So something weird happened on the last update. Forever reason I could not see reviews, favorites, or follows along with views. After every day it will update the views but I can never truly see how many people read my story that day. I don't know if there was something on my end that I did but it's been like this ever since so hopefully this new chapter fixes that. Also, if I did not reply to your review or pm if because I literally could not see them :(

Chapter 6

Curiosity Killed the Fox

Marvel's Tavern: West Regna Ferox

(Night)

Lucina couldn't remember the last time she felt so... spent.

Not the kind of exhaustion where she simply wanted to sleep for a few hours, but the kind of exhaustion where she wished to be laid to rest; quite literally. Build her a fancy casket, throw her in it, and let her sleep the fatigue off for the next hundred years or so.

Ah, that sounded absolutely delightful. Soft, warm, comfortable casket with her name on it. It could be blue, filled with pillows, oh, and those vibrating stones that were popular at those inns in Valm. Her body would be comfortable, and her dreams would be peaceful. Just her floating aimlessly through the void while listening to her Aunt Lissa's soothing lullabies. Enjoying the breeze as it blows through her blue locks.

Like... like a cloud.

Yes, a cloud.

A white, fluffy floating... thing, taking her wherever the wind may blow. Receiving everything she would need simply by existing and not having to deal with the unjust system that was hypertrophy.

"Don't get too comfortable, princess. We still have three weeks to kill, and that body isn't gonna train itself."

...And just like that, she was brought back to the cold grip of reality...

Unable to even move a finger, she turned her head from its previous face-plant into her temporary bed to look over at the blonde lying in the bed opposite of her own-legs crossed and hands laced behind his head. Next to him lay his shorter doppelgänger, but on her stomach, smiling widely and reading a book, she could not see the title of.

"Haven't we done enough," she asked tiredly, to which the blonde actually looked at her as if she'd said something moronic.

"You call tree hopping for a few hours 'enough'?"

The tables were turned, and the blonde found himself pinned with a similar depreciating stare. Deciding she didn't have time for his antics, she turned her face back into her pillow, her muffled voice being the last words she spoke that night.

"We can speak with the Khan tomorrow... or in a fortnight. For now, I will sleep."

The blonde scoffed derisively at the bluenette's back, "Tch. I swear, kids these days wouldn't know hard work if it bent them over."

Not getting a rise from the princess, he turned his attention to the only other occupant in the room that was as awake as he.

"Whatcha readin', kiddo?"

"A book," was her swift reply, resulting in the blonde staring at the side of her head for a good minute.

"...Did you know the Board is a big fan of sarcasm?"

The reaction was immediate. The younger blonde held the book to her chest and made it so her back (and rear) were against the headboard of the bed. She hissed in his direction, but he was unmoved. Seconds passed, and the kid finally deemed him worthy of a response.

"It's a book you gave me... Uh, well, future you gave me when I was 6. Said it was special to you because it was mom's favorite."

Naruto blinked at that before he 'relieved' the girl of her possession. Ignoring her loud protests, he turned the book over to scan the front. 'Split' was the name of the series, and going from the brief summary on the back, it was about a woman traveling the world in search of a way to kill the demon within her; hence, the name 'Split'. An, interesting concept for a book in this realm, but he couldn't say it was one he'd read before.

Wait. This book...

"...I'm no scientist, but I'm pretty sure you're not old enough to read smut, or even understand most of it, kiddo."

The look of revulsion on the girl's face actually surprised him. "Ew! Gross! I skip the icky scenes; which are like, 4! Last thing I need to know is how I was conceived, Dattobayo!"

Naruto didn't feel any lie in the girl's charka, which oddly made him feel relieved before his attention returned to the book. Looking over at the worn cover, he got a sudden realization, along with a question that reached his mind.

"You remember that in detail but not the name of your own mother," he queried, getting the pouting girl to look away with now furrowed brows.

"It's, complicated. Maybe I remember you more because I have more memories with you. But whenever I think of Mom, there's this, fog, like it's stopping me from thinking any further, as if the memory was locked away for a reason. I know for sure I've never met her before, but, shouldn't I at least remember her name? Or even her face? It's... it's... I don't know..."

