A/N: Disclaimer: I own NOTHING related to BlazingAzureCrow. They're a massive inspiration!
AND YES I BLOODY KNOW ILLYA'S REAL AGE! It was a typo!
I'm back at it again!
WITH A NICE LOOOONG CHAPTER!
I was honestly surprised by the positive reception this got! Almost universally pleasant at that! Now let's answer some questions, shall we? It seems SOME people are getting uppity about my long author's notes, but that's just too bad. If I'm gonna write a story then damn it, I plan to answer questions! If you don't like the Q&A feel free to skip it at your own peril. You might get a bit lost without it, though...
Q: Isn't Naruto a tad...vicious in this?
A: Can you blame him? He's been through hell and now he has a chance to escape it. He doesn't know about the Grail's true nature. Neither does Rin.
Q: Where are the Shadow Clones?!
A: Berserker hasn't given Naruto time to use any. Yet.
You'll see a couple this chapter!
Q: Shinra Tensei?! How the hell did he do that?!
A: Aside from the fact that this is SAGE OF SIX PATHS Naruto?
I suppose I should give you some more detail on the matter.
Alright, alright, a lot of people asked me this. It has something to do with Naruto's "Legend" as it were. Clearly he didn't have the ability originally. You can thank Sasuke for that. Tales often vary and grow ones deeds over time. Naruto is a classic example of that. Remember, Sasuke died and our 'ol blond was forced to find another way to kill Kaguya. Meaning Sasuke was never included as a part of that "Legend" and eventually most regarded Naruto as the sole savior of that "world" as such. As a result, he suddenly found himself with powers he didn't have before. Slap the Caster class on him and there you have it. Sage of Six Paths. He all but said it himself in the last chapter.
He's been brought back beyond his peak.
Ergo, Rinnegan.
He does NOT, however, possess the Sharingan. None of that life-hacks bullshit for him. Even having the Rinnegan comes at a tremendous cost...
...that you shall soon see.
Q: So...about Shinji and the Matou family...
A: God help Shinji and Zouken if Naruto ever finds out what they've done to Sakura.
Q: He's got a bloody Reality Marble, hasn't he?
A: Its...different than most.
How so, you ask?
Not only is it incredibly draining but those within who respond to his summons aren't in a weakened state, unlike Iskandar's. Whomseover is summoned has full access to their powers, as well as the Noble Phantasms and abilities they possessed during their legends...
...at a high cost.
Naruto's prana/chakra, or what have you.
When that runs out? It start draining Rin's prana instead.
Even with that jewel holding TEN YEARS of mana, its horribly draining.
Overuse of this skill-though he has yet to realize-basically endangers his and her very life.
Q: We haven't gotten much of Naruto's perspective, yet. How come?
A: Until now he's simply been reacting. This chapter he takes the initiative of his own volition and we get to see what he thinks of certain things, people, etc. For example, he's NOT a fan of Shirou. In his eyes, Emiya is naive and has lost nothing. Naruto? His world BURNED. He lost everyone and everything, including his own life. Of course SOME people survived, but he doesn't know that. Given he had to destroy his own body to make certain Kaguya wouldn't come back, I'm not surprised.
And OH you can expect him and Gilgamesh to clash, and clash HARD.
This chapter actually focuses on all Nine servants themselves.
Oh, dear.
Did I say Nine?
Why, yes! I believe I did!
Now, I can proudly present...
...the next chapter of A Ninja's War!
LET'S CONTINUE THE BRAWL SHALL WE~?!
"I'm sorry, Illya. This is the end for you."
"What is this?! This shouldn't be possible! Even for...!
"Behold my comrades! Though they have fallen on the field of battle, they still live fondly in my heart! Here! In this world!"
"Idiot! That's not fair! Not fair! Not fair at all!"
"Ninja don't play fair, Illya! Now...
"No, don't-
...ADVANCE!"
~?
Allies and Enemies
Gilgamesh opened his eyes.
"Ho?" he murmured. "What's this?"
Slowly, he turned blood red eyes to the horizon.
Stirred from myriad thoughts by a sudden influx of Prana, the King of Heroes could not help but take notice from his resting place. Indeed, the night itself seemed to take heed and grow bright as day; the primal brilliance of the light briefly outstripping the sun for the merest of moments before the dark reasserted itself with a vengeance. Then, as swiftly as it had emerged, the flow of Prana ceased. As though someone had simply flipped a switch, or the two combatants had simply taken their battle beyond this reality and into another.
