Hey everyone! Thunderito here and welcome to the fourth chapter of Naruto: The Shadow Blade! This chapter features the fight with the second boss and we find more about SAO and Naruto's feelings. As always, check Author's note. On with the story!

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

Chapter 4: Baran and Emotions

Urbus

The two parties slowly descended into the darkness, their weapons drawn and ready to be used. Naruto was first in, searching for the boss. Suddenly, the room lit up, revealing the boss room. They were in a prison hall, similar to the ones in medieval castles. It appeared to be the same length as Illfang's room. The stone looked old, cracked and mossy. Torches lit up the entire room. On the side walls, were empty cages, too large for a human. Suddenly, they heard the sound of heavy marching. From the darkness came Baran the General Taurus. He was tall, standing at nine feet, with rippling muscles covered in red fur. His upper part was bare, while his waist was covered in a golden cloth. A golden chain hanged over his shoulder, while he wielded a golden hammer, that possessed a magic shine to it. Baran's eyes were gold, glowing like miniature stars. He roared, as three HP bars appeared, the raid group getting ready. Naruto raised his sword "Begin!" he said, as everyone charged with a roar.

Agil and his members charged first, attacking the large bull to draw the Hate on them. Baran attacked them with his fists and hammer, but the men stood their ground, roaring and pushing it back. Agil swung his glowing green blade on it's stomach, causing the bull to roar in pain. "Group A do a combo attack!" yelled Naruto. Kirito and Lisbeth started hitting it's legs, Asuna did a barrage on his back, while Naruto and Silica slicing his sides. They jumped back, as the bull roared and charged at them. "Group B recover!" he said, as the members of Agil's party started drinking Health Potions and recovering health. While doing so, Group A defended against the assault of Baran, with Naruto and Kirito blocking most of the attacks. Then, Agil jumped in the air and struck with his axe Baran's back, causing it to roar. They kept going for ten minutes like this, the groups switching between attack and defense successfully, steadily depleting Baran's health. Once his first HP bar, was gone, the same with his second, Baran struck his hammer to the ground, releasing a shockwave of sparks that paralyzed those nearby. However, the shocking was that it also caused a small amount of damage. When he did it again, the paralysis got worse. Kirito saved Silica from getting squashed by Baran, as she was hit from the secondary paralysis. However, the shock came during the final moments of the battle.

Once Baran's last HP bar got to the red zone, his eyes glowed red, roaring as a reddish aura surrounded him. The prison cells on the walls opened and many Lesser Taurus Striker's charged in, roaring and attacking. Baran swung his fist, hitting Asuna and sending her flying. "Asuna!" yelled Naruto, running and catching her. He turned "Group A! Group B! Regroup to my position! Kirito stun Baran for a while!" he said, as Kirito nodded and used Sonic Leap on Baran's head, hitting the horns. Baran roared and started stumbling, which Naruto took notice. He rose Asuna to her feet, looking at the dozens of approaching minions, all at Level 14. He sighed, before rising and holding his sword tightly. "Group A, Group B. Defeat the minions. Don't let them come near Baran. I will handle the Boss myself." he said. They were about to retort, but Naruto's look silenced them. Kirito sighed "I trust you. Let's go!" he said,

charging at the minions first, the others following him.