Seeing the direction the pondering was going, the older Uzumaki put an end to it by resting a hand on top of the younger blonde's head. The action was followed by the adult ruffling the girl's hair until her single big blue orb was gazing up at him.

"Don't go thinking too hard on it, kiddo. For all we know, the only reason I had you with her was because she could cook Ramen better than me."

Morgan looked up at her old man with squinted, incredulous eyes.

"...Wow, Dad. You sure know how to be an ass."

The parent blinked.

"...Huh, and here I thought I was still good at 'Therapy no Jutsu'. Guess that's another skill I need to un-rust."

"Hehe, that's not the only thing that needs 'un-rusting'. Like, seriously, when's the last time your razor has seen the light? I bet 5 gald there's a squirrel or two in that rubbish you call a beard."

The older blonde pouted. "...Why does everyone keep talking shit about the beard?"

"Maybe because it looks like the rear end of a goat," the younger Uzumaki supplied, getting no laugh from the brunt of it. "But seriously, I thought you couldn't grow facial hair."

"I can't," was his admission, making Morgan blink in confusion.

"Then, then what is that on your-"

Casually, the blonde tore the beard from his face as if peeling a Band-Aid. The completely flabbergasted look from his daughter was picture worthy.

"Why so surprised? Just because I can't grow facial hair doesn't mean I can't find alternatives. I learned years ago that gluing some of my head hair together looks no different if you do it the right way. It's not the best solution and not nearly as satisfying, but it's not like anyone can tell the difference and STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT, BRAT!" Said look was of pity so deep that it looked as if the little girl was listening to a toddler explain why his parents were being buried. The hand she placed on his leg while looking up at him with that same pitying expression only made him all the more embarrassed.

"Dad, if, if you ever need someone to talk to, you can always talk to me. I promise to listen to any insecurities you may have about your body."

The laughter in the blonde's head only made the embarrassment he was feeling grow tenfold. "Screw you, Kurama! Screw both of you!"

"There's nothing to be ashamed of, Dad. I hear it's common for hair follicles to get clogged up or even die for men at your age."

"Ugh!" The blonde clutched his chest dramatically, as if shot by an arrow.

"In most cases, men your age tend to lose all of their hair completely."

"Ack! K-kid, please. I think you've said enou-"

"But don't worry! Even if you do become a bald."

"Ugh!"

"Wrinkly."

"Gugh!"

"500-year-old fossil."

"Blurgh!"

The smile on Morgan's face was far too innocent for the damage she was about to administer.

"I promise to love you all the same, Grandpa!"

It was too much. The damage he'd received was tinkering on the edge of fatality, and he was sure it would only take one more shot to put him down like an old dog. His allies (Kurama) had currently abandoned him, and the only ground he had was an attack that his enemy had already developed immunity to. At the rate his wounds were bleeding, he wouldn't last even another minute. He needed desperately to regain ground and take the situation back into his own hands before he was executed-by his own blood, no less.

So, in desperation, he turned to the only other ally he believed he had in the room.

"Princess~, Princess~. *sniff* Pl-please tell her to stop! She's bullying me!"

He was a mess. Snot, tears, and blood trickled down his face as he kneeled at the princess's bedside. He may not have made the best of impressions in their first meeting, and he may have run her training harder than was technically necessary for a Genin, but surely she understood the power in numbers, right Surely she was smart enough to understand that once he was defeated, she would be next, right? Surely she was smarter than to let him take this defeat by himself, right? Right? RIGHT?

"..."

"..."

"..."

Peaking an eye open, the blonde quietly wondered why his 'avenger' had not yet 'avenged'. Another lull later and he was to his feet. The blood and snot that once trickled down his face not even 1 minute prior had vanished along with his pain, all being replaced with confusion as he looked to the sheets the bluenette laid under. Curious, he circled around the bed, Morgan following suit till they could see her face.

Mouth hanging slightly agape and breaths coming in slow rhythms, there was no better evidence to prove the time-traveler had already fallen asleep.

"Huh, out like a light."

"...She's a lot cuter without the seriousness," the younger commented, getting a long stare from her father. "What?" Ignoring the query, Naruto turned back to the sleeping form of the time-traveler and had to admit the kid had a point.

Her face looked so, calm.

So cute.

So peaceful.

So... vulnerable...

