Hey everyone! Thunderito here and welcome to the second chapter of Naruto: The Shadow Blade! This chapter features the battle with the First Floor boss and Skills . On with the story!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Sword Art Online. They belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 2: Illfang and Skills

Boss Room

Naruto, Kirito and the figure were outside the boss room, along with many other players, getting ready for the fight. "Alright. Let us work our strategy once again. We are assigned to defeat the Ruin Kobold Sentinels, the Boss's minions." Naruto said, as they both nodded "Kirito shall being using a skill to temporarily block their pole-axes, then you shall switch and defeat them. Then, you switch with me, as I hold off an opponent and Kirito takes him down. We will be rotating, but primarily you and Kirito shall do the damage, unless I find a moment to strike." he said, as the figure tilted her head "Switch?" she asked, as they both looked at her. Kirito sweatdropped "You never played any RPG?" he asked, only to sigh, dropping his head when she shook her head. "Switch is a verbal command. It allows a player to switch in a fight. As you can understand, skills got 100% chance to work only if you see the target clearly, ignoring dodges and obstacles. With switch, your teammate's sights is forced to the enemy's, giving it a clear view to strike." he explained as she nodded. They turned as Daviel looked at all of them "I only have one thing to say." he said, curling his hand into a fist "Let's win this." he said, as everyone nodded, getting serious. They pushed the doors forward and transcended into the darkness.

The room suddenly lit up, as the walls became lamps of different colours, looking like a magic room. It was an enormous hall, over twenty feet wide and over a hundred feet deep. Columns were placed in an evenly order, as the boss jumped in the air and roared at them. It stood over 7 feet tall, with blood red skin and bloodthirsty crimson eyes. Two blue diamond shapes were in the middle of his chest. One one hand he held a small round shield, on the other an axe made of bone. Three small beasts appeared, looking like a small version of the Boss, with bone-coloured armour, hiding their facial and body features and holding maces, something Naruto noted. He whispered a warning, as Daviel raised his hand "Go! Attack!" he yelled, as everyone roared, beginning the assault on the First Boss, Illfang the Kobold Lord .

Sparks flew in the air and clangs of steel could be heard inside the boss room. Diavel was sitting in the back giving orders "Squad A! Attack! Now, Squad B block!" he said, as Illfang swung his axe, only for Agil and Kibaou to block it. "Squad C! Switch with Squad A! Now!" he said, then turned to his right "Squads D,E,F! Protect us from the minions!" he ordered, as Naruto and the figure nodded, with Kirito saying "Roger!". They started sprinting, as Kirito pushed back the mace of a Kobold, yelling "Switch!". The figure charged drawing her rapier, which started glowing " Linear! " she said and pierced through the Kobold. Naruto smirked behind his mask 'For a starter, she has incredible speed. I could barely see her blade move.' he thought, Kirito thinking something along those lines. The figure yelled switch, with Naruto appearing and swinging down his Chokuto, blocking the mace to the ground and yelled to switch, as he jumped back, with Kirito piercing the Kobold before it could move. They kept going for a minute, until they heard a roar.

