Sorry it took so long to put this out, real life is kicking my ass. So, enjoy and review, the more reviews I get the more likely I am to kick my writing into high gear.

Naruto stood silently on top of a craggy mountain, a wide grin splitting his face as he stretched out his arms widely, his eyes sliding shut as he felt the cool mountain air gently caressing his face. Riding atop the grinning shinobi's head balanced a similarly grinning Pa, the old toad sighing happily as he felt the eddies of natural energy that permeated the world of Jade. "This is truly and amazing place, Naruto-chan. This world feels so young, so alive. Natural energy is literally flooding from each corner of this planet, it's truly astonishing."

Naruto laughed softly as he leaped from the windy peak, the agile shinobi gracefully making his way down the steep mountaintop towards his destination. A soft beeping quieted Naruto's laughter, his hand swiftly tapping a small section of his bracer as he established a link with Gina's comm system. "Greetings fair maiden of all things mechanical, to what do I owe the pleasure of hearing thine dulcet tones on this most glorious of days?"

Naruto waited several moments as he heard several women giggling on the other end of the com-link, his smile slowly returning as he heard Gina's swift reply. "Dammit, stop laughing at me, you act like you've never seen some blushing before! And you! No more Shakespeare... wait a minute, since when do you read Shakespeare?"

Naruto chuckled softly, his pace slowing as he reached his destination. A large wall loomed before the shinobi as he neared the hidden school, the blonde's eyes scanning the mountains that ringed the encampment carefully. "Well, remember all those books I borrowed?"

"Oh yeah, what about the books you STOLE?"

Naruto laughed nervously at the venom in Gina's voice, the blonde swallowing loudly before he continued speaking. "Heheheh... well, the clones in the warehouse got bored, so I've got a ton of stuff swimming around in my head now. But anyways, I'm here, the old school looks just like I remember it." Silence was the shinobi's only answer, the blonde crouching down as he watched his quarry approaching the gate. "And here comes Julia."

"Naruto? Are you sure that you should be that close, Mom may see you and you know how bad her temper can be." Pa leaped from his fellow Sage's shoulders, the old toad giving the blonde shinobi a deadpan expression as he crossed his flippers over his chest.

"Yes, I'd love to hear him tell you exactly why he decided to come after Julia, especially when he promised he wouldn't." Naruto narrowed his eyes, a soft growl passing his lips as he remembered the incident in question.

Chapter 27

Flashback

The northern mountain range was soon bathed in a multitude of lights as a portal from Earth opened wide, the tear between dimensions soon depositing it's travellers at their intended destination. Julia stood tall, the proud barbarian warrior holding the grip of her newest sword tightly as she looked over the familiar terrain. A shiver passed through her muscled frame as a breeze of the cool mountain air flowed over her, the woman's expression falling as she tugged futilely at the short training clothes she had been forced to don once more. "Well, this place hasn't changed much. Now that you've all seen me arrive safely in Jade, I want you to use the second scroll and go back home."

"Mom! I am not leaving you here alone, it's my fault that you lost that fight in the first place!" Julia looked over her shoulder at the furious expression of her youngest, a small smirk passing her lips as the fiery spirit that Brianna was showing in her defense.

"And besides, I need to check on my brother and the others, it's been a while since I came back home." Julia's gaze shifted towards a smirking Sheila, her petite frame literally bursting with energy as she bounced on the balls of her feet excitedly.

"And if they stay, so do I. You know I can never pass up a trip to Jade, I always find something interesting whenever I make the trip." Julia shook her head fondly at Gina's declaration, the ex-arms Master closing her eyes in submission.

"Alright, You can stay... BUT! You all need to stay out here, I don't want any of you meeting Master Leep. Especially you, Naruto!" Julia looked at the lone man that rounded out the group, a giggle threatening to escape her lips as she noticed the blonde's expression and posture while he subconsciously balancing Pa on his head.

'Oh you know I'll take advantage of any opportunity you give me, Naruto. This one is your own fault.'

Naruto cocked his head to the side, a lecherous grin appearing as he studied the sight of the three girls standing before him. 'And this is one of the many things I like about all of them, they all love to wear such form fitting clothes... if only I had a few quarters...