"...Wanna draw on her face?"

The look Morgan gave him created a whole new meaning for the word 'deadpan'.

"...I'm genuinely disappointed in you, Dad. To think you would stoop so low as to take advantage of an innocent maiden when she is at her most vulnerable..."

"...Soooooooo, that a 'no'?"

"...Dibs on the eyes." Morgan straightened and pulled a marker out of fucking nowhere before leaning into a comfortable enough position to commence his latest war crime.

Before she could even get the marker to touch the bluenette's face, she felt something tap the nape of her neck. A second later, she felt sleepy—very sleepy. Trying to keep her eyelids from closing felt like the hardest battle she'd ever remembered fighting in her life. The drowsiness was making her weak, and there was already a dream being formed on the tip of her conscience.

Her lids shut completely, and she dreamed of a field of flowers fighting off a horde of zombies.

The remaining party member looked down to the two now-sleeping beauties before removing the tag he'd placed on the younger's neck. Just to be extra cautious, he did the same to the bluenette and wished them both good dreams for the night.

"Sorry, kiddos, but it's best that you're asleep for this." Saying that, he pocketed the tag before moving the girl's legs onto the bed and under the covers along with the princess. Looking down on the two sleeping girls reminded him of his days as a father, but he quickly scrapped the memory to get to business.

Reaching into his pouch, he pulled out a scroll along with ink and a blank sheet of paper. Unwrapping the scroll, he found hundreds of symbols unique to his homeland spread across the sheets, along with patterns pointing and circling other intricate diagrams. The blonde was careful to read the entire scroll to find the pattern and words he needed. Once found, he noted it on the blank sheet before continuing. This pattern followed for nearly an hour, until he was sure he'd gotten everything he needed from the scroll.

After triple-checking his work, the scroll was swiftly rolled back up and placed into his pouch. The sheet he'd been writing on was now before him, and with a few handsigns, it began to emit a blue shade before settling down and taking the ink written on the page with it. Blank once more, the Uzumaki nodded in approval before standing from his perch on the ground to walk over to the sleeping Jinchuuriki. Removing the covers, he reached down and raised the kids' shirt to just below the breast.

As expected, the seal was not visible.

Placing the piece of paper on the girl's stomach changed that. Immediately, symbols flared, and the swirling form of a seal appeared on the once blank piece of paper, making the blonde grin in success.

It fell almost instantly.

To his astonishment, he couldn't recognize a single symbol on the paper. The almost draconic symbols were nothing like the wild and curly ways of the Elementians. The symbols were more like animals that were misshapen and distorted—definitely not a language he'd ever studied before. From what he remembered the girl saying, they were at the Dragon's Table before her memories went wack, so the evidence pointed to him being the writer, but what exactly is this that he was seeing, and how did he turn the text into a form that the chakra paper accepted? Either he was truly a bigger genius in the future than he was now; there was a third party at the table that the kid could remember... or...

He looked up at the sleeping kid's face. She hadn't shown any sign of lying back in South Town, but she wouldn't be the first to get past his built-in lie detector. He'd like to give her the benefit of the doubt seeing that he'd been in her mindscape, but even roses had thorns.

Said thorns that were no doubt behind that eye patch.

Reaching over, a single finger touched the fabric. It felt like everyday cloth you could get from any clothing vendor, yet it still stayed perfectly in place despite him slightly pushing on it. That faint feeling of Kaguya's chakra escaped every now and then and forced the blonde to calm his hand before he did something he could never forgive himself for.

However, now that he was touching it, he could almost feel a completely different chakra signature—one that was possibly even darker than Kaguya's. The signature seemed to want to wrap around his own chakra like a virus and force it into submission till it was the dominant natural in his coils.

It was foul. Disturbing. Downright evil. He felt like just a touch of it would completely-

A flash of purple lit the partially dark room.

A howl followed swiftly afterwards.

A burning pain like no other ignited on the blonde's hand, an incandescent light burning brightly along with the purple flames that emitted it. The flames danced along his limb and felt as if they were burning down to his very soul.

The blonde instinctively stood and began slapping the hand with his free one, but was only successful in burning the other, his attempts growing more desperate as the agony ingressed. Not getting any immediate results, he quickly began weaving hand-signs with his free hand to rid himself of the fire.

