No More

by Sivaatasi

How much crap does a guy have to take just to get a fair shake? The school was out to get him, villagers were trying to ruin his life, and everyone he'd ever loved (admittedly that's not many people in the life of our favorite Jinchuuriki) were vanishing on him. Determined to make a new start, he learns that not everything glittering is gold. AU, Naruto. M (just in case).

10. Chapter 10

A/N: On with the Nukenin Arc. Also, I've added a poll to my profile since the CRA has reared its ugly head. I'd rather not go with the vanilla pairings, so I've left it up to the readers. You have up to five choices. Don't see a lovely lady you want to add? PM me and we'll see what the group thinks.

Note that I've included crossover faces and intentionally opened it up to kunoichi from other villages even though the politics will make things troublesome.

Mr. Paw Paw: Thank you.

Fuyuriku: That addendum at the bottom of the chapter isn't supposed to be a link. It's a citation to where I found the reference for Koaru's alias in case anyone was curious about Norse mythology. It's also good practice to properly cite a source for your writing and I try to stay in the habit.

Unknown Writer: I was going to answer this in-story but I couldn't really find a good spot in this section. Therefore, I'll answer it up-front. How did Shikamaru and Ino know who Kushina Uzumaki is and what she looks like?

It's not a difficult stretch of the imagination really. First off, while Shikamaru is exceedingly intelligent they are both smart students, Ino being second only to the pink-Brainiac in book smarts. Iruka, their homeroom teacher, was actually quite good at his job, which consisted mostly of teaching shinobi history and basic ninjutsu (chakra manipulation and Genin-level applications). His history course included notable shinobi through time, especially notable kunoichi like Tsunade Senju and Kushina Uzumaki, the final royal to the Uzushio Uzumaki and the sole Uzumaki living in Konoha as part of whatever exchange deal was arranged between the two villages as part of their ongoing alliance (that is why Kushina came to Konoha and attended the academy instead of being fully educated in Uzushiogakure).

Oddly enough, Naruto references that same class in Chapter 4, which I still need to go back and edit following Fuyuriku's kind email. I drop breadcrumbs throughout my chapters tying things together like that.

Despite Shikamaru's overwhelming laziness, it actually takes a considerable amount of effort to be so lazy and still pass the academy. You have to actually know the answers before you can selectively and successfully score enough points not to fail (thereby avoiding having to deal with your troublesome mother). It is not unreasonable to expect Konoha academy classes to have pictures of the only other Kage-level kunoichi to have lived in Konoha at the time Tsunade did. Shikamaru was merely connecting the dots after Naruto's announcement in Chapter 8 that he was the sole surviving Uzumaki clan member still in Konoha. From then on, it isn't a huge effort for the pineapple-headed boy to put two and two together.

His comment about her not being the Kushina Uzumaki happened fairly closely to Ino's return to camp (she wasn't all that far away to begin with) and served two purposes: 1) It clued her in to roughly what the conversation was going to be about (or so one could assume) and, 2) it mainly served as Shikamaru trying to convince himself that this was in fact not the real Kushina and instead a henge used by the clone. We the readers know it to be a bit more than that. Shika does not.

Being a little shocked at the choice in appearance and her cryptic warning, he's probably still struggling with the event as he tries to make heads or tails of it.

Well, I've blabbed enough. Back to the story.

~Siva'a-tasi

~III~

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Note: Edited 22 Jan 2019 to clean up grammar and spelling errors missed by autocorrection. Hopefully, the story flows a little better now.

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Disclaimer: Still don't own the Narutoverse nor the Istoriaverse and I am truly saddened by this.

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Chapter 10: Strangers in a Strange Land

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~ Previously on No More ~

"Solve this problem with the Guild, child. Do not make me regret giving you my blessing."