"NARUTO!" Pulling back sharply, the blonde shinobi's wide eyes locked onto Julia's serious gaze, the blonde taking an involuntary step back as he tried to figure out what was wrong. "So, do I have your word?"

Blinking rapidly, Naruto watched as each of his girls turned towards him, their expectant expressions forcing the blonde to bite the inside of his mouth gently. 'Ah shit... well played, Julia.' Sighing softly, Naruto nodded in resignation, his hand waving the grinning redhead away. "Yes, yes, go away you insufferable woman."

"No, I need to know that you understand. I need to hear you say it." Julia grinned at the sour look on the shinobi's face, her expression turning smug as Naruto jabbed his finger at her.

"Dammit, fine! I promise I'll stay with the girls."

"Ok, I guess that's as close as we're gonna get." Smirking widely, Julia spun around swiftly, a move that nearly sent Naruto flying backwards from a massive nosebleed at the sight of the woman's short uniform flaring outward enticingly. "I'll see you when I get back. Keep the girls safe, after I'm done here we'll head off to the Tournament."

End flashback

"Oi, she said to keep them safe. So when both Gina and Brianna took off towards the school, was I supposed to just let them go out on their own? And Sheila followed them on her own, there's nothing I could do other than to follow them!" Pa cocked an eyebrow as he studied his one time student, his expression never wavering as he continued to look Naruto in the eye. "Oi, don't look at me like that," Naruto said, his expression becoming more flustered as Pa continued to steadily stare at the shinobi. "Dammit, stop that! Fine, I've always wanted to talk to Leep, I'm not giving up a chance to do that when he's so close! That's so unfair Pa, using 'the look' that you learned from Ma..."

Naruto grinned once more at the round of laughter form his com-link, the shinobi watching as Julia fought against a pair of Leep's students. His eyes narrowing, Naruto shook his head as both of Julia's attackers were soon thrown to the ground, the blonde's eyes focusing on the door as it opened slowly. An old man passed through the opening, his disappointed expression causing both of his student's gazes to focus on the ground in shame. After several moments Naruto watched the pair leap over the wall, his gaze returning to Julia and Leep as they walked towards the open door.

Just as the pair was about to pass the threshold, Naruto watched Leep skip swiftly away from his ex student, her furious glare at being goosed once more eliciting a bark of laughter from the blonde shinobi. "Why do all the best fighters have to be perverted old men?"

"Naruto, you're older than he is and at least as powerful as him, but your not... never mind, you're right, all the best fighters are old and perverted. We'll call you once we sneak in, it should be a snap wit the cloaking tech I just happened to have on hand!"

"No respect I tell you... ok old toad, you coming with me?"

Pa shook his head slowly, his gaze turning back towards the place they had arrived at. "No, I think I'll go and do a little exploring, it's not every day you get to live in a new world teaming with natural energy. Besides, you should have no issue summoning me if I'm needed." Naruto nodded swiftly, the blonde leaping towards the sky as Pa began the long journey out of the mountain range.

Meanwhile, inside Leep's School

Julia lagged behind her old teacher, her mind whirling about with memories of her harsh training all those years ago. Various students were out and about in the chill morning air, Julia's critical eyes passing over each of them as she subconsciously studied each of their techniques and forms.

"What do you think of newest students, Julia?" Leep's comment pulled Julia from her thoughts, a light blush staining her cheeks at being caught off guard once more.

"They're looking pretty good, Master Leep. It seems that you haven't slacked off in your old age." Julia grinned as Leep released a booming laugh, the old master taking a moment to study several women training before him.

"And the President and Vice President of your fan-club? What did you think of them, both very talented..." Leep looked over his shoulder, a grin forming at Julia's wide eyed expression.

"Fan club? Who are you... wait, those two at the gate?"

Leep nodded slowly, his gaze returning once more to the path before him. "Yes, Carla and Luan. Your biggest fans. Girls idolize you, look up to you. I would show you shrine built in your honour... but shrine is no more."

Julia paused for a moment, her expression falling as she felt a pang of sadness at her master's words. "They saw what happened, didn't they?"

