Broken Angel

by I LIKE FEAR 1-2

What happens when you anger a God? What happens when something once pure, turns wicked and angry? What is left of someone who has been alone so long? How do you ask forgiveness for being so wrong? How do you apologize for breaking someone's heart? This is the story of Slytherin House's Angel of Carnage. Posted on Wattpad and RoyalRoad

95. 86: War's approaching Apex

Alright here's the next chapter for you, hope you all enjoy. The countdown to the finale has begun. Chapter one hundred is a short ways off, but I'm gonna make these remaining few chapters nice and long to fit a good amount of story in them and to reach my secondary goal for this story, and that's to reach one million words. Hope I make it, enjoy.

Broken Angel

Chapter 86

"I can't believe this!" Yugito hissed as she paced back and forth.

"Yugito..." A began with a sigh.

"You want me to marry that monster!? She slaughtered dozens of our shinobi, and you want to pretend like that never happened!?" Yugito snapped as she turned her enraged gaze unto him.

"It's precisely that reason, that we need this alliance. Those shinobi disobeyed my direct orders. I was very clear when I delivered those instructions to all of you. No one was to engage the Angel Slayer, for any reason! Do you know what kind of damage that woman could do if she came here! The reports coming from the war front, the things shes doing to Iwa… I've even now heard rumors that she can unleash an unstoppable army of dark serpents and bring the dead back to life. We cannot contend with that!" A barked back in reply, his words heavy with authority and a slowly thinning line of patience.

Yugito looked shocked to hear this information. News was just starting to filter out to the entirety of the world, about what happened at the Wind Capital. About what Riley did there, the good and the not so good. Most found it hard to believe, but some, some were whispering of something greater. The presence of something beyond the mortal realm. Even now, some whispered of a second coming of the Sage of the Six Paths.

"We need this alliance Yugito. I know you hate her. I know what she did to Karui, but there is no room for that now." A continued, but the enraged glare he got from Yugito warned him about the coming outburst.

"NO ROOM! She murdered my best friend and you want me to marry her!? Well you can forget that! I refuse! That will neve..."

"ARE YOU A KUNUOICHI OF KUMOGAKURE OR NOT!?" A roared as he shot to his feet and slammed his hands onto his desk, the wood splintering and cracking beneath his incredible strength.

Yugito visibly recoiled from her Kage's anger, her eyes fell to the ground and she stood with her back ridged. She knew she had overstepped her boundaries.

"I know she has done you wrong, but you are not the only one. You're the only Kunuoichi in this village that is important enough and fits her preferred type enough for her to accept. From our intelligence she likes fighters. All of the women she is currently with, fight alongside her in this war. She has a general leaning towards blondes, with three out of the six, being blonde. In terms of an alliance such as this we can only offer someone valuable, and you fit all of the criteria and sit at the top of the list. You have the greatest chance of success in securing what could be the key to our continued existence. If the Angel Slayer marches on Kumo I don't know if we can stop her. She is the daughter of the Fourth Hokage, and there's no reason to believe she hasn't followed in his footsteps and learned the art of sealing. Which means even Bee with all of his might, may not be able to overpower her." A laid it all out for her. He was direct and forceful, but there was wisdom in his words. He had obviously put a great deal of thought into this.

Yugito's eyes fell to the ground and she began to grind her teeth together in anger. The sight of her clenched fists, and the KI that radiated off of her were clear signs of her rage.

"It's decided then?" Yugito muttered out.

"Yes. The council agreed to the plan almost as soon as it left my mouth." A stated, earning even more anger from Yugito.

"Of course they did! Anything to get me out of the village! You could have told them you were selling me to Iwa and they probably would have cheered your name." Yugito bit out as her eyes rose and then fell back to the ground.

"I know this is painful for you. I know this isn't what you want, but this is a great opportunity for you." A began in what could only be described as a comforting manner.

Yugito's eyes shot back up to meet his. There was a rage in them, anger that spoke a question, demanding that he try and justify that statement.

"Through this alliance, you will marry the Angel Slayer, and become the ambassador of our village. You will be given free reign to go wherever you want and do whatever you want so long as you do your job along the way. You'll work with Suna and the Shadow Legion to help foster good relations between our villages and… at the end of the day, perhaps you'll find some measure of peace out there, that you couldn't find here." A finished his explanation, earning a pained look from Yugito.

"She's already accepted?" Yugito asked in a quiet voice.

"She's agreed to meet with us, once Iwa has been dealt with. They're going to eradicate Iwagakure off the face of the Earth. Once that's done, she'll head out here and spend a week here to meet with us and you, and discuss this alliance. When that time comes, you have to make it work. The village is depending on you Yugito. I know you wont let me down." A explained earning a cold look from Yugito which held for several long moments. Finally it broke and a wave of sadness fell over her face. Finally she let out a quiet breath.

"It will be done, my lord. Am I dismissed?" Yugito replied.

"Yes." A answered. As soon as he finished replying, she was gone, vanished via Shunshine.

"That went better than expected." Mabui noted.

"Bee, go after her. Keep an eye on her make sure she doesn't do anything foolish. This isn't going to be easy." A stated earning a look from Bee, but he quickly departed to follow after her.

"What should we do about the council boss?" Darui inquired.

"Keep an eye on them Darui. They agreed to this to easily. I don't want them jeopardizing this alliance or putting things into her head. Keep a close watch on those fools." A ordered, earning a nod from Darui as he too vanished from sight.

The room was silent as A turned his attention towards the nearby windows and his gaze stretched out over Kumo. He had many misgivings about this plan, but he had many more with doing nothing and taking the risk that Kumo could be next. There was a darkness about the Uchiwa Clan leader, a darkness that even unnerved Bee.

It was this fear that even gripped his younger brother, that encouraged A to take such drastic measures. He could only hope that Riley would accept the offer, and perhaps she and Yugito could build some sort of life together. He just hoped that Yugito could look past what had happened and try to do what was best from Kumo.

-Several Days Later-

Riley marched through the main camp of the Legion, heading for Arturia's tent. Three days prior, the army had arrived at the border of the Land of Wind. Once there, the Legion took up position as the vanguard, raced across the Land of Stone and into the Land of Earth and launched a powerful assault on enemy positions along the route to the Earth capitol.

The Legion had pulled out all the stops, the goal of achieving a name for themselves had been achieved, now they were intent on ending this war once and for all. The Legion separated into three groups. Riley led one strike force, Tom led the second and Itachi the third. They tried to evenly space out there raw power amongst the various strike forces to ensure that each group had the ability to completely steam roll any possible opposition.

With the forces set up, the Legion utilized a tactic that Shikaku devised for a rapid advance. One group would attack and destroy the enemy, while one group supported, and one rested. The three groups got onto a cycle of attack, support, rest, which ensured that they were almost constantly advancing.

The vigor provided by the many great heroes within the Legion ensured that morale was at an all time high. The presence of people such as Hashirama Senju, Madara Uchiha, Arturia Pendragon, Kakashi Hatake, Itachi Uchiha, Lord Voldemort, Might Gai, Kushina Uzumaki, and even Riley, ensured that no matter which group was attacking, powerhouses were always in play.

As she had promised, Riley kept her training trips down to a maximum of three months, which helped with the episodes a bit. They weren't a daily thing any longer, more like an every two day thing, but it was at least enough to keep Riley's mates off her back.

While Riley kept to her promise, she did take an opportunity here or there to make extra trips. She knew her mates would probably be pissed if they learned that she was kinda working the system, but it was a small price to pay to make sure she was ready for the day the world went to shit. Her conversation with Luna did a lot to settle her unease about what the future could hold, but that didn't mean that Riley would waste precious seconds. The Day of Wrath may be several years off, but the Akatsuki were still working with the Archdevil responsible, and that was enough to convince Riley that she needed every ounce of training she could get. Besides all of that, she was so close to reaching the Ninth Tail and finishing her growth, she had no desire to put that off for later. She'd achieve her full maturity before she confronted Obito and Mito.

With all of that in mind, Riley was currently on her way to speak with Arturia. Ever since her conversation with her mates about her paths, Riley had been doing some serious thinking on how to approach the situation with Arturia. Despite pussyfooting around, Riley did actually admire Arturia, and she did find her attractive.

Riley had discussed the issue with Gaia, whom seemed curious about the possibilities of becoming one of Riley's paths, and even the One Tails offered up it's own two-cents to the idea, offering that there was a possibility that having that much power channeled into any of Riley's mates may cause an evolution in them, that could cause them to become ascended beings.