He stopped halfway at the sight he was seeing.

Before he could even get halfway through the jutsu, the flames began advancing up his hand and to his arm at an unbelievably ridiculous rate. It darkened the flesh it ate up, and from how fast it was advancing, he could deduce the flames would make it to his body within the next-

*Shink*

*Thump*

The burning limb from the forearm down was severed cleanly, blood spurting from the new hole created for its easy passage. The blonde panted heavily, fear actually gripping him for the first time he felt in several centuries—not from the severed limb, but the flames that threatened to consume him if he did not take immediate action. He tightly held the stump to stem the bleeding while looking down at the still burning arm on the ground.

Said arm had now turned pitch black by the unique fire and began to disintegrate into embers before his very eyes. He watched the limb till the last piece of flesh burned away and continued staring till the flames disappeared all together.

'What, the hell was that?'

Naruto was no stranger to defensive seals. Many times, he'd made said seals to keep intruders and attacks at bay. Seals were always said to have infinite possibilities, according to the Uzumaki Clan, and although he was no master, he'd like to think he was just above Jiraiya in that aspect.

However, he was 100% sure that whatever flame had tried to disintegrate him just now was anything but the work of a seal, nor was it created by a human. No human he knew was able to produce such evil and maliciousness, and he'd go as far as to say it was darker than even the Biju, which led to questions he wasn't so sure he wanted the answer for.

Standing straight, he briefly glanced at his stump before turning his attention back to his 'offspring'. He was now sure there was more to the girl's pass that held vital information. The Kurama in her stomach was the only one who most likely knew the story, but he hadn't felt the Kyuubi's chakra since he was first summoned back in South Town. Odds are, if he went into the girl's head right now, Chibi Kurama would be there to greet him.

Looking at the kids, he was thankful the seals kept them asleep, but he was not so thankful when he looked to the blood splattered on the floor...

Yeah, definitely not something he wanted to explain in the morning. His arm would regenerate, but the blood wouldn't cleanse itself.

The knocking on his door, followed by the sound of the innkeeper, did not make things any better.

(Morning)

Being observant, Lucina learned, was a skill she desperately needed if she wished to survive the hellish wasteland that was her future. As one of Naga's remaining descendants and the only living being with the ability to seal Grima for good, she became the prime candidate for assassination among not only her fellow man, but the rising dead that threatened them every moment of every day. Every corner needed to be checked, and details that the normal citizen would glance twice at were stored in a memory bank that she saved for future catastrophes.

So when Lucina awoke the next day, the first thing she noticed was the rays of sun entering through their covered windows, proof that she'd slept longer than she thought she needed. The second thing she noticed was that the youngest of their party face was not 5 inches from her own. Sitting up, the third thing she noticed was her mentor sitting at the coffee table, writing something on a parchment next to a stack of other parchments.

The fourth, and most noticeable, was the easily distinguished flap that was the blonde's right arm sleeve. She had to rub her eyes to look at the blonde again, but to her horror, the only thing that changed was that the blonde was now looking at her with that punchable smile.

"Finally awake, sleeping beauty?"

Lucina reframed from reacting to the greeting. Instead, she addressed the bigger manakete in the room.

"What happened to your arm?"

The blonde blinked, looked down to his new stump, then back at her.

"...You should see the other guy."

The princess was in no mood for the japes.

"What happened to your arm?"

"Geez, calm down, Prin-"

"Do not tell me to calm down when the first thing I see after I wake is the hero of my Realm missing an arm!" The princess snapped, throwing her sheets to the side and marching to the blonde. "Do you have any idea what losing even a finger does to your combat capabilities?! Are you even taking saving my world seriously?! Have you have any idea what this means for the-"

Faster than she could react, the blonde's hand shot out and something wrapped around her mouth before tightening. Backpedaling in shock, both hands came to her mouth to see what her teacher had forced over it, and she found it basically melded to her skin. A thin piece of paper she heard the man once call 'seals' and had seen it used once before. Furious, she glared at the blonde and attempted to make her displeasure known.

Only for nothing to come out. She tried again, numerous times even, but to her anger and slight astonishment, not even a peep left her mouth.

Not able to voice her complaints audibly, she settled for glaring instead.