Leep inhaled deeply, his pace never slackening as they neared his customary place of meditation, a large open air gazebo that had been prepared to receive visitors. "Both worked extra chores for ten days for permission to go to arena, to see you in tournament. When they come back from arena, both destroy shrine. Both very upset, very hurt."

Julia sighed sadly as she climbed the steps before her, her eyes idly scanning the table laid out before her and her master. "No wonder they attacked me, they hate me for what happened."

Leep smoothly lowered himself to his pillow, a content sigh passing his lips as he poured himself a cup of tea. Sipping the hot beverage slowly, Leep studied Julia's downcast face for several moments, his eyes softening at the woman's downcast expression. "Sit, Julia, much to discuss."

Julia sank to her knees slowly, her eyes finally looking up at the old man across from her as he serenely sipped his tea. Julia's expression never changed as she began her tale, her eyes barely paying the third spot that had been prepared at their table any attention.

"Ok, Sheila, we're in! Now, you need to... Sheila?" Gina turned towards her companion, a sweat drop appearing as she studied the awestruck expression on the jag-were's face.

"Whoa...this is so cool, Master Leep is a legend! I gotta take a closer look at what his students are practising!"

"Wait, Sheila!" Gina said, her cry halting her friend in her headlong dash towards a group of student. "Make sure no one touches you, it'll disrupt the cloaking field! And remember they can't hear you, so don't worry if you have to get a hold of us!" At the jag-were's casual salute, Gina sighed as Sheila disappeared swiftly. "She's been hanging out around Naruto way too much... not that I can blame her, mmm..."

"Frenzy, this is Rumble, come in!" Gina grinned easily as she sedately entered the school, the young genius doing her best to stay hidden among the multitude of bushes at the edge of the training ground.

"Hey sis, it's been a while since I watched Transformers, so I need you to remind me again. Was Rumble the red one, or the blue one?" Gina giggled at indignant growl from Brianna, her gaze returning to the various women training around her.

"I will never accept that... that HORSESHIT that Rumble was supposed to be red! And this is neither the time, nor the place for that discussion. Is Sheila with you?"

"Nope," Gina said, the young genius slowly making her way towards the gazebo she had seen her mother enter earlier, a sigh passing her lips as she watched duo she was observing having a normal conversation. "The second we got inside she peeled off and made her way towards a few of the students. She said something about 'observing their technique'. Have you found a good vantage point yet?"

"Not quite, there's a wall that looks like it's got a clear shot of the target but it's a little tricky with all these women wandering around. I'll let you know if the situation changes, Rumble over and out!"

As Julia finished explaining her tale, Master Leep slowly lowered his cup to the table, a sigh passing his lips as the truth was revealed to him. "And so, greatest enemy has now taken your rightful title, cheating you of that which you fairly won. So tell me, what will you do now, Julia? Tournament of Arms is test of endurance, taxing for anyone. Especially one past her prime."

"That's why I'm here, I need your help Master Leep! I need you to teach me Renewing Breath... wait, what are you doing?" Julia paused in her explanation as Leep placed a third cup on the table, his hands deftly filling the vessel with the steaming liquid before moving the cup to his left.

"Oh no, continue, please." Julia cocked an eyebrow, her gaze resting on the third spot that had been prepared at the table, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Master... are you expecting company? Come to think of it, every time I've come to visit since I was banished back to Jade you've put out a third place..."

Master Leep lowered his cup form his lips, a reproachful glare silencing his one time student. "Of course there is third place, would be rude to not offer place for the hidden one that follows you every time you come here. I see he's gone, did he leave? Or has he been set free?"

Julia's eyes widened in shock, her jaw silently working as she tried to respond to her Master's question. "H-how d-d-did you know about HIM?"

"Su! Eyes seldom reveal truth, trust should be placed in all senses. Also, saw Julia talking to thin air one day after sparring with senior students. Thought stress made Julia crack, till aura of companion was revealed to me." Master Leep snickered softly as Julia palmed her face, a soft groan escaping as she remembered travelling with the blonde shinobi.

"That damned blonde bastard, even when no one can see him he still causes me trouble."