This of course was a bit confusing for Gaia and something that Riley knew only a bit about. What the One-Tails was referring to was god-like beings, much like itself. Greater level creatures like the One-Tails, or Seraphim, could be considered gods. The One-Tails had the least amount of power of all the tailed beasts and yet even he could shift entire deserts and bury nations with his power. He may not be able to snap his fingers and blow up the world but he could render it lifeless if given a few months. The power of a greater devil, was not something to scoff at.

So basically what he explained to the two when Riley had gone to inform Gaia of these new revelations, was that if Riley made her mates into her paths, the massive shock of having their magical cores bound to Riley's, and having Riley's magic become their magic, could, in theory, force a magical reaction within them that would cause them to ascend beyond their basic humanity. That level of power was not something that one could easily wrap their minds around. The affects on a human being having that much power would be unlike anything felt throughout earth's history. In fact, Shukaku even likened the idea to Riley's mates becoming like the Sage himself in terms of power before he became a Jinchuriki. Essentially they could become minor goddesses by becoming one with an Archdemon.

This in turn lead to many hours of debate between Riley, the One Tails, Kurama, and even the Darkness. The four dark creatures discussed the implication of such an act with the Darkness itself, pointing out that all of it's hosts were godlike beings. To make Riley's mates into her paths and give them access to her power, would almost definitely lead to some sort of change in them. What that change was, was anyone's guess.

It was while this debate was going on that Gaia inquired to who the two additional paths would be, since at the moment Riley only had six mates, with Gaia being unofficial.

Riley had replied that she was going to give Yugito a chance and see where that relationship led. If anything came from it or not then she would be seven, and Riley informed the Kazekage that she intended to pursue a relationship with Arturia and see if that went anywhere.

Of course on that front, Riley had an issue.

-Flashback-

"I don't know how I should address this." Riley stated.

"I'm not the best person to come to for relationship advice." Gaia responded as she rested her chin on her folded hands.

"No it's not that. I like Arturia, but how do I approach something like this without making it seem like I'm using her?" Riley clarified.

"You could start with being open about it. That way she knows from the start. Otherwise, you just have to ask yourself, are you pursuing her for that reason, or are you going after her because you want to?" Gaia answered, earning a contemplative look from Riley.

"I like her. I think she's beautiful, in a powerful, iron-willed sort of way. She's mysterious, there's still so much I don't know about her, but… I'd like to. Do I think I could genuinely be with Arturia? Yeah, I think so. That's why I needed some advice. I want to give it a shot with her, I want to see if maybe there's something there, and we might be able to work something out. But I don't want to undertone my relationship with her, by having this hanging over us." Riley explained. Gaia stared back for several long moments before letting out a long sigh.

"Well then I think it's obvious. You have to start with the truth, tell her about this, and then prove to her that your affections are genuine and coming from the heart. Trust yourself Riley, you're very good at making people feel loved. I don't think you'll have any problem convincing her that your feelings are the genuine article." Gaia responded earning a small smile from Riley.

Riley sat silently for several moments as she stared at Gaia she then offered a nod and rose to her feet. She then leaned over Gaia's desk and planted a gentle kiss on Gaia's forehead, earning a small smile from Gaia in return.

Riley then offered her future mate a smile, and mouthed 'thank you' to her before turning to head out.

-End Flashback-

That had been nearly two weeks ago. During that time, the Legion advanced and Riley spent a bit more time with Arturia, gauging if there was any possibility that Arturia might be receptive to a possible relationship.

-Flashback-

Riley drove her fist hard into an Iwa Jonin's chest. His chest plate fractured under the pressure sending bone fragments, tearing through his body and shredding his internal organs. He was dead before he hit the ground.

Another shinobi came rushing at her, past the body of his fallen comrade. He had a sword drawn and was moving with the intent to kill. At about ten feet away, a blue blur passed by Riley's side and slammed right into him.

It came into focus revealing Arturia, her sword embedded in his chest.

She quickly tore her blade free and stepped back, right as Riley appeared next to her, and the two quickly found themselves back to back.

Riley slowly drew her wand, and converted it into it's staff form, around them a dozen or so shinobi gathered, their eyes filled with fear and rage.

"Seems more of them want to face us." Riley noted with a smirk.

"Then we'll send them to the grave." Arturia responded, her face a visage of cold steel.

Right then, their attackers rushed at them, fighting back to back, Riley and Arturia quickly dispatched them.

During her time being Riley's servant, Arturia had spent a great deal of time with Riley's family, particularly, Madara, Hashirama, and Kushina. The first two were men that Arturia greatly respected, both for their unrelenting strength and their powerful belief in their own ideologies. She trained with the two at times, learning how shinobi fought, and it was through this training that Arturia was able to witness the peak of a shinobi's ability. This ensured that when facing one in actual combat, Arturia had already witnessed the best that their kind had to offer. Kushina had become akin to a teacher of sorts for Arturia. The ancient King had very little experience fighting swordsmen who practiced in an eastern style, so she worked with Kushina who was a grandmaster of her own style, and a master of several others, to ensure that Arturia herself was more prepared for what she would eventually face.

It was through these training sessions that Arturia improved her old sword skills to new heights. She still would never admit that she was a master, but her skills had improved greatly over the last few months.

All of these improved skills, coupled with the incredible power boost she got from being tied to Riley, ensured that she was, much like Hashirama and Madara, on a whole other level.

Within moments, the enemy platoon was vanquished, their bodies spread out across the terrain.

"Another troop falls to our might. Shall we continue?" Arturia inquired.

"Most definitely." Riley responded with a smirk. The two continued onward, slamming into another cluster of foes, cutting them down with lightning fast precision.

One group fell, and then another, and then another. By the time the battle was over, the duo had cut down nearly a hundred and fifty foes.

After it was finished both women found themselves sitting next to one another. Arturia was busy cleaning Excalibur while Riley sat in quiet contemplation, though she did occasionally send a glance towards Arturia, admiring the armored knight.

It took only a couple of moments for Arturia to feel someone looking at her. The two of them were the only ones nearby, so it wasn't hard for Arturia to guess who it was who was watching her.

She sent a quick glance over at Riley, right as Riley glanced at her. The two ended up locking eyes for a few moments before Arturia broke the eye contact and averted her gaze with a very minor blush dusting her cheeks.

Riley simply smiled at that. The sight of Arturia blushing was enough to encourage Riley to continue with her teasing.

It was obvious to anyone who knew her that Arturia was easily flustered. Most people were to in awe of her status or abilities to ever be so bold around her, and in most cases, when people stared at her, it was because they found her incredible. Riley's gaze was filled with something else. Something Arturia herself, did not understand.

-End Flashback-

It may have been a small moment, but it was one of many that was slowly starting to fill the space between the two. Riley no longer bothered to conceal her affection for the Ancient King. Instead she simply allowed it to show itself whenever the opportunity arose.

Now Riley found herself moving through the camp. She was on her way to Arturia's tent to finally speak to her about Riley's feelings. Despite her ability to do it, Riley refused to peak into Arturia's mind to hear what she was thinking during those small moments, and thus Riley was in the dark as to Arturia's true feelings.

Riley arrived at her tent and called out to her.

"Hey Arturia. You have a moment?" Riley inquired.

A slightly muffled reply came back that sounded a bit like she was struggling with something.

Still, Riley could make out the affirmation for her to enter and stepped through the tent flap.

Riley passed through to an interesting sight, Arturia looked to attempting to retrieve something from beneath her bed, but it must have rolled somewhere near the center as she was obviously having some trouble stretching her arm out far enough to grab it.

"Having trouble?" Riley inquired with a smirk.

"A parcel I had scrapped, rolled underneath my bed and now I can't seem to retrieve it." Arturia responded as she continued to struggle.

Riley watched with mild amusement. The bed didn't sit very far off the ground, just far enough for things to get lost beneath it, but not far enough that Arturia could easily fit beneath it, if she wanted to. This struggle must have been going on for some time, as Arturia seemed quite flustered.

"Do you need some help?" Riley inquired.

"No. Thank you for the offer but I do believe this is a challenge I can handle myself." Arturia responded.

Riley folded her arms across her chest as a smile spread across her face. She silently activated her Byakugan and gazed under the bed. She could spot the crumpled up piece of paper that sat only about an inch from Arturia's finger tips.