Naught compared to his own powers of course, but worth noting all the same.
It almost felt familiar, perhaps he'd experienced this phenomenon once before in the past...
Nevertheless, his interest was piqued by this occurrence.
No doubt the other Servants were already quaking in their boots.
Perhaps this mongrel might yet prove more entertaining than the rest...
(...The Matou Residence...)
Rider was going to kill her Master.
But not by her own hand; no, that way lay madness.
Her plan was far more cunning, savage in its complexity.
She'd just needed to wait for the right opportunity to appear.
That Assassin had been right after all; to think, he'd actually spoken the truth when he'd approached her!
The thought almost made her giddy. Vengeance, at last! Finally, that worm would get what he deserved-no, what he deserved was a slow death. A long one. Arduous. Painful. She wanted to gut him, to bleed him, to rend his flesh into ribbons, tear him limb from limb. She wanted to hear him scream and cry and beg for forgiveness. Among other things. Fury was not a new sensation for her, but it still rankled her all the same. Pain. Despair born from helplessness. Delusion. The naive belief that everything would be alright. Indescribable feeling one she remembered all too well from her distant past.
Plainly put, Shinji was an idiot.
And an abusive one at that.
Not to her of course-she'd never tolerate such thing-but to his Her old master. Sakura. The poor girl was too kind for her own. Too sweet. Too gentle. Too pure. Too easily taken advantage of. As such a kind soul, she had no interest in fighting the Grail War and thus, had foisted her Command Seals onto her adopted brother at his "urging". Ah, but if Shinji were to suffer an accident then the Contract would return to Sakura. From there she would be able to do as she willed, without Shinji's interference. Zouken would have to be dealt with by her hand of course, but perhaps she was getting ahead of herself...
If what she sensed taking place was real, Medusa at long last had the answers she'd so feverishly sought out.
Be it through an alliance or other means, she swore to herself that she would find a way to save Sakura.
Anyone who wielded such power could surely sever the link between her and Shinji...
...perhaps then her true Master would finally know peace.
(...Somewhere Among the Rooftops of Fuyuki...)
Archer acted on instinct.
For a man whose life had once been defined by ideals, instinct was one of the few things that remained. Few indeed. He'd cast his pride aside long ago, after all. Instinct was better. Instinct didn't get you killed. Instinct didn't stab you in the back. Presently, those instincts were telling Archer to stay the fuck away from whatever was going on in that park. At first, he'd intended to wait Berserker and Caster out, then finish off whomever triumphed. To the victor went the spoils and what-not.
Not anymore.
Not that it mattered.
Not after what he'd seen.
And now there was a third one there!
He couldn't kill him if one of them killed him.
His goal remained much the same, despite the unfortunate...circumstances regarding his Master. And unless circumstances dictated it or she outright ordered him otherwise, he was going to do everything in his power to avoid that. Archer knew more than a thing or two about Reality Marbles, and that was most certainly a Reality Marble he'd seen Caster utilize down there. One equal to or possibly even above his own Unlimited Blade Works. A warped and twisted reality that defied all concept of sanity or sense, one capable of swallowing up someone like that crazed Berserker. Perhaps even defeating him.
"Ohohoho!" As if waiting for that very moment, his Master's grating laugh rang through their link. "I didn't think you were one to run away from a fight. Archer."
Of all the people who could have summoned him...
...why did it have to be her?
"I am when its suicide." he growled. "Your grudge with Tohsaka can wait, can't it?"
"Fair enough." remarkably, she relented. "Come back to me for now."
"...on my way."
Risking one last glance below, he departed.
Emiya had no intention of seeing the outcome.
So, no, he would not be engaging Caster tonight.
No amount of Command Seals could persuade him otherwise.
After all, you'd have to a complete and utter idiot to rush to your death...
(...?...)
Lancer sneezed.
"ACHOO!"