Once again, Aoi Rokushō, under the pseudonym Beissoz, bobbed his head in deference to the arrogant sod lording his status over him. Like the fools in Amegakure, like the fools in Konohagakure, he would learn what a grave mistake it was to betray the Hand of the Thunder God. Rising from his servile pose, Aoi clucked his teeth to get his companion moving.

"Let's go, Snorri." The brown-haired boy wearing still-new light plate stood without a word and fell into step behind his big brother, nervous hands automatically adjust the leather strap across his chest keeping his short blade strapped snugly to his back.

The sooner he could get out from under this man's boot, the sooner they could drop their false identities. The Guild was the real power here and this soft city was just ripe for the taking.

~III~

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~ Orario City: Babel Tower, Dungeon Levels 1 - 4 ~

Aoi plodded along at a leisurely pace, his ears attuned to the sound of stone crackling and crumbling from the light blue walls of their normal dungeon crawl. The "crawling" process was relatively simple. The Ame Jounin would paralyze monsters using senbon dipped in paralytic venom. His sniveling lackey, Koaru, would hack at whatever helpless monster they came across then carve out the mana stone buried deep in the poor beast's chest cavity. So long as they stayed on the upper levels, it was a sure-fire method for powering up the weakling civilian. The only thing Aoi neglected to take into account was the snail-like pace that Koaru's attributes increased at.

Two months now and it was murder on the older man's nerves.

It seemed that failing to actually battle with any of the creepy monsters didn't provide large amounts of excellia and that meant Koaru was lucky if he gained a dozen points a day total, even after spending all day in the stupid dungeon.

The green-haired nukenin tried not to sigh as the pathetic boy struggled with the leaking chest cavity of another kobold. The dog-headed humanoid menaces barely crested Aoi's thigh but a pack of them could bring a world of trouble. He'd nearly lost several cartridges of senbon needles his first week in this place until he got the hang of their swarming habits and he still wasn't sure if he'd found the last of his stray ammunition.

Hephaestus Familia blacksmiths figured out how to make more easily enough but their prices made frequent restocking impossible. Smiths in Orario were a little too proud of their craftsmanship so Aoi figured it best to just be careful with how often and how many he used. He would need to sneak into Kaze no Kuni to restock when he could. Perhaps the old man running his Familia would allow him to take enough time away to make a trip soon.

So, lost in thought was he that he nearly missed the telltale signs of more monsters "birthing" fully-formed from the dungeon's pale walls and floors, the stone splitting and dropping away as bulbous-headed goblins emerged to claim their lives using spindly arms tipped with wicked claws.

"Snorri! To me!" Koaru's head snapped up from his latest trophy and dashed over a still groggy goblin before running past Aoi to press his back directly against his mentor. Fumbling with his blade, he managed to draw it out (without cutting himself this time) to clumsily brandish it away from his chest. As soon as Aoi felt he was safely in place, he thrust his umbrella into the air and let fly with a single tiger seal before hissing out [Jouro Senbon].

The umbrella began to spin, another cartridge of fifty senbon emptying into the dark air of the dungeon layer peppering every humanoid starting a meter out from Aoi's body to the walls of the spacious room they had been working in.

Aoi sighed once the last goblin fell to the earth twitching. It was going to be hell gathering as many of those needles up as he could in the dim lighting available. He set off to help Koaru collect the stones this time. They couldn't afford too many more ambushes because he was too slow to work efficiently.

Ah, the harsh life of a nukenin.

~III~

Shikamaru and Naruto were both seated lotus fashion on the floor of the rough-riding carriage. As transportation went, it wasn't anything fancy but it was sturdily made. With two benches big enough for two people to sit comfortably without rubbing against one another, three if you liked sweaty flesh pressed against someone else in a not-so-pleasant fashion, the two boys had opted to sit on the floor facing the carriage doors with their backs leaning against one another for mutual support. Both were seated quietly meditating in an effort to regulate their breathing in the stifling interior and reduce the amount of body sweat generated as the caravan plowed onward towards Orario.