With a smirk Riley began to focus her power, gently nudging the paper into Arturia's grasping fingers. Given her position, Arturia wasn't actually looking under the bed, so she suspected nothing as she finally felt her fingers brush the paper. With a triumphant smirk she grasped it and pulled it from beneath the bed, rising to her feet quickly.

Riley was quick to deactivate her Byakugan so that Arturia wouldn't realize what she had done.

"Get it?" Riley inquired.

"Yes." Arturia responded as she unfolded the paper, stared at it's contents for a moment then turned and walked over to her desk, which sat by her bed. She placed the paper in one of the drawers along with a few others that sat on the desk, then turned to face Riley.

Riley cocked an eyebrow at that. Her first though being that Arturia was trying to hide something.

Sensing the question Arturia responded, "I'm working on a project. I discarded that idea, but then I thought it might have some merit."

Arturia's reply earned her a nod from Riley, but something about it did make Riley even more curious. Arturia was a bad liar. Almost notoriously bad. Something about the way she averted her eyes when she said that, gave her away. Arturia simply wasn't built to lie. She valued honesty and truth and considered the two to be very important qualities.

It seems Arturia could tell that Riley didn't fully believe her, but she obviously wasn't willing to show her what she had been working on. "What is it you needed?"

Riley stared at her for several long seconds before she let out a sigh.

"Let's sit down. There's something kinda personal I need to speak with you about." Riley stated as she gestured at the bed. Arturia blushed lightly at the very minor implication, but she quickly moved to join Riley as she sat on the edge of Arturia's bed.

Riley was silent for several moments as she composed her thoughts. Finally she let out a sigh and turned to face Arturia.

"I have a problem." Riley began, earning a look from Arturia.

"What sort of problem?" Arturia inquired.

"One I could really use your advice on. You see… some information has come to my attention, information that leads me to believe we're facing a much greater threat than even I could contend with alone." Riley explained.

"What kind of threat are we talking about?" Arturia asked.

"An Archdevil. A being, much like myself, but far older, and more powerful, with an army of trillions at it's back. The kind of threat that could wipe us all out, if we're not prepared for it." Riley answered.

Arturia was quiet for several moments as she turned her gaze to floor. It was obvious that she was deep in thought, her mind whirling with ideas, and questions.

"Something like that… dealing with a threat like that would require the whole world to stand against. How do you plan on contending with something that powerful?" Arturia asked after several quiet moments of pondering.

"I plan on training myself into the ground for starters, and doing whatever I can to increase my power before it arrives." Riley answered as she turned her gaze out to the rest of the room, staring off at nothing in particular.

"And what else? This isn't something you can handle alone. Something that ancient and powerful, facing it alone would be ill advised to say the least." Arturia stated, earning a nod of agreement from Riley.

"I understand that. I've been working hard these last few weeks to unify my power with Kurama's and the Darkness. The three of us, operating in unison would be a force to be reckoned with. But you're right. I can't do this by myself. There is an ability that those with eyes like mine possess. An ability that would allow me to channel the power of my eyes through others." Riley explained to her, earning a slow nod of understanding from Arturia.

"I'm assuming there's some sort of drawback to this ability?" Arturia guessed.

"Well… I'm not certain. To my knowledge it hasn't been used on living people before. If I had to guess, the ability is probably permanent. You see, I can grant a portion of my ocular powers to a single individual, effectively granting them access to one of eight paths out of the nine my Rinne Sharingan possesses. These abilities range from controlling space-time, to controlling gravity, to summoning various beasts. The positives, is that any person who I make a path will gain access to my magic, and the abilities of the particular path they were given. I'll also share a sight-line with that person, effectively seeing through their eyes at all hours of the day. This ability wouldn't necessarily double my power, but it would double my ability to output it. I can regenerate my entire core in less then ten minutes. By myself, sans destroying the planet, I'll never output enough energy to drain myself, I simply regenerate my power to fast. Using this technique though, I could theoretically increase my power output by up to nine times, without needing to use abilities that would destroy the planet outright." Riley explained. Arturia listened with wrapped attention, taking particular notice of the idea of controlling space-time as that fit into line with what the Shinigami had told her of Riley's eventual ability to do so.

"It sounds like there are few drawbacks to using such a technique. So what's the problem?" Arturia inquired.

"Trust. The only person, to my knowledge, to ever use this technique, was Pain, a member of the Akatsuki. And he only used it on dead bodies. I don't know what would happen to a living person if I gave them this power. I don't know how much control I'd have over them. These eyes grant a person godlike abilities, even having access to one of the paths, would make a person that much stronger, plus I'm not sure if the other benefits of having these eyes also pass over, like the increased strength, speed, reflexes, intelligence. Things like that. It's a lot of power I'd be giving someone, and I need to know that I can trust them to use it for the right reasons." Riley explained earning another nod from Arturia.

"The only people that I can trust that much, that I'd be willing to share… eternity with, would be my mates. Connected on that level, I can't picture anyone else that I would give that much of myself to, and expect that much in return. Even my grandfathers, I don't know if I could ask them to do such a thing. Something like this… it would bind those involved on a level that's difficult to comprehend. It would be like a hive mind. Nine organisms joined together. Every thought, every feeling, everything shared between nine people as if they were one. And that's on top of sharing a singular sense, our sight. I love my grandfathers. I love my mother. I love Kakashi, and Itachi, I love all of my friends… but I don't think I could ask such a commitment from any of them. The only people that it makes sense to shoulder that responsibility are those that already handle the responsibility of keeping me... well, me." Riley continued explaining.

"And that would be your mates." Arturia finished with a nod, understanding why Riley had chosen them in particular.

"Yeah." Riley responded as she once again turned her gaze out towards the room, scanning it for anything to focus on.

"Well… they're young. Some of them are a bit headstrong. Some have a bit of a temperament. But… I think you'd make a good choice going with them. You care about them, and they care about you. I think out of respect for each other and you… they'd make the right choices and use that power responsibly." Arturia offered after a moment, earning a small smile and a nod from Riley.

Riley was quiet as she stared off for several long moments. Arturia stared at her with analytical eyes, working hard to try and figure out where this conversation was heading. It took a few moments but she finally found an avenue that may lead her to whatever Riley's issue was.

"Counting the Kazekage, that would be six mates. You need two more." Arturia noted, earning another nod from Riley.

"Kumogakure has offered a marriage alliance between myself and the Two-Tails Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii. Once we finish off with Iwa, I'll head to Kumo and meet with the Raikage and see how things work out with Yugito. If they work, then I'll have seven." Riley informed her, this time earning a nod of understanding from Arturia.

"And the eighth?" Arturia, couldn't help but inquire.

"Well… that's what I wanted to come to talk to you about." Riley stated.

Arturia was quiet for a few moments, and despite her best efforts to not read the ancient king's mind, Riley could still feel her feelings, and there was a wide range of emotions emanating out from Arturia. Some of the most prominent being embarrassment, but also disappointment, and a bit of uncertainty, confusion, and even sadness.

All of the various negative feelings, confused the hell out of Riley. So much so, that she turned her gaze back to Arturia, only to find her eyes averted and a gentle blush, adorning her cheeks.

"I'm sorry. I'm not exactly the best person to discuss these sorts of things with. Matters of the heart have always been quite foreign to me. I've always had difficulties understanding the hearts of others, and… even myself. I can say that you should stay true to your desires and find someone who you care for. I think that would be best in helping you find someone to trust with a responsibility this great and..." Arturia started to reply, her eyes very slowly returning to Riley's face. What she spotted stopped her monologue in it's tracks.

Confusion was evident on Riley's face. She looked like she didn't know what Arturia was saying, or perhaps like Arturia had suddenly started speaking a foreign language.

"Um… Arturia… I wanted to talk to you about this because… it's you… I like you and I wanted to put it out there and see if you had feelings for me in return." Riley stated, earning wide eyes from Arturia.

"M-me?" Arturia muttered, as her eyes quickly shot to the ground and her face began to heat up.

"Yeah. I mean… you're awesome. You're powerful, you're wise, you're mysterious, and despite what you believe, I think your beautiful." Riley stated with a grin, causing Arturia to blush a deeper shade of red than she already was.

"But… But, you know so little about me." Arturia couldn't stop herself from stuttering out. It was obvious to anyone watching that Arturia had a very high opinion of Riley, as anyone else proclaiming such feelings would have been met with either awkward acknowledgment or quiet rejection.

