Author's Note: Oops, I forgot Er'ryl, he'll make an appearance this chapter, my bad.
Since this chapter's posted as soon as I'm done with it, I've not had the time to double check if everything's consistent and high enough quality... hopefully it will and does not offend any of you readers . If it does just tell me and I'll try to make a compromise in the other chapters. And, time to read the story! I've wasted enough time trash talking anyways.
Disclaimer: Warcraft, Naruto, and related things do not belong to me – heck, not even most of the storyline belong to me, I just edited the bits in.
Last time, in Leaving without Regrets:
It was not Kyubi who responded, nor was the voice from the cage.
"Ohayo, Naruto-kun."
Chapter 25: Beginning Anew
"To what do I owe the pleasure, Uchiha Itachi-san?" Naruto asked politely as he faced Itachi, the Sharingan spinning madly, "Last time I saw you was in the genjutsu, and I doubt you came around now of all times just to chat."
"Hai, you are right, Naruto-kun," Itachi said, before a smile creased his lips, "I see you have made acquaintance with Ichigo."
"Hai," Naruto replied, "I'm still surprised your summon was of the phoenix, though. I've always thought it was the raven or the crow, but I'm glad it's not the case."
"Of course, deception is our weapon, after all," Itachi said, "But that is not my, yours, or indeed, our main concern. You're right, Madara is finally dead after that shot. He had no more chakra to support himself, and through my Sharingan, and seen through your eyes, I know that it is him."
"So?" Naruto asked, "I guess that's a good thing, right? What is there to worry about?"
"If he is like me, and I'm very sure if it, he will have implanted a portion of his consciousness into Sasuke," Itachi explained, "Which means that Sasuke will also have access to every single Sharingan's techniques, with the exception of Izanagi."
"Well…" Naruto said after a while of thinking, "Is this the part where your hidden powers come into play?"
"You've grown smarter, Naruto-kun," Itachi said, "Hai, you're right. I left a portion of my powers in you, more specifically powers that belong to the Uchiha clan."
"And…?" Naruto asked, raising an eyebrow, "Does that mean your Sharingan is going to be combined with my Rinnegan?"
As nice as that sounds, he did not think it was right, nor helpful. Itachi probably saw the emotion as he smiled slightly, once more.
"No, Naruto-kun. My power means that you will also have access, albeit limited, to the techniques of the Sharingan at my disposal as well. As you hold the Rinnegan and thus was the originator of the Sharingan itself, I have no doubts that you can use those techniques. But that is not the main point. For a long time I have known Madara was able to use Izanagi, and with no doubt left instructions for Sasuke to acquire the powers of a Senju or Uzumaki," Itachi continued, "Therefore, my greatest gift for you is not the power of the Uchiha, but rather my knowledge and power on locking away the very powers that he and I possess. With this, you should have a far easier time dealing with Sasuke, even if he is a death knight."
"And how will this work?" Naruto asked skeptically as Itachi closed his eyes, opening to reveal the Mangekyou Sharingan.
"My powers will be transferred now, but after that I will cease to exist except as a memory," Itachi explained as the Mangekyou Sharingan began to spin, "But, in the end, I believe it is worth it. I believe in you, Naruto-kun, and so does many other people. Ichigo, Ryuusei, Gamabunta, Jiraiya-sama, Pein, Konan, Yondaime-sama, Sandaime-sama, Tsunade-sama, Kakashi-san… many people believe in you, Naruto-kun, and I think you will be able to do it as well. Sayonara, Naruto-kun."
With that, Itachi activated his ability as the power coursed through Naruto's body, causing him to convulse in pain, even if he was in his mindscape. He felt his eyes began to burn, even as fires hotter than anything he had ever seen before burst forth, before flickering off. The moon turned red before it disappeared, and even an exoskeleton began to form before he could begin to make sense of what was happening. It wasn't until it ended, that Naruto regained his senses. With that, he heard a final note.
"Though I have given those powers to you, Naruto-kun, they are not free. You must master them before you can try to use them effectively just ask everything else is."
"Hai…" Naruto said before his mind faded, and he returned to the real world. The two clones had barely moved, as he estimated that barely a minute had passed. As he dispelled his clones, he took note of the flaring of signatures, before he felt a rush of power through him. Without thinking, he snapped his hands into seals, before roaring a giant, bright, fiery dragon up into the sky, scattering birds and carving a way through air, creating a shockwave that shook the trees for dozens of meters.