"Now, like I was saying before I was so kindly interested, it will grow back. See?" The shinobi pulled back the sleeve of his missing arm. Since he wasn't bleeding over the sleeve, the princess deduced he'd most likely cauterized the wound to stop the bleeding.

The reality was much more disturbing.

The stump hadn't been cauterized. In fact, it looked as if it hadn't been touched at all. She could clearly see the bone in the limb, along with the muscle and blood. If she was not already desensitized to seeing such a wound, she would have vomited whatever contents were in her stomach right then and there. Instead, she observed the missing limb, noting two very crucial things about it.

For one, it was not bleeding. The blood that she expected to be spurting from the open limb was, oddly enough, staying inside the limb. It was something that confused her greatly, but not more than the second.

The limb was knitting itself back together. It was slow—pieces of skin seemingly growing from nowhere along with bone and muscle—but the fascination did not take away from the impossibility of what she was seeing. Her astonished eyes slowly turned up, and she went to ask the question on her mind before she remembered the forced silence that was currently upon her.

"Crazy, isn't it?" The blonde asked, seeing the question in her eyes. "No matter what wound I receive or what limb I lose, it just grows right back... Although, this is the first time it's taken this long... I'd ask the brat if I wasn't already sure she didn't know squat."

The astonishment in the bluenette grew. That, was simply improbable. No one, not even the best War Clerics she'd known, had the ability for such high speed regeneration. Healing was perhaps one of the greatest things currently known in modern times, but it clearly had limitations. Limbs, nor organs, could be restored by traditional means, and the most modern medicine and magic could do was mend flesh back to its original state. Anything above that tinkered on the edge of witchcraft, curses, and godhood, and despite his foreign skills and abilities, her teacher was no sorcerer or a practitioner of the dark arts.

Which came back to the topic of 'how' before she remembered his words back in the Inn in Ylisse.

"Yes, Kaguya did this to me."

...Absentmindedly, she wondered how the blonde knew what she wanted to ask without her saying it.

"I've learned to read facial expressions, Princess. It comes with being a shinobi and all. Plus, I'm cheating, so it's a lot easier for me than a normal human... but yes, Kaguya did this. I don't know how or why, but this is the 'curse' that I live with and will be the last time we bring it up. Capeesh?"

Even if the princess wanted to rebuttal, she still didn't have the means to (Gods, when does this thing wear off).

"Good! Well, since you're awake and done freaking out, get dressed." The time traveler looked confused, staring back to her earlier point of panic. "We'll be putting that journey to the Khan a day or two behind, princess. Y'know, till my arm grows back? So till then, healthy exercise is in order!" A hand-sign followed that declaration, followed by smoke filling the blonde's figure.

The man that appeared wasn't the blonde nor the silver-haired man he liked using for her training. This man was...unique.

The man wore the same jacket as the silver haired one, but that was their only similarity. Brushy eyebrows topped with a bowlcut, black eyes, and a megawatt grin that showed a row of sparkling white teeth. He wore a full-body green suit along with some sandals and strange fashions over his calves. She didn't know this new form, but everything in her was telling her she should fear him.

"I hope you're ready for one YOUTHFUL training session!"

Ylisse Northern Outskirts

"Are you sure about this, Emm?"

Emmeryn let out a breath for the third time that day.

"Yes, Chrom. I am sure. As sure as I was the last seven times."

"But, the dan-"

"And yes, I am aware of the dangers as much as you were when creating the Shepherds." The sudden and unexpected jab from his sister, of all people, almost made the prince sputter. "But my mind is set. There are matters I must discuss with the Khans personally, and sending a proxy in my place simply will not do."

Chrom finally seemed to relent, and he sighed in apparent defeat.

"...I guess it's pointless to stop you when your mind is set, but can you at least tell me why the sudden change in urgency? Did you not have to deal with the issues Count Duskar brought up yesterday; or others, for that matter?"

Emmeryn allowed a chuckle to leave her lips at her brother's persistence.

"Those matters can wait a month or two, Chrom. I'm sure Duke Duskar will stay as plump eating tomatoes and leaves as he would pork and steak."