"I'd like to though. I wanna know more about you. I wanna know what makes you tick. I wanna know who you are beneath it all. I think I've got King Arthur figured out, but I wanna know who Arturia Pendragon is. Who is she when you take all of the parts, the king, the knight, the woman, and put them all together? You fascinate me." Riley responded, earning a look from Arturia.

"If I simply fascinate you, than why the desire? Why take a risk on me, for a mere fancy?" Arturia asked.

"Because that's how it starts a lot of the time. That's how love blooms. You see someone interesting, or fascinating, and you want to get to know them, you want to understand them. The act of sating your curiosity can often lead to deeper feelings. I've fallen in love off of my curiosity before." Riley responded with a kind smile.

"You have? I'm sorry… I don't understand any of this. My own marriage was little more then a farce. I never loved my wife. At best, she was a friend, but never anything more. I've never been in love. I've never had feelings for anyone else. I've most certainly never attempted to court anyone. I have no idea how to interpret these emotions." Arturia admitted as her gaze slowly fell to the floor.

"I have a crush on you Arturia." Riley admitted after a moment of silence earning a curious look from Arturia.

"You know it's a crush when you have feelings for someone you know nothing about. I barely know who you really are, but the part's I've seen, I've liked. I want to know more. I want to see who you really are underneath it all. You know you have feelings for someone when you know them, and you want to be with them. You want to see them smile, and hear them laugh. You want their time. Love… well love is a bit more complex. everyone's interpretation is different." Riley explained, as Arturia listened with wrapped attention.

"...And what is yours?" Arturia inquired.

"To me… you know it's true love, when all you want in life, you want to share it with them. To me, love is the future. I know I love my mates, because the moment I step away from them, I'm looking forward to the future, and the next time I'll be with them. To me… you know you love someone when you take that person, you lay out all of their faults, and all of their downsides… and you acknowledge them, and you still can't help but adore the person they make up. Love isn't overlooking the bad, it's caring for them, because of it. My mates are perfect in my eyes, and I'll fight anyone who tries to argue that they're not. But just because they're perfect, doesn't mean they're without flaws. I know they have flaws, and I adore them regardless. Love is acknowledging the whole person. The good and the bad. It's when you see it all, and you still find that person beautiful, that you know you love them." Riley stated with a gentle smile as she turned her gaze off to something. It wasn't hard for Arturia to guess that despite staring at a wall, Riley wasn't seeing the wall at all. She was seeing her mates, like they were standing in the room with them.

The two sat in silence for several long moments before finally, Riley decided to speak again. "So… this is awkward now."

"I apologize. I know I should say something, but nothing seems to feel quite right." Arturia replied as her eyes fell to the ground.

"It's alright. I came here today because I wanted you to know the truth. That I like you, that I wouldn't mind exploring something more. I just wanted to make sure that if something did happen, that I was open and honest about my motivations. I don't like you because I need two more mates… I just like you. If you don't feel the same, or there isn't any interest, then that's fine, we can just stay friends, no hurt feelings or anything." Riley stated with a smile as she rose to her feet.

"Riley..." Arturia muttered quietly, her eyes following her as she took a few steps away.

"I'll see ya later." Riley threw back at her as she headed out, leaving Arturia alone with her thoughts.

Several seconds of silence passed as Arturia rose to her feet and stepped over to her desk. She pulled open one the drawers and removed the crumpled piece of parchment from earlier. Written on it were the basic attempts of a love letter. It was obvious that Arturia hadn't made it very far in expressing her true feelings before she had discarded it, but they were still there. She placed the paper on her desk and stared off at nothing.

For several long moments there was silence as a sinking feeling formed in Arturia's stomach.

"Is this what you wanted from me?" Arturia asked to the empty room. "Did you know from the start? I've been wracking my brain to try and figure out what you wanted. I think I know. If she gives me what I want… I'll never see her again."

Arturia was in a terrible mood for the rest of the day, and the following one, and every day that followed for nearly two weeks.

It was obvious to those around her that something had spoiled the ancient King's mood, and while Arturia kept herself calm and composed, she couldn't help the scowl that adorned her face at almost all hours of the day. To her mind, she believed she knew what the Shinigami wanted from her, what task he demanded she complete. Perhaps it was because she had tried to make a deal with Alaya, but for some reason the Shinigami seemed to have a distaste for Arturia. If she was right, then it truly did hate her. To Arturia's mind, the Shinigami wanted her to accept Riley's offer, to eventually become one of her paths, and then… well, Arturia didn't know what would happen then. But she knew it would be painful for Arturia herself. Either Riley would agree and allow Arturia to go back in time, thus changing the timeline, and at the very least, ensuring that the two would never meet, which was something that made Arturia's chest hurt for reasons she didn't quite understand, or Arturia would be forced to fully forsake her desire, in order to become Riley's path and thus perform what she believed to be the Shinigami's task.

It was really a painful possibility either way. Arturia was still trapped by her beliefs in her own failings. Despite what she saw and despite what the current monarch had told her, Arturia still wondered if perhaps things could have been better. She couldn't help but wonder how things would have been, had she lived, and continued to rule the kingdom. Would some of the other great conflicts within Britian, have occurred? Would she have been able to stop any of it? Arturia didn't know, but it occupied her thoughts. She kept thinking that there had to be something, something more she could do.

But there was also another part of her, one that was slowly growing stronger with each passing day. A part of Arturia that screamed at her that this was where she needed to be. This was where she could do the most good and actually repent for her perceived failings.

This time and place, she could make up for all of her failures. A part of Arturia began to wonder if this is where she could do more good. If perhaps she should stay here, and use her knowledge and power to make things better for her people. These two parts of Arturia warred ruthlessly within her, and it left a sour look on her face.

It was a few days before the Legion reached the Earth capital when Naruko finally joined up with them. Her arrival was sudden and a bit unexpected.

"I didn't expect to see you back out here, at least not so soon after your child was born." Tom noted. He was one of the few people in the command tent at the moment. Naruko had arrived a few days ago and had made quick work tracking the Legion down and catching up to them.

"Boruto is in good hands. Hinata and her sister are keeping a close eye on him. I promised Riley I'd do what I could to help out, and I also promised Hinata I'd look after her clansmen while I was out here." Naruko replied. Tom stared back at her for several moments, with her darkened hair, and the bold glow of the Rinnegan in her eyes, Naruko could almost pass for Riley in poor lighting. They really did look like twins now that her hair had taken on a black appearance, and she had unlocked the full potential of her eyes. She was still short though, and actually looked her age, whereas Riley could easily pass for someone in there early twenties by this point.

"Well, I wont turn away the help." Tom replied right as Itachi entered into the command tent.

"Naruko." Itachi offered a greeting when he spotted her.

"Lord Uchiha. Hello. How's everything going out here?" Naruko inquired.

"It's going well. We'll be at the Earth Capital in a few days, and after that it's less than a weeks march to Iwa. This war is well on it's way to finally coming to an end." Itachi replied earning a nod of understanding from Naruko.

"Well I'm here to help. Where do you guys need me?" Naruko asked as she glanced between the two.

"Have you kept up your training with your Rinnegan?" Tom questioned her as he and Itachi shared a glance with one another.

"Yes. I've been working on the skills I've already learned and even picked up a few new ones. I've also been making a lot of headway using the scrolls Grandfather Madara left for me." Naruko answered earning a nod from both men.

"Where would you place yourself, in terms of your current skills?" Itachi asked.

"Well, I still think I best suited for front-line combat. My shadow clones, ninjutsu, and spell work are still my best assets." Naruko responded honestly.

Both men were quick to nod, and Itachi immediately followed up by calling out to Kakashi through the Gravemind link. Within moments he arrived at the tent.

"Hey there short-stuff hows the kid doing?" Kakashi greeted her earning a smirk from Naruko.

"Boruto's good. He's a troublemaker though. A lot like me. I don't know how Hinata does it. Isn't motherly instinct supposed take over and help give me some idea of what to do with him?" Naruko replied earning a chuckle from Kakashi.

"I think that only applies if you see yourself as the mother, or if you carried the child for nine months. He's yours but you've known him for less time then Hinata has. Don't worry though, the two of you will figure it out." Kakashi replied with an eye smile, earning one from Naruko as well.