"Oh really? I've caused you that much trouble over the years, Julia? I'm hurt, truly hurt." Julia slammed her hands on the table, her eyes wide as she glared at a seated Naruto. Raising his cup to his lips, the shinobi sipped the hot tea slowly before he turned towards Master Leep. "S'up, Ossan?"

"NARUTO?! I TOLD YOU TO STAY WITH THE GIRLS! WHEN DID YOU EVEN GET HERE!"

"I did. They left the camp, so I followed them. And as for when and how I got here, trade secret. Ossan, this tea is really good, I haven't had anything like this for... years." Sipping his tea once more, Naruto studiously ignored the growling woman seated to his right until he felt her grab his jacket, the nonplussed shinobi calmly meeting Julia's furious gaze.

"WHERE. ARE. MY. DAUGHTERS?"

"Hey sis, finally got eyes on the target, what have I missed? Anything weird going on with Mom's old teacher?

"No, everything appears to be just fine... uh oh."

"Uh oh? Whatta ya mean, uh oh?"

"Uh oh, as in Naruto just sat at the table with Mom and her old master. He's just sitting there... drinking tea? Jinkies, I've never seen Mom that mad before!"

"AW, NO FAIR! I WANNA SEE MOM FLIP OUT ON NARUTO!"

Gina giggled softly as she tapped the frames for her glasses. "It's ok, Bri. I'm recording it all, after all there are so few chances to gather blackmail material on our dear boyfriend that we can't pass up this opportunity."

"I know, right? So, what's Naruto doing? Is he begging for his life yet? Maybe he's trying to reason with her?"

"He's... ignoring her? Oh, that can't be good."

"So, where did you get the tea leaves from? I'd like to get some before I head back to Earth." Naruto turned back towards the stoic faced Leep, the shinobi taking another sip from the cup nestled in his hand.

"Dammit, answer me you blonde bas..."

"Of course, supplier lives in Seer's Hamlet. Mention Leep's name, you'll get discount."

"Ol' Geezer, don't encourage him!"

"Nice, Ossan. Hey, I've recently taken my own student, how about we have the girls participate in a little spar?"

"NARUTO..."

"Su! Excellent suggestion, spar with different style teach students importance of diversity and adaptation!"

Julia slammed her fist on the table, a growl passing her lips as she glared at the pair of men before her. "DAMMIT YOU TWO, STOP IGNORING ME!"

Naruto paused for a moment, his gaze shifting back towards the seething Julia before pointing towards the ceiling. "Julia, you're scaring the girls, stop that."

Looking upwards, Julia's eyes widened at the sight of a trembling Carla and Luan, the pair of students clinging to the a support beam as they stared at Julia in wide eyed terror. "Wha... when did they get here?!"

Naruto calmly sipped his tea, his eyes closing once more as he enjoyed the tasty brew. "They were here when you sat down. I'm not surprised you didn't sense them right away, their stealth skills are... adequate."

"ADEQUATE?" Naruto cocked an eyebrow as the two women abandoned their perch, their eyes flashing dangerously as they stared at the seated shinobi. "And who are you to judge us? We were expert ninja's before we came to learn from Master Leep and we've only gotten stronger since then!"

Naruto calmly placed his cup on the table once more, a soft chuckle passing his lips as he studied the angry brunette that has spoken. "Hmm, who am I to judge you? I'm nothing more than a simple traveller, come to see an old friend and make sure that the people I care about come to no harm. Speaking of which, since you heard our little discussion, don't you have something to say to Julia?

Leep held back a soft chuckle as he watched Carla and Luan immediately pale at the blonde's words, the two students immediately turning towards a surprised Julia. Leep placed his tea on the table as he watched the girls trip over each other in their rush to apologize, the old master sending a grin towards the seated blonde. A faint gleam appeared in the old master's eyes, his hands flashing out faster than the women could follow as the old master's hands deftly copped a feel of their tantalizing asses. A pair of indignant screams echoed across the training grounds, none of the students paying the sound of feminine rage any mind as they continued practising their forms.

"DAMMIT, OLD PERVERT!" Naruto grinned as the brunette glared at a serene looking Master Leep.