"I can assure you that the Exalt is in good hands, Milord." Phila piped in from her perch next to their coachman. "We have our best eyes both in the sky and on the ground, while nothing but the best of my knights surround the carriage. If anything, you should worry about what my knights will do to any would-be stragglers that come within a mile of this carriage."

Chrom felt a bit of reassurance from the Pegasus commander but couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that it was a bad idea for his sister, Ylisse's ruler, to accompany them to Regna Ferox.

"Geez, stop worrying already, Chrom!" Lissa finally spoke up from her seat next to her older sister. "If I wanted 'wary' in this carriage, I would have invited Frederick inside. This may be the only time we get to travel together with Emm, and I'm not letting you ruin this for me because you've suddenly grown a stick!"

Chrom could only chuckle at the younger blonde putting her foot down on the matter. "I'm sure Frederick will cherish the day of his retirement. That way, he no longer has to tolerate such a mouthy princess." Her 'adult' response was to blow him a raspberry. "I think I'll march with the rest of the Shepherds. It wouldn't do for the leader to rest while his army marches."

"My, what a fine General my little brother has become," Emmeryn teased, getting a chuckle from both siblings and the Knight Commander before said brother exited the cart. Readjusting to the non-moving ground, Chrom gave the closest knight a nod of acknowledgement before marching ahead to the front of the (somewhat) small escort militia. A third of the way there, he spotted the cloak of his new tactician, along with two veteran Shepherds next to her. Speeding up, he caught the tail end of the conversation (something about axes, if he wasn't hearing it wrong) before it came to a stop as the shirtless fighter immediately greeted him the only way he could.

"Ah, Chrom! Finally done restin' those old legs of yers? If walkin' a few miles is all ya can take, then ya might need ta take after Frederick and rest those sticks you call legs on a horse." The blonde, shirtless fighter, Vaike, joked, getting Sully standing next to him to laugh hardily.

"Harharhar! Don't worry, Capt'n. Yer always welcome ta sit on my horse if those old bones are too soft fer ya."

Chrom couldn't stop his smile at the jabs from the two Shepherds.

"Yeah, yeah, very funny, you two. So have the three of you been doing your jobs as the front watch, or were my 'legs' too distracting of a topic?"

"Nothin' but road, grass, and trees for another mile, Capt'n." Sully answered, thinking nothing of his own jape. Sure, ya'd know if ya weren' gettin' yer nails done," the armored cavalier quipped, to which the blonde fighter guffawed.

"Good to know you're both rested enough to still make japes. And Vaike, you have your axe on you this time, right?"

The accusation immediately made the guffawing blonde stop and scowl in derision. Oh, for the love of-Yes! I have it right HERE!" The blonde made a show of it by unclipping said axe and swinging it over his shoulder. "Swear, forget one time and no one lets you forget it." Chrom would have pointed out that it had happened on more than two occasions if his attention hadn't been drawn to the newcomer practically dragging her feet next to the veteran Shepherds.

"How about you, Robin? You fitting in OK?"

To his surprise, there was no answer from the albino.

"Might wanna try again in a fortnight, Capt'n. Twinkles hasn't been all there the whole walk." Chrom blinked at that before turning back to their appointed tactician worryingly. His hand reached to grab her shoulder to which she nearly leaped from her skin at the contact. He noted the a hand immediately going to her sword and nearly drawing before stopping halfway when she finally noticed she wasn't seeing whatever in Naga's name she thought she was.

"C-Chrom?!" She stammered, embarrassment crossing her features before she quickly sheathed her weapon. "Sorry! Oh Gods, I'm so sorry!"

"Peace, friend," the prince tried placating, to which the tactician did her best to right herself before replying.

"I-is there something I can help you with?"

Despite the correctness, the prince could clearly see something was wrong by the way their newest member couldn't even keep eye contact. Bags were clear under her eyes, and the way her eyelids seemed to only be able to open halfway told the Prince she was obviously sleep deprived. It also did not help that those same eyes were constantly darting about as if looking for an enemy that was not there.

"Are, you feeling OK, Robin? You seem, exhausted. And wary..."

"Huh? Wha? Me? No no no! Just had a few late nights studying is all! No need to ruffle your feathers for little ol me!"

Chrom wasn't buying it, nor was he having it.

