Author's Note: Jeez, I did give a hint… YES LINA WILL REGAIN HER ABILITY TO HAVE KIDS… T.T you guys won't let me have my fun… well here's the next chapter anyways…
To my reviewer: As for their successful attempts at escaping, please be aware that Sasuke is capable of a lot, despite what I would have liked. I need him for the sequel, same with Darkterror. Everyone else will most likely die. What's more, he's not a military commander – he's more of a on-site guide that tries to control the flow. He cannot attack strategically because that's not his forte – it lies within creative, immediate plans that have very little chances of succeeding in the first place.
A Big thank you to Hakkyou no Yami who found a loophole for a problem that the site had in not allowing me to update - this chapter was done a week after the last chapter was uploaded but due to difficulties of FF net I couldn't update until he told me how. So Thank you :)
Chapter 37: To Heal and to Awaken
Lina's word shattered.
"No…" she called out quietly, attracting the attention of Naruto.
"Lina-chan…" Naruto tried to say but was suddenly blasted back with a powerful blast of lightning, bolts streaking out everywhere.
"Why me?" Lina screamed as she held her head, "Why?"
"Lina-chan, calm down! Lina-chan!" Naruto shouted as he stumbled over, eventually simply disintegrating into lightning and reappearing beside her, poking a single point on her neck and blasting chakra through it. Instantly, all lightning disappeared, though Naruto appeared charred and burnt, wincing with each step, "Lina-chan…"
"Naruto… why?" Lina asked in despair, "Why did it… why did he…"
"Lina-chan, what did he do to you, first?" Naruto asked even as he coughed more blood up. Lina turned around to respond, only to see his condition, the charred bits from her lightning, as well as a dribbles of blood coming from his mouth.
"Naruto! What happened?" Lina asked in surprise.
"No… not exactly," Naruto began.
"He means not exactly as in you shocked him with the lightning because of your despair over what Darkterror did. Then he had to go into Nuka Modo in order to save you, thus contributing more to his wounds because it takes on his life force," Mei replied bluntly to Lina's unanswered questions. Naruto shot her a look, though it was more of weariness than anything.
"Mei-chan, please don't aggravate her," Naruto said tiredly before coughing again, "This has got to stop. I don't recall Sennin Modo ever being his painful…"
"That is because you have mastered Sage Mode; Blazing Fury, not yet," Ichigo replied, "An unfortunately, you cannot use Kage Bunshin because it requires me, and I cannot perform the Kage Bunshin for obvious reasons."
"In addition to the fact that you don't want to and the resulting energies will dispel both Kage Bunshin, yeah, yeah, I've heard the gist of it the first time you told me, Ichigo. I just didn't expect it to be like this," Naruto replied.
"You didn't ask, nor were you ever advised to stay in that mode for long. With greater power comes greater backlash, as well as some sort of mental instability," Ichigo replied as Naruto stared at him.
"Mental instability?" Naruto asked uneasily, "What do you mean by that?"
"Just a curious… conjecture, let's call it," Ichigo replied, "That was not my main point."
"I know," Naruto replied while shrugging, wincing as he did so, "Damn this isn't good."
"Naruto, why did you come near me then?" Lina asked quietly, "If you were already hurt… I'm sorry…"
"Lina-chan, it's not your fault… the fault lies in me," Naruto said, "If I had been more aware then I could've took you out of harms way before Darkterror even thought of using you as a source of information."
"Information… oh no…" Lina replied, "Darkterror knows…"
"What does Darkterror know?" Jaina quickly asked but was overshadowed by a large explosion.
"He's here…" Naruto replied as his eyes shifted into the Rinnegan, and suddenly energy flared around him as he entered Sage Mode, "Ichigo, go ahead. Kill anything that is not our ally."
"Careful, Naruto, do not succumb to the Kyubi's influence," Ichigo replied as he sensed the large usage of Kyubi's chakra.
"I know, I'll be careful. But…" Naruto growled as his canines lengthened and the shield dyed red for a moment, "I want revenge…"
And with that final note, he disappeared in a brilliant flash of yellow, leaving everyone else there even as Ichigo took off. Jaina took the chance and held Lina tightly, even as Lina broke down, once more.