One thing to be said about Istoria, it was a touch warmer than Hi no Kuni and they'd been ecstatic to learn that their trip to Orario would take them a day and a half away from the muggy port of Melen. Naruto had nearly burst into a walking ball of sweat once they left the showers. With the steady trek northward and into the higher elevations, the humidity was slowly falling away as the temperature began to drop with the setting sun.

With his eyes closed and every window and curtain in the coach flung wide open, Naruto focused on his senses and reached outwards listening to the idle sounds of the caravan. He could hear the general conversation between Ino, Anko and Misha, the Guild rep, as the new pinkette tried to explain to them the basics of life in Orario (she was asking them to be patient) as their permanent hostess, Eina Tulle, would answer all of their questions in much greater detail. Feeling that conversation slowing to a stop (and her pink eyes settling on his hunched shoulders once again), Naruto moved out past the coach and channeled a trickle of chakra to his ears.

To him it was a trickle but to the shinobi riding with him in the coach and to the sensitive adventurer escorts Misha introduced them to, it was a beacon of power a blind person could find at fifty paces. Even Misha had no problems picking it up as every hair on her body stood on end and her skin tingled.

Both Kenshin and Kyuubi sweat dropped, the former swearing to resume his chakra control exercises once they were out of Istoria again.

Naruto's ears picked up the conversation between their escorts in the cart behind them just before it cut off suddenly. One had been about to ask someone named Riveria if she was sure about Loki's… then the question died off presumably because of the steady stream of foreign power pouring out of the carriage ahead of their cart. The grey-haired dog boy actually picked up a wicked looking metal glove tipped with claws before the pointy-eared female extended an arm and shook her head negatively.

It was then that Naruto realized that he could almost see them, well, blue images of them with barely any chakra circulating through their bodies. Instead, they had a golden ball of energy swirling in their chests where their hearts should have been, each ball holding different colored motes swirling around it. He also noted that the ball of energy in each one of their escorts was about the same size, the orb belonging to the female Misha had called an "elf" being slightly brighter and larger than the others.

With a sigh, he released the flow of chakra and opened his eyes to gaze out the window as the countryside rolled on by.

That night they made camp giving the visitors a chance to stretch their legs. While Naruto and Shika set up the shared male tent, Naruto sent a clone over to help Ino with the female's shelter, something she appreciated each time that he remembered as Asuma and Anko never lent a hand. The blond intelligence gatherer noticed that the solid clone proved to be of high interest to the armored escort as they continued to evaluate the shinobi from the Land of Fire.

~III~

The next morning, the Konoha Quintet piled into the loaded carriage and resumed their positions as Misha paused to answer questions from their security escorts. Ino leaned forward and grabbed Naruto's attention with a whispered, "psst!"

"Hm?" he barked out lazily opening one azure eye to focus on her. Despite growing annoyed at his adoption of Shikamaru's amazingly horrible habits, she glanced once out the window before turning back to her teammate.

"I think you should stop using any chakra techniques around those guys. They're a little too interested in you in my opinion." The surprised Genin opened both eyes and stared into her ice blues for several seconds, which made her a bit uncomfortable, before nodding his thanks.

"Will do, Ino-chan." Without another thought, he closed his lids again and leaned back against his exit buddy completely missing Ino's raging blush at the familiar suffix to her name.

Anko didn't and the smirk on her face said plainly as much. Unfortunately, Misha scrambled into her seat on the bench and thumped twice on the coach door indicating the convoy should get started before Anko could make much of it.

"Well, I hope everyone slept well?" She was unseasonably chipper to Shikamaru's sleep-deprived mind. "Next stop should be Orario itself! We should be there just before lunch."

Their perky Guild person seemed quite relaxed but Asuma, Anko and Ino all recognized her continued interest in the blond sitting cross-legged on the coach floor. Ino scowled more than once at the pink dusting covering the girl's cheeks and fought the overwhelming urge to throttle her every time she blushed. Between this Guild floozy and the two half-naked Amazons, Tione and Tiona, there were far too many women taking far too keen an interest in her teammate.