A great shuddering convulsion ripped through his body as the sound echoed through the park; leaving him doubled over in a fit of annoyance. Tch. Late. Of course he was late. He really did have the worst luck. Honestly, it just wasn't fair. If he'd been even a few seconds earlier he might've seen what all that commotion was about. As things stood now, his arrival merely coincided with a bright flash of light, followed by the complete and utter absence of the Prana he'd been tasked with following detected. Damnit, it was enough to drive a man mad! Someone had been throwing massive amounts of it around with reckless abandon!
So where the hell had it gone?!
In the end Lancer glimpsed two Servants and their Masters from afar before the light swallowed them up. But a glimpse was just a glimpse, nothing more, nothing less. That wasn't enough to satisfy Bazett, and it certainly didn't satisfy Cú Chulainn. Having come all this way in search of a fight he honestly found himself...
...irritated.
Gae Bolg felt restless in his hand and the Servant twirled it absently as he circled the battle site.
"Aw, hell." he growled, grinding his boot against the dirt. "I really screwed up this time. Here I was looking for a fight and then this shit happens." No matter how hard he glowered at the scorched crater, no one appeared. Nor did anyone emerge from within its blackened depths. The sight only further stirred his fury. "Just where the hell did they go!? Was that a Noble Phantasm or something?! Aaargh!"
"Its no use, Lancer." Bazett's voice echoed through their link, her words tinged with quiet relief. "Their battle could be taking place in another realm for all we know. Retreat for now. I want you by my side."
"Oi, oi," despite himself, Lancher laughed. "Where's that coming from?"
"I don't know. I just have a bad feeling about this."
"Fine," he sighed. "I'm on my way-
Shing!
Whatever else he might've said vanished in a startled grunt as the kunai took him from behind.
'Shit! An enemy?! Where they hell were they hiding?!'
Sheer instinct saved Lancer at the very last moment; even as the dagger found his back he twisted aside, ripping the dagger free and preventing it from penetrating anything vital. Gae Bolg sang in his hands, twirling a vicious crimson arc with its wielder to crash down upon the one who'd dared to stab him in the back while he was distracted. His spear met empty air. Instead a long sword flashed across his face, opening the merest of crimson lines along his right cheek before he could spin away. Damnit! Agony raced its way across his side when he twisted to defend against this new weapon. Much to Lancer's chagrin, his movements proved a hair slower than before.
Because of it, he nearly perished outright.
Too late, he realized that the the night blazed a brilliant blue.
Not in front of him as he'd expected, no he'd attacked the wrong position.
Behind.
Illuminated in the azure glow, a pair of harsh aqua orbs gazed out at him, framed by whiskered cheeks and a matted mop of blond hand. Orange and black sheathed in white and red, he crouched low to the ground, one hand held aloft, he cradled his attack in hand; that is, the source of the ethereal glow radiated from well within his upturned palm. Lancer squinted at it, even as he turned. Eh? What? It was...a ball? Ha! Under any other circumstance he might have laughed at such a sight. The steely gaze of his attacker dissuaded him. Like a tiger ready to pounce on its prey, there was something vicious about that deceptively blank gaze.
Feral.
Two could play that game.
"You'll regret sneaking up on me!"
"Rasengan." his attacker replied calmly.
Then he vanished.
'Fast!'
The ground erupted in a blistering burst of speed, such that Lancer barely had the time to defend. Gae Bolg descended on the young man with a mournful howl yet his attacker didn't even deign to accept the blow, much less block it. He simply ducked beneath the wild and slammed the keening sphere of raw energy into Lancer's side. Pain didn't even begin to describe what came next. As though a miniature tornado had manifested deep in his chest, so too did the blast rip Cú Chulainn from his feet and fling him away in a twisting spiral. In the end an-unlucky?-tree saved him, arresting his momentum as his spine smashed against it.
Moreso his ribs than anything else.
"Lancer?!" Bazett's voice ripped through his mind in a startled gasp. "J-Just hang on! I'm on my way!"
Cú Chulainn couldn't bring himself to muster a reply; even if he had, he would've roared at her to stay away. At this rate, he'd have to use his Noble Phantasm.
Righting himself with a groan, the spearman fixed his foe with a dark glower.
"What the hell was that, oi? It freakin' hurt!"
The enemy Servant held their tongue.
"Fine, be that way then. My turn!"
With a grunt he kicked forward.
'This bastard...he's going for my wound right off the bat?!'
