheel was being held by the helmsman, who himself was focused more on getting the frigate through the mountainous terrain as fast as he could, being one of those who had prior experience in this region, he had yet to find a reason to want to stay around here longer.

"Damn this place," the helmsman cursed to himself. "I still have memories from my last tour here."

Unknowingly to him, a pair of boots gently landed a few meters behind him, with the figure wearing a long cloak where he pulled out something short and sharp, that the person was intended to use on the helmsman.

"Fucking savages."

Hearing this, the assailant quickly, but silently, made a comment in his native tongue, with venom in his voice, for the next act he was about to do.

"Ibn al Kalb."

The helmsman heard that and turns around whilst saying.

"What in the-"

STAB!

A merciless stab in the neck that now was deep into the collar bone, the assailant who had covered the helmsman's mouth with his hand and restrained him from alerting everyone on the ship, as he slowly was ending his life as painless as he could.

As the Saderan male was slowly succumbing to the darkness that was his inevitable death that now came for him, The assailant, with scarf disguise Keffiyeh, his eyes were the only visible part of his face, giving him the last eye contact before he spoke to his victim, who had some softer words.

"Don't resist, just take it easy, may you find peace in the afterlife."

Those words were the last thing the Saderan heard, before the life started to escape the man's body, with his eyes left open and his arms dropping to the ground. The last thing he'd see before departing from the living world, would be seeing a numerous amount of similar dressed assailants entering the ship.

It were the insurgents, and they were going to attack.

"Ugh…"

The helmsman died, and the insurgents were going to begin to try to take over the ship.

"Yallah, Yallah, get yourself on." The first assailant spoke to his men, and beginning to give order. "Keep yourself silent."

Multiple tribal looking warriors were seen boarding the ship, with all of them carrying different type of weaponry, with some holding blades from some lengths, and some even wielding a firearm from Flintlock pistols to Muskets.

After closing the helmsman's eyes, the first warrior ran up towards the edge of the ship to give other orders: to the riders of the dragons they were riding on.

"Go now, and wait until you hear a shot. Just don't get spotted now."

One of them riding a red skinned dragon questioned. "Are you sure?"

"If they see them, they'll suspect something." The leader said before saying. "Now go out of sight, hide in the clouds!"

The riders did what they were ordered and dispersed, leaving the team of insurgents to start moving in and infiltrate the frigate.

"JUST SCREAM, DAMN IT!

WHIP!

With her hands hanging from a rope few meters above ground, Raphtalia was a defiant as always in the face of her tormentor and owner, governor Rabier, who was using his whip to lash as much damage to the girl's already weakened and scarred skin in order to make her suffer and scream in pain, which came to no fruition as the small, but determine girl, refused to yield to him.

Her defiant act? She smiled, her mouth gave a smile that did not change in the eyes of her tormentors.

And it really pissed the governor off.

"Stop smiling and start screaming, you damned animal!" Rabier shouted in absolute anger as he held his whip back for another lash to be given. "YOU WILL SCREAM!"

THUD!

The sound caught everyone's attention, and brought the whole torture session to a standstill, causing every head in the room to look upwards, wondering where that sound came from.

"What in the name of God was that?" Rabier demanded before ordering one of his guards. "Go and check it out."

"Yes, my lord." One of the guards answered, the same one who at the time stood right in front of the opposite cell, the cell where Naruto resided.

Who took the opportunity to take something, a dagger, out of the knight's pocket and hide it underneath his shirt until the coast was clear.

The governor returned his gaze back to the struggling Raphtalia and was about to try to push her limits now.

"Now, you heathen, I'm going to finally make you scream." Rabier shouted as he raised his whip upwards again, to give it his best shot. "I want to hear you-"

"THAT'S ENOUGH, GOVERNOR!"

That yell came out of nowhere and stopped the nobleman, causing him and his remaining guard to turn to the entrance, to see who it was daring to interrupt his business.