"Kakashi, I'm placing Naruko back under your command. You know her skills and you've both worked together before. Bring her into your unit and get her up to speed on any new tactics or techniques you've been working on that you think she should know." Itachi ordered, earning a nod from Kakashi.

"Come on Naruko, I'll introduce you to the team." Kakashi stated with a gesture. Naruko was quick to follow after him, eager to finally get to work, and also, to see Riley once again, whenever the opportunity presented itself.

"So... anything new?" Naruko inquired as she followed after Kakashi.

"In what regard?" Kakashi responded as he led her through camp. The Legion itself was simply waiting right now for the rest of the army to catch up. The Earth capital was within their sights, and that meant one of the last few battles, was about to begin.

"Well, how's Riley doing?" Naruko finally asked. Kakashi hid his smile well, he was happy that the two were trying to work out their relationship. Naruko wanted to be a family. She wanted to spend time with her big sister, and Kakashi suspected that deep down, Riley wanted that too or at least she wanted to see if there was anything there, now that Minato and Lily weren't around to screw things up.

"Well you know, Riley is Riley. She got with Kaede while the war's been going on, and she's now engaged to the Kazekage. I even hear rumors of another political marriage in the works, so that would make seven." Kakashi responded with a dry chuckle.

"Wow. She never quits does she. How's she been though?" Naruko inquired.

"Busy. Definitely busy these last few weeks. She took out the faux leader of the Akatsuki before we began our march into the Land of Earth. But ever since then she's been training herself into the ground. I don't know for sure what happened there, but I have heard some interesting rumors. Whatever it was, it convinced Riley that she needed to train herself into the ground. I heard from Itachi, who heard from Daphne that Riley had been going on year long training trips into Kamui. Needless to say her ladies weren't to happy about it." Kakashi informed her, earning a surprised look from Naruko.

"Over a year? How many times?" Naruko responded, her eyes, much like Riley's, reflected her emotions almost perfectly, to the point even that they almost gave off that emotion.

"I'm not sure, I didn't ask. But I think it went on for a few weeks, maybe two or three. She's stopped now though, or at least I think she lessened her training trips." Kakashi responded with a sigh. When he heard, he very nearly marched off to find Riley and ask her himself. A year long training trip, was not something to take lightly, but it certainly wasn't unheard of in the shinobi world. Kakashi himself had partaken in exceedingly long training trips in his life, some several months in length. But doing that again and again and again, every single day. The toll that takes on the mind… Kakashi was just happy that Riley's mates stepped in and worked her down to a more manageable level.

Naruko let out a sigh as she continued to follow Kakashi. A part of her wanted to go and ask Riley, but she doubted she'd get much of an answer, or one at all. She knew she had to earn her way back into Riley's heart.

"So how have you been?" Kakashi inquired as he withdrew his favorite novella and began to read from it.

Naruko offered a smile and began to tell him about her training and what she'd been up to the last few months.

This continued until they made it to where Kakashi's unit was gathered, and he went around and delivered introductions. It was the following day when Naruko was out training, that she finally ran into Riley again.

"Hey." Naruko greeted her sister, when she spotted Riley coming from the Legion command tent.

"Hey." Riley replied with a side glance as she continued to walk.

Naruko was quick to catch up to Riley and walk alongside her. "So… only a few more weeks and this thing will be over." Naruko stated as the two walked.

"Yeah. You arrived just in time to take part in the final act. I was beginning to think you chose the simple life and settled down with the family. Speaking of which, how is the little troublemaker?" Riley inquired.

"He's doing well. Happy and healthy. I think he'll be happy to meet his aunty Riley whenever we get back." Naruko responded earning a smirk from Riley.

"I look forward to it." Riley stated.

"You do? Really?" Naruko asked as she gave Riley a look.

"Just because he's half you doesn't mean he isn't my nephew. Besides… Hinata's to much of a sweetheart, and she's smitten for you. Someone has to keep an eye on him and make sure you don't turn him into an idiot." Riley replied as she turned her smirk towards Naruko, whom adopted a playful glare in response.

"Well… with you looking out for him, I know he'll find his feet. They say you get most of your intelligence from your mother, so hopefully he'll be smart like Hinata." Naruko admitted, earning just a bit of surprise from Riley, whom had expected her to lash out at the playful insult.

"Wow… I guess it's true what they say. Parenthood… it really forces you to grow up." Riley noted as she returned her gaze ahead.

Naruko hummed in agreement, as the two continued to walk. There was so much Naruko wanted to say, so much she wanted to discuss with her elder sister. Hell when she first saw her, Naruko wanted to hug her, but she held back because she knew they still had a great deal of work left to do before they were ready to actually act like sisters.

The two continued on in silence for several long moments until finally arriving at Riley's tent.

"So… see you around." Naruko stated, hoping to end this conversation on a high-note before the sisters arrived at some topic or another that would lead to the two fighting.

Just as she started to walk away, Naruko heard Riley say her name.

She turned back to find Riley about to enter her tent, but glancing over her shoulder at Naruko. "Go see Sasuke when you get the chance. Word on the street is that your old rival has some new eyes of his own to test out." Riley stated, knowing full well that during his training with Itachi, Sasuke had awakened his Mangekyou. Riley didn't ask how it was accomplished but she guessed, given Itachi's proclivity for genjutsu and his ruthless nature in the utilization of illusions that he had Sasuke experience some very unpleasant things in order to open the door for him to have access to that level of power.

That of course also opened the door for Sasuke and Itachi to trade eyes with each other if the need ever arose. With both now possessing the Mangekyou, if it ever became necessary, the two were most likely compatible with one another so they could trade eyes to be granted eternal light. Riley knew that Itachi cared little for power like that, but he would do it for Sasuke's benefit, to prevent his younger brother from going blind, and to help keep him safe.

Naruko offered Riley a nod at that, and headed off.

Within forty-eight hours the Wind Army had caught up and they all collectively prepared for the final push into the Earth Capital.

It was the night before the attack when Riley stopped by Gaia's tent for a few personal moments with her bride-to-be.

"The end is within sight." Gaia noted as she leaned back on her seat.

"We wont be done until Orochimaru and the Akatsuki are dealt with." Riley responded with a sigh, earning a nod from Gaia in response.

"So… I've noted some… tension between you and Arturia." Gaia noted after a moment of silence.

"Yeah… I'd say awkward is more like it. I'm so tempted to read her mind and see what she's really thinking. Her emotions are so sporadic when it comes to me, I just don't know what's going on underneath. I think she has feelings for me, but she's so… I don't know, weird right now. I don't really know how to describe it. I think I spooked her." Riley stated with another sigh as she moved to sit next to Gaia.

"You can be quite intimidating when you want to be." Gaia stated with a smirk.

"Oh that's cute. You think me being big, mean, and scary is actually what makes me intimidating." Riley stated with a giggle.

"Oh? You mean to tell me that's not what makes you intimidating?" Gaia replied with a look.

"Well you tell me Gaia. What would scare you more? If I say, let my eyes change color and adopted a mean glare, or if I took off all my clothes and sat on your lap?" Riley followed up with an enticing smirk, earning a wide eyed response from Gaia and a howl of intense laughter from the One-Tails.

With a sexy smirk, Riley crawled on top of Gaia, placing her legs on either side of Gaia's body and straddling her lap. Riley stared down at Gaia, whom was wide eyed, and blushing deeply.

Riley kept her smirk as she cupped Gaia's cheeks and leaned down pressing her lips to the Kazekage's.

The two held the kiss for several long moments, Gaia even let out a throaty moan before it finished.

When the two finally separated, they locked eyes once again, Riley's smile growing just a bit more as Gaia's hands found a resting spot on Riley's hips.

"I think I've decided." Riley stated.

"Decided what?" Gaia inquired as she stared up into Riley's eyes.

"When we win tomorrow and the Wind Capital falls, I've decided how we're going to celebrate. You and I are going to strip naked and ravage each other." Riley responded before letting out a laugh, as Gaia's face literally turned red and she started to gape at Riley.

"I don't even think we'll get out of bed the following day." Riley added, as Gaia finally let out a light chuckle and averted her eyes to stare off at something else.

Riley's smile grew even more when she saw the this, and she slowly wrapped her hands around Gaia's head and pulled her into an embrace. Gaia's head was positioned just right, so that she could hear the powerful thump of Riley's demonic heart.