"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?" Master Leep ignored blue haired woman as he refilled Naruto's cup, the shinobi nodding his thanks. Sipping his drink once more, Leep glanced at his angry students before shaking his head in disappointment.

"Lack of tact! In your rush to make up to Julia, make her comfortable... you made her uncomfortable, embarrass her! Luan, Carla, disappointed in the both of you! Su!"

Luan and Carla pulled back from their hero, their expressions contrite as they bowed deeply before speaking once more. "We're really, really sorry Ms. Brig..."

"Plus, sight of two round rumps wagging in my face, impossible to resist!" Naruto let out a loud snort, catching the attention of the furious women before.

"And Naruto deflected Mom's attention over to those two girls. Damned shinobi, tricky as always."

"True, but that's half the fun, isn't it sis?" Gina giggle softly, a blush staining her cheeks as she thought of how much fun she had since Naruto had fallen into their collective laps more than a year ago. "Anyways, it looked like everything is ok for now... GAHHHHHH!" Gina immediately stood up at the sound of Brianna's scream, her head turning towards the Brianna's hiding spot.

"Brianna? Brianna! Answer me! What's happening? BRIANNA!"

"Sis, I'm in trouble! One of the students tracked me to my hiding spot, if I move she'll see the distortion! Crap, if mom finds out we snuck in she'll..."

Gina let out a relived sigh, the young genius crouching down once more once she heard that Brianna was unharmed. "Don't worry, as long as you stay completely still then you'll be fine! But if she touches you then that'll overload the image re-processor and then you're really screw..."

"GHOST! PHANTOM! MAGICIAN! WRAITH! HELPPPPP!"Gina cocked an eyebrow at the unfamiliar voice that came from her com-link, the sounds of battle reaching her ears as she let out a resigned sigh.

"Well, so much for stealth."

"Sis, you really suck at reassuring people! Help me find me a way outta... dammit, get away from me!" Gina watched helplessly as Brianna activated her jump jets, her armoured form skimming along the ground swiftly as she dodged her pursuers. "Sis, got a lightning quick Elf and a half naked she-troll on my tail! I'm gonna need a little help here!"

Shelia cocked her head to the side as she studied the various students spread out before her, her enthusiasm slowly fading as she continued to watch the women practising. 'Huh, seen that, done that, that's way too easy...this training doesn't seem too difficult, Naruto puts me through way worse drills than this. Not to mention the clothing, I wouldn't be caught dead practising in that getup... unless Naruto and I had a 'private class'.'

Giggling softly, Sheila wondered when she would get some time to spend with Naruto outside of their home, after all she was the only girl that hadn't gone on a date with him yet. Just as the jag-were shinobi turned towards the centre of the training grounds, a loud clanging rang out across the open space, the various students halting their exercises at the sound of the bell. "Ugh, seriously? We're all wearing a piece of tech that hides us from plain sight! Whoever did that needs to seriously work on their stealth skills!"

Sheila raced along the field, her ears easily locating the sound of battle amid the din of the alarm bell. Leaping over several walls, Sheila's eyes narrowed as she watched Brianna jetting away from a troll and an elf, the duo racing towards the heavily armed woman in an attempt to block off her escape. Leaping into the air, Sheila reared her fist back as she fell towards the ground, her chakra enhanced punch cratering the packed dirt as she landed between Brianna and her pursuers, the training grounds shaking violently from the release burst of chakra. Both Brianna and her pursuers fell to the ground in shock at the localized quake, their eyes focusing on the now revealed jag-were standing between the visibly sweating Brianna and the women that had been chasing her. "Now, lets see who stacks up better, Leep's students or Naruto-Sensei's! Suiton: Hahonryū!"

Naruto knew that something had happened with his girls the moment he had heard the alarm go off, his evil sounding laughter attracting the stares of everyone in the gazebo. A sudden torrent of water raced past the structure, everyone watching in surprise as a pair of students washed up on the steps of the small out building. Naruto craned his neck over the table to watch both an elf and troll gasping for air as they tried to stand. Naruto sipped his tea calmly as he watched a large group of armed students chasing after the culprit, his eyes following Sheila and Brianna as they skidded to a halt after being surrounded by a dozen angry women. "Heh, that'd be MY student, Sheila. She's the first shinobi I've trained in over fifteen thousand years and she makes your standard ninja look like an amateur. Hey Sheila! Keep the collateral damage to a minimum, Leep still needs to teach people after this!"