They collided in a storm of swords, trading blow after blow with reckless abandon. When Lancer stuck high, the blond riposted low. A glancing impact knocked him off balance and the blue-eyed warrior spun a kick into his bad side, staggering him before cutting a vicious grey swathe with his sword. There! Cú Chulainn took the blow on his shoulder and shunted it aside with a determined laugh, relishing the startled look in the blond's eye as he laid him wide open, complete and utter dismay overtaking his features as the Warrior of Luster barreled through his defense and drove the spear toward his chest-
"Your heart is mine!"
POOF.
-and found himself impaling a cloud of smoke.
"What the hell?! Where'd he go?!"
A flicker of movement was his only warning.
Another one?!
Gae Bolg arced upward and parried the blade that sought his throat, forcing his attacker into a desperate deadlock. Now that his life wasn't in immediate peril, Lancer noticed something about his foe. Beyond the obvious fact that he was clearly facing the same opponent a second time he had a clear set of skills. Familiar skills...
"Tch!" he grunted. "Let me guess, Assassin?"
"No." Gold, slanted eyes met his. "Not Assassin. Caster."
Eh? Wait a minute. Hadn't those eyes been blue beforehand?
"What kind of Caster has Presence Concealment? And a sword?!"
"Unorthodox enemies call for unorthodox tactics." Came the robotic reply. "I will use my staff now."
And he did.
With a soft chime of music, a black ringed weapon manifested in his off hand and cracked Lancer across the head, sending black spots swimming before his vision. In that brief instant, his foe could have easily dealt him a mortal wound. Yet he didn't. Instead he allowed Cú Chulainn to recover and leap away to safety. Why? He could've finished him off there. Yet he had not. Misguided mercy? Scorn? Pride? Did he think him so weak that he wasn't worth finishing off? Endless thoughts bounded off the walls of his mind, and none of them were answered.
"What the hell, Caster?!" he shouted. "Where's your enthusiasm?!"
"We are copies." the blond replied, his stoic expression never wavering. "The Original left us here as guards. Our purpose is to defeat any enemy who attempts to interfere with his battle. Excess emotions are not necessary to complete our mission." As if to punctuate this very statement, it raised its staff and sword, arms cross in a distinctive x-shape formation. "Prepare yourself."
"A copy?! What kind of mage bullshit is that?! Give me the original, damnit!"
The doppleganger tilted its head to the right.
Finally, it displayed a sliver of emotion.
A thin, tiny frown appeared.
"Make me."
Red eyes narrowed.
If there was one thing Lancer possessed, it was a warrior's pride. He couldn't change that any more than a man could live without oxygen. He would always see a brawl through to the end. He believed in a fair fight to the death and once battle began, he never disengaged unless forced to. Bazett could have easily compelled him with a Command Seal. She did not. For better or worse, she allowed him to see the fight to its conclusion. Good girl, that one. She knew what it meant to have pride.
This "copy" had just inadvertently trampled all over Lancer's.
"Fine." he hissed, taking a stance. "Be that way. Let's see how you handle this!"
Tongues of crimson crept up the shaft of his spear, curling around the length of his arm.
For a fleeting instant, he actually considered throwing it-no. He knew better than to take a risk like that again; too much could go wrong. The only way to be certain was to strike him head on. Reverse casualty or not, he wasn't willing to risk the bastard's insane luck winning out. Even if it was just a doppelganger, it had already proven it could hurt him. Perhaps even kill, given the opportunity. He wasn't willing to provide it with another opening. No. He'd nail that cocky little shit to the ground and then he'd silence him!
"Oi, Caster! After all you said to me, you're not going to try to dodge this, are you?!"
The tiniest spark ignited in those golden orbs.
A hand rose, beckoning.
...come."
"Well said! GAE BOLG!"
With a snarl, the Hound of Luster lunged.
For any who saw it, the attack could only be called death. There was no escaping it. From the moment it had been declared, Caster's demise was certain. There could be no hope of dodging it, no evasion; for even if there was, the spear itself would reverse cause and effect to strike where its prey was most vulnerable. Your end was certain. Your heart was destined to be pierced from the moment of its conception. There was no defense he knew of that could possibly hold against this attack.
It could not stop.
Golden eyes bulged.
"Oh, so that's what it does-
To his credit, the copy didn't deign to dodge.