The two remained in a loving embrace for several minutes before finally separating and sharing one final kiss before Riley departed to return to her tent.

As she made her way back, she passed by Arturia's tent and found the woman and Kushina standing outside, discussing something or another. Both women spotted Riley, Kushina offering a smile and wave to her daughter, while Arturia offered a smaller but no less genuine smile.

Riley gave both of them a nod, her eyes lingering on Arturia for a few moments before she headed of for her tent. Riley was only now regretting being so bold and forward with her feelings when it came to Arturia. Now things were awkward, and Riley didn't have a clue on how to make it not awkward.

She just hoped that after this battle, she'd be able to have another chat with Arturia and maybe work something out.

The following day, their army made the final push into the Earth Capital. A city of three million people, vast market districts, and large stone structures, the Earth Capital was a wonder to behold. Surrounded on all sides by massive walls, similar to Konoha's as well as defensive battlements that covered all possible approaches, the massive city was in and of itself, a fortress.

The Legion, alongside twenty-five thousand Suna ninja, were the first to charge. The first obstacle, was a barrier erected around the city.

The magical Alliance's response to that was to have Riley set a large swath of the barrier on fire with Amaturasu. The coalition of shinobi and Legionaries stood in silence as the black flames burned away the massive barrier, rapidly draining the energy needed to fuel it. Within a half hour, the barrier fell, and the lead force, charged.

After the barrier, came the walls, tens of thousands of Earth Soldiers, samurai, and shinobi, guarded the walls of the massive city.

They were met with incredible force from the attackers, the legion having separated out some of it's most powerful warriors to ensure that chaos and bloodshed was felt at all points where the two sides clashed.

When confronted with such overwhelming power, the walls quickly fell. Then the fighting spread to the streets.

With the fall of the wall, the rest of the Wind Army arrived and began to march into the city. Massive companies of soldiers did battle in the streets, or in open squares or amongst market stalls. Fighting persisted for well over an hour as the two massive armies did battle.

The whole time the Legion was working to support the Wind Army and Suna Ninja. Instead of pushing forward on their own, they moved from one battle to another aiding the attackers in crushing the cities' defenders.

After a bit of time passed the fighting finally arrived at the royal palace, and a legion strike team, along with the Kazekage and her guard, rushed the palace and overwhelmed it's protectors. Riley fought alongside Gaia, Itachi, Arturia, Guy, and Kushina as they cut through the palace guard and eventually confronted the Earth Daimyo and his final set of defenders. The two chief defenders being, the lord commander of the Samurai, and the lead shinobi in command of the Earth and Iwa ninja that fought alongside Earth's army.

Both men were skilled adversaries but were eventually put down in duels with Kushina, and Guy.

Finally, the last of the enemy commanders had been defeated, and the Daimyo captured. He was dragged out of the palace, kicking and screaming along with his family. Word was quickly spread throughout the city and within another an hour, the remaining defenders had either fled, surrendered, or died.

It had barely taken them three hours, but one of the largest cities in the Elemental Nations, had fallen to the combined might of the Magical Alliance.

The Earth Daimyo was put in chains and imprisoned, along with his family. They intended to have him shipped off to the Wind Daimyo so that he could decide his rival's fate. With this battle, they were now within arms reach of Iwa. And with that, this war would be one step closer to being over.

Various celebrations were held after the battle was won. Gaia even gave a rousing speech to the entire Magical Alliance that brought the army to cheers. Festivities broke out after that, especially in the Legion camp where some smartass decided to unveil a secret stash he'd brought with him for just such an occasion.

"This is delicious. What did you say it was again?" Hashirama inquired, his cheeks already red, and he was already swaying drunkenly. Nearby Madara sat, glancing between Hashirama, and the cup of drink he held in his hands. Surprise adorned the ancient Uchiha's face, as Hashirama was only on his second glass, and he already appeared completely hammered.

"It's goblin Ale. Strong stuff, magical, gives a real nice kick." Fenrir Greyback replied with a toothy grin.

"Well if it's strong enough to get a werewolf hammered, no wonder it's unleashing the fairy within." Madara hummed with amusement as Hashirama tried to stand up only to stumble side ways in a comical fashion.

"Shush Madara… I am trying to talk to our friend here." Hashirama tried to say to Madara, only to gesture in Fenrir's general direction, but miss him by about ten feet.

Madara grinned from ear to ear as he took another drink of the magical concoction. He wondered, if only for a moment, whether magical booze could affect someone like Riley. It was obvious that the magical properties of this stuff was enough to overpower ever a werewolf's physical fortitude, so who knows.

Elsewhere in the camp, Arturia sat watching the festivities. She was happy that they had won, but her mood was still sour from the pent up emotional confusion she was experiencing. Her brooding was interrupted when she found a cup held out in front of her face.

Arturia stared at it for several seconds before reaching out to take it. She then glanced at the person who offered, finding it to be Kushina.

"So… you two going to be done fighting soon?" Kushina inquired as she took a sip from her own cup, her cheeks already slightly red.

"We're not fighting. It's actually the opposite of that really. She told me she likes me… and… I just..." Arturia couldn't find the right words to explain what she was feeling but Kushina offered a nod, none the less.

"What are you worried about?" Kushina inquired.

"I don't understand your meaning?" Arturia responded as she gave Kushina a look.

"Well either you have feelings for her, or you don't. If you didn't, I doubt you'd be this worked up over it. So, what are you really worried about? Is it falling in love? I know that feeling." Kushina explained, earning a bit of a blush from Arturia.

"It's… foolish." Arturia muttered as she finally took a sip of whatever had been offered to her. She gave the reddish liquid a curious look after she tasted it's warmth and felt the tingling of magic and alcohol.

"Goblin Ale. Some good stuff. I'm an Uzumaki so it usually takes forever to get me hammered, but this stuff… wow." Kushina stated earning a nod from Arturia.

A few seconds of silence passed before Kushina spoke again. "Your emotions aren't foolish. Being afraid is natural. We all go through it. If you want something deeper with her, then just go for it. Or is it something else that's bothering you?" Kushina asked.

Arturia was silent for several long moments as she took another drink. She held great respect for Kushina, and much like Merlin, the woman seemed to be able to read Arturia. After several long moments, Arturia finally decided to explain the situation. The two sat with each other for several hours, chatting, and slowly getting more and more drunk. By the end of their conversation, neither woman could walk straight, they were so hammered.

Elsewhere in the camp at around the same time, Riley was dragging a blushing Gaia towards her tent, fully intent on making good on her promise from the night prior. They arrived to find Riley's mates already there.

Poor Gaia's face grew impossibly red, as all five of Riley's mates were fully naked, almost as if they had been waiting for them to arrive, and knew what was going to happen.

Gaia didn't have time to ponder it, Riley's lips smashed into hers as she was slowly pushed towards the bed. Gaia's hands held firmly to Riley's shirt, gripping to it, as if a lifeline. It was just as she felt the bed brush the back of legs that she felt the cloth slip through her fingers. A gentle warmth spread across her body and Gaia suddenly felt exposed.

It took a moment but she finally felt her own erect nipples brush against the soft flesh of Riley's breast. Feeling that, she pulled away from the kiss and glanced down, finding herself and Riley, fully naked, their clothes piled on the floor at their feet.

Where Riley stood six foot even, with hair that reached down to her lower back, breasts that sat at a DD-cup now, and generous curves that complimented the rest of her features, Gaia on the other hand was a bit more lanky. It was obvious to anyone with medical knowledge that Gaia was slowly recovering from years of malnutrition and undergoing a bijuu complimented growth spurt. Gaia herself stood at around five foot, five inches, but she was obviously underweight, with pale skin, and short messy red hair. Years of not eating right, either due to abuse, or perhaps due to Gaia herself being uninterested in such simple tasks, had left her very much on the thin side. She was recovering though, ever since finding friendship with Riley and rekindling her relationship with her siblings, Gaia had been taking better care of herself, she was only a bit underweight for her height and age. Gaia's breasts sat at the lower end of a C-cup, but she was much more shapely in the rear and hips.

A howl of laughter escaped the One-Tails as Gaia's eyes shot back up to meet Riley's grinning visage. She barely uttered out a syllable before Riley pressed her lips to Gaia's and resumed kissing her.

Within a moment Gaia was on her back, Riley on top of her, both joined at the lips. As Riley's hands slowly found their way to Gaia's breasts, Gaia's own hands slipped across Riley's hips.