"Whoa…" Naruto breathed out as he saw the dragon roar before exploding in a wave of fire that scattered in every single direction. Just then, he felt the signature of Lina come around.
"Lina-chan?" Naruto asked as he turned around to meet the concerned face of Lina, "What's going on?"
"Are you okay, Naruto?" Lina asked while looking up, "That was a powerful fire blast…"
"You thought I let that out because I'm angry?" Naruto asked, "No, that was something else, something that gave me even more power to protect those precious to me, like you."
Lina gained a pink shade as Naruto took her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, "Don't worry, it's nothing… that was a gift someone gave me, to make me stronger…"
"Okay, if you insist…" Lina said reluctantly, though she remained in his arms, liking the warm feeling inside. Naruto simply held her in silence, taking in her scent, before pulling her off, much to her displeasure, though he explained.
"I need to master some new techniques, Lina-chan, let me create a few clones first," Naruto explained before creating close to two hundred clones who all rushed off, what appeared to be the Rinnegan active. Lina, however, saw a difference – there was a pinwheel in the center.
"Naruto, did your Rinnegan change?" Lina asked as Naruto turned, confused.
"It's got like a pinwheel shape in it now," Lina clarified as Naruto created another clone and had it activate the Rinnegan. It was true, there was the shape of Itachi's Mangekyou Sharingan inside it, similar to what Madara had though different in the fact that the pattern extended the whole way, and there was no red in it. As he watched, however, he noticed that the Rinnegan seemed to be much sharper than he had realized before. It seemed as if the Rinnegan had truly melded with the Sharingan, though he also noted briefly that it hurts sometimes when he activated it now, though he suspects that it would be over once he got used to it.
"Lina-chan, that is one of the gifts that friend gave me…" Naruto said quietly, "Though… I'm not sure if he should've. Like I said, power is something we earn, not take… this almost seems like taking his powers for free even if I have to work to learn the abilities."
"Well… what abilities are there?" Lina asked as Naruto turned.
"Power up one of your moves Lina," Naruto said, "That involves chakra maneuvering."
"Okay…" Lina said before she flashed through seals at a slow pace, before smoke began to smolder on the grass, eventually bursting into fire which Naruto put out with a simple water technique.
"Alright, so not everything is in – I can't copy things as I want, nor can I suggest thoughts…"
"Suggest… thoughts?" Lina asked as Naruto smiled wryly.
"I was about to suggest the move you really wanted to learn – Katon: Goukakyou no Jutsu," Naruto explained, "But it seemed as if you couldn't hear the message, and I couldn't copy the way you created that fire, even if I already know the move, though I could anticipate it based on the seal order but that's for another day…"
"You lost me," Lina said bluntly as Naruto picked her up and stood.
"It's okay, that was me talking to me, and by the way you can dispel now," Naruto said as the clone he instructed cancelled itself out as well. Naruto then leapt back out the forest at insane speeds, Lina clinging for dear life wondering when Naruto had gained such a speed boost.
"Naruto, when did you get so fast?" Lina yelled, "You're faster than a frostsaber, and that's saying something!"
"How do you even know a frostsaber's top speed anyways?" Naruto asked curiously as Lina looked back at him, her pale blue eyes shining.
"During the battle, there were some wild frostsabers that Malfurion asked to aid in the battle, and I was able to see one mere moments before it leapt onto an Abomination and tearing it apart. I swear, frostsabers look so fearsome at that point, though they seem so tame, like Er'ryl."
"Er'ryl's still young comparatively to most frostsbers Lina-chan," Naruto reminded her, "Well, soon he's going to get a lot bigger though, and I'm going to have to release him into this wood when leaving him around here or else he's going to suffocate in the castle. I doubt confined spaces are good for frostsabers."
"No, I don't think so either," Lina commented back as she nestled into his arms, "What about Mei?"
"What?" Naruto replied, confused, "You mean Mei-chan?"
"Yeah, how are you…" Lina never finished the sentence as Naruto accelerated.