He accepted the strike wholeheartedly, grunting as the spear bore through his chest to pierce his heart. A wet crunch answered and the copy gagged, one hand flying to the spear now jutting through his body. He did not cry out. Though doubled over backwards, eyes bulging, gritting his teeth in silent agony, no sound was made.
In the same instant, he threw his sword.
Like an arrow loosed from a bow the katana shot forward on a silent breeze, streaking past the unerring arc that was Gae Bolg to shatter armor and pierce his right shoulder. How the hell was that possible?! Red-hot fire blazed through his arm, but pain was preferable to dying on the spot. That shot had been meant for his heart. Somehow, his own abysmal luck had saved him. What were the odds?
"Ha!" he grunted, holding his mangled arm. "Missed me, bastard!"
A low, croaking laugh answered him.
"Oi, why are you laughing?!"
"Congratulations. You killed me. I am a clone, after all." Caster rasped, a thin line of blood leaking from his lips. "A bit more solid than most, true, but still just a copy. Still," he flashed a red smile at him. "Doesn't matter. I have failed in my mission. Even so...is it wrong that I feel some regret?" his smile turned quizzical, almost as if he were puzzled by his own act. "I couldn't kill you after all. The Original will be so...disappointed. Still...it was...kinda fun...I guess."
The offhand remark nearly took Cú Chulainn aback.
...well, damn. Now you're just making me feel shitty about this."
Another laugh followed, this one little more than than a rasping whisper.
"Just wait 'till you see the Reality Marble."
"Wait, what?!" Lancer bristled.
"See you...around."
In the end he needn't have bothered; because "Caster" chose that moment to go up in smoke. Literally. Flesh and blood vanished in a white haze, leaving nothing behind but the faintest breeze and a puddle of blood. The overwhelming aura of dread vanished, replaced by an eerie calm. And an odd sense of dissatisfaction on Lancer's part. He'd slain the enemy-though it had admittedly been a copy. Yes, he'd taken a few wounds in doing so but victory was his. That was all that mattered in the end, right?
So why did it feel as though he'd been the one to lose this bout?
Urk!
His body chose that moment to remind of those injuries.
With a vengeance.
"Nope," he decided at last, shaking his head. "Fuck it. I'm done for the night. Next time, Caster...
Still.
A Reality Marble?
That was where the Original had gone?
He almost pitied whoever was on the receiving end of that...
(...Presently...)
Illyasviel von Einzbern considered herself a good magus.
No, strike that, she was an excellent magus.
The absolute best!
She had trained her entire life for this very moment, spent the last two months preparing. Enduring hellish suffering towards this sole purpose. To summon Berserker. To compete-to win!-the Holy Grail War. To wreak her ultimate revenge on her so-called "brother" for stealing Kiritsugu away from her. A brilliant plan, revolutionary in its simplicity. If she perished afterward then so be it. She had a purpose. A goal. To ask for more would've been foolish. But to die...she didn't relish the thought. In fact, she was quite bitter about it, this frail body of hers, so slow to age, yet so quick to fall.
She'd never thought that she might actually fail.
Berserker was the strongest; capable of overpowering everyone and everything through brute strength alone. And she'd had two full months to acclimate to him. By rights, this war should have been hers. Only Saber or Lancer could hope to rival him in strength/speed and his Noble Phantasm God Hand all but assured he'd overwhelm even them given time. He couldn't be killed the same way twice. You'd have to utterly disintegrate him to destroy him. Few, if any Servants possessed such power.
Yes, this War belonged to her.
So why, why, why was this upstart ruining everything?!
She'd expected to encounter a Tohsaka in the War. That much was a given.
In all honesty, she wouldn't be surprised to see the Edelfelts take part this time around.
She could see Berserker struggling against one of the warrior classes, against a Saber...perhaps.
But to a Caster of all things?!
She'd expected a quick and flawless victory when she'd ambushed Rin; not a drawn out battle that threatened to involve or otherwise attract every Servant in the city! Because that was exactly what Naruto had done. He seemed to determined to make Berserker work for every inch and expend as much prana as he possibly could. Already he'd taken two lives from her Servant on his own without his Master's intervention. He'd even taken a hit from him and was still going! What kind of Battle Continuation was that?! She could see him bleeding! Troubling as that was, Illya refused to admit defeat.