Gaia allowed a few soft whimpers to escape her lips as Riley gently teased her nipples, all of these feelings of pleasure were so foreign for Gaia, all she could do was hold on to Riley and take it all in.

The two women remained lip locked as one of Riley's hands snaked it's way down Gaia's body.

Her hand came to a stop as it passed over the patch of hair, nestled between Gaia's legs. With a grin, Riley slid her hand just far enough down that she could begin to tease Gaia's clit with her middle finger as she gently caressed her private area.

A pleasured whimper escaped the Kazekage's lips, earning a blush from the woman as her eyes screwed shut from embarrassment.

Riley's grin grew even further as she pulled away from the kiss.

After several seconds, Riley shifted position so that she had better access to Gaia's body. The movement gave Gaia enough reprieve to open her eyes and glance at Riley, then at the small collection of onlookers. Gaia couldn't help but blush at the sight of five sets of lustful eyes staring in her direction. She was grateful however that most of their attention seemed to be on her body, and not on the act itself. It felt like Riley's mates were studying her, taking in her body and it's features, learning about what she looked like, beneath it all. When it came to the sex, they seemed more interested in Riley, then Gaia, which made sense. Despite willingly sleeping with one another, Gaia doubted many of them had deeper feelings for one another. They were all in love with Riley, they all wanted Riley, Gaia was simply to be a new sexual partner, and member of their sisterhood, nothing more, nothing less.

Gaia didn't know if what she thought was true, what she did know was that the thought made her feel more comfortable about the audience so she chose not to refute the idea.

Within moments, Riley's hand had found it's way between Gaia's legs, and she was moaning again.

As the two made love, Kurama and Shukaku sat staring at one another in their shared mindscape.

"So, what happens now?" Shukaku asked.

"I just realized, once she finishes mating with Gaia, she'll form a bond with her. Will that mean, I'll be able to hear your stupid ass no matter how far apart Gaia and Riley are?" Kurama asked, more to himself than the One-Tails.

"Oh this'll be so much fun Kurama, now instead of spying on them like a creepy voyeur, you can talk to me while they're doing the bedroom twist." Shukaku countered earning a growl from Kurama.

"I do not spy! I don't even have genitalia, or a sex drive, it's all just flesh hitting flesh to me." Kurama countered with a snarl.

"Yeah, me too. You ever wonder what life would have been like if dad had given us dicks?" Shukaku inquired.

"Gods I hate you." Kurama muttered as he let out a sigh.

Meanwhile back on the outside, Riley had slowly begun to work her way down Gaia's body, trailing kisses along it as she did.

Gaia moaned and whimpered as Riley's skilled hands drove her closer and closer to her sexual precipice.

Finally Riley reached between her legs, and began to spread Gaia's legs apart, giving her a good view of her newest mate's virgin opening.

Without any hesitation, Riley closed in on her goal, her tongue invading Gaia's nether regions. The Kazekage let out a pleasured gasp as she felt Riley's warm breath fill the space between her legs. What followed was a handful of the most pleasurable minutes of Gaia's life. She moaned and gasped, grasping at the bed as she was pushed closer and closer to the peak of pleasure.

It was just as her fingers started to dig into the mattress that she felt hands slip around her own. Gaia's eyes sprung open as she felt weight settle next to her.

On either side of her person was Fleur and Luna, both having taken either of her hands.

The two offered her reassuring smiles as they held her hands, allowing her a form of lifeline as she experienced her first ever orgasm.

A cry of pleasure escaped the Kazekage's lips as she reached her peak. Her body convulsed several times as Riley moved her assault upwards and began to gently roll Gaia's clit between her lips, offering her further pleasure as she continued to cum.

Almost a full minute of this went by before Riley stopped and crawled back up Gaia's body, pausing only for a moment to offer a kiss to Fleur and Luna, before returning her full attention to Gaia whom was staring at the ceiling, breathing heavily.

"Good?" Riley inquired when the two came face to face.

"That was… I've never… wow..." Gaia responded breathlessly.

"Ready for another?" Riley asked with a sultry smirk.

"Another?" Gaia muttered back as her eyes finally focused on Riley's face.

"Aw… cold blooded killer on the battlefield. Firm and focused leader in the office. But in the bedroom, nothing but an innocent little virgin." Riley grinned and kissed her, earning a deep red blush from Gaia.

"What about them?" Gaia asked as she glanced between Luna and Fleur. Daphne and Kaede sat nearby watching the scene with curious eyes, While Katie lay closer to Fleur, allowing her fingers to gently glide up and down the Veela's back.

"Tonight is about you and me. You want an orgy, then we'll make it happen. But if you want it just to be the two of us, they'll stay at the sidelines for tonight." Riley replied as she glanced between her mates, earning nods from all of them. Well all except Kaede, which made Riley's smile grow just a bit more. Kaede could be a bit jealous when she wanted to be, but she kept herself in check. Riley knew that her half-demon mate was horny from this and wanted to join in, the thought of that, that carnal lust, that filled her body at the sight of Riley with a new mate, that just increased the pleasure Riley was experiencing during this whole moment.

She'd be sure to give Kaede some much needed attention in the morning, for now though, this was Gaia's night.

Gaia was silent for several moments as she thought about that. Finally she let out a noise and sat up, Riley rising up with her, and giving her newest mate an intrigued look.

Gaia glanced around at the others, Luna and Fleur still lay on either side of her, both still holding her hands staring up at her, Luna with curious, dreamy eyes, and Fleur with a lovely smile that almost brought a blush to Gaia's face. She then glanced at Katie whom offered her a friendly smile. She then glanced over at her fellow redhead, Kaede stared back with curious eyes, though occasionally Kaede's eyes would flit to where Riley was as if searching for an answer as to what she should be doing. Finally Gaia reached Daphne whom met her gaze with a cool smile. She was on her side, with her head propped up by one of her arms, the other was rested on her hip.

Gaia could clearly remember Daphne's advice to her before she began her intimate relationship with Riley. Daphne had told her to keep her own relationship with Riley, separate from theirs. They were all together in many aspects, but they all had their own personal connection to Riley. It was Gaia's choice as to what was entailed by that relationship. What that meant. She could either hog Riley all to herself, which is what it seemed like Daphne and Kaede tried to do whenever it was their turn, she could go with the flow like Luna did and just accept whatever the day brought. Or she could do a mix of both like Katie and Fleur seemed to. To get her moments with Riley whenever she could but rarely turn down the experience when it was offered.

Gaia was good at reading people, very good. From a young age she could just tell when people wanted things from her, when they wanted bad things for her, when they wanted good things. It's why she never saw the betrayal of her beloved Uncle Yashamaru coming. He had loved Gaia and cared for her, it was only due to the orders of her father that he betrayed her and only because the Kazekage would have sent someone else to do it instead, someone who may have actually succeeded. Gaia knew this from the classified mission logs she had gained access to after becoming Kazekage, and from Lady Chiyo whom had told her the truth when asked, explaining that the Fourth Kazekage had confided in her his attempts to control Gaia in the past.

With all that in mind, Gaia could tell that there were things her fellow mates wanted from her. Time, pleasure, friendship, she didn't know exactly which, but she could definitely tell that they weren't just sideliners, these women were filled with desires and wants.

After several seconds she turned her gaze to Riley and smirked.

"What I want Riley is what you give them every time you do this. That's what I want." Gaia replied.

"So you want tens of orgasms and to wake up feeling like you've been to the moon and back?" Riley inquired with a sexy smirk.

"If you think you can pull it off, then I say go for it. If you need help, I guess I'll just have to consent to that as well." Gaia responded, earning a bigger grin from Riley and a chorus of giggles from her fellow mates.

"Well… it seems the Kazekage has spoken. Let's see if she can back up those words." Riley stated as she pushed Gaia back onto the bed and planted a firm kiss on her lips. The two lovers shared a look before Riley descended back down between Gaia's legs.

Gaia let out a loud moan as Riley returned her attention to her nether regions. This time though she wasn't alone. With her words of encouragement Riley's mates descended on her, Riley and each other.

Fleur and Luna both wrapped their lips around Gaia's breasts, adding to the onslaught of pleasure she was feeling while, Katie began to caress and finger Fleur, Kaede moved down to play with Riley, and Daphne moved behind Luna to give her the same as what Fleur was getting.