"I'll bring her here as well," Naruto replied, "Look, I know you don't like the idea of it, and I doubt neither does Jaina-chan, but… it's not fair that she's also given her heart to me, and I just shrug her off…"
"I know but…" Lina began.
"How did get onto that line of thinking anyways?" Naruto asked, curious.
"Just wondering," Lina replied quickly, a little hastily as well as Naruto shrugged and then teleported away to the front of the castle.
"Well, we're here," Naruto announced as the guards took notice.
"Lady Inverse!" the guards said as the knelt in front of her, "Are you alright milady?"
"Yes, I'll be fine," Lina said, a bit harrowed as she straightened her robe before gliding away once more, leaving Naruto there, "I'll see you later then Naruto, I got to help Jaina with the paperwork."
"Okay…" Naruto said, before looking at the guards blankly, "There's paperwork here too?"
"You don't know the gist of it," the guards replied as Naruto shrugged, bid them farewell, and teleported away in a tornado, leaving the guards speechless. One looked at the other.
"Do you think… he's more powerful than Lady Proudmoore? He manipulated the very element to teleport, while she has to inscribe a mana runic circle…"
"Let's… not think about that," the guard said, clearly uncomfortable with the fact that the young adult was more powerful than he was.
When Naruto returned to his own chamber, he began to unseal his belongings, while Er'ryl leapt onto his shoulder and nestled there as Naruto absentmindedly tickled Er'ryl's chin as well.
"Ohayo… had a good nap?" Naruto said in good humor as Er'ryl simply growled in contentment, even as Naruto unsealed the last of his things, before finally settling down.
"In hindsight, perhaps I shouldn't have asked Jaina-chan if I could train those men…" Naruto grumbled, having no experience at teaching large masses and instead had only taught Team Ebisu briefly as a favor for Konohamaru, much to Ebisu's delight, discontent, and complete and utter terror. He smiled a bit at the memory, before working. First off, he needed to reorganize the troops first, as he scribbled down ideas furiously, and for close to half an hour he looked over and made any corrections to the lists he had made, before he smiled to himself once more as he looked down on the sheet.
He had completely reorganized the structure, though he doubt Jaina would approve until he got the general's and Sylvanas' approval. It was not Sylvanas' that worried him, as he was quite familiar with her but the general which he had only met on occasions, and acknowledged his superiority in the subject. With that, he once more left in the tornado, though he brought Er'ryl with him, to let him run around in the wild first.
As for the general, he had just finished his inspection of the troops quarters when a sudden blur passed him, only to stop and leap back, revealing Naruto.
"Ah, Naruto," the general said, bowing slightly, "I presume there is something you wish to discuss?"
"Well, it's like this, General Northstrong," Naruto said sheepishly, finally figuring out how strange his situation is. Not one to stop when an idea is out, however, he continued, "I uh… got some ideas for rearranging the armies, as I noticed the inefficiency when dealing with the undead, or indeed the Orc when they attempted guerilla warfare, and I would like you opinion on them?"
"Let me see," the general said as he took the piece of paper from Naruto and looked at it. What he saw was a complete reorganization of the army, however, and though he had his doubts, he continued to take a look until he reached the part with training details. After several minutes, he decided to roll it up and simply replied to Naruto.
"I'll think about it," and left, leaving Naruto standing, sort of expecting the reaction. After about 2 minutes, Naruto shrugged and left. As for the general, as he got back to his quarters, he unrolled the slip again and read it over. In short, Naruto had wanted to change the divisions labor work completely, with what appeared to be divisions similar to where he came from. High Elven archers were reassigned as the cavalry instead, and also worked as special hunter-killer divisions to eliminate targets far too hard for the normal army to chase, rather than as backup for the rifleman. He had also suggested more focus on speed for the general army rather than strength, and even requested a unit of around 100 to 130 men, though he did not suggest why, though he also had a unit of 200 men that he proposed be elite guards. Though the entire description was quite vague, though the general had understood the gist of it, and began to set about writing a proposal to Jaina. He liked the idea, and though he did not meet Naruto that many times, records of his ability had been taken by his soldiers and he had analyzed those thoroughly, and he liked the outcomes. Now all he needed to do was draft a proposal, read it over, and present it to Jaina, though he highly suspected that Jaina would accept in any case, and also suspected that they're romantically involved, though to what extent he wasn't sure. In any case…
Two days after
Naruto stood in the field, his jacket off and only in his armor, while stretching. Here's to see if I truly have what it takes to lead, I guess…Naruto thought as he saw the general walk towards him.