Naruto sighed, before narrowing his eyes at Baran's rapidly approaching form, who had thrown away the hammer and instead rushed with his fists coated in red aura. 'His HP is on the red, so it won't take many attacks. But he is in a berserker status. His attacks will most likely be faster, stronger and more regular. I need to be on the defensive. I must focus on dodging attacks and countering. And most of all, I must reach his head!" he thought, sprinting forward and rolling under Baran's feet, just in time to avoid an earth-shattering punch. He turned, only to leap backwards at a backhand 'Crap. He is much faster and stronger than I anticipated.' he thought. He dodged two punches and stabbed Baran's chest, before placing his legs on Baran's own and jumping, attempting to strike his head, only for Baran to headbutt Naruto to the other side of the room. Naruto skidded to the ground and painfully stood up. He check his and his party's health ' hit made me lose 30 percent of my health. Two more of those attacks and I will be a goner. And from what it looks like the mobs quickly respawn. Asuna and Kirito are at 70 percent health, while Lisbeth and Silica are at 60. I must hurry.' he thought. He rose and crouched, before putting back his falchion and taking out an iron straight sword. He charged, using Rage Spike and closing the distance between the charging Baran, slicing it's sides. He then turned and used Sonic Leap, to strike it's horns, causing it to freeze. Then, with a roar he started slicing it's torso repeatedly, dropping it's health. However, the boss soon recovered and hit his chin with his fist, sending Naruto into the air. But when he was high enough in the air, he raised his sword, as it glowed yellow. " Vertical !" he yelled, before delivering a downward swing from Baran's head to waist, as a red line appeared on the bull's body. Then, it roared, breaking into green particles.

Naruto panted, as he saw all the minions disappearing, while a 'Congratulations!' message popped up. He grinned slightly, as he gained enough experience to go to Level 21, but at the same time he sighed, knowing it would be more difficult to Level up from now on. He was also happy at the amount of Cor he gained, significantly more than last time, as they were far less players. He was also happy, as the message for the Last Attack Item popped up. Before he could open it, he saw Asuna approaching "Naruto! You alright? I saw your Health going near red!" she said worriedly. He smiled at her "I am fine." he said, only to raise an eyebrow as she hugged him, too surprised by the gesture. Realising what she did, she blushed and quickly let go "I-I am glad you're safe, idiot." she said with a huff, as he nodded "Right." he said, pressing the button to reveal the item. The moment he saw it, his eye twitched before yelling "Really?! Really?! Kirito kills Illfang and gets a cool coat. I defeat Baran and get Gold Boxers with a bull heads on them!" he was trembling, holding it out for the world to see, as everyone started laughing. He looked at it before yelling again "And it doesn't even have a special attribute or stats! So there's not even a need to wear them!" he roared, as the laughter increased. He growled, throwing them to Agil "There! Take them as thanks for helping defeat the boss!" he yelled, as Agil grinned and accepted them.

Once Naruto calmed down, he turned to Agil with a smile "In all seriousness Agil, thank you for helping us. If you didn't, we would have a lot of difficulty fighting the boss." he said, as Agil nodded "It was a pleasure." he said, as they bumped fists. Kirito then spoke up "I think this battle only cements the fact many things have changed, so I suggest from next time, we begin forming Raid Groups. After players map the dungeon and discover the Boss Room, we announce a conference on a location, where all the players who wish to attend the Raid can come. Then, we form a strategy on how to take down the boss." he said, as everyone nodded. Naruto turned to Agil "It's decided. Agil, can you inform everyone that the third floor is finally accessible? We shall open the teleportation crystals." he said, as Agil nodded "Sure. Take care!" he said, as he and his friends went back.

Naruto turned to Lisbeth and Silica "I apologise if you got hurt, since the boss proved to be more difficult than we thought." he said, as they shook their heads. "It is fine Naruto-san! Besides, with the entire battle, me and Lisbeth only need little XP to get to Level 17." Silica said, as Naruto nodded with a smile "If you say so.". Asuna then spoke "What will you girls do now?" she asked. "Well, we are gonna go immediately on the 3rd Floor and to the main settlement." she said, as Kirito nodded "Alright. We will activate the Teleportation Crystals, then we will go to the Second Floor. We got some quests to do." he said, as the girls nodded. They added them to their friends list and waved goodbye. Kirito then went to activate the Teleportation Crystals, leaving Naruto and Asuna alone.