"I know when a soldier is sleep deprived, Robin. There is no need to hide it... not that you were particularly doing a good job at it." Robin's shoulders fell at the accusation. "Please, go to the supply wagon and get some rest. If we have need of you, then I will be sure to personally wake you." For a moment, the thought of rest appeared to be pleasant to the albino before it was quickly removed with a shake of the head and a forced smile.

"I-I'm fine, Chrom! Really! This walk is actually doing a lot for me right now! I'll make sure to get some sleep early tonight, so don't worry about me!"

Chrom still wasn't convinced, but was forced to drop the topic when a shadow suddenly covered them, followed by the sound of flapping wings. Looking up, the group was greeted by the sight of a Pegasus knight descending towards them. Landing her steed expertly next to the group, the rider gave a salute before giving her report.

"My Prince, I regret to inform you that our path ahead has been blocked by a handful of what we believe to be the 'Risen' you spoke of."

Chrom's mood immediately soured.

"Gods, have they truly already spread this far?"

"Risen?" The question came from the tactician who seemed to now be wide awake.

"We needed a name for this new threat, so the council gave them one. But to think they've already made it this close to our borders. That can only mean we aren't the only ones on the continent dealing with this new threat."

"Sir, your orders," the Pegasus knight pushed, clearly eager to end the new threat that now impeded their travel.

"Robin, do you think you're up for the task?" Despite her disheveled look, the tactician's brow furrowed in resolve and nodded in confirmation.

"I will need to get a spread of the land. If possible, may I ride with you for a bit, ma'am?" Without pause, the Pegasus Knight nodded before steadying her steed for the tactician to hop on. "Chrom, send whatever armor and cavalry units we have to the front and warn the Exalt. Make sure they stay at the rear along with the rest of the Pegasi."

Trusting in his tactician, he nodded before turning to heed those commands.

"Shepherds! To arms!"

Omake

Training Lesson #2 No Capes

"You can't do this!"

Naruto blinked at the bluenette glaring at him with balled fist as if he'd just committed an act so blasphemous that his descendant's descendants would be cursed to live a life of pain and poverty. Her hand looked twitchy, and he was sure she was just a joke away from smiting him on the spot. He was sure she'd do all that and more if he allowed her to live after the act.

And to think, it was all because of a stupid cape.

"OK. Firstly, yes, I can." Without warning, the blonde tossed the captured cape back to the bluenette who scrambled to catch it instinctively. Before she could even touch the fabric, her body suddenly felt weightless from the act of her legs being swept from under her. She only had a millisecond to process what happened before her shoulder met the dirt followed by her head. Grunting, she looked back to what had just flopped her to see another irritating blonde holding the cloak meant for her while grinning and waving back. With a toss, the cloak went flying back to the original before disappearing in a puff of smoke. She could hear Morgan laughing somewhere in the distance, but it quickly turned into a yelp of pain as something loudly met her flesh.

"Secondly, there is NEVER only one of me. And lastly, I get that you were sheltered as a kid, but surely you're not this dumb." The bemused blink the girl gave him from the floor made him give a disappointed sigh. "You just lost major points with me, Princess... Tell me, who exactly is Lucina Lowell?" The time traveler's gaze turned incredulous. "And if the words 'me' or 'I'm Lucina Lowell' come out of your mouth, I swear to Naga I will bury you again."

Erasing any derision on her tongue, Lucina's mental functions worked overtime while trying her best not to think of that moment back in Ylisse. "She... is the princess of Ylisse."

"Correct, and, once again, of where?"

"Uh, Ylisse?"

"Of where?"

"Y-Ylisse?"

"Of where?"

"Of... of..." The look she was getting, topped with a tone that clearly showed incredulousness at her lack of understanding, made her nervous to answer once more.

She was the Princess of Ylisse. She was to be the Exalt of her lands one day and was the current leader of the remaining Shepherds. Her and her friends had to transverse time and space in order to...

"...Oh."

"Yes, 'Oh'. You, are Lucina Lowell. However, as far as the people of this Ylisse know, Lucina Lowell does not exist in House Lowell. You have no succession to the throne, and you damn sure do not have the blood of Naga. So, saying that, what do you think would happen if someone, I don't know, saw an Ylissean noble galavanting around the continent with a replica holy blade and the Brand of the Naga proudly on her cloths? Something, if I'm not mistaken, is against the law for anyone other than the royal family to have sewn onto their clothes."