So what if he'd lost two?
He still had ten!
In any case, none of this made sense!
The Caster class was supposed to be squishy!
A glass cannon!
Not someone capable of going toe to toe with Hercules!
Then, to add insult to injury Tohsaka's servant-who thought she was a child!-had the gall to ask her to leave! To think her little more than a mere slip of a girl?!
The gall!
How dare he?!
"Stupid Caster!" she snarled, frantically trying to conceal her fear behind a veil of anger. "You can't kill him!"
"Is that so, little miss?" Caster's voice emerged as a low snarl, the blond's words cutting through her bravado like a hot knife against butter. "Oi. Berserker. Your master said you were invincible, right? That you can't die, right? Good...
Raising a hand, he began channeling chakra to his palm.
Slowly, inexorably, a keening shriek arose.
...you'll be my punching bag!"
Before she could order Berserker to end finish him off, a column of golden light had erupted from the body of Tohsaka's Servant. Eh? What was this? A Noble Phantasm? A spell? Something else entirely? Whatever it was, it gave Beserker pause, his assault stalling as the holy light all but sundered the sky. No, it seemed to envelop the world itself, swallowing up the park. And beyond. Like a great gold dome reaching out to encompass the entirety of the world, a boundless desire to see everything united in one, singular purpose. Blinding in its intensity, even Illya found herself forced to look away, lest she be blinded.
A lone leaf flickered across the homonculus's face.
"Illyasveil von Einzbern!" When next Naruto's voice echoed, it was legion, nearly indistinguishable from the rest. No, not only his voice but countless others, as if...oh, gods. But he was speaking again, and the thought all but eeled out of her grasp. Too late, she realized what was about to happen. "Welcome to my world! Take a good long look; because its the last thing you'll ever see. Welcome to Konoha!"
Illya didn't want to give him the satisfaction of looking, but her body betrayed her.
...incredible."
The word escaped her before she could think to hold it back; by then it was too late.
A grand village stood before her, watched over by Five Faces Set in Stone.
Rather, she stood within the village proper itself.
Below their eternal gaze, a veritable army lay in wait. Every rooftop bore a person, nay, sometimes several. So many. They choked the alleyways. They perched upon the walls like vultures, armed with every weapon and death-dealing tool imaginable. They stood guard at the gate. Some wore matching and identical garb. Uniforms, perhaps. Others could've been strangers by the way they held themselves. Old and young, men and women and children alike. More than Illyasviel could ever hope to count. There were dozens of them-perhaps hundreds. Regardless, they all held one thing in common.
They'd completely surrounded Illyasviel and her servant.
Naruto spread his arms wide.
"Now, then! Illya-chan! Welcome to my reality!"
His reality indeed!
He had a freaking Reality Marble!
"Behold my comrades!" the blond declared, brandishing his staff like a heavy-handed club. "Though they have fallen long ago on the field of battle, they too are Heroic Spirits and still live fondly in my heart! Here! They all answer my call in this world! We are one! We are legion! You say your Berserker can't die? Well, let's put that to the test, shall we?! The two of us will be all he needs!"
Two?
What did he mean by that?
Illyasviel found herself taking a reluctant step backward in the face of those overwhelming numbers.
"Idiot! That's not fair! Not fair! Not fair at all!"
Caster's grin reminded her of a smirking saint; benevolent, yet ready and willing to drive her headfirst into the ground.
"Ninja don't play fair, Illya! Now...
"No, don't-
Grinning, Naruto hoisted his staff high.
"ADVANCE!"
As one, the army turned towards her. There were scores of them; though many shared the same uniform, no two faces were alike.
Unbidden, a new voice called out.
"Hold!"
At the forefront stood a young man not unlike Naruto, in that he chose to stand ahead of the rest. He favored a strange oriental outfit with a purple cord wrapped tight around his waist. Raven hair framed a face even paler than hers, from which eyes of mismatching violet and onyx shone. Unlike the others, this one seemed to possess more than a sliver of power; he looked well and truly aware of the threat Berserker posed. More than most, in fact. Perhaps that was why he'd chosen to taken a watchful position over the Tohsaka girl, covering her as she lay on her knees in disbelief. Tch! Clever of Caster, having someone protect his master like that.
"Naruto," as she looked on, the stranger turned to face Caster himself, "What's the meaning of this?"