"Su, I heard legends of shinobi, never thought to see one in action... but where did water come from?" Leep placed his empty cup on the table, a gracious Naruto refilling his cup before focusing on the training grounds spread out before him once more.

"Well, Sheila's only been in training for a few months now, so she's not a fully trained shinobi yet. I'd have to say she's around mid to high chunin, which is pretty amazing for the amount of time we've been working together. As for the water... Sheila's chakra affinity is so powerful she can pull water from the air, just like the second leader of the village I grew up in. Who knows, she may even give your 'expert ninja' here a good workout." Naruto grinned unrepentantly as Luan and Carla growled in stereo, the blonde flashing the pair a peace sign before ignoring them once more.

"Hey, Leep, how about we... uh oh." Naruto suddenly leaned as far back as possible, the shinobi's eyes widening in alarm as a sharp blade sliced through the air over his head. Placing his hands on the ground, Naruto released a large burst of chakra into the floor, the blonde shinobi rising into the air as Carla swung a heavy staff where the airborne man's head had once been. Reaching out swiftly, Naruto grabbed the staff before Carla could attack him and pulled the shocked woman off balance, positioning the shinobi perfectly to slap Luan's followup slash with a chakra encased hand. A burst of compressed air flattened the brunette, her cry of pain and annoyance triggered a grin from the blonde as the same burst of air sent him flying out of the gazebo, his eyes trained on Julia's and Leep's shocked expressions. Carla and Luan swiftly stood as Naruto skidded across the ground, their glares promising retribution as they ran towards the shinobi.

"Dammit, stand still and take it like a man! I'll show you who's better, you blonde asshole!" Naruto shifted into a ready stance, his eyes shining brightly as he prepared himself for combat with the pair of ninja's. But a sudden chill ran down his spine and all too soon, the blonde knew that he needed to escape. Julia had risen from her seated position, her eyes hidden by the fringe of her hair as she slowly strode towards the now sweating blonde. As she exited the gazebo, Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of Carla and Luan retreating from the furious woman as she advanced on the still blonde.

"NARUTO...GET BACK HERE, RIGHT NOW..."

'Oh hell no, you are not fighting her again when she's like this...'

'Oh screw this, it's sexy when Gina does it cause she couldn't hurt me in a million years! I'm outta here!'

"Sheila, we've got company..." Sheila glanced over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing as a dozen of Leep's students tried to surround both her and Brianna. Slowly backing away from the advancing women, Sheila and Brianna were soon back to back, their foes having blocked off any hope of escape for the duo. A tall elf stepped forward, her eyes narrowed in anger as she studied the trapped women.

"Surrender or there will be consequences for trespassing on this land." Both Sheila and Brianna glanced over their shoulders at each other, the pair smirking before turning their gazes back towards the women surrounding them.

"Oh sure," Sheila said, the excited jag-were bouncing lightly on the balls of her feet as she studied the warriors arrayed before her. "We'll get right on it, after we kick your asses."

"Nope, no ass kicking today, we've gotta run!" Sheila's eyes widened in surprise, the large form of her sensei/lover landing in front of the surprised jag-were. Naruto's sudden appearance forced Leep's students to back away, their eyes widening at the sight of the man that had just appeared from thin air. "Sheila, arms around my neck! NOW!" Sheila instantly obeyed, the months of training with the blonde having ingrained the need to follow his commands to the letter and immediately. Naruto spun around and grabbed onto Brianna, her indignant yell teasing a grin from the jag-were as Naruto nestled the complaining woman under his arm like a sack of potatoes. Crouching low to the ground, Naruto leaped into the air once more, each of Leep's students watching in wide eyes amazement as he soared over a dozen feet over their heads.

"Dammit, Naruto, lemme down! This is embarrassing! I'll kick your ass after this..."