They turned, seeing Illfang down to one last bar, which was in the red section. It threw away it's axe and buckler, as Kibaou smirked "Just like the guidebook said.", however he turned, as Diavel charged with his blade. "Stand back! I got this!" he said, as his blade glowed yellow. Naruto raised an eyebrow 'What is he doing?' he thought, as Kirito also wondered 'We should surround him at this point, not have one attack directly.' he thought, as he saw Diavel smiling lightly to them before turning to the boss. Illfang gripped the handle of the blade behind him and took it from behind his back. Naruto's eyes widened slightly 'That's a nodachi, not a talwar! So, it's indeed different from the meta!' he thought, as Kirito screamed to Diavel to get away. However, it was too late, as Illfang jumped from pillar to pillar, before slicing Diavel, earning him a scream of pain. As Diavel flew away, Illfang appeared behind him and sliced him once again, sending him flying and crashing to the ground. "Diavel-san!" yelled Kibaou, before freezing in fear as Illfang appeared in front of him, roaring. Kirito and Naruto rushed at Diavel, as Kirito tried to make him drink a health potion "Why go alone?!". To his surprise, Diavel stopped him "You were… a beta tester… right?" he asked "You… should know why.". Naruto and Kirito's eyes widened in surprise "The rare item for the last hit." said Kirito as Diavel smiled. "Defeat… the boss… for everyone." he breathed out, before disappearing in dozens of light particles. Kirito widened his eyes, as tears fell down his face 'When this death game begun, I abandoned Klein, I abandoned the new players. Yet you, Diavel-san, you became a leader, you tried to help everyone. You did what I could not.' he thought. Kirito then felt a hand on his shoulder, looking into Naruto's eyes. He could feel something primal from them, a killer's instinct. "Diavel wouldn't want us to cry for his death. He would want us to finish this." he said, as Kirito nodded, steeling his resolve. He rose, taking Naruto's right side, as the figure took his left "I shall help." she said, both boys nodding.

Naruto charged first, holding his sheathed sword, as they followed him swiftly "Same strategy as the minions." he said, as they both nodded, noticing Illfang charging them. Kirito rushed forward and blocked his strike, pushing him back, yelling to switch. Asuna charged forward, only for Illfang to swing his blade at her, with Naruto yelling "Look out Asuna!". Asuna gasped, turning, as he hit her cloak, causing it to disappear and reveal her form. She had long, orange-brownish chestnut hair and round hazel eyes. She was wearing a tiny dark red leather vest, a white shirt connected to a red skirt, white pants and red boots. She also had a lightweight copper breastplate for protection. " Linear ! She said, stabbing him and pushing him back. Naruto's eyes widened and flickered slightly at her, before becoming cold again. He rushed, unsheathing his blade and bringing it down, forcing Illfang's nodachi to crash into the ground, before jumping on it and hitting his chin, making a cut on it. He jumped back, as Asuna used a Linear again. Then, Kirito charged and blocked most of Illfang's strikes, only to get hit and sent crashing to Asuna, dropping his health to light green. Illfang charged at the two and swung his sword down, only for Naruto to appear in front of them and raise his blade, only to break in two, with him getting hit. However, it gave enough time for Agil and his group to push Illfang back. "Recover. We shall hold them off enough." he said, as Naruto nodded. "What will you do without your blade?" Asuna asked, as he gave a chuckle "Just watch." he said, grabbing Kirito's arm, before in an impressive display of strength, threw him forward enough to give him a running start. Kirito roared, as his blade glowed blue and jumped, striking Illfang before he could kill Agil, sending him to Naruto's way. Naruto growled, jumping high into the air, as a plain looking curved sword appeared on his hand, glowing red. He swung it at Illfang's waist, crashing him to the ground. He fell down, looking at Illfang rising to his feet. "One last hit! Help me out!" yelled Kirito, as they nodded and charged, all three blades glowing. They started a barrage on Illfang, switching between each other, giving Kirito the opportunity to slice Illfang in half with a roar, as Illfang disappeared in a shower of colours. Kirito panted, as everyone was silent. Soon roars were heard, as a 'Congratulations!' icon appeared.

Naruto approached Kirito, patting his back "You did good." he said, as Kirito nodded "Likewise. Sorry your blade broke. I know it's one of the best ones until the Sixth Floor." he said, as he shrugged "It is, but it isn't a big loss. I can fight good curved blades on the second floor and even better straight swords." he said, as Kirito nodded. They turned seeing Agil and Asuna. "Congratulations you was impressive swordsmanship. This victory belongs to you." he said. Kirito shook his head, only to hear clapping from everyone, which was soon interrupted from Kibaou. "Why? Why did you let Diavel to die!" he yelled, as everyone turned to him "You knew his attack patterns! If you had shared it, Diavel would still be alive!" he finished. Muttering begun, before accusations flew in the air that Kirito was a beta tester, with Asuna, Agil and his team to try and defend him. Naruto looked at Kirito, who gulped before starting to laugh.

