Hey everyone! Thunderito here and welcome to chapter twelve of Naruto: The Shadow Blade! This chapter features Naruto and his fight with the Salamanders, not to mention the Raid. On with the story!

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

Chapter 12: Storm the Tree

Butterfly Valley

The Butterfly Valley. A beautiful part of land, with lush forests, cliffs and waterfalls from clean rivers. It is a neutral area and the place the Cait Sith and Sylph decided to stage their negotiation talks regarding an alliance. Near the edge of a cliff, was a large white table were the Sylph and Cait Sith were supposed to have their talk. But they were stopped, courtesy of a large Salamander Army. In front of the Cait Sith and Sylph Guards stood Argo, Leafa, Kirito and the Two Leaders. Leafa was a Sylph, with long blonde hair tied in a ponytail by a hairband and emerald green eyes. She wore white and green clothes, with brown leather boots and had a Curved Blade at her side. Kirito was a Spriggan with spiky black hair and coal black eyes. He wore pure black like always and had a large steel greatsword strapped on his back. The leader of the Sylph was Sakuya. She was tall, with dark green, almost black hair that fell down her back. Her eyes were an almond colour and her skin was white. She wore green japanese clothing,with a Katana strapped behind her back. She also wore white socks and wooden sandals. The leader of the Cait Sith was Alicia Rue. She was short, with blonde hair, gold eyes and dark skin. She wore black boots with white stockings, a beige short dress and a gold cape with a red stripe covering her left arm. Opposite of them, was the Salamander Leader, who was General Eugene. He was tall and muscular, with purplish-red, flame like hair and purple eyes. He wore heavy blood-red armour and a gold open ring decorated his head.

Kirito was currently standing forward, opposite of Eugene. "My name is Kirito and I am an ambassador of the Spriggan-Undine alliance. Since you're attacking the Sylph and Cait Sith conference, I assume you want a full war against all four races?" he asked, as everyone listened surprised. "Spriggans allied with Undines and you who lack a proper escort are their ambassador?" asked Eugene. "Indeed I am. I am here to discuss trading proposals with the Sylph and Cait Sith. But if you attack, matters will be escalated and our four races will unite in a war against you. Is that what you want?" he asked. General Eugene simply took out his blade, the Demonic Sword Gram "I do not believe a man with such poor equipment." he said. "Then will you believe a man of the same status as you?" a voice said.

Everyone turned, as Naruto appeared out of thin air, the light around him retracting, indicating he was hiding under an illusion "I am Naruto, General of the Spriggans." said Naruto, giving Kirito a look. Kirito, understanding his plan, slammed his fist on his chest "Welcome, General Naruto. But what are you doing here?" he asked. Naruto walked next to him "I learned the news of these attack the same time as you. But at the chances of an attack, an ambassador is not enough. And when word reached our ears General Eugene himself would be here, the superiors decided to send me. Now, I have a proposition for you." said Naruto, turning to Eugene. "Oh. And that is?" he asked. "Simple. We duel one on one. I win, you and your army leave. You win, feel free to attack." he said confidently. Eugene narrowed his eyes 'His confidence, the look in his eyes and his composure, even his equipment. He is a man of combat.' he thought. Eugene flew high in the air "I at least take you more of what you claim to be than the other Spriggan. So be it." he said. Naruto flew high in the air and unsheathed his sword.

"This won't end well. That is the Demonic Sword Gram. And it requires a wielding skill of at least 950." said Sakuya. "950?!" exclaimed Leafa, getting a nod. Kirito smirked, crossing his arms "Naruto has taken worse odds and won without breaking a sweat." he said. Argo laughed "Yea. Ruto-baka will be fine, if he is still as good as he was." Alicia raised her eyebrow "How are you guys so confident at him?" she asked. "Ruto-baka is Maelstrom, the Ultimate MMORPG and general Gamer." she said, to the group's shock. Kirito nodded "And he is also the best swordsman you have ever seen. He is the only person in the world who has taken down over 50 Bosses, all by himself and then fought each one again daily." he said, to their increased shock.