"C'mon, don't be like that, Sasuke!" the blond laughed, shrugging. "I don't really understand this Servant business myself, let alone the whole Noble Phantasm thing. I just know how to use 'em. Thank the Throne for that. I could've used clones, but it just didn't feel right, ya know? Still, if everybody's here, they're probably in the same situation as us."
A Noble Phantasm that even he didn't understand? Just what sorcery was this?!
"And Kaguya...?"
"Killed her dead." Naruto's smile took on a mournful shadow. "Had to die to do it, though."
...that's good. Still, was plundering my corpse absolutely necessary?"
"Considering you died and I was forced to fight that crazy woman by myself?" the whiskered warrior retorted waspishly. "Sorry, not sorry. Besides, it didn't work out. Hell, I didn't get Shinra Tensei until Rin-
"WAAAARGH!"
Illya balked as Berserker inexplicably surged forward.
"Weh?! Berserker! What are you doing?! I didn't order you to-
Too late, the wind of his passing kicking up a cloud of dirt, and she found her words swallowed up in the gale.
Perhaps it was anger on Berserker's part that spurred him to act. Or maybe impatience. It might've been boredom. Mayhaps he'd simply grown weary of being ignored for so long. In this form he was incapable of rational thought unless it was given back to him by his master; as it stood now, the hulking brute that was Hercules possessed only peerless instinct. At this moment, those instincts were screaming at him. Telling him he needed to take action before it was too late. Immediately. He saw the army before him and while he did not feel fear, no, never fear, but he did acknowledge these two as a threat. If the rest were anything like them then they'd be more than threat to Illya. They would be her end.
Threats to Illya must not exist.
This one...Caster...needed to be eliminated!
It was a basic plan, brutal in its simplicity. Kill the Master.
Without her, the Servant perished and was no longer a threat.
Unfortunately, there was a fatal flaw with that line of savage thinking.
Two pairs of eyes, one amber, the other crimson, rounded on the raging behemoth.
"Get lost/Beat it!"
Twin fists clad in gold and violet rocked into his chin from below, physically lifting Hercules from his feet. Agony burned the world white for a fleeting instant as he hung there, stunned. Momentarily dumbstruck by the raw power behind double blow he reeled backward, slamming hard into the ground. The sheer force of the combined punch sent him tumbling across the Reality Marble, crashing past his Master, through the barred gates, and onto the so-called "road" that lay beyond.
Illya darted after him, painfully aware of her vulnerability.
Rin actually gasped.
"Did you seriously just...?"
"Punch him?" Naruto laughed. "Pretty much-oh, here he comes!"
"Aaaaargh!"
Undaunted, Berserker leaped at them again.
The being known as Sasuke turned his gaze upon him.
"Tch. Persistent, aren't you? Stay down."
Inexplicably, the air boiled.
"Amaterasu!"
A towering wall of black flame manifested itself before Berserker in mid-leap. Unable to change his trajectory, the Servant crashed headlong through it with an agonized scream. God Hand kept him going even as he lost a life, then another, and another still. Three lives. Gone in an instant. Despite the startling depletion of his accumulated lives, Battle Continuation spurred him onward. Though his skin blistered and burnt beneath the vicious and inextinguishable inferno, Berserker did not falter. Not enough, his mind raged! This wasn't anywhere near enough to keep him down! Howling, he surged forward...
...into hell itself.
His first realization that he'd erred came in the form of the wind.
"Oi, ugly! CATCH!"
A terrible keening shriek rose all around him, filling his ears, blotting out all thought. In disbelief he looked down, just in time to see a rotating sphere vaguely shaped like a shuriken rapidly approach him. Pointless! With a grunt, he swung his sword down against the encroaching sphere with the intent of smashing it to smithereens-
Mistake.
"Rasenshuriken!"
The technique expanded violently the moment his blade made contact with it, ripping the weapon from his hand. Then came true pain. Agony like no other, as a thousand tiny needles shredded his God Hand to sunder the vulnerable flesh beneath. This wasn't something Berserker could fight against; for all his might he was powerless against it. He could only rage. Only scream. Until even that was swallowed up by the wind. Still the attacks came, ripping him apart even as his Noble Phantasm worked feverishly to restore him.
Five lives.