Meanwhile, as Naruto reappeared on the eastern front, he scanned the surrounding regions, before roaring out loud, the bestial cry echoing around the battlefield.
"Darkterror, show yourself!" Naruto roared as a pair of chakra arms struck out, nailing themselves through two Naga Myrmidons, before he disappeared in a bright yellow flash again, reappearing behind two Royal Guards and brutally impaling them with his bare hands, streaming with electricity and chirping, "or are you such a coward that you'll only prey when no one suspects? You claim yourself as all-powerful, then show me! Show me that power, and I will show you what a true demon is like!"
"You think you can best me?" Darkterror suddenly called from the farther side of the field, near the oceanic regions, "You dear Lina-chan had her mind probed… I know all about your Flying Thunder God Technique, and where the boundaries are. You stand no chance of defeating me."
"Think again," Naruto growled as Darkterror was forced to jump, as a torrent of black flames appeared. Taking a deep breath, Naruto gathered power into his lungs, expelling a large violet dragon of fire upon Darkterror, who, with a flap of his large wings, managed to dodge as well, only to be struck by a white hot fireball, one of the dozens that Naruto had fired almost immediately after. Crouching on the ground, Naruto focused his vision on Darkterror, and, with a blink, he disappeared, a foot deep hole where his two feet last were as Darkterror clashed blades with Naruto, two beams of energies blazing out in two arcs away from the duo similar to the confrontation between the Rasengan and Chidori. Flashing apart, Naruto drove forward, intending on driving his blade in only for Darkterror to expertly deflect it with a side slash of his blade, and plunging his other blade into Naruto's body. Darkterror grinned, only to fade it as Naruto punted him away far into the ocean, where the majority of his army was, and also causing Naruto to slip himself out, the wound sealing rapidly. Recalling his demonic chakra, Naruto focused on Darkterror once more.
"You are willing to take a hit in order to hit your enemy? You are more like a demon than you ever imagined… Naruto…" Darkterror said in malice, fear gripping his heart as he looked at the human – no, monster – that stood in front of him, the patterned eyes ringed with red, and the chakra surrounding him blew away, tearing up the ground beneath him.
"You should've taken the time to corrode away at my powers, Darkterror. Your idiocy will cost you your army," Naruto said coldly before he struck out, his hands held opposite each other even as streams of lightning were blasted out, streaking towards the divided army between him, striking each and every Naga warrior that the lightning touched or neared. Darkterror growled.
"You'll regret approaching me," Darkterror gritted before his powers expanded, and he, for a lack of a better word, transformed into a towering, black demon, dark bolts of lightning streaking out as well, even as he hurled a flaming boulder of Fel energy at Naruto, who blasted it apart from a thrown Rasengan, before charging in, his blade streaming with wind chakra. With an expert twirl, Naruto evaded the twin slashes from Darkterror, gaining a look of disbelief at how easy Naruto evaded it, before Naruto slashed up, forcing Darkterror to block it with his blades. One of the twin blades creaked; a second later, it was sheared through as the wind chakra tore away at the metal, already corroded with excess demonic energy that ran rampant through it, even as Darkterror morphed back into a half-demon form and launched spheres after spheres of hellfire at Naruto.
"Katon: Goukakyou No Jutsu!" Naruto roared as he sent a gigantic sphere of fire at the oncoming barrage, blocking them all, before detonating and blowing out a large amount of dust and smoke, before Naruto leapt up.
"You will pay for this, Darkterror. You will know what Kisame felt when I crushed him beneath my powers," Naruto growled as he hovered, high over the area, before gathering his chakra. Every single drop, every single last bit of power he could muster safely, he took, and with one last scream, he unleashed his attack.
"Die, Darkterror! SHINRA TENSEI!" Naruto screamed even as the pulse of distorted energy moved forward, pressing into the ground. There was no sound for a few moments as everyone processed the distortion impacting onto the ground. Then the ground glowed, and the destruction began. From the epicenter, fifty meters below Naruto, a single rock cracked, extending its reaches by several hundred meters, before the ocean above it collapsed, and it cascaded away in a gigantic torrent. Daelin, who was fighting by the shore, saw the monstrous wave beginning to approach the island.