"General, how may I be of service?" Naruto inquired as he stood up. The general looked at him for a few second, before a small grin creased his face.
"Congratulations, Naruto Namikaze, you have been appointed as the coordinator of the training program you have proposed, and approved by Ranger-General Windrunner, Lady Proudmoore, and I," the general said as he handed a piece of parchment, "Your task begins when the company you requested arrives."
Just then, the men he had briefly fought two days ago came into view, followed by the rest of the company.
"Alright, we're here, what do you want now?" the man from before said as Naruto frowned.
"I've received orders from the Generals to train you in the arts of combat," Naruto clarified, "I do not want any disobedience or insubordination here, am I clear?"
With that, Naruto released a bit of his killing intent, causing them all to freeze up.
"You've all been through war, through skirmishes, through death, through pain," Naruto started off, "But throughout all this, are you really soldiers, or are you warriors? Those two are different.
In my old village, we called our soldiers shinobis, assassins, killers in the night. We were taught to eliminate our emotions, that it wasn't important.
In a way, it's right. Lock away your emotions during battle, but never let it be taken away from you. Emotions define what a human is, and without it, we are nothing more than mindless animals with fancy clothes. Eliminate emotions during battle, but keep it during all other times. You are soldiers, fighting a war. Wars are changing, flowing, and it will never be the same in any two battles. Thus, you will be forced to adapt to the rhythm of the fight. You must find a balance with which you can fight the battles that come your way, and that's what we will be working on.
My job here is not to help you with your techniques or form, though we will be working on those from time to time, but my main job is to help you find your balance. I will say this, though: from my experience, brute strength is not the key to winning; speed is. With speed, you can get closer to your enemy faster. With speed, you can attack more enemies. With speed, you can dodge the enemy attacks better. This is what I will be training you in, but the rest is up to you."
With that, Naruto reigned in his killing intent, causing the company to breathe out a sigh of relief. A random man called out from the crowd, however.
"Uhh… Mr…? Namikaze, if I may ask then, what is your style, or balance?" he asked as Naruto smiled.
"Good question," Naruto said, "My style… is a lack of style."
There were murmurs of confusion across many faces, though one or two showed recognition, and Naruto stored those faces for later.
"What I mean is, my style revolves around unpredictability, to use tactics that no others will expect. I was called the number one unpredictable hyperactive knucklehead in my old village since no one could decipher how I fight. I fight with my own instinct, how I should react, then combine it with my training. If you must know a specific form, however, it revolves around the use of distractions, and close range combat."
Stopping there, Naruto held up both his hands, "I prefer to fight the enemy up close, distracting and making them feel overconfident, before letting them land what seemed to be a fatal strike, before striking back with either the Rasengan or the Chidori."
As he said that, his left hand suddenly crackled with electricity, while his right had a Rasengan spinning, floating gently on top. Naruto then smashed the two through two different trees. One splintered apart, while the other was blown in half.
"Each has their own strength and weaknesses, as you can tell," Naruto said, "So I mastered both techniques in order to know when to use them. Now, to begin with, follow me on my warm-up, to get you ready for the training."
As the men complied, Naruto sat down.
"As I said before, your new fighting form revolves around fluidity and speed, so what we need to do is make yourself more flexible and fast, and with that, you need to stretch your muscles to accommodate the stress that comes with such a thing."
And with that, Naruto had them start doing stretches that the men tried to follow, though some failed miserably while others struggled to hold on. They couldn't believe the strain their muscles had just from simple stretches, and dreaded what Naruto would have them do next. Naruto, seeing their pain, could only grimace. He had a lot of work to do, as he switched to push-ups and began to do so single-handedly, while many watched in shock and awe. When Naruto was finished, he looked around at the sweaty men.
"Alright, I'm sure you've gained a lot of stamina from carrying the armor with you, so now," Naruto said with a sinister smile, as he summoned several smaller phoenix and dragons, "We go for a run around the clearing. If you don't want to get hit by a blast of freezing air or painful flares of pain, I suggest you to run, very, very fast. They happen to be very trigger happy."