Eugene rushed at Naruto, who raised his sword to block, only for Gram to pass through it and slam Naruto, sending him crashing to a pile of rocks. Eugene smirked, though he was surprised when Naruto stood only a few feet away "Interesting ability." he said. Eugene smirked "I'm surprised you're still alive." he replied. Naruto smirked and chanted a spell. Suddenly, to everyone's surprise, multiple Naruto's appeared "You know, Spriggans are so underestimated. The lesser minds think illusions are useless in combat. That's a mistake. Any magic can have a use in combat. All that it takes is to think." he said, as all Naruto's smirked. Eugene frowned "You're a fool!" he said, going to slice the Naruto from which all the Illusion's came from, only to disappear in smoke, to his shock. All the Naruto's started laughing, surrounding Eugene. Suddenly, the General felt pain, as a slash wound appeared on his side. He growled, attacking one Naruto, only to puff in smoke. He then felt another, going at his back. Roaring, he started attacking every Naruto in the vicinity, as more slice wounds appeared throughout his body. He killed them all in a minute, as he was on the red. "DAMN YOU!" he roared, as a torrent of flame coursed through the sky. However, to his shock, he saw Naruto appear in the air, chanting a spell and transforming into a Monster which looked like a ballista. The monster fired a large arrow and disappeared in smoke, as the arrow pierced through Eugene. However, the arrow puffed and Naruto appeared behind Eugene. With a roar, he swung his sword, slicing Eugene in half, who exploded in a blast of flames, as his Remain Light fell to the ground.

Everyone stayed silent, before cheers coursed through the air, as the Sylph and Cait Sith congratulated him, while the Salamanders clapped in acknowledgement of his skill. Naruto came to the ground, grabbed Eugene's spark and flew to the group. "Can someone revive him?" he asked, as Sakuya nodded and revived him. Eugene rose, stretching his muscles "That was incredible. You're the greatest fighter I have seen in my life. No doubt about that. To think the Spriggans had such a man." he said, as Naruto smirked. "So, will you honor the duel's result?" he asked. Eugene narrowed his eyes, until two soldiers appeared in front of him "Kagemune, Hiro. What is it?" asked Eugene. Kagemune spoke "As you know, my party was killed yesterday. It was by that Ambassador Spriggan, who I recall had an Undine with him." he said. "And my group was killed by that one, who protected a Cait Sith." Hiro said. Eugene thought for a few moments, then turned to Naruto "Our leader and I do not wish to fight the Spriggans or the Undines. We shall take our leave, but I expect a duel in the future." Naruto smirked "Count on it." he said, as they shook hands.

Naruto and Kirito stood at the edge of the cliff, looking down at the sunset, as Sakuya dealt with the traitor, with Alicia's help. "Can't believe you joined ALO." said Naruto. Kirito grinned "I couldn't just let you go after Asuna all by yourself." he said. Naruto frowned "How thoughtful. But I am still nowhere near my goal." he said. Kirito rose "I wouldn't bet on that. Come." he said. They went to the group, as Leafa looked at Naruto in surprise "Hey. Who is this Kirito? Got a girlfriend?" he asked with a grin as Leafa blushed. "No! It's nothing like that! We're just friends! Leafa, meet my friend Naruto. Naruto, meet my friend Leafa." he said, as they shook hands. "Naruto, huh? You have the same name as my cousin's friend." she said. Naruto raised an eyebrow "Is your cousin Kazuto?" he asked, as she nodded with a raised eyebrow. Naruto barely contained his laughter, as he pointed to Kirito "That's your cousin." he said in a cracking voice. Leafa widened her eyes, turning to Kirito who gulped at her murderous look "KIRITO!" She roared, as they started to fight, with Naruto silently slipping away.