"Crap! All troops begin moving back now!" Daelin shouted to his troops as he sent his own torrent of water at the Naga troops, blasting them all back into the water even as the other wave, essentially the size of a medium tsunami at this point, reached them. The troops stood no chance – they were obliterated by the pressure on the spot, despite being aquatic creatures. There was simply no comparison to the power the wave generated even as Daelin strained himself.
"Come on… stop it…" Daelin grunted as he focused his powers on the wave.
Meanwhile, the waves grew larger as Naruto watched his handiwork. The Naga which tried to support Darkterror now ran away in terror, at the large tide that threatened to consume them, only for the tidal force to overtake them, sending them plunging into their resting place where they resided for thousands of years. Darkterror strained under the force, cackling madly.
"That's the power… show me more, Naruto Namikaze! Show me how much power I can take from you once I mastered my own powers! Naruto!" Darkterror screamed madly as he stared at Naruto, "I am invincible!"
"You are not, Darkterror," Naruto replied coldly even as he felt the seeping of his energy beginning to invade his senses, "No one is undefeatable. Die beneath my anguish, Darkterror, and know that you are the one who caused your own demise."
"You underestimate my powers," Darkterror growled as a portal began to open, but as he crossed into it the wave, now twenty meters high, crashed into him, forcing him into the portal even as it closed from the pressure, the sudden sealing tearing through Darkterror's left leg. The tidal force powered on, crushing through everything as it approached the lands.
Across, in mainland Kalimdor, the Orcs were beginning to pack away their belongings when they heard the low whistle of displaced air. Moving to investigate, they had no chance to scream as the wave charged into the wasteland, transforming it, temporarily, into a part of the ocean. The wave would continue its path of destruction for another kilometer before it finally subsided and simply flooded the next two with water.
Meanwhile, Naruto finally collapsed from the sheer exhaustion of overusing his chakra. Daelin was also spent taking down the tidal wave that threatened to destroy Theramore as a result of Naruto's reckless action.
I would have never imagined that Naruto would go this far into his rage for them… Daelin thought as he finally fell into blissful unconsciousness as well.
Had anyone every bothered to check the Eastern Kingdom, five days later, they would find nearly the entire western coastline flooded, all the trees uprooted and Lordaeron's ruins reduced to a flooding arena, where, standing knee-deep in water, was a woman, clad in a dark cloak, surrounded by legions of the Scourge, looking over the ruins. By that time, however, the water's power had subsided enough to not destroy any of the structures.
"Soon the Forsaken shall take their place among the rest of the living…" the cloaked woman said thoughtfully as she looked over the remains, "Once this water's passed at least… then we can begin anew…" (Kudos to those who guessed this person)
(The Shinra Tensei is a tribute to the Japanese Tsunami which occurred at the 11th March, please pray to all those that are in the disaster zone, thank you)
Three Days Later
Naruto groaned once more as he woke up into the dark ceiling in the medical wing.
"I'm back here again? This needs to stop happening…" Naruto muttered as he scanned the area, "I swear, it's been walking in and out of here the whole time I've spent my time… I've hardly spent any time with Sylvanas-chan or Jaina-chan even if they are trying to restore order to the chaos that Thrall and Kabuto inflicted…"
"So you're awake," Daelin's voice spoke as Naruto turned, "I must say, your final stunt was one of the most stupid, yet honorable thing, I have ever seen. Never do that again. I'm known for my mastery over water, yet your sheer power nearly overpowered me. I'd hate to see if you're in your own element."
"Well sorry for overreacting, you'd do the same if Jaina-chan's kaa-san was injured like that…" Naruto replied dully as he stared at the ceiling, "But, am I right? If I failed, am I right?"
"You didn't fail yet, you still got Ichigo's advice. He's still here, trying to heal Lina, but without the proper bond it won't happen, and Hikari's a month or two too young to attempt Nuka Modo," Daelin replied, "If you think you failed, use it."