Before Naruto had finished with 'happy', the men ran off as fast as they can as Naruto chuckled, before turning to the group, which looked as if they were holding back their laughter judging by the way they were not hovering as normal as they were.
"I guess you heard what I said, but on one note, don't overdo it, they are pretty slow," Naruto said as the group nodded, before speeding off as Naruto watched. Some screamed in pain as they were struck in their ass by painful flares of phoenix fire, while others dodged various blasts of ice, sharp ice, violet flames, orange flames, and on one instance a kamikaze attack. Said attack struck someone else in a very painful region which caused even Naruto to grimace. Said man groaned in pain, clutching his groin, before Naruto picked him up and threw him in the center.
"Man down," Naruto called out to nowhere, "I need a medic."
Almost as soon as he said it a small team of priests came out, and looked at the man.
"What did he do?" one of the priest said as Naruto outlined the gist of what happened, ignoring the screams of pain and exhaustion from the men still running. It wasn't until almost five minutes later that Naruto called to a stop, before having them start readying their swords. Naruto asked for a sword and looked over it.
"Nice composition, I guess… though the handle could've been better…" Naruto murmured as he checked over, and swung it, "Not that balanced though, it's also kind of bulky… but I guess this will have to do."
With that said, he threw the sword back at the person, making him jump back in fright as it embedded itself deep into the soil.
"Hmm…" Naruto said for a while, "Do you usually slash or jab with these swords?"
"Slash, but occasionally jabs," one of them replied. Naruto frowned.
"Note to self; get the soldiers better equipment," Naruto muttered as he looked over at them.
"Meanwhile, start with some jabbing motions, let's see how you do with those," Naruto instructed as he watched the assorted attempt to jab with their sword as Naruto's frown become even deeper.
"Wait," Naruto said as he stopped them, "All of you are overextending yourselves, that leaves you open to attacks."
"Then how?" another one asked as Naruto took out one of his kunai. Then, as he neared a tree, he suddenly lashed out, a short, but powerful thrust that left the kunai embedded deep into the trunk of a tree. Naruto then took one of the soldiers swords, testing for balance, then lashed out in the same way, leaving the sword embedded in. Naruto then turned to them.
"First, practice the motion of thrusting, it doesn't have to be powerful, it just has to be precise," Naruto said as he created a clone, and jabbed a few points lightly, "Though your main opponents will be the undead, we will eventually face other enemies as well, and in this case, there are eight vital points on pretty much everyone that will guarantee death."
Naruto continued as he first jabbed the head, then the eyes, the throat, the heart, the kidneys, as well as the back of the spine, and the stomach, "Those areas cause near fatal damage, and is pretty much what you will be aiming for in any fight. End it as fast as possible, and only prolong it if you have a more skilled opponent but you know you can outlast them easily," Naruto said as the soldiers looked on, before Naruto threw the sword back again.
"Jab slowly at first," Naruto said as each soldier tried it, and though some still had overbalancing issues, most had the basics down, "Good, now begin to jab, a little faster each time, until you get used to the instinct of jabbing. After you think you can attack fast enough, show me, and if I deem your speed acceptable, I'll have something for you to practice your accuracy on."
With that, Naruto created a couple hundred mud figures, which was derived from the Tsuchi Bunshin, just for training purposes. As he watched the soldiers struggle, he also drafted a proposal, and waved one of the priests over.
"How may I be of service, milord?" the priest said as Naruto handed him the form.
"Bring this to General Northstrong, and await further instructions from him," Naruto said as he also unsealed a chokuto, "Bring this to him as well."
"Yes, milord," the priest said as he left, to inform the general. Naruto called a stop.
"I don't doubt your ability to fight," Naruto began after a moment of organized thoughts, also brining out another chokuto, "And trust me, it's not something important, but just to ask something, would you prefer your original swords, or this type?"
A man came up bravely, to take the sword, and Naruto noted that it was again one of those that figured out what he meant first. He took the sword, and pulled it out of the sheath, examining the sword and swinging it around.
"May I ask a question, sir?" the man said as Naruto beckoned him to continue, "Why do you have such… exotic weaponry?"