It came from one of the Tristain Magical Academy students, or rather an former one who decided to come along on the journey as part of both a visit to Rondel, but also as a member of one of Tristain's most influential families that was close to the Royal Family. She stood an average height with long beautiful pink hair with matching eyes.

Her name was Cattleya Yvette la Baume le Blanc de la Fontaine, daughter of Sandorion and Karin de la Vallière.

Governor Rabier bit his tongue at her presence, knowing that this girl was on another rank and was a member of a respectable military family, that in itself made his achievements insignificant. Especially with the prestige that name carried.

"Mrs. La Fontaine." Rabier began and turned to her. "This is up to no concern to you. So I suggest you leave now-"

"I believe it is up to my concern, governor Rabier." Cattleya began, her normal soft and calm demeanor was now that of a rather commanding tone. "Especially when you're clearly tormenting an child in the middle of the night for your own sick sadistic tendencies."

For a matter of fact, Naruto was in silence, saw there were some spectators at the door, with it being students of the Tristain's academy in their nightgowns, listening on what was going on from a distance.

Seeing nobody was paying attention to him, he began messing with the lock while the debacle was going on.

"She's my property, girl, so don't think you can say anything about what I can do with her." Rabier spoke out against the Tristanian noble. "And if I were you, I'd keep my mouth shut and go back in your room-"

"Dare finish that sentence, and I will personally make sure you're being called upon by your queen." Cattleya threatened, not letting herself being spoken like that. "I doubt she'd like hearing about your treatment of these people-"

"Keep your sick-filled heart in your chest, woman." Rabier brought up Cattleya's sickness that she had. "These animals aren't people, they're simply wicked monsters that should know their place, and so should you!"

Naruto had inserted the knife into the lock, and began turning and twisting it.

"How it can be that if a coldhearted person like you, is allowed to be on a voyage like this, be a governor, let alone be a noble, is beyond mine understanding." Cattleya responded in both disgust and disappointment.

"Go and shove it somewhere else with your light-hearted beliefs, woman. And make yourself useful and open your legs to somebody who will appreciate it-"

Click!

"Huh-"

SLAM!

Before anyone could react, Naruto had broken the lock and smashed the gated door right into the remaining guard's face, forcing him to fall backwards.

"Hold it!"

Naruto launched the dagger into the armored knight's chest and twisted it before throwing the body at Rabier-

"GUARD-"

The weight of the guard fell fully on the governor, forcing both to the ground, with grunts coming from both mouths as Cattleya had just watched on what happened.

She then heard from one of the student's yelling.

"Watch out-"

SHINK!

A small gasp escaped Cattleya's mouth, as she felt someone grab her from behind and a saw a bloodied blade pointed right beneath her, aimed for her throat - realizing she'd just been taken as a hostage by the blonde escaped slave.

He entered the cell and quickly turned his head around before he slashed the ropes off, allowing Raphtalia to land on the ground, halfway unconscious and exhausted, she raises her head up to see what was happening.

"M-Mister?"

"Up my back, now." Naruto spoke in his rash dry voice. "Do it, Raphtalia."

Having only a little bit of energy left in her arms, the little raccoon/tanuki girl jumped up Naruto's back and locked her arms around his neck.

"Just hold onto it, we're getting out of here."

"But-"

"No buts, Raphtalia." Naruto told her. "I'm not watching you getting beaten up like that. We're getting out now. Just hold tight and bury your head into my shirt."

"...Okay." Raphtalia exhausted replied, the pain was too much to bear for her to speak back.

Turning back to the door, he saw it was still wide open and began moving forwards with his hostage, the pinkette woman who was being very calm, despite the situation she's been put in with a blade near her arteries.

Naruto exited the door, being then confronted by Rabier who had just thrown the mortally wounded guard off of him and was enraged by what just happened.

"You bast-"

"Back off!" Naruto shouted, back and forth, to the bastard and then to the students. "I got an hostage, one wrong-"

"Okay, okay!" One of the teachers' spoke, holding her wand up with her hands, having just arrived and seeing someone taken hostage, she began telling the students. "Clear a path, children!"