The time-traveler paled. What he spoke of was hypothetical, but that did not mean there was a 0% chance of it happening. Not only that, but they were about to visit a Khan. And if she were to get into any kind of trouble while proudly showing the brand of Naga?

Gods...

"I, honestly, never thought about that." She admitted sheepishly. "I was so focused on changing the future that it never crossed my mind that I could..." she trailed off as the possibilities of what could have happened if she continued ran through her head.

"Don't sweat it too much, Princess. If it makes you feel any better, I don't honestly expect you to fuck up. But it's like the famous saying: "just because you got a big dick, doesn't mean you gotta show it to everybody"."

Lucina was sure the blonde was the only one who ever used such a vulgar proverb.

"Don't worry about the sword, though, Princess. Not many people outside of Ylisse even know what Falchion looks like, and if they did, they'd think it's a cheap replica. But this," he held up the cape, "has gots ta go. Don't worry. I'll burn it so you don't have to go through the-"

"Wait!" The blonde paused at the girl's exclamation. "Can... I at least hold on to it?"

Lucina did not like the look the blonde was giving her.

"...You do know even keeping this thing on you is stupid, right?"

"Yes. I, understand. But, that cape. It, was the last thing my mother gave me before... she..." Lucina couldn't finish or look at the blonde in her moment of weakness. Repressing the memory of her late mother, she could only pray that, for this once, her teacher would show mercy.

He did, but not in a way she would have particularly liked. His arm lowered, putting the cape within her reach on the ground, his expression right as rain.

"Take it from me."

It would be an understatement to say Lucina was hesitant to reach out for the cape. Even when she was back on her feet and back at eye level with the blonde, she still didn't reach out to take it. If there was one thing she'd learned from her hellish training, it was that the blonde couldn't be trusted to boil water.

Yet, the shinobi hadn't even twitched since offering her the cape.

"Go on. Take it from me."

Still skeptical, she slowly lifted a hand, constantly pulling it back in fear of retaliation, but the blonde didn't move. Even when she was just centimeters away, he still held that same blank countenance that he'd been holding since offering back her treasure. That same fact finally had her reaching fully for the cape, this time with zero hesitation.

She couldn't even be surprised that the cape moved the moment her fingers grazed the fabric. And the blonde? He was still staring at her unmoving, not a hint of emotion to be seen.

"Take it from me."

She tried just that.

She thought she was fast, but apparently, speed meant nothing to a monster. The same moment she reached to snatch it was the same moment his arm moved it out of her reach. She swiped again, not putting too much effort into that single swipe, before using the rest of her body functions to swipe a second time and hopefully catch the shinobi off guard.

She was unsuccessful.

Once again, she was left empty handed, wanting, and now pissed at the emotionless blonde. Seeing she was clearly getting nowhere and the blonde literally asking for it, she went to draw her sword.

Just to feel weightlessness once again as her feet were swept for a second time.

Let it be known that Lucina Lowell was a fast learner. The moment she felt weightless, she turned her body to land on her shoulder in order to push herself into a roll. Coming out of her maneuver, she pushed forward and had every intention of drawing her blade to at least change that look on the blonde's face.

Her view was obstructed; by her own cape, no less. Her feet became tangled by something, followed by her vision returning and the feeling of the ground not on her back, but her face. Steps could now be heard behind her, and she turned to look up at the culprit whose face was now twisted into a familiar smirk.

"Take it from me."

A/N: sorry for the extremely short chapter. However, it needed to be done. This chapter was originally 20k long. Yes. 20000. I honestly didn't know where to stop since I wanted more so decided to end it prematurely at one of the lines... hence, the short chapter.

To those of you who like the Shepherds and want to see more interacts, I'm sorry to inform you that this will be the last chapter you will see them in for at least 4 chapters. The next few chapters is Naruto and Lucina focused with a bit of bonding and a bit of a 'surprise'.

Also gotta point out that after the next chapter, updates will be a lot slower. The other chapters need a lot more work than the already posted and some aren't even finished. However, I know the direction I want with the story so I'm hoping for it to not be too long.

Next Chapter: September 12th