"Good question, but… it's not that relevant, suffice to say our village has a unique way of looking at skirmishes," Naruto said, and though the men accepted his answer, Naruto could sense their annoyance.
"Then I would say… this sword might be better suited for speed, isn't it?" the man asked after a few moments, "It's easier to swing, but… does it jab?"
"Nope, and that's why I asked you, since not many of you actually stab your enemies to death, preferring to slash them apart," Naruto said, "If you and the others wish for this type, then I shall send a request to the forge to begin the construction of such a sword. However, many of you will be left without swords for a few days while the material is used for forging."
"That's alright, so long as we have a means to defend ourselves," an alternate voice came through as General Northstrong came out, "You have some very weird ideas, Naruto. I understand the need for improvement and initiatives, but this just takes the cake… I'm not sure if the general population will be able to accept your entire idea, so take it slow, and there's one thing I wish to discuss with you about, please come over here."
As Naruto walked over, telling the men to begin running again with the group of summons chasing after them, the general spoke, "I doubt you left the small unit vague by accident. Tell me, what is their function?"
Naruto froze, and it wasn't until a while later that he began speaking again, "Sir… it's best you don't know."
"I have command over the troops, Naruto, and I need to know what they're for before I can accept that part of the request," Northstrong said, before a sense of dread overcame him, "Wait… don't tell me… you're planning on…?"
"Some things are better left in the dark, where no one will believe it to be real," Naruto said cryptically as Northstrong scrutinized him.
"Yes, I believe you're right…" Northstrong said, "Perhaps some tasks are better left in the dark, where no one will suspect them… Very well then, have you chosen who you want…?"
"I got three candidates right now," Naruto admitted, "And I'm planning on pulling more from the other sections as well."
"I look forward to their performance… no matter how much I don't want to," General Northstrong said as he left. Naruto sighed as he looked at his hands. The foundation is set for the future, and what he could do to protect Theramore. It would not be pretty, but he supposed, Danzo had a point. He sighed as he looked at the sun. Half past noon… I guess that's enough for them, he thought, as he walked back.
"You can stop now, training is done for the day, but I want to impart some things my former teacher, my sensei, taught me, and to remember," Naruto said as the men slumped in pure exhaustion, "Those who fail the mission is trash."
At that, many men squirmed, unable to think of failing the missions and costing the Alliance more. Naruto, however, was not done.
"But those who abandon their comrades… are worse than trash," Naruto finished as the men looked up, "It's bad if you fail the mission, but if you chose the mission over your comrade, or your own life over your comrades…"
Naruto suddenly threw a kunai right at a tree, detonating after being stabbed right to the handle ring. At that, Naruto's voice darkened, with traces of Kyubi's chakra seeping in, "I will kill you where you stand. Comrades are the most important things you will ever have, treasure it, and use it to fight… fight to protect, not to kill, not to win. Remember this, and you three, stay please, I wish to have a word with you. The rest of you are dismissed, and bring the next company in tomorrow."
As he said that, he pointed at the three men, who stayed while the rest left. When the others left, he approached them.
"I noticed that you seemed to have recognized what I meant by a lack of style, correct?" Naruto asked as they nodded, unsure of what Naruto was implying.
"Good, that makes you better candidates than the most. Should you accept this, you will enter into a new program of soldiers, but it is of the most secretive… one that will make you invisible, untouchable," Naruto said, "Should you accept this, you shall swear yourself to the utmost secrecy, and to never leak anything that may be related to such a program out. Failure to comply… will result in your death. Now, having explained that, will you be inclined to join?"
"That depends, milord," one of the men said, "What kind of program?"
"You will do… missions beyond the scope of normal military operations," Naruto explained, "Ones that the normal corps will never try to take on. You will be the roots of Theramore, the unseen support. You will eliminate those that stand in our way, when the normal troops can't. No others shall know what you are, who you are, or indeed, anything about you."
There was silence from all three men until they looked up, determination in their eyes, "If this is what it takes to protect us from Orcs, the Burning Legion, and the undead, I shall gladly join."
"As will I."
"And I," added the last man, as Naruto smiled.
"Good…" Naruto said, "Your training begins… and I hope you are prepared, for this year, will be hell."
"Yes sir!" they called as Naruto stood, bowed, and left in a tornado, leaving the three in the training grounds.