It wasn't like it was any of her business, but she couldn't have them jeopardizing the Konoha mission and distracting Naruto with their flirtations. To her, that was a serious threat. Yup, that had to be it. Deep in her heart she knew that to be the only reason for her irritation. Yup, nothing else.

~III~

"Whatever that was they boy did yesterday, it's gone now." Riveria relaxed and turned her focus back to the rolling country ahead of the coach in front of their cart. It annoyed her that these outsiders were considered important enough for a covered carriage and her team was not but that lasted only long enough to get a feel for the bursting levels of power from the two older combatants and the younger male with those stunning deep blue eyes. If possible, his power exceeded his so-called instructors but seemed less in control, which concerned her after their morning discussion with the Guild receptionist.

None of these Konohans had received a blessing and, theoretically, should not have been any stronger than a peasant farmer. The fact that the other two youngsters were nearly half her strength, the fact that the blond boy overshadowed her, and the fact that the two older ones were their teachers made her nervous. Loki would not be pleased to hear that she lost them to another Familia so Riveria would need to be quick once they closed on the city's walls. Bete would need to make up for nearly ruining things by trying to pick a fight with the feral boy during camp last night and she could think of nothing better than for him to burn off his excess energy than running messages.

He was the fastest of their group regardless but being treated like a common messenger would humble him just enough.

Loki needed to know about these three powerhouses. Perhaps they could find a use for the girl since, according to Misha, she wanted to be a healer.

The other boy they would have to train up somehow. Perhaps he could provide janitorial services.

Her thoughts were interrupted by Bete's growling whine.

"C'mon Riv!" Oh, she hated when he did that. "We know damn well who that was an' he coulda been markin' us. You should have let me test him!" Now he was just being petulant.

"That is not our place and you know it." She looked over her left shoulder and cut a wicked glare until the lanky werewolf flopped down into the cart bed, his arms dangling loosely over the rails. "That is for Finn and Loki herself. You will do your part once we reach home."

The blue tattoo on his left cheek twisted up with his snarl, his frustrated grumbling losing to the clattering rumble of the cart's wheels over the rocky terrain. Turning back to the road ahead, Riveria let a tiny smile crinkle up the corners of her dainty mouth.

'Yes, just humble enough.'

By highsun, the great walls of Orario came into view. Spearing up through the heart of the city and into the clouds above, Riveria could make out the stone tower dominating the city's landscape as nothing else infringed upon its command of the skyline.

As she hopped down to announce the return of their party to the city with its dignitaries intact, Riveria noted with a happy sigh the angry face of the melee-focused wolf as he slipped into the gate and off to find their goddess.

The race had officially begun.

~III~

Still huddled up inside the coach, Naruto's gaze took in as much as Orario had to offer him by way of distraction. The gate guards only gave only a cursory glance inside the conveyance immediately losing interest with the smiling wave of Guildwoman Misha. Naruto found this lack of serious security… disconcerting.

Inside the distractions became more appealing to the eye.

The trailing cart disappeared as the coach could only move with the ebb and flow of street traffic, the city's tightly paved cobblestone streets evening out the jaunty ride to a steady staccato of wheels. Just outside his window, one of the barely-clothed Amazonians strode along with cat-like grace, her long black hair swaying gently from side to side. From time to time, her face would peer into the rolling vehicle and lock eyes with the blond Genin, something deeper twinkling in the murky depths of those brown pools as her lithe figure jiggled and swayed back and forth.

Naruto slid his orbs a hair to the right and locked onto hers instead of viewing her through his periphery, a stare she held for many minutes before casually turning away to scan nearby roofs and side alleys. Seeing that the game of cat and mouse was over for now, he broke away from her womanly charms and took in the other surprises that continued to make no sense.