"Julia's coming right now and she's pissed." Sheila blinked for a moment, expecting that Brianna would brush off the blonde's comment, but all she heard was silence.

"Faster, faster, need to go faster... WHY ARE WE STILL HERE?!" Sheila looked down at Brianna in surprise as she began to hyperventilate, the jag-were not fully understanding what the problem was.

"Brianna, it's just your mom. I don't see the problem here, she's such a nice person..."

"HAH! Sheila," Naruto said, attracting the jag-were's attention as he swiftly homed in on Gina's position. "You've never met pissed off Julia. Let's just say that I could handle her, but it'd be bad. Bad for everything."

"Bad for everything?"

Naruto nodded as he raced towards a cluster of shrubs, his hand reaching out and snagging a protesting Gina as he passed her hiding spot. "Yes, bad for everything. Bad for the school, the mountain range, the students, everything. Julia and I kinda... well we kinda go a little too far when we fight. Let's leave it at that cause I don't even want to remember the last time we fought, Yunzabit Heights has never been the same since."

"YOU FOUGHT THERE? ARE YOU INSANE?! Yunzabit Heights is a deathtrap! A few years ago there was some kind of earthquake that nearly tore the place in two!"

"And who do you think did that? Seriously, Julia doesn't hold back when she fights me, she takes on DRAGONS for fun! Dammit, the door better be open, juggling you three is slowing me down too

much and I doubt your mom will give me the time I'd need to get over the wall..."

"ARE YOU CALLING US FAT?"

"NOT THE TIME, GIRLS!" After several moments of frenzied manoeuvring around slack jawed students, Naruto's expression brightened at the sight of the still open gate. But his hope was cruelly crushed as several sentries leaped from the imposing wall as the wooden barrier slammed shut, the shinobi skidding to a halt before he slammed into the unmoving structure. A series of painful groans rose from the unmoving heap in front of the gate as Naruto pushed himself out from under the three women he had been carrying. Shaking his head slowly, Naruto tried to focus on the slowly approaching woman, her angry expression only increasing the fear and panic that he felt from Kurama.

'Yeah, I'll let you deal with this, I don't do so well with pissed off redheads.'

'You're still miffed about what my mom did to you, aren't you?'

'Well sorry, she chained me to a freaking stone for her entire life! How else should I feel about... wait a minute, we're saved! OUR SALVATION HAS ARRIVED!' Naruto grinned softly as three signatures appeared out of nowhere, a soft laugh passing his lips as he stood tall before the approaching woman.

"NARUTO... wait, why aren't you trying to escape?"

"That would be because I've finally arrived." Julia paused in mid-stride, her expression shifting from anger to shock as she slowly turned to her right. "Imagine my surprise when I realized you were coming here again, after you promised that you'd never come back again. But I guess I shouldn't be surprised, after all you did slip a dose of 'week-sleep' into my tea last night." Julia swallowed nervously at the sight of Theo's angry expression, an expression that was mirrored by Jaliera and Britanny as they flanked the archmage. "So tell me, Dear, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Meanwhile, Under the Coliseum...

"So tell me, are all Earth-realm villain's as crazed as your little girlfriend?" G'Nolga cocked an eyebrow as she watched Array paging through a large tome, the pink haired woman seemingly having a conversation with herself the entire time.

"Hmm, I thought we left a bookmark..."

"Where's the index?"

"Aha! Here it is!"

"The index?"

"SHH!"

"I will agree that Array has a... 'unique' ability. Her powers allow her to create multiple forms of herself, each with their own talents, appearance and personality. However when she dematerializes one of her copies, the personality lives on inside her mind."

"Just... how many women are living inside her head, Tirant?"

"Last count puts it at one hundred and five. But fortunately, they all can work together in harmony... by some small miracle."

Array chuckled softly as she turned a page slowly, her head nodding at her lover's words. "Yes, it is crowded in my mind, but deep down we are all the same woman and as such are able to work towards our Darling's dream. Now, getting back to this tome, I've learned some interesting facts about the powers the Arms-Master wields. The most interesting of these is the authority to command the mystic Ziggurats of Jade against an invasion from the Shades. Not to mention direct control of each of the ten Arms-Master AND every Edge Guardian in defense of the citizens against a Shade threat."