"You did very well today." said Naruto, arranging his inventory. She smiled "Thank you. But what quests would we do? I mean, I think we are too high for them to be worth anything." she said. He shook his head "While the monsters won't give us significant XP, the quest will, not to mention Cor. Plus, there are item rewards, one which you will particularly like." he said, as she raised an eyebrow "And what is that?" she asked. He closed his menu and turned to her "There is a mission where you have to kill numerous monsters in a specific amount of time. If you achieve it, you gain a 'Wind Fleuret', which is the best Rapier until the Fifth Floor." he said, as she narrowed her eyes "And we couldn't get it before the Boss Room, why?" she asked, as he sighed. "To be honest, it is the most difficult mission on the Second Floor. Each 5 Floors got monsters with 20 levels of difference between the first and the last. So, until we reach the Sixth Floor, Level 20 monsters will be the maximum Level, with the 5th Floor having them regularly." he explained. "I wanted you to reach Level 19 at least, before battling it." he said, as she nodded. "I understand then. But we must do it, first thing today!" she said. "Fineeee." he said with a sigh. At that moment Kirito arrived "I activated the Teleportation Crystals." he said, as they nodded. "Alright. Let us go to the mission Location." he said, as they used their crystals to exit the dungeon.

West

The group of three travelled in the West part of the Second Floor. It was a large savanna, with numerous buffalo like monsters. They defeated a few for drops on their way. In the middle of the savannah, they could spot a tiny settlement. They made their way there, as Naruto explained that was the place the quest would start. It had a small item shop and a weapon shop. The quest was inside the weapon shop, where they talked to the owner. He gave them a bet that if they killed 30 wasps each in 3 minutes, he would give them three choices between nine items. They accepted it and went a hundred yards west of the settlement. Then, they found the area where the WindWasps spawned, as a red circle surrounded it. The wasps were large, earthen black in colour with green stripes and large stingers. The moment they stepped it, a timer appeared. They immediately took their blades and charged.

"Alright everyone, listen up!" said Naruto "The wasps will dive and assume different positions depending on the attack. If it is straight, it will bite. If it is 'V' shape, it will be ready to use the stinger. After each attack, there will be a five second cooldown." he said. "It's weakpoint is the base of it's stomach. Watch out in case they surround you, be careful of their stingers as they cause a paralysis effect and keep looking at the time!" he said and stabbed a Wasp in the stomach, causing it to die. Naruto said " Reaver! " and swung his blade at three Wasps, killing them instantly. Asuna charged with her Linear, using it in quick-succession, as she killed Wasps by thrusting into their bellies. Kirito swung his sword at any Wasp he could find, using his Slant attack to slice Wasps in half. They continued, switching between themselves in case of trouble and finished the wasps in two minutes. To their surprise, they each got one Needle of WindWasp, which according to Kirito, was an enhancement item. Naruto, to their surprise, asked if he could have them. They both gave them to him, with Kirito having an idea of what he wanted them.

Satisfied, they made their way back to the settlement and accepted the mission. Then, the owner offered them nine choices and they had to choose three. First was experience, second was Cor, third was the Wind Fleuret, fourth was an axe, fifth was a hammer, sixth was a spear, seventh was a dagger, eighth was a shield and ninth was a full leather set. They chose the Cor, the experience and the Wind Fleuret. Asuna smiled, swinging it around and loving it's feeling. Naruto extended his arm "Could I have it for a few moments? I swear I won't do anything bad with it." he said, as she nodded, with a small frown. He took the sword and opened a menu, ordering something the NPC. The owner nodded and took the sword, going to the door. Beating sounds were heard, as Asuna made an attempt to charge inside, only for Kirito to stop her. Then, the NPC came out and gave the sword to Naruto. Naruto nodded in thanks, gave some Cor and gave the sword to Asuna. She looked at it in surprise, as it looked sharper and tougher. "What did you do?" she asked. He smirked "I enhanced it. I raised it's cutting power by two and it's durability by one. The needles are enhancement items. I didn't say anything to surprise you." he said with a grin. She looked at Naruto, then at the blade, before hugging him with a smile. "Thank you! It's great!" she said, as Naruto's eyes widened for a second, a new feeling rising from inside him, before pushing it down and returned the hug. Asuna let go and instantly left, to go use it.