As Naruto reappeared in the central halls of the castle, he turned only to meet Jaina nearly face to face, who also jumped back a bit in shock.
"Naruto!" Jaina said, clutching her heart, "That was sudden…"
"Oops?" Naruto said as he smiled awkwardly, "Sorry, just finished training the first group… I assume you also got my other proposals?"
"Yeah," Jaina said, "You're serious on changing the entire place, aren't you?"
"It's the best way to survive, to adapt and change," Naruto said, "I'm sorry if I can't stay around you too long, but hopefully after the changes..."
"So long as I get some time with you, I guess that's okay," Jaina said sadly as Naruto kissed the top of her head while bringing her in closer.
"I promise you I'll leave time for all of you, okay?" Naruto asked, "Now what's wrong, I know you're never this jumpy or caught off-guard."
"It's news from Lordaeron," Jaina said, "It's completely fallen, and the Kul Tiras are desperately fighting back. My father is in there as well, but I don't know if he can survive this onslaught. I should have convinced him to come."
"He won't," Naruto said as Jaina looked up, confused, "He cares too much about you to just leave the battle like that."
"What?" Jaina asked, definitely confused, "If he cares why won't be come with us?"
"Because, it's his job to protect, and he'll do so until everything is fine again… or…" Naruto didn't want to finish the sentence, and neither did Jaina, so they simply left it at that, while Naruto started walking, carrying Jaina along, "Everything will be alright, trust me."
"It's not that I don't, but, well…" Jaina said meekly, "You're just… not here long enough to know about the Kul Tiras I guess… so I can't really judge it on that…"
"Good point," Naruto said as he chuckled, while bowing in a silly manner, "So do you want me to investigate, milady?"
Jaina laughed a bit at his antic, "No Naruto, if that was serious, then no. Firstly it's too far away from here, and secondly we need you here on Kalimdor, not the Eastern Kingdoms. I do wonder what happened to Quel' Thalas, in any case… Sylvanas had a point in asking that, especially since the Burning Legion came stampeding here…"
"They tried to get the Well of Eternity, didn't they?" Naruto asked, "Maybe they got bored of the… Eastern Kingdom? And came here for their ultimate prize… well, that or…"
"Yeah, and that's what I'm afraid of. In fact, that's what everyone's afraid of," Jaina said, "If Silvermoon falls, then essentially the entire place will fall, but hopefully it hasn't yet… If I can just contact Kael once more…"
"The prince?" Naruto asked as Jaina nodded.
"You know him?" Jaina asked jokingly as Naruto shrugged.
"Had interesting conversations with Sylvanas-chan occasionally, got to know a bit around the politics here too," Naruto said nonchalantly, "So, want to take a break from the politics?"
"How, and where?" Jaina asked dryly as Naruto took her by the arms, and disappeared in a flash of yellow. They reappeared instantly at the now-meadow that Lina introduced Naruto, and Jaina looked out.
"This is pretty nice scenery, how'd you find it?" Jaina asked as Naruto looked forward.
"Lina-chan told me about this place when I was here looking around," Naruto said, "Strange, it used to be a forested area with a few rock outcroppings… guess the workers must have changed it as well."
"I guess," Jaina said as she sat down, "Sit with me?"
"Sure, Jaina-chan," Naruto said as he sat down, Jaina leaning against him. After a while, Naruto stiffened as the memories from his clones returned to him, though Jaina didn't notice. Naruto looked up to the sky, his new Rinnegan active, and wondered about the future. Whatever it was, he hope it could get better, and get better soon.
They stayed there until dusk had arrived, and even then, they didn't move, content with staying in their position, simply enjoying each other's company while ignoring the outside world. To them, there was nothing to worry about, at that moment, and they wanted to keep it that way.
Right, this chapter's done, and the next… I'm just going to skip the rest of the time and jump into the Frozen Throne scheme of things. Just to let you know, I'm not making that insane of a change to the structure of the military as this chapter might suggest, it just seemed like it, at least when I looked at it. It's just a change so that I can fit WoW in better, since I need things like mages, hunters, warlocks, priests, paladins, and stuff to be set up. Death Knights can be ignored until later when I actually get to WotLK, which is still a looooong ways away. So, Ja Ne, and remember to review!