"Use it to better myself, to ensure that it will never happen again, right, Daelin?" Naruto asked as Daelin simply strode over and laid a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"I'm glad you see things that way, Naruto. I have high hopes for you, do not disappoint me. Magroth's coming soon," Daelin replied, "He's been taking care of your chakra exhaustion for a while."
"Chakra?" Naruto asked as Daelin laughed.
"You don't think Jaina would tell me about your strangeness? Please, the whole village thing is too strange to call it off as a simple hidden village, as literal as your village is called. I didn't survive through three wars believing everything people say," Daelin replied, "Now rest, the girls are waiting for your recovery."
"He's pretty much recovered, actually," Magroth replied, "All he's missing is the final quarter of his chakra, which will replenish itself in time. And I thought I had it bad with hatred."
"It's just a single mistake…" Naruto groaned out, "Are you really going to judge me for that?"
"Yes, it's not the way of the Paladin," Magroth replied. Naruto shrugged.
"I said I'd use the powers of the light. I never said I would become a true Paladin. My origins lie in the shadows and the light, to strike head-front. Believing in the philosophy has nothing to do with it, no offense."
"None taken," Magroth replied before sighing, "If there is nothing else, Naruto, you are free to leave the Medical Wing."
"Good, I don't like bed rest. See you sometime later, Magroth," Naruto replied as he flipped the sheets over and hopped down, before disappearing in a blast of wind, "Tell someone to repair the seal array!"
In an instant later, Naruto appeared in front of Lina's door, listening in. There was no sound, though he was sure he had felt her signature in the room. Opening the door cautiously, he entered.
"Lina-chan?" Naruto asked before seeing the small flare of fire that was Hikari, with Lina just stroking across her back, "Lina-chan."
"Naruto," Lina replied simply as she stared out the window. Naruto moved over by her, before turning her over. Her face was nearly completely blank, different from the chirpy person she used to be.
"Speak, Lina-chan, please… don't hold it all in," Naruto pleaded as Lina looked up, a dull look in her vibrant, glowing eyes.
"What more is there to say?" Lina asked, "All I wanted was a family… a daughter, maybe a son. Will you still love me, even then?"
"Have I ever said anything to indicate otherwise?" Naruto asked as Lina sighed.
"I'm scared… You also wanted a family, but I can no longer give you one… I'm scared you'll leave. Jaina, Sylvanas, and Mei all can give you families to cherish… but…"
"You don't believe me?" Naruto sound wounded.
"It's not that! It's… it's just… tell me you love me."
"I love you, Lina-chan. I always will. I promised six months ago I would marry all of you. I intend to keep that promise."
"Then show me… show me you love me…"
Naruto laid with Lina, looking at her lovingly even as she stared back, her eyes now slightly more vibrant after their… activities….
"I would still rather liked kids though," Lina replied as she leaned into Naruto, who held her bare back lovingly.
"Didn't Ichigo tell you?" Naruto asked curiously as Lina looked blankly up at her love, "You know how I've been training with the Phoenix, in and out, right?"
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lina asked as she collapsed onto her bed, Naruto sitting down beside her soon after.
"I've been taught their abilities, more specifically the ability to morph with Ichigo. In that form, I'm able to regenerate all my wounds, and have access to nearly all of the Phoenix's special abilities, one of which is Ashen Rebirth," Naruto said.
"What does that have to do with anything?" Lina asked as Naruto shook his head before smiling slightly.
"It means that all wounds are instantly healed through rebirth. All organs are restored to their full functionality… including your uterus," Naruto replied before Lina simply stared at him. And stared some more.
"Are you serious?" Lina asked as Naruto nodded. It took a while for Lina's senses to finally kick in and translate what it meant.
"So… I can bear children… once more?" Lina asked as Naruto nodded, before she snuggled in, still too much in shock to say anything else. Naruto smiled as he looked at her gently, watching as her eyes drooped and she finally fell asleep, the first time she had done so in days. Slowly, he himself nodded off.
The next day…
"So, how do I enter the mode?" Lina asked as they approached a training field. Naruto shrugged.