Naruto sighed and turned, only to see Kirito smirking "What?" he asked. "Do you like her?" he asked, as Naruto raised an eyebrow "Don't be ridiculous." he said. Kirito kept smirking "Naruto. I know you don't have many friends because of personal issues. I know that you're like me, a Solo player. But if you didn't like her, you would have shown her the basics at the second floor and you would have left her, me too. Also, I know. You never do anything without a logical or emotional reason. And in both of our cases, logic usually prevails over emotions. We're both loners. But if I had a girl I liked in SAO, I would easily lose all the enhancements to make her happy." he said, as Naruto stayed silent. Finally he spoke "I don't know exactly what I feel. I don't know if I like her. True, unique….emotions rise from me, but I don't know if it's attraction, or love. Only the future would tell." he said in a sad tone. Kirito frowned "And if it is love?" he asked. Naruto frowned "I don't know how to deal with it." he said, sighing. He smiled at Kirito "Kirito, I will ask this from you. From one dear friend to another. Please don't say anything." he said. Kirito nodded, causing Naruto to smile more "Thank you." he said, then returned to his normal behaviour "I believe we left our third party member alone for a while don't you think?" he asked, exiting the store. Kirito sighed, following him.

They found Asuna a few feet away from the spot they defeated the Wasps. She was looking beyond the end of the savannah, at what appeared to be a wasteland. "What is that?" she asked, once Naruto and Kirito approached her. Kirito frowned "Dungeon Area." he said. "Dungeon Area?" she asked. "Dungeons are places with Dungeon Bosses. They are similar in power to the Floor Bosses. Once you defeat them, you gain a unique item. The difference with Floor Bosses is, that while Floor Bosses can be defeated only once, unless only one player fights them, Dungeon Bosses can be defeated infinitely. They also have Last Attack Bonus, but unlike Floor Bosses, it isn't one item. It can range from one to hundreds of items, with a different chance of earning them. And those items you gain from a chest that appears on the corpse of the Boss. Besides the Last Attack Bonus, it also has other items, XP and Cor." he explained. Asuna raised an eyebrow "And why aren't we fighting them?" she raised an eyebrow. "Because Dungeon Bosses are tougher than Field Bosses. To have a chance of defeating them, you need to be at least five levels higher than the Floor Boss guarding the floor the dungeon is located. So, we need to be at Level 28 to have a significant chance of victory." he said. "Also, something regarding Bosses. The Bosses of Floors one, twenty five, fifty, seventy five and one hundred are definitely and significantly stronger than other bosses. For example, the Boss of Floor 25 will most likely be even stronger than the Boss of Level 28." he said, to Asuna's surprise. "When it comes to Dungeon Bosses, it is the same. The Dungeon Bosses of Floors one, twenty five, fifty, seventy five and ninety are far stronger than normal Dungeon Bosses. I say ninety because there is no Dungeon on the final floor. And each of these Dungeons, need requirements to be completed that are on higher Levels. It is reported that you can't enter those Dungeons without reaching Floor 70." he said, to Asuna's dread. "So, we ignore it?" she asked, as they nodded. "Wait, you said Floor Bosses can only be defeated once, unless only one player joins. Why do you mean?". Kirito frowned "Ever wondered why most Beta Testers didn't reach the same floors, how I reached only the Eighteenth Floor? Same with Naruto, but on the Twenty third Floor?" he asked, as she nodded. "Well, when a party does a raid, the room becomes clear and the boss shall never appear again, for all SAO players. But, if one player alone fights a boss, that player alone gets access to the floor. Not only that, he can do it again. But there are two downsides." he said. "One, when a single player enters, the Cardinal System of Sword Art Online instantly changes the attack patterns of the Boss, creating an infinite number, except the ones the boss uses in Parties. That means that even if one fought against a Boss, only the appearance and the weapon would stay the same. Fighting styles would change. Secondly, while the Beta Test monsters were easy enough to battle Solo if you reached a lot of Levels, the complete SAO has much harder Bosses, not to mention you got a single life. If someone thought to Tank a Boss on his own, he either wants to die, or wants to accomplish something so much not even death will stop him." Naruto said with a frown. They stopped the conversation there, deciding to go back to Urbus.