He'd lost five lives to that attack alone.
He needed to recover, to stand up, to protect-
"Berserker!"
Illya's scream came too late.
"KIRIN!"
A bolt of lighting descended from on high before he could make it to a knee. No, not lightning. This was something more. Far more. It defied his attempts to stand and scorched him to the bone; cooked his very intestines from the insides out in a blast of pure spite. Like heaven's wrath incarnate come to deliver divine justice upon him. Still, he tried to stand. God Hand was reaching its limits now, his once imposing stock of lives had shrunk to dangerous levels. Another attack of that caliber would end him, as surely as Zeus himself. In that moment, his savage strength finally abandoned him
One life.
Illya felt herself herself tremble at the sight.
Berserker...he was struggling.
He couldn't get up.
In the span of only a few minutes, Berserker's stock had shrunk from twelve-to-ten, then one. This reality marble was too much. She needed to retreat. Given a few days she could regenerate his stock of lost lives, but if this continued not only he but she really was going to-
"Its over."
-die.
Caster's staff forced itself up beneath her chin even as she tried to turn.
When had he...how had he...?!
This time he wasn't alone. Not by any means. A semicircle of warriors surrounded the young mage, trapping her in a cage of weapons and steel. Denying her all avenues of escape. There was no mercy to be found in their gaze, no hesitation on their part. No restraint. Each saw her as an enemy. Something to be eliminated. Destroyed. There would be no quarter here, none asked, nor given. Was this what death felt like? No. No, Illya didn't want to die, not here, not like this. She wanted to live. Only now, in her last moments, did she realize this. Berserker...Mama...Kiritsugu...somebody...anybody! Help me! Save me! Please! I'll do anything!
"You have a choice, Illyasviel von Einzbern." Caster informed her primly. "I suggest you wisely."
His words seemed to finally reactivate Rin, who frantically hurried back unto his side.
"Caster, what are you doing?!" she argued, "Hurry up and, finish her off before-
"I WILL NOT!" The blond bellowed at his Master. "She's just a child, Rin!"
'I'm really not!' Illya wanted to say, but she held her tongue.
"Y-You can't be serious?! She's the enemy!"
"That's her decision to make. Not mine."
Illya dared meet his gaze.
"A choice...?"
The ninja nodded slowly.
"You can ally with us...or die here and now."
The words seemed to flip a switch somewhere in her mind.
A twitch, and the staff beneath her chin sharpened into a point.
"Now, choose."
Her response would change the very face of the Holy Grail War.
A/N: Yes, I just did that!
Clarifying!
Naruto took TWO lives last chapter.
Sasuke took three.
Naruto's Rasenshuriken stole SIX.
Leaving Berserker with one life at the moment.
More good stuff next chapter!
On another note, there will be alliances in this story of course. Expect the unexpected! I aim to take this story down a different route than most, but the question is which? Hmm. We'll bump into ol' Shirou next chapter, and there'll be a clash of ideologies between him and Naruto for obvious reasons. As well as a few more surprises. I feel I should also state that Shirou DOES summon Saber by this point, albeit offscreen.
I won't name the other Servants, ah, for the night is dark and full of spoilers...
Expect chaos and incredible battles to ensue!
So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...
...Review, Would You Kindly?
And enjoy the up-and-coming previews!
They're rough atm, so don't think too much of them~!
(Previews)
"Tch! What can you possibly do with that wound-
"Enough."
A voice spoke into the mist.
"I am...the shadow of fire."
No.
A bitter chill ran down Shinji's spine.
No, no, no! He knew what was coming!
He had to get away! Rider, where was Rider?!
Caster's low growl seemed to resonate from everywhere at once, the snarl of a man who'd lost everything.
"Pain is my body." he ground out, the syllables warping, twisted as the new world swam into focus. "Chakra is my blood." The world shimmered around them, the four walls of the house falling away as the ground took on an ugly, brackish hue. "I have sacrificed a thousand friends." As Matou looked on in disbelief, the ground turned to lava beneath his feet, sending him shrieking away. "Despised by life. Cursed by death. Have walked many paths to save others. Yet these hands cannot create. Only destroy."
"No, no, no! Stop! ST-
"So I declare!"
The world that was revealed could only be described as hell.
"SIX PATHS!"
R&R~!
=D