He crossed his arms as Kirito rose and looked at everyone "Beta Testers? Don't add me in the same category as those amateurs. Most of the one thousand Beta Testers didn't even know how to Level up properly. The most they reached was the Tenth Floor. I on the other hand reached the Eighteenth floor. I knew his patterns, because I had faced many Katana wielding Monsters on floors above this." he said with a smirk, then pointed at Naruto "And while I know much more than any information broker or other Beta Tester, I am far from this guy's level. The legendary Maelstrom, the beater of every RPG game, who reached the twenty third floor." he said, as Naruto understood what he intended to do and didn't retaliate on his comment. Everyone widened their eyes as Kibaou spoke "That… that goes beyond a Beta Tester! You guys are cheaters!" he said, as everyone started calling them names. At one particular, Kirito smiled "Beater. I like it." he said, putting on the 'Coat of Midnight' the last hit drop he gained from the boss "From now on call me that. Don't put me in the category of a Beta Tester." he said, giving them a last smirk and going towards the exit "I shall activate the teleportation crystals for you." he said, as Naruto followed him.

"Smooth. Making ourselves a target to get the hate off the backs of Beta Testers. Real smooth Kirito." he said, as Kirito frowned "Sorry I made you a target." he said. Naruto shrugged him off "I understand. You basically painted a target on both our heads, since we're beyond the level of Beta Testers, to take off accusations from the Beta Testers. A noble move. Self sacrificing but noble. While I wouldn't do it, I agree with it's deeper meaning. What will you do?" he asked, as Kirito shrugged. "Well, how about this. You and me grind for a few floors together, until the fifth or so floor. Then, we can go our separate ways, only seeing each other in raids and if needed, helping when asked." he said, as Kirito smiled "Sounds good to me.". They kept walking up stairs, when they heard a cry of "Wait!". They turned, seeing Asuna. She looked at Naruto "You said my name." she said. He tilted his head, placing his hands on his pockets "I apologise if I offended you by addressing you informally. Or did I perhaps tell it wrong?" he asked. "How did you know it?" she asked him. Kirito pointed next to his head "You should be seeing two foreign bars around here. Aren't there names next to them?" he asked. Asuna narrowed her eyes "Ki-ri-to. Kirito. That's your name?" she asked Kirito, who nodded. She then looked at the other "Ma-el-strom." she said. "That'smy name. And what Naruto means." he said, as she looked at him for a second, then began laughing "I can't believe it. It was there all along!" she exclaimed. Kirito turned forward "You can be strong. If someone trustworthy invites you to their guild, don't turn them down. There is a limit to solo players after all." he said. She frowned "And what about you?" she asked. He didn't say anything, instead attempting to disband the party, only for Naruto to stop him. He looked at him "Would it hurt you to have her with us for the first five floors? She isn't dragging us down and the teamwork is good. She can be a very valuable ally." Naruto said, as Kirito stayed silent, then nodded.

They turned to her "Would you like to join us for the first five floors?" Kirito asked, as she nodded. They nodded in return and started walking, Asuna soon following them. They kept going up the stairs, until they came across a panel on the wall. Kirito went forward and pressed it "This panel activates the teleportation crystal on the main city of the second floor, called Urbus. We could teleport there now, but it is only a Kilometer away and since we are running short on money, killing a few monsters to get dropped loot and sell it sounds like a good idea." he said, as they nodded. They kept going up, until they saw the exit, light shining through. Going through, they finally saw where they were. They were standing near the edge of a cliff. Going near the edge, they saw the environment they were in. There were open plains, mixed with table topped mountains. They could also see the outline of the buildings of Urbus. To their left were a series of stairs, which Naruto took the initiative of descending. They looked at him and followed. As they were walking down the road, they came across several ox-like monsters. Their colour patterns ranged from brown to black, with bluish being the uncommon monsters and red the rare monsters. The common weren't a large level, only Level 12, the uncommon were 13 and the rare were 14. Kirito and Asuna mostly came across common and uncommon. They also found out that Naruto had crazy luck, as he encountered five rare monsters, while gaining drop loot that was worth a lot for their level. Combined with the Illfang battle and the other monsters he fought until they arrived to Urbus, he reached Level 18. In short, a rather successful walk for Naruto.