"Firstly, you can't train it while here. It's like Sage Mode, you need a special energy input from Hikari in order for you to synergize with each other – a problem that can only be rectified in their world, which boosts their chakra's potency by a couple hundred times. That's why I left instead of training with Ichigo here," Naruto explained as he gestured to Hikari, "The thing is, though, that Hikari still has a few more months to go before her powers are fully matured, less if she leaves for their homeland now, but the point is that you cannot enter the mode and activate rebirth unless she is also ready. What you do have as an advantage, though, is that your bond is much stronger than that with Ichigo and I, since you've had her since she was barely born after the hour."
"So what now?" Lina asked as Naruto bit through his thumb and swiped it across his forearm. A tattoo appeared as, in a plume of smoke, Ichigo appeared.
"You follow him back to find Hikaru or Al'ar," Naruto replied as Ichigo floated just a few feet away, looking around and scanning the region.
"Jaina, how did your conversation with Daelin go?" Ichigo asked as Jaina sighed.
"Don't remind me, tension's been rising since Grommosh took on as the leader of his clan. Father's convinced that Thrall is good; he doesn't trust any other Horde members, especially Hellscream," Jaina sighed, "Hi Naruto."
"Jaina-chan," Naruto smiled as he hugged her, "Long time no hug."
Jaina giggled as she leaned in, Lina looking at them with a soft eye.
"What are you talking about with Lina?" Jaina asked as Naruto grinned.
"Finding the solution to reverse Darkterror's damage," Naruto replied, "Only problem is, she has to leave Theramore for a while to train."
"Does she want to?" Jaina asked as Naruto shrugged.
"Yeah, I would, I guess… it's just that this is really sudden…" Lina replied, "How long would I be gone?"
"A couple months at the very least. It took me a whole month to adjust to the enhanced powers, and another two to control the flow of power that results when I fire a single blast of chakra. It's more powerful than a Rendukan, and those things are nasty," Naruto replied, "Merging isn't the problem, the problem is the point after merging. The first time you do it, it's pretty painful."
"So…" Lina began as Naruto just looked at her.
"Take your time to think it through," Naruto suggested as Lina shook her head.
"I'll do it anyways, you know me, I love kids," Lina said with a soft smile as she looked at Hikari, "Teleport me."
In a flash of fire, Lina disappeared, though her final words lingered, "Don't forget to visit sometimes Naruto!"
"I will Lina-chan, I will," Naruto said with a soft smile as the fire dissipated. Just then a messenger moved in, sprinting.
"Lady Proudmoore! We have received news from an unknown outpost!" the messenger said hurriedly as Naruto raised an eyebrow.
"Tell me, what is the registration number?" Naruto asked.
"N-1409, milord," the messenger replied as Naruto's eyebrows rose even higher.
"That's strange… I left a detachment there just for surveillance issues… never thought they'd have to send a report before they finish the year…" Naruto murmured as Jaina looked.
"N-1409? Naruto, where is that outpost?" Jaina asked as Naruto took the letter from the messenger, motioning him to stay even as he opened the letter.
"Northrend. N-1409 is in Northrend," Naruto replied as he read through the letter carefully, "What the… why is Arthas mobilizing so quickly? And where is Fenix then if this report is right?"
"What? Arthas is mobilizing to Northrend?" Jaina asked as Naruto nodded.
"It says here that the undead army is slowly detaching itself away… strange…" Naruto said quietly as he scanned through the letter, "Wait… the Eye of Sargeras… Sylvanas-chan, where did Darkterror target the Eye first?"
"Northrend, why?" Sylvanas replied, unsure as Naruto nodded a bit, then looked over the letter.
"Almost immediately after that, there was a sense of disturbance in the energies around the area, and reputedly several cracks in the ice… so Darkterror still managed to tear a rift in Northrend… but how would that… unless…" Naruto said quickly to himself, "So that would mean…"
"You lost me," Jaina and Sylvanas said flatly, at the same time. Mei said nothing as she, too, processed the information.
"Didn't you say something about the Lich King being held, literally, on a Frozen Throne?" Mei asked as Naruto nodded, then his eyes widened.