For instance, the wide diversity in races like the pointy-hat wearing short people with beards ranging from white to red and nearly every color in between. The only consistency being that hat colors tended to clump together, bright blues with bright blues and shining reds with shining reds. Misha noticed his interest and called them Gnomes, saying that they were part of the fae folk that made Orario their home.

She also pointed out different types of animal people similar to the werewolf that escorted them. There were the dog-like Chienthropes, of which she reminded him that he should never call Bete one as the two races were not the same, and the boar-like Boaz. Naruto nodded attentively even as several cat-like women walked past the coach's window, their sharp eyes noting his feral features and blushing at his gaze. Some even stopped to watch him pass by with curious stares on their faces, which was quite the opposite reaction when a cute bunny-eared woman locked eyes with him before streaking off in terror.

He missed Ino's hands balling into fists on her lap just behind him and Anko's knowing smirk as she watched it play out.

Misha pointed out the tiny Prum, correcting him when he commented that the city must be very safe for the children to freely wander about without their parents. In truth, Prum were hardly larger than small children. It was the intelligence in their faces that told them apart.

Elves, Dwarves, countless demi-human, spirit races, and half-breeds aside, Orario was turning out to be quite the melting pot overflowing in its humanity. He was thinking that finding Koaru Aono in this place was going to be much harder than they expected. Orario was easily the size of Konoha with twice the people, its structures tightly packed together to maximize as much space as possible.

Orario having clearly not worked out a suitable solution concerning architecture versus population density, the cart came to an abrupt stop in front of a large, multi-level building situated in the middle of a main artery, all of which apparently led to the heart of the city springing up around the spire at its core. Stepping out of the coach and into the full light of a busy Orarian day, Naruto stretched the kinks out of his back before moving up the steps after the pink mop of bouncing hair.

He caught out of the corner of his eye the escort group loitering at the bottom of the stairs as the coach rumbled away, his eyes catching Anko's and Asuma's in turn as they nodded, indicating both had noticed as well. Grimacing at their more than familiar interest in Konoha shinobi, Naruto turned his eyes inside to the brightly-lit foyer of the well-appointed Guild headquarters and the now stopped back of one Misha Flott.

She appeared flustered and embarrassed as she watched the back of a skinny kid flailing his arms in front of another Guild person behind the counter, who was chastising the boy pretending to be a flightless bird, his stark white hair whipping back and forth as he tried to profusely apologize. Misha turned to the group and bowed, her face flushing red as she apologized over and over again for them having to witness this and hoped that it did not color their opinion of her co-workers.

Naruto merely grinned in response. He'd gotten worse at the academy.

Trying to regain her composure, Misha explained that their appointed Guild rep for the duration of the mission was the angry brown-haired woman behind the counter dressing down the young adventurer, a guy she called Bell Cranell. Eina was his advisor also and Bell had been at this dungeon crawling thing for only a few weeks. According to Misha, he had a bad habit of forgetting his advisor's advice, something that marked him as unreliable and most likely to die before reaching level two as a rookie dungeon crawler.

Naruto chuckled again. If he'd believed everything said about him when he started the academy, he would probably have died during his first year there. Despite his gut instincts, he found himself liking the walking weed even as the curvy half-elf led him away from the counter to what Misha called a "consultation booth," the brunette's finger imperiously pointing the way as Bell walked off around the counter like a man condemned to die, his head hanging low on his chest in defeat.

Misha apologetically motioned for them to take a seat nearby in the waiting area while she brought them refreshments. She had no idea how long Eina was going to take but she promised to steer her their way as soon as she was done with Mr. Bell, as she called him.

Naruto seemed perplexed as Misha referred to all of them as "Mr. This" or "Mrs. That." Perhaps it was how all Guild employees referred to people? They sure were polite to a troublesome fault. Shikamaru, sitting on the far side of Ino, sneezed much to his amusement.