A path was soon to be cleared for Naruto, as none of the students were in any way willing to risk the life of someone in such an situation, let alone the fact that had left their magic wands inside their rooms.

Rabier on the other hand did not read the room, and began reaching for his whip.

"YOU WHISKERED FREAK, LEARN YOUR PLAC-"

SLASH!

THUD!

"AGH!

Naruto had yet again slashed his dagger, and this time it resulted into the amputation of Rabier's whip carrying arm, a clean cut that had gone through the fatman's arm.

The teacher and the student's were horrified by what they saw. Cattleya's eyes widened as her mouth was covered up. With Raphtalia too weak to react on what was happening.

"MY ARM!" Rabier screeched in pain, frantically screaming, bend on his knees as he endured the man. "AGGGH!

Naruto left through the hallway, holding the knife back against the woman's neck, forcing the teacher and the others to back down and hold their hands up.

None of them followed as Naruto closed the door right behind him.

Walking through the hallway, all the doors were either closed or slightly open with some of the students watching, peaking through as they kept themselves quiet at the situation one of their travelling companions was in.

Naruto didn't pay attention to the stares, as he stepped sideways, having eyes on both sides of the hallway.

'I'm sorry." Naruto apologized.

The pinkette woman turned her eyes towards her hostage taker, and listened what he had to say. With his hand removed from her mouth.

"I don't know who you are, but believe me that I have no intentions on hurting you. I'm only doing this to protect Raphtalia from that-"

"I understand."

Naruto was surprised by the answer and questioned. "Excuse me?"

"I understand what you are trying to do. You're trying to protect that little girl, right?"

Glancing back over to the weakened Raphtalia, she was still being unresponsive now, but he could feel her breathing on his neck and reeling as she still was recovering from the lashings.

"Yes." Naruto responded. "She's the only one now who knows what precisely happened to me for three weeks, but there's something else, something I cannot explain."

Cattleya, despite having the blade still to her throat, felt comfortable enough to be relaxed more, even when she was still in the life-or-death situation. She somehow grew a heartfelt smile on her face.

"You care about her, don't you?"

Naruto's grip on the blade grew tighter, but not against her, but rather a unfulfilled rage that he wasn't able to release, and she knew it.

"You watched how he viciously tormented her there, right?" Cattleya spoke to him, unable to face him, she still spoke. "You couldn't stand by and watch anymore?"

…

"No, I couldn't."

"Its understandable." Cattleya replied, she then proceeded. "You know, once you reach the deck, you will have to fight against the knights."

"I know."

"Among them are powerful magic users and knights."

"Okay."

There, they'd finally reached the final door that would allow them to enter the top, where a numerous amount of armed men would be waiting for them.

Cattleya asked then one final question to the rebelling slave who held her life in his hands, one that would need to be answered.

"You've only met this poor girl for a short while, yet you've already spilled blood to protect her. Are you really willing to continue on this?"

Waiting for an response, she expected an answer right away, but instead he took a moment before he then proceeded on the question.

"I'm willing to do what I believe is right - even when the odds are set up against me. If I have to fight for this, then so be it. I'll protect that girl with my life." That answer came right from his gut, unknowingly that's precisely what Naruto Uzumaki was.

And that answer convinced the young noblewoman Cattleya, as she could see the person behind her was a total contrast to those she'd met in her life.

"You're a good man." She said before asking. "May I at least know what your name is?"

"Its supposed to be Naruto Uzumaki."

Such an exotic name, that the pinkette Tristanian woman would certainly remember.

"Very well,Naruto Uzumaki. I pray to Brimir you'd make it out alive."

"I accept your prayers, ma'am."

"Cattleya."

"Thanks." Naruto said before extending his hand to push open the door. Not knowing a situation was taking place.

Deck

Once the door was opened, Naruto and Cattleya were surprised to see there were a lot of armed men on deck - but for the wrong reasons.

Knights and members of the crew were having their swords and pistols pointed at the boarding party that were the disguised tribal warriors of the desert, who equally had turned it into a standoff.