Despite her desire to have a personal moment with Riley Gaia secretly had another motive to asking for them all to take part. Within only a couple of weeks this war would probably be over, that meant that Riley and Gaia would probably be married at the earliest opportunity, and that meant a honeymoon. A week or more, alone with Riley. Gaia had heard enough from Riley's mates to know that she was in no way ready to deal with Riley's incredible sexual appetite alone. Not as she was right now. She'd get her alone time, right now she needed to see everything, experience it all and get in the swing of enjoying the pleasure brought on by the horny demoness.

Gaia needed the training right now, so that when the two of them were finally alone with just the two of them, she could prove herself to be a capable and efficient lover.

So with that in mind, Gaia reached out and ran her now free hand over Luna's head, petting her hair and earning her attention. When Luna locked eyes with her, Gaia offered her best sensual smirk and placed her hand behind Luna's head, encouraging her to crawl up and kiss her. Luna seemed to understand as she adjusted herself so that the two could meet in a gentle and lustful kiss.

Gaia was Kazekage, and despite what Riley had said being true, she would not allow herself to be the gentle timid one of the group. Out of all of them, Gaia likened herself most to Daphne, strong, independent, and in control as best she could be. She was the first true Kunuoichi to become Riley's mate, and she had to make an impression, and she intended to do so, by being bold, and strong, just as she tried to be in all things, since finding some form of inner peace.

Within two hours, Gaia and the rest were passed out, strewn across the bed. Gaia laid on one side of Riley, her arms wrapped around her, while Luna laid on the other side. Kaede lay behind Luna, on her side facing Luna's back, with Daphne behind her sprawled out in her usual way. On the opposite side of the bed was Fleur and Katie, both spooning with Fleur on the outside and Katie closest to Gaia.

Riley felt content, the sounds of her mates' breathing was like a peaceful lullaby. She absolutely adored that sound.

With a smile, Riley was about the pass into the peaceful realm of dreams when she felt magic flow into the wards protecting her tent. Only a handful of people could access those wards, the only one outside of Riley's power being Kushina. Madara and Hashirama didn't need to go through the wards as they could just de-summon themselves back to Riley's body in case of an emergency.

Riley was quick to sit up, startling Gaia awake at the sudden movement, and causing the rest of her fellow mates to begin to stir.

Riley's eyes came to focus on the entrance to her tent as Arturia stumbled in, obviously incredibly drunk.

"Ri-Riley! We must talk!" Arturia stated a bit louder then she probably meant to. Riley stared at her with confusion, wondering how she got in, when it finally clicked. Arturia and Riley already shared a bond due to Arturia's servant oath, the wards must have recognized her as part of Riley and let her in.

"Okay." Riley stated with a smile, realizing that there was no danger. Riley's mates groaned out in annoyance or confusion as they pulled themselves awake. The only one fully awake was Gaia whom stared at Arturia with a bit of confusion. Her uncertainty lasted for only a few moments until she realized that her upper half was exposed to the blonde Knight.

Riley herself was also fully nude, with her upper half available for view.

Riley slowly started to smirk as Arturia's drunken self slowly seemed to take note of Riley's state of dress. Arturia's eyes settled on Riley's breasts for a few moments and she stared for several long seconds before returning her gaze to Riley's face.

"Me and your breasts need to have a conversation." Arturia stated. Though she didn't slur her words, it was obvious that she was completely wasted.

Riley cocked an eye brow at that, and a few of her mates either gave each other looks, wondering if they'd heard her right, or they let out laughs.

"I've never had someone say that to me with a straight face before, but alright." Riley replied earning more giggles from her mates.

"I think someone needs to help Arturia lay down, she doesn't look fit for travel." Katie noted with a smirk.

"I'm perfectly fine to travel. I could march across the channel right now, if I wanted to." Arturia countered as she shot a look a Katie, or more precisely, a few feet to Katie's left.

"What Channel?" Kaede inquired.

"I think she's referring to the English Channel." Katie responded earning a nod of understanding and agreement from Kaede.

"So you wanna talk with me or my boobs first?" Riley inquired with a smirk.

"… … Wow…" Arturia muttered as her gaze drifted back to Riley's chest.

Riley's smirk grew and she quickly shot out of bed, walking right up to Arturia, unworried about her lack of attire.

"I think you need to go lie down, Arturia. You've obviously had to much to drink." Riley stated as Arturia returned her gaze to Riley's.

"I can't go yet. I have to tell you how I feel." Arturia responded.

"Wandering into my tent in the middle of the night, drunk out of your skull, and admiring my tits, tells me exactly what I wanted to know." Riley stated as the Dementor King materialized around her and Riley stepped forward taking Arturia's chin in her hand, lifting her face a bit and bringing her lips to meet with Arturia's, the kiss was simple and gentle, but it obviously made quite the impression.

"Wow..." Arturia muttered, her eyes wide, as she brushed her lips with her fingers.

"Let's go." Riley stated, as she placed an arm around Arturia's waist and started to guide her out of the tent. She threw a look back at her mates, finding them grinning at her, or giving her knowing looks. "I'll be right back." Riley called back to them as she led Arturia out of her tent.

Arturia payed little attention to where she was going. Instead she continued to feel her lips, obviously enraptured by the feeling of Riley's kiss.

Just outside of Riley's tent, Riley came upon an interesting sight. Kushina was on the ground, both her swords drawn. She looked like she had passed out while trying to fight something. Next to her, was Hashirama, who was laying on his back staring up at the sky, and a few feet away was Madara who was the only one who seemed a bit cohesive, he was busy picking up small stones and putting them on Hashirama's chest. A sizable pile had already appeared.

"Wow… while you were busy partying, you missed one helluva party." Kurama noted.

"What'd she miss?" Riley heard Shukaku's voice speak out over her newly established bond with Gaia.

"Son of a whore, I knew it!" Kurama growled out in disappointment.

"Wow." Arturia muttered again, matching Riley's own thoughts on the matter.

"I have a family full of drunkards, great." Riley muttered with a shake of her head.

"Shh Riley, you'll wake Hashirama." Madara shushed her, revealing his own inebriated state, as it was quite obvious that Hashirama was awake, his eyes were fully open and he was staring at the cloudy sky with a big grin.

"I'm not sleeping Madara, I watching the stars." Hashirama stated, earning a look of comical surprise from Madara who seemed to honestly believe that Hashirama was sleeping.

"Grandfather, you can't see any stars." Riley stated as she glanced up at the heavy cloud cover

"Only if you're looking with your eyes." Hashirama replied with a smile.

"Are you drunk and high?" Riley asked with a dumbstruck look.

"No, I'm Hashirama. And he's Madara." Hashirama replied as he sat up, knocking over the small pile of pebbles on his chest. Madara himself looked sad to have lost his pile of rocks.

"Okay… wow. No more Goblin liquor for any of you, that shit is to magical and none of you have even an ounce of goblin blood." Riley stated as she made a bunch of clones and started to guide them all back to their tents. She made sure to save the memories for good blackmail material though. She knew she'd need to use in on her grandfathers when they came down from whatever was going on with them.

Riley also now knew that she needed to have another chat with Arturia. Something deeper was going on with her, she obviously felt something for Riley as her lowered inhibitions could attest to. So something else was bothering her, and Riley intended to find out what.

While the Magical Alliance celebrated their major victory, far from there, in a place separated from time and space as we know it. An Uzumaki woman, stood watch over a small crib.

Inside the crib, sat a small infant with white hair. The baby was quiet as it observed it's surroundings, in it's eyes, a ripple pattern was reflected.

"Soon, my boy… soon you can begin your training. Soon you will be ready for your destiny." Mito Uzumaki cooed to the baby. This child seemed to understand her words, recognize the intent behind them, as curiosity remained in the baby's eyes.

"Soon, my boy, you'll be ready." Mito whispered again, a cold, yet motherly smile creeping across her face.

About a dozen meters away, a low growl emanated, as chains slowly rattled. Behind a massive, chained, and sealed door, something lurked, and it seemed to be aware of what waited on the other side.

Mito's smile never waned, instead it grew. The final pieces were almost in place. It was time to initiate her plan.

-To Be Continued-

Alright there you go, hope you enjoyed, War's moving along, Riley's got a new mate who's eager to take charge and teach the rest of Riley's mates why she's the top dog in Suna. Mito had the baby, which means Riley's sibling is now in play. What's Mito planning and what the hell is waiting behind the door, find out later, Ja Ne!

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