Urbus

It was nighttime in Urbus when the group arrived. As it was late and they were tired, they rented a room once again and went to sleep immediately. However, around 4 am at night, a crash was heard. Naruto jolted up and jumped outside, still wearing his clothes, his sword drawn. He looked at a shocked Asuna, wearing a pink nightgown, green particles coming from the ground. He sighed, sheathing his blade, with Kirito rubbing his eyes and wearing a black T-Shirt and black shorts "What's going on?" he asked. "Asuna broke a glass." he said, as she looked embarrassed "Sorry I woke you guys up." she said, as they nodded. Naruto went to the couch "I don't feel asleep." he simply said. Kirito nodded and closed the lights, going back to bed.

Asuna sat next to Naruto "Sorry if I woke you up. It's difficult for me to sleep here." she said. He raised an eyebrow "Why is that?" he asked. "I was dreaming of the real world. I was dreaming of what would happen if this all was a dream." she said "I've been having this dream ever since I came here." she replied. He looked outside "I thought you wanted to go back." he said. She nodded "I do. But now, it's different. I don't want this to be a dream. I made friends here. You and Kirito-kun. Agil-san, Lisbeth-chan and Silica-chan, I believe I will soon consider them friends too. I don't want to lose that." she said, as he nodded "I understand.". She turned to him "What will happen after the Third Floor?" she asked. He sighed "Well, most likely Kirito will leave and go solo, with me following on the Fifth floor." he said, as she looked sad. "Don't worry, by that time I will have taught you all you need to know to survive and it's not like we cannot team up for some grinding every once in awhile. We will also see each other on Boss meetings." he said. She nodded "Right, we won't cut ties." she said with a smile. He looked down at his arms "If someone you trust invites you to their guild, accept it. You have the chance to become strong. Soloing isn't your style. Teamwork is your key of strength." he said. She tilted her head "What about you?". He looked up "I will be Solo for as long as possible. But whatever happens." he said, turning to her "I will always support you." he said with a small smile.

She blushed and smiled back "Thank you." she said. She laid her head on his own, as he blushed at the contact. He turned, seeing her fall asleep. He sighed and laid there, as she was leaning on him, sleeping soundly. His eyes watched her intently 'Love… could it be? Could I… have fallen in love?' he asked. He shook his head slowly 'No, it's too early for that. But whatever happens between us Asuna, I will always be your friend, as you were one of my first.' he said, falling asleep soon enough.

Done! Hope you guys enjoyed this Chapter! I sure loved it! Naruto defeated Baran, Asuna gained a Wind Fleuret and we find more regarding Naruto's feelings. Now, to answer questions. Firstly, I know that is not how Asuna gained the Wind Fleuret, I decided to change it. As for the Boss information, when I was writing this,something clicked in me. I don't remember any explanation either. How could Kirito reach floors others dreamed about in the beta test, yet the others couldn't? Let's ignore the Boss Fight itself, or how he Soloed it. Kirito was made to be OP, so I won't indulge much in the fight details. I will indulge in the implication however. Shouldn't the teleportation crystals activate for all players? If so, when Kirito reached let's say Floor 15, other players could teleport there, get into parties and all of them focus on one Monster at the time. I have tried this tactic on RPG's. If you know what to fight, you can easily get lots of Experience. They would easily be able to fight the Bosses together. But even if we ignore that, even if they couldn't fight the Bosses, what stopped them for teleporting? Kirito not activating the Crystals? I know him as a Solo Player, not as a Prick. Or did Kayaba not add Teleport Crystals until after the Beta? I don't think so either. Whatever, I could go for a while. The point is, I consider it possible for a player to Solo a Boss, go the next Floor and have access to it. Only downside, he alone will have access to the floor. For the full boss defeat and the global access, a party of even two players is needed. You can find information to correct me regarding this matter, but this is how it will be in the story. Those two are the biggest questions I answered. Anything else, ask me freely. Now, before I close, I got one question for you. What weapons do you want Naruto to dual wield? Be specific. For example, Katana and Wakizashi or Longsword and Short Sword, or Kodachi and Greatsword. I just gave examples. Until next time, Thunderito out!