As he walked off, he saw Argo. He walked behind her and grabbed her by the back of her neck, causing her to yelp and he rose her to the air "Now, midget. What was this about knowing a way to Yggdrasil?" he asked. She smiled, sweat dripping from her head "Come on Ruto-kun, put me down please." she begged. He dropped her down, crossing his arms. "Well, these are the leaders of the Sylph and the Cait Sith. They prepared an alliance to clear Yggdrasil. And I am sure they would love for you to join them." she said, as the two women nodded. Naruto nodded "When will you start?" he asked. Sakuya frowned "Well, we need a lot of money, to buy the necessary equipment." she said. Naruto complied by throwing a large bag. Alicia caught it, only to widen her eyes "T-These are ten million mithril coins!" she yelled. Sakuya turned to him "You sure you want to give them? You could buy a castle with these!" she exclaimed. He shook his head "Do you need more? How many do you need, if we are to go tomorrow?" he asked. She frowned "About half this-" she yelped, as he threw another bag with the same amount of coins "Will that suffice?" he asked, as she nodded. "Good. Tomorrow, you pick a time and we will storm Yggdrasil." he said, as they nodded. Smiling, they took the money and left.

Naruto turned to Leafa and Kirito, who were still fighting. Sighing, he yelled "Ey! Listen you two!" he said, as they turned to him. He turned to Leafa "Suguha, I know you're mad your cousin joined this world after he was trapped in one for two years. But you do not understand his feelings. For him, this world is everything. And for a while, it was for me. If you care for your cousin, support his decision." he said, as she looked down. He then turned to Kirito "And you. I understand the feelings you have for this world. But you should have told your cousin. She cares for you a lot." he said, as they both looked at each other. "I'm sorry."Said Kirito. Leafa nodded "I am sorry as well." Naruto smiled, clapping his hands "Good. Now, today let us go grab gear. Tomorrow, we storm Yggdrasil!" he exclaimed, as they happily nodded.

Birdcage

Asuna rose from her bed, looking around. Silently, she walked towards the gate and added the password. She smirked, as the birdcage opened and she escaped. She started walking through a path on one of the branches, until she found a metal door on the body of the tree. She placed her hand on a red panel, as it glowed green and the door opened. She saw a tunnel illuminated by yellow lights. She walked for a while, wondering how far it went, until she saw what appeared to be a guide map on the wall. Looking at it, she saw a room for experiments and remembered Sugou's talk of capturing three hundred SAO members. Nodding to herself, she made her way inside the room.

Inside, she saw hundreds of metal cylinders with virtual blue cubes above them. As she walked around, she realised there were brains inside the cubes. To her shock, she remembered Sugou's words of controlling emotions. She placed her hand on her mouth, as tears flowed from her eyes 'They're suffering!' she thought. She walked over to one 'I will get you out soon. And I promise, he won't get away with this.' she said. However, she heard the doors open and she quickly hid behind a cylinder. Inside, entered two pink slime-like creatures with tentacles and orange eyes. They began checking each brain, as she quickly moved from cylinder to cylinder, getting away from their location. She saw a black cube and made her way to it. She saw a card and activated it, sighing in happiness it's a game console. She searched around, until she found the Logout button. Smiling, she went to press it, only to scream in fear, as four tentacles grabbed her wrists and ankles, pulling her to the air.

" Who are you? " asked one of the slugs. "Put me down! I am Sugou's friend and he gave me permission to have a look around!" she said. " Oh? I don't remember that ." said Slime1. " Doesn't ring a bell…. Wait. You're that girl! The one boss keeps locked up in Yggdrasil! " said Slime2. " Ah I remember that. It's unfair for the boss to keep such a cute girl. " said the other slime. "Let me go monsters! Don't you realise what you do here is inhumane!" she asked. " Nah. I think it's more humane than sticking electrodes up an animal's brain. " he replied. " Go check to see what the boss wants us to do with her. " he said, as the other nodded " Don't do anything. " he said, logging out.