"Hmph, such 'impressive powers'..." G'Nolga casually glanced over her shoulder at the tall armoured form of Rook, Knight of the Undead. Shaking his head as he crossed his arms over his heavily armoured chest, Rook's entire body screamed out his thoughts of the powers that Array had mentioned. "Too bad there are no Shades around to make them worth anything..."

"Now Rook, you're too hasty. After all," G'Nolga said, a smirk gracing her lips as she stroked her chin in contemplation. "We don't truly need the Shades to be here when all we need is to simply 'cry wolf''."

"I've always heard these Ziggurats were useless piles of stone and nothing more." Rook's glowing eyes shifted towards the final inhabitant of the room, the swordswoman Hanza.

"As have I... They've all been ignored for centuries by everyone except for their tour guides, the so called 'Ceremonial Guard'. On the other hand, if we take over the Ziggurats and are able to harness the brisk tourist trade they generate... maybe add a few concession stands..."

Hanza paused for a moment, her expression becoming incredulous as Rook outlined his outlandish ideas on how best to use the ancient structures. "Please tell me you're joking..."

"Yes, I'm joking. Had you going for a moment though, didn't I?"

"All kidding aside, the Ziggurats are worthless," Tirant said, a large grin forming as everyone turned to him once more. "Unless you know their secrets. Secrets that would turn the Ziggurats into the greatest magical artifacts on the face of Jade. Secrets that Array and I have uncovered."

G'Nolga nodded slowly as she stepped closer to Array and Tirant, a smirk slowly forming as she realized the duo's plans. "I see... so my gang and I do everything in our power to make sure that I retain the tile of Arms-Master, allowing you..."

"To gain control of the Ziggurats, allowing us to gain dominion over the realms of Jade."

Array slowly closed the tome, cradling the ancient manuscript as she stroked it's cover gently. "And after we've divided Jade amongst ourselves, then all the realms will be ripe for the picking. No place would be able to resist us, not the Retreat," G'Nolga and Hanza smirked at they thought of the riches they could harvest from the magic rich plane. "Not the realm of the Undead," Rook's eyes brightened considerably, his undead heart beating faster at the chance to conquer the plane that had spawned him. "Or even Earth..." Tirant nodded slowly as he wrapped an arm around his lover's waist, a smile appearing as Array enjoyed the contact with the tall super-villain. "BUT! We still have a potential problem."

G'Nolga scoffed lightly, her head shaking at the news of a potential problem. "Do you mean Julia? After the beating I gave her she wouldn't dare show her face in the arena."

"No, G'Nolga, not Julia. I was referring to the Northern Edge Guard, specifically two of their members. One is the were-panther, Thorpan. He's been seen sniffing around Seer's Hamlet and he is getting very close to discovering what we are doing here."

"Well all we have to do is take G'Nolga over to their barracks and she can tell them to lay off of the investigation, right?" G'Nolga shook her head as she walked away from a slightly confused Hanza, the swordswoman looking at Rook for an explanation. "What? Was it something I said?"

Array chuckled softly as she shook her head, her gaze focusing on the confused man-turned-woman. "While the tournament is in progress G'Nolga has no authority over the Edge Guard. We will need to work on neutralizing them for the time being, without destroying them. And the other is..."

Tirant looked down at the woman at his side, her gaze having fallen to the floor as she shook gently. "Array, are you well?"

"I'm fine," Array said, her voice sounding hoarse as her head rose and everyone was able to see the fiery anger blazing in her eyes. "It's just that the second person really pisses me off! That thrice damned Uzumaki that joined up a few months ago is everywhere! I've got personalities stretched across hundreds of villages, hamlets and provinces and no matter where I go, he's either there or has visited recently! How the hell does one man span an entire world in such a small amount of time? Not to mention that he's like a damned bloodhound, homing in on any of my copies in his vicinity the moment he enters a town! It's getting creepy how he keeps finding us no matter where we are. While the Edge Guard must remain alive, we should kill him. G'Nolga, do you think your gang is up to the challenge?"