~III~

Inside the soundproofed consultation booth, Eina was standing with a hand covering her shocked mouth as she tried to make sense of Bell's unbelievable growth over the last two weeks. His status numbers had skyrocketed from their lowest "I-rank" beginner levels to some reaching as high as "D-rank." It was unheard of in any realm of an adventurer's experience.

Normal growth over a similar period would have been moving up one level from I to H. If he were really good, perhaps even G but to skip to D and E-ranked status ranges? Not even remotely fathomable. As she gaped on, her mind warred back and forth with moving from his stat numbers to peeking at any skills or talents he may have inscribed lower on his back near the bottom of his falna blessing, the gift of his goddess.

The rational part of her brain was calling that urge what it was – a crime. It was a crime worthy of dismissal from the Guild. Those gifts from a deity were closely guarded secrets and any one foolish enough to let that information out found themselves vulnerable to other adventurers or, worse than that, another jealous deity.

Poaching of a deity's follower was not uncommon in Orario and the gods were fickle and flighty at best. As an advisor, it was her duty to protect her charge's abilities, even from herself, but it was a sore temptation at the moment. Her irrationally-curious side wanted to find some justification, any vaguely believable reason, for why this boy's status had increased four, five, even six jumps in only a two-week time period. The urge was making her face blush and her body grow warm with curiosity.

It was for the better that her rational and highly professional side won out and she led a fully-clothed Bell back to the lobby after giving him permission to proceed to the seventh level of the dungeon per his original request. She would need to do some research later to try and find possible skills allowing such unprecedented growth but it would be worth it in the end.

She emerged from the room only to come face-to-face with an over excited Misha frantically motioning to her patiently waiting guests in the lobby, a group of five ninja from the Land of Fire.

Bell's crimson eyeballs glanced over her shoulder to the unusual group and decided perhaps he should hang out a bit with Misha as they both tried to eavesdrop on the important meeting to come.

~III~

The three Genin were sitting on one couch across from their teachers shocked at the apologetic posturing of their permanently assigned Guild representative. Eina Tulle had dragged a chair over so that she could face both groups but not before she spent five minutes apologizing for being delayed with another customer, the same customer trying (and failing) to spy on their conversation over by the counter with their former pink-haired escort.

Perhaps she misunderstood Shikamaru's "I'm so sleepy and bored" look for irritation. Perhaps she mistook Ino's "Oh hell no, she's another freakishly-pretty floozy with big boobs" look as anger. It didn't matter to Naruto. She was very pretty and her slightly pointed ears, less so than a full-blooded elf but clearly more than a human, marked her as a half-elf and drew his interest.

He hid it behind his trademark scowl, which probably only served to heighten the woman's unease before he calmly raised a palm and asked her to relax so they could get on with the meeting. He'd wasted enough time getting here and was anxious to wrap up their business and return home. Ignoring the surprised looks from his teachers and teammates, since none of them were doing anything to stop her groveling, he took a sip of his water and locked his deep blue eyes with Eina's emerald green ones expectantly. She, in turn, shook herself as if recovering from a dream, blushed once more, then set several sheafs of paper on the table between their two couches along with five small leather-bound books written in Kanji labeled, "An Adventurer's Guide to Orario and the Dungeon."

Eina explained quickly that the books were theirs to keep. Having dealt with many visitors from the Elemental Kingdoms, Orario had begun printing their trademark reference books in a language common from that part of the world complete with a handy phrase book near the back with common and useful sayings in both Koine, the common language of the realm, and High Speak, the language of the gods.

Asuma scoffed catching the attention of a blushing Eina.

"Ah, I see. You're another one," she said almost sadly as if taking pity on the bearded man.

"Another one, what?" came the expected response.

"Another non-believer." He didn't deny it. "You will see on your own. I had to see for myself once, but I now know better."