"No way… Darkterror's first attack wasn't meant to split apart Northrend… it was to destroy the Frozen Throne, but before the spell was completed I interrupted it with Amateratsu, so the Frozen Throne has been losing power all this time," Naruto said quickly, "Mobilize all our forces, now! We might be able to destroy the Scourge in one fell blow!"
"What this about destroying the Scourge?" Daelin asked as he moved in with them, before Naruto showed him the letter.
"Remember those Ghosts? Well I had a team stationed at Northrend just in case. They sent a message that, coupled with the knowledge of what the hell I did at Dalaran, implies that the Lich King is losing power. Perfect timing…" Naruto replied, "But who to send…"
"Let me go, I want to kill that man for breaking my daughter's heatrt," Daelin said as he gritted his teeth, "And killing King Terenas, and Capital City, and-"
"That's also the reason why you can't go. If even just talking about it can get on your nerves, imagine what will happen if you actually met him on the battlefield," Naruto retorted, "You'd just go right after him and instead of going to fix the root of the problem."
"And I assume you will?" Daelin asked as Naruto sighed.
"If needed be I'll use my ultimate technique," Naruto replied as Mei looked at him strangely.
"You don't mean…" Mei asked as she pointed to Naruto's abdomen.
"Not exactly," Naruto replied, "But it's the same seal, not the Kyubi."
"You're kidding," Mei replied dryly, "You're going to use… wait, I forbid you! Where did you even learnt it anyways?"
"All future Hokage candidates are required to learn this technique," Naruto replied, "So that in case of emergencies they can be used. Even Tsunade baa-chan knew it, but I don't think she used it."
"What are you talking about now? I'm really out of the loop," Daelin remarked.
"Jaina-chan, how much did you tell him?" Naruto asked.
"Everything," Jaina replied as Naruto nodded.
"Then you know I'm not from here, and neither is Mei-chan. You probably also know about the Kyubi and it's prison, and who exactly powers the prison."
"The God of Death, the Shinigami," Daelin replied, "I fail to see the point of this."
"There's only one way to summon the Shinigami, and it's through the technique I was talking about – Shiki Fuin, the Dead Demon Consuming Seal to be translated literally. At the cost of my soul I can bargain to have the Shinigami kill someone, a sure-fire way to destroy that person by taking away their soul."
"Define cost," Daelin replied.
"My soul gets sealed, to fight the enemy for all eternity," Naruto replied, "Only thing is, I need to be fast enough to be in contact with the enemy first before I can initiate the process."
"And you aren't going to do so," Mei replied, "No one knows what will happen if you seal two things away into your body. If it breaks the Kyubi's freed. That's bad. I don't get kids, Jaina doesn't get kids, Lina doesn't get kids, and Sylvanas doesn't get kids. That's even worse."
"Right…" Naruto muttered as he slowly stepped away from Mei, "In any case… I'll lead a legion to Northrend to hopefully end the threat, but there's a problem."
"Arthas' head start," Jaina said as Naruto nodded.
"That's one part of the problem. The other's Sasuke. He's powerful, enough that he could stall us for a good period of time… enough for Arthas to finish whatever it is he will be doing to the Frozen Throne," Naruto replied, "At such proximity is like my activating Sage Mode within the range of the Well of Eternity – the power becomes nearly unlimited. Even if a Paladin can suppress the powers of the undead, at such power the darkness will simply, for a lack of a better word, be replenished, almost immediately," Naruto said, "No matter how much power you put in, the initial surge as the power reboots will be enormous, and that's the thing we need to avoid, or else we might as well as retreat to cut our losses and prepare for the next assault."
"I'll stall Sasuke while you go take on Arthas then," Mei volunteered but Naruto shook his head.
"Not wise," Naruto replied, "Sasuke's gained fully Madara's powers… and he's crazier than Madara. I'm not going to risk sending you out to take him on, much less alone. You need to stay with the main group in order to attack Arthas directly, especially since you're more strategic minded than I am. I will stay behind with my Ghosts to take on Sasuke and any army he has. With any luck I can unleash a powerful enough Shinra Tensei to kill him if I must."
"You insist on doing such things don't you?" Mei asked in exasperation as Naruto shrugged.