After a minute or two of walking, they finally came across Urbus. It wasn't a big city, only 300 meters in diameter, but it was still the largest settlement on the second floor. It seemed to be created from a crater. On the outer rim of the crater the city walls were built. It had a main street that run from the north to the south and the Teleportation Gate was in the Town Square. All buildings appeared to be of the same height, with a meter or two difference.

Urbus

As they walked in the Town Square, Naruto turned to Asuna "Do you know about skills?" he asked, as she smiled in embarrassment "Not really. This is my first RPG. I am not very familiar with anything." she said, as he nodded. He turned to Kirito "Could you check the weapon and item shop?" he asked, as Kirito nodded and continued. Naruto went and sat down on a bench, patting the seat next to him. She blushed lightly, before sitting down. "All right, skills are the abilities a player can use. Not the moves like your Linear, rather the fact you can use a rapier. It is independent of your player Level. You increase it the more you use it." he said as she nodded. "The amount of skills you can use isn't unlimited. In the start of SAO, you are given two slots. Now, a skill slot is granted at Level 6, another at Level 12, another at Level 20 and from there one slot every ten levels. So at Level 20, you can use five skills, while at Level 100 you can use thirteen skills. Now, a skill can reach level 1000, which is considered complete. If you remove it, it goes back to zero. Do you understand so far?" he asked, as she frowned but nodded. "Alright. There are three main types of skills. Weapon Skills, Combat Skills and Support skills. Weapon skills are the skills to be able to wield a weapon, like one handed sword or one handed curved sword. Combat Skills are skills that help your combat abilities, like how effectively you can use shields or heavy armour. There are also other skills like fishing but they're unimportant for now." he said, as she nodded, wondering how he could remember all of this information.

"Now, let me help you with your skills. Can you open your Skill Slots?" he asked, as she nodded, sliding her finger to open the menu and revealing her skills. He looked at them "So, you have the One-Handed Sword and the One-Handed Rapier. And since you're level 14, you also have two free slots. Now, are you ever gonna use the One-Handed sword? Cause if not, then there is no need to keep it." he said. She thought for a second, before removing it. He nodded "Alright. From the way I seen you fight, you value speed over strength, which compliments your rapier. I would suggest raising either Leather equipment or Light Metal equipment. Leather is the fastest but has the least defense. Light Metal is not as fast, but it still faster than Heavy Metal equipment and can take more damage than leather. You can think of what to use once we go to the shop. Now, I suggest adding a support skill or an outside skill, then keep a slot free for the future." he said, as she nodded and choose 'Cooking'. Then, she closed her menu, turning to look towards Naruto, who was adjusting his own skills. He had One-Handed Sword and One-Handed Curved Sword already, while he added Light Metal Equipment and kept a skill bare. He then rose "Shall we go to the Item Shop?" he asked as she nodded, rising.

They walked, doing light conversation, mostly Asuna asking him about different skills. After a few minutes, they entered the shop. It was run by an NPC old lady, with white hair tied in a bun, wearing a purple dress with a white apron above it. They sold their drops, gaining around 250 Cor. They then exited the shop, entering the Weapon Shop. Since it was only the second floor, prices were relatively cheap, as the better the quality, the higher the price. Naruto didn't buy much, except selling his leather Chestplate and buying a lightweight metal chestplate instead, made of iron. He also bought a rather normal Falchion, not as good as his first blade, but would keep him going until better swords could appear. Asuna, on the other hand, bought Lightweight metal vambraces and greaves, as she decided to keep her breastplate. Naruto nodded at her choices, as they exited the store, Kirito waiting outside. He didn't buy anything except supplies.