One of those whoever, professor Colbert, tried to be diplomatic, as he was unprepared standing next to Grey, who held his sword up, and was being aimed at by two of the warriors holding their swords at them.

"Please, let us be reasonable." Colbert pleaded to the combatants. "This is unnecessary. We can end all of this-"

"Professor, this is no time of playing peacemaker!" Grey scolded him, having his sword ready for a fight as he pointed it at the warriors. "We'll have to fight!"

"I could not agree more." The keffiyeh man said, with his Saif sword and flintlock pistol pointed at them. "We're here to fight the intruders of our land, that includes the likes of you, Brimirian dogs!"

"How dare you call is dogs, you sand heretic!" One of the Tristanian knights shouted, clearly religious. "We'll show you the way of the Brimir!"

The tensions grew more as the first move had to be made, it was then that someone yelled:

"DIE, YOU BASTARDS!"

BANG!

A bullet hit the head of one of the disguised warriors and dropped the body instantly to the ground, breaking out all hell!

Naruto watched as he held Cattleya, watching how the boarding party was in a fight with the escorting Imperial knights who were determined to slay the terrorists that they've been fighting for, for almost a decade.

Colbert retreated, witnessing the fighting from up close brought nasty memories from his past military life, and watched young men fighting other young men to their limits.

Landing next to another Tristanian knight who recognized him, he was told off immediately.

"Professor, get out of her-" A arrow hit the young men's neck as he fell down to the ground, forcing Colbert to look where it came from.

He then saw it - a dragon was circling around the frigate, with on it the members of the insurgents who were attacking them, with them firing bows from their arrows and emptying their prepared muskets at their intended targets.

This shocked some of the Imperial guards, who reacted swiftly by firing at them.

"They've got dragons? How!"

"They've must've stolen them from the Kassaban pass dragon patrol! I heard they were attacked a few days ago!"

"Keep them at bay!"

Meanwhile, Naruto was in the hurry with his hostage as he placed Cattleya by some barrels that looked empty but was then confronted by one of the Saderan guards!

"Halt!"

"Crap!" Naruto forces Cattleya away as he blocked the guard's sword with his dagger, just in time.

"Naruto!"

"You half-breed scum!" The Saderan shouted angrily. "I'll-"

SHICK!

"Ugh!" The Saderan man dropped to his knees, having been stabbed from behind by one of the tribal warriors, who had his sword covered in blood. It was the same warrior with the Keffiyeh headscarf.

Seeing the state the person in front of him was, he could pretty much tell what the blonde kid was, and instead asked him.

"You a slave?"

Naruto couldn't respond as he then threw his dagger right across the warrior's face.

WHACK!

The dagger hit the neck of an Saderan Imperial guard, killing him instantly, making the warrior turn back towards Naruto who responded.

"That answer your question?"

With the two being busy, one small fight took place between one warrior with a bow and arrow, with the arrow on fire, against an Tristanian knight who held a sword.

The knight managed to slash the warrior into the thigh, forcing the man to land on his knee - and accidentally released the bow, with it having been pointed directly at a few gunpowder barrels that were a eye distance away.

The arrow landed on it, and was close to a small heap of it.

The Frigate was seen flying right above the large lake that was like mentioned before, on the foot of the Knappnai Mountains.

BOOM!

A large explosion was seen coming from the side of the ship, while it still was flying, it blew everything away that was near the explosion, including even a few individuals who were blown to smithereens.

But blown away was also Naruto Uzumaki, holding unto the girl Raphtalia into his arms as he shielded her from the explosion, having added also burn wounds to his skin that now were visible to his body.

Now he intended to take the full dive as he landed directly into the lake, having escaped captivity from a hell he didn't know.

And instead - he plunged into a new world.

Well, I hope that works for a good start. I really hope so, because it took me a while to finally finish it.

Like a week or three or so.

So, there you have it. I'm hoping for reviews and this to start having a following.

Like I stated, these events will take place 4-5 years before the GATE events. And this is Naruto after 'The Last' movie, so, guess what?

Well, see you all next time, hopefully.

Peace.