"Let me go!" she yelled. " Why? It's been a while since I had fun with a real thing. I have only been using dolls. Let's play a game with electrodes! " he said, as to her horror, he started wrapping his tentacles all around her. The moment he went to place one on her mouth, she bit on it hard, as he roared in pain. He took it off forcefully " I forgot to disable pain. " he moaned. " The boss says to put her back to the bird, change the code and survey her constantly. He is furious. " the slug logged back, as the other groaned " Alright. Let's go. " he said. None of them noticed Asuna grabbing the Console Card. As they placed her back on the cage, changed the code and left, she went at the edge of the cage. She closed her eyes 'Please Naruto-kun. Find this!' she said, throwing the card to the ground.

Yggdrasil

Yggdrasil, the world tree. Today, was the day it would be cleared. The Sylph and the Cait Sith Army, equipped with the finest gear thanks to Naruto, along with flying dragons, stood outside the gate leading to Yggdrasil, which was between two enormous stone Knights. Naruto, Kirito and Leafa made their way there, equipped with gear purchased by Kirito. However, as they made their way, Naruto noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Going to an alley, he saw something glowing in the ground. He picked it up "A card?" he asked, as Yui appeared "Papa, you think Mama dropped this?" she asked, as he raised an eyebrow "Why you say that?". "This card has an Administration Code. We can use it to access a GM console." she explained. Naruto looked up towards the Yggdrasil's branches, a frown on his face. "Just a little longer, Asuna-chan. I will be there. I promise." he said. He pocketed the card, as he approached the gate. "Let's do this." he said, as they opened the gate.

They entered Yggdrasil's inner part, which was a hollow cone made of roots, with crystals all over it. From the crystals, hundreds of thousands of Guardian Knights appeared, armed with swords or bows. "All units charge!" yelled Sakuya. The army of Sylphs and Cait Sith roared, charging the approaching Knights. And an all out war resumed. While guardians used their bows and overwhelming numbers, the Fairies used the dragon's fire breath and magic. Naruto was slashing each Knight in his way to the top of the tower, while Kirito and Leafa were behind him, fighting like a team. Naruto slashed through each and every enemy, as thousands of explosions rocked around him. He stopped and pointed his palm upwards, chanting a spell. He finished, as a massive beam of light flew from his arm, as each Guardian caught by it hit himself, suiciding, clearing a large part of them. However, more and more started appearing. Naruto grabbed his sword and roared, ascending high in the air, spinning like a tornado. "Cait Sith, Fire Breath!" said Alicia, as Leafa formed a defensive spell around Naruto. The fires hit him, but thanks to the spell, only the barrier caught fire. "Sylph! Boost!" yelled Sakuya, as a green aura surrounded Naruto, whose eyes flicked red for a second, before roaring and crashing with the Guardians, piercing through them like a hot knife through butter. "GO! NARUTO!" yelled Kirito and Leafa. Naruto roared, passing each Knight, stabbing the top of the Tree, as the Knights cleared the hole. Sakuya smirked "All units fall back!" she said. Kirito looked at Naruto's position one last time, as Leafa told them not to leave Alne until the quest was over. 'Finish this, Naruto.' he said, leaving.

Naruto looked at the top of the World Tree, as a circular stone door was below him and a cloud like substance above him. "What now!" he roared, stabbing Zao on the door, trying to open it. Growling, he took it off "Yui! Check the door!" he said, as she came and touched it. "Papa… this door isn't locked by a quest flag. It is locked by an admin code." She said. Naruto's eyes widened, as Knights appeared. Suddenly, he remembered something, taking out the card "Use this!" he said, as she nodded and grabbed the card "Transferring code!" she said. The door glowed, before opening, as light surrounded them. "Grab my hand Papa! We will be teleported!" she said, as he grabbed it. 'I'm coming Asuna!' he thought, before disappearing.

Done! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! So, Naruto saved Sylph and Cait Sith, caused a temporary fight between siblings and stormed Yggdrasil! Nice! To avoid this question, I didn't have Leafa feel love for Kirito, just adoration. That is easier to change around. Just so you know, Kirito will go with Sinon, since people keep asking. And next chapter, will be the end of the First SAO Anime. Until next time, Thunderito out!