"I've said before, and I'll say it now. He's my target," Naruto replied, "Now get the army ready. I want the first and second division to be ready to attack in two weeks."
"Two weeks? Is that enough time for them to get ready?" Jaina asked with a frown as Daelin thought back.
"Take the Kul Tiras. They should be able to be readied faster than your troops. I'll send yours over the instant they're ready. Time is of the essence. I always have three battalions ready for cases like these. Take them," Daelin said as Naruto nodded.
"Then I'll leave within the week," Naruto replied. Daelin nodded as Jaina looked a little sad.
"Let me come with you as well," Jaina suddenly said as Naruto turned, slightly shocked.
"Why?"
"Because… it's my duty now as the leader of the Alliance remnants… I must take him down myself."
"And your people? What about your people if you fall? A leader looks at both sides to everything, the needs and the wants. People want Arthas dead; they need you to lead them back from the darkness that's gripping this land. Tell me, what's more important?"
"I hate it when you're right like this…"
"I'm here to help you, Jaina-chan. You know very well what will happen."
"And I can't be selfish at times like this?"
"And what would happen then? Say you did go and, hypothetically, killed Arthas. Then, in the worst case scenario, something hits Theramore, be it the Burning Legion or the Horde in the very worst case scenario, then what? They will be without a leader. Without a leader, Theramore will perish, and the Alliance would die out. Even with the Night Elves as our allies now there would still be a problem with rebuilding. We would descend back into savages instead of ascending. Trust me Jaina-chan, I've seen the worst in our race, I should know."
"If I say I hate you, would you believe me?"
"Right now? Very possible. Forever? Hopefully not," Naruto grinned as he swept Jaina-chan into a hug, holding her bridal style, "After all… you can't be that mad… right?"
"Wrong," Jaina said flatly but she façade broke when, suddenly, Er'ryl appeared beside her, tickling her with his fangs, and she descended into giggles.
"Did we come at a bad time?" a voice spoke as Naruto turned, and saw Kael.
"Hi Kael," Naruto said as he grinned, "Glad to see you made it through in one piece."
"That frostsaber of yours is a very remarkable individual," Kael said as he smirked, "Could you tell me where I can befriend one?"
"If the Night Elves allow it, they would lead you there," Naruto said cryptically, before switching back to a more cheerful tone, "I only found Er'ryl by accident when I was fighting, and lo and behold, here he is, one of the most powerful individuals on the island."
"I see…" Kael contemplated carefully, "And what of Athaniar?"
At the mention of the name, Naruto's eyes darkened.
"The next time I see him, Kael… I will kill him," Naruto said darkly, "He's lost… and so are the band of Blood Elves you sent into Outland with him. They have found Darkterror like you had hoped, and had been corrupted by the demonic energies that he possessed."
"Damnit," Kael cursed, "I was hoping it wouldn't be too late… I can see what you mean when you said the energy residue from this lake can be felt from faraway… Then what now? I volunteer my troops to take Athaniar down."
"Not now," Naruto replied, "Though you may get a chance depending on the situation."
"Define situation," Kael replied.
"Darkterror is certain to engage Northrend to destroy the Icecrown Citadel, but Arthas is heading there too. If Athaniar follows, then you may have a chance but it would depend. In any case, you need to get your people to settle down first, before holding a long term plan to regain Quel'Thalas."
"I see your point… that does not mean I have to like it," Kael concluded, downcast. A division amongst his people right now was the worst possible scenario during a genocide, yet it just had to happen like this – and with more than 80% of the Blood Elves now serving the Burning Legion, his options were very limited.
"I… have a warrior mage that may help you in this endeavor then… he is skilled, though nowhere near the level of Fenix, but he was also considered one of our Champions," Kael said as he introduced someone who wore the Spell Breaker armor, "Meet Nortrom Sunstreaker, our most powerful Spell Breaker."
"It is an honor to meet the one who could give our race our salvation from our hunger," Nortrom said as he bowed.
"Likewise," Naruto replied as he scrutinized the Blood Elf in front of him.