Naruto clapped his hands "So, seeing as it is late, how about going to an inn?" he asked, pointing at the sun who was slowly going down as Asuna nodded "Yes. I wish I could have a bath though." she said. Kirito tilted his head "The inn does have a bath inside each room." he said, only for both boys to start to sweat as Asuna gained a rather terrifying look " Bath. Now! " she said, as they nodded with a gulp. They quickly went to the inn and paid for a room with three beds for one night. Asuna immediately ditched them and entered the bathroom, not noticing any other part of the room. It was fairly large, with three rooms next to each other, One had two beds, the other a single bed and the final was the bathroom. The main room had a small kitchen with a table fitting four people, while there was also a couch with two armchairs and a coffee table, viewing the balcony. The room itself was painted a beige colour, with a small lamp hanging from the ceiling to provide light. Naruto sat in an armchair with a sigh, while Kirito went inside his and Naruto's room. Suddenly, Naruto heard Asuna screamed from the bathroom and rushed in without thinking. The result was seeing a woman in a cloak hiding inside the bathtub and Asuna with nothing but a towel covering her private parts. Taking in her figure was the last thing he saw, before unconsciousness took him, courtesy of a rapier's pommel flying directly onto his face.

Naruto moaned, slowly opening his eyes. He rose slightly, before groaning as he felt his head was about to explode. He placed his arm on his forehead, opening his eyes. He saw a red-faced Asuna, a sweat dropping Kirito and the hooded figure whistling. She was short, reaching Kirito's shoulder, with brown eyes and curly auburn hair. Her most noticeable characteristic were six whisker marks painted on her face. She wore full body cloth and leather armour behind that cloak. He narrowed his eyes "Of course it is you. Only you are more of a pain than a boss, Argo." he growled, as she smirked "Hi as well Ruto-kun!" she said. He sighed, before turning to Asuna "Sorry about that." he said, before rising slowly and going to the fridge, grabbing a bottle of water. He took a gulp, before turning to Asuna, who looked a bit calmer but still blushing. He shook his head, before turning to Kirito "Why is she here?" he asked, as Kirito smiled "The martial Arts quest is still up on the second floor." he said, as Naruto smirked. 'Finally some good news.' he thought. "And the catch is?" he then asked warily. Kirito sighed "She must stay with us. Apparently some Ninja Wannabes are after her for the mission location." he said, as Naruto sighed "Fine. Kirito, you will take the single bedroom. Asuna, you will sleep on the double bedroom with Argo. The beds are separate, if any of you feel weird." he said, going to the armchair, pressing his feet on the table, his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "And where will you sleep?" asked Asuna, the only response she got was silence. Then, some light snoring, causing everyone to sweatdrop. "He is asleep already." Kirito said, as all of them sighed. They each went to their rooms, sleeping after a tiring day. But no one knew, that Asuna had trouble sleeping, as the event on the bathroom kept coming to her mind.

Whew! There goes the second chapter! Hope you guys liked it! I have to say, I am really glad the first Chapter was favoured by many. Just so everyone knows, I intend to do a number of changes. For some of them, I will probably get more flames than what a flamethrower can create. But I won't spoil anything and I will ask your thoughts on some. Now, as you can see Naruto uses a curved blade, but will also use straight swords and Katanas, when he gets the skill. His full range of abilities won't be revealed until after an incident. Now, I do not have any questions to answer this chapter. Any you have please send them. Next Chapter will be mostly Player and Character raising, where we learn a little about everyone's past. Until next time, Thunderito out!