"He's the starter of the Blood Elf Spell Breaker program, late in the Second War, though it was developed in secret. Knowing the power of the Warlocks, he decided to take action, and through channeling his blade, he was able to mimic, to a certain extent, the feedback ability of Fenix's arrows. In addition, he has an enchantment that will silence any enemies in the area the instant they finish casting a spell, and can even cause a localized Silencing barrier, preventing anyone save him from casting spells."
"Interesting skills…" Naruto murmured as Nortrom nodded.
"I am at your service, my lord," Nortrom replied.
"Can you silence chakra usage then?" Naruto suddenly asked as Kael tilted his head in curiosity.
"Chakra?"
"I told you I use a different energy, no?"
"Nortrom's silence revolves around the casting and maneuvering of the energies bound to ourselves, so, in theory, if chakra is based inside, then yes," Kael replied, "You are talking about this Sasuke Uchiha?"
"Yeah," Naruto nodded, "But I also have another suspicion. One which could prove to be fruitful for us if we managed to take advantage of it."
"A suspicion?"
"I think Fenix has escaped the Lich King's hold."
That simple message took all the Blood and High Elves' attentions.
"How?" Sylvanas was the first to ask.
"Some of the Ghosts are High Elves as well. If they saw Fenix they would instantly recognize him. They didn't see or sense him anywhere, so it's safe to assume that he managed to escape the captivity."
"Then this makes the mission even greater in priority," Kael pointed out, "I must go."
"Do I need to repeat my speech to Jaina-chan to you too?" Naruto asked, but Kael pointed at a group of older Blood Elves behind him.
"Those were my father's old Councilors during his reign, and as I had barely taken charge, they are mostly in charge of the politics right now, until I have become accustomed and accepted by my people. They are the ones in actual charge right now," Kael pointed out, "Should anything happen, they are free to elect a Blood Elf to become the new King. My father trusted them that much, Naruto, that means I can also trust them to that extent."
"Wow, the first time Naruto lost a contest of wits," Jaina commented.
"Contest of wits? He never won those," Mei replied, "Well… sometimes, but we ignore those rare moments."
"Very well then," Naruto replied, "Here are the forces we will lead then.
I shall lead the first forces to Northrend, the Kul Tiras forces that Admiral Proudmoore has lent me for this campaign. Then, once all preparations are set, Divisions one and two will move out, given orders from High Admiral Daelin Proudmoore. The commanders in charge are Mei Terumi and myself."
Daelin nodded. Naruto continued.
"Prince Kael'Thas Sunstrider and Nortrom will lead a small Blood Elf division to Northrend as well, but through a different landing site. I will give you the coordinates later. Once you're there, lead your troops through the valley and hopefully we can execute a pincer maneuver that will have us surrounding the Citadel and engage. What I'm more worried is time. If we don't make it within a time limit, there's no telling what Arthas can do to the Frozen Throne, maybe even repair it. In that case we would need someone with a powerful connection to the Light to destroy the enemy while we retreat."
"Why?"
"Because the instant the Throne is repaired, there would be a surge of power. That power would be so great and concentrated that even a holy spell would simply dampen the effects, not completely obliterate the darkness. For a few days up to a month that would persist, and none of the Light Spells would be of use during that time except maybe for the most powerful."
"Then it is decided. As soon as the two primary groups are ready, we will engage!"
Chapter End!
Preview: The Frozen Wastelands
"What is that thing? A spider?" Naruto asked.
"Get away!" someone yelled as suddenly several spikes erupted from the ground, Naruto only escaping by jumping up onto a narrow ledge and sticking with chakra.
"What the hell?" Naruto asked himself before an arrow, its tip coated in a strange, green energy, pierced right through the weak joint in the Nerubian's carapace, right in the neck. The Nerubian groaned, before the body heaved itself down, crashing into the ice with a loud screech, tearing through the ice.
"Nani…?" Naruto asked as he looked up. There were two figures standing there, as well as two, darker shadows circling around in the sky. Revealing his Rinnegan, Naruto couldn't help but look on in slight shock at who fired that arrow.
I really can't be bothered to comment on the state of my chapters right now, so here you go, no flames please. And pray for Japan. And review, in reverse order of importance.