She said it with such conviction that Asuma only stared back in return. Hers wasn't the voice of some raving lunatic or rabid fanatic. She spoke matter-of-factly, as someone that merely saw with her own eyes the evidence that convinced her of the truth. It was the attitude of common sense tied to a reality that he could not accept. Just as the understanding struck him, the moment moved on and Eina passed out a sheet to each person.

"Please find a list of names for each person having arrived in Orario via the ferry at Melen. I was unaware how far back you were required to search so I compiled data from as far back as last year. If you require more names, please allow me a few days to perform the necessary historical checks." Shikamaru actually whistled at that while both Anko and Asuma nodded appreciatively. She was if nothing else highly efficient at her job.

"How do you keep track of newcomers?" Naruto asked as he rifled down the list.

"We don't." He glanced up only to see her face flush warm immediately. "Once they register as new arrivals at the front gates, the daily lists are delivered to the Guild and we compile them. People are free to move about and live how they choose. Those that break the rules are dealt with. Those that become adventurers, are tracked through periodic updates with their gods and those are passed on to the Guild on a voluntary basis."

She waited for him to ask the question floating around behind his eyes but it never came. She could see his mind working furiously but whatever it was disappeared behind a mask of indifference a few seconds later. Eina decided to move on.

"Now, I have only a few more things to discuss then I will open myself to your questions." She pulled out a small journal and a feather-quilled pen. "You, as guests of the Guild, have free reign to move about Orario. Please understand, that this permission does not give you authority to intrude upon Familia matters or their residences without hard proof of wrong doing. The gods are the absolute rule of law in their Familias and accusations without grounds for charges can be," she paused trying to find the correct term, "troublesome." Shikamaru blinked and Ino giggled, something that made the half-elf cock her head to the side in curiosity.

Naruto nodded as he glanced over the names on the list going back three months. These Familia sounded just like the clans back home, which meant they had to be extra careful.

Once Shikamaru waved off Ino's giggle fit as an inside joke on him, she continued. "That said, it is illegal for a mortal to assault a god, the penalty of which is incarceration in Orario's dungeon awaiting public execution if you are caught. Only the gods themselves are free to act in this manner with each other as they operate under their accepted rules for living here on earth with their children."

This rule caused Asuma to frown but he kept his comment to himself. Eina read his facial expression and amended her statement.

"This does not mean that you cannot defend yourself if attacked. It only means that you cannot intentionally set out to attack one without provocation and they know this much. It is rare to see one instigate violence. You see, the deities agree to live among us and willingly suppress their powerful magics. Freedom to attack them would void that agreement under the initial coexistence pact and our world, as we know it, would soon cease to exist." The light came on for the group of five. While they were hesitant to accept the god theory, powerful abilities were not outside the realm of acceptance.

"In the event your target is hiding inside the dungeon itself, you will need to gain the blessing of another god in order to enter and pursue them." She bowed at the waist. "I am sorry, but Guild leadership was unwilling to budge in this matter as it protects us legally if you should," she gulped hesitantly, "perish in trying to retrieve them inside the dungeon itself."

Shikamaru nodded. As troublesome as it was, they were expecting this. "Don't worry, Eina-san. These two are already prepared to join a Familia willing to accept us. We assumed it would make things easier in the end." Asuma smiled as the Genin seamlessly stepped in to lead the conversation. He saw a good leader in the Nara heir and recognized Naruto and Ino falling into their normal support roles alternating between scanning the proffered documents and the milling crowd within the lobby itself. He relaxed and chose to follow along allowing them to keep the tempo under their control.

Eina nodded happily, relief flooding her face since she would not have to immediately report a serious problem back to her supervisor.

"I would like to offer you the following list of active Familia currently operating within Orario. In it you will find a quick description of their patron deity, their Familia symbol if applicable, and what focus each group fills within the city itself." Shikamaru glanced at it briefly before passing it to Ino as she was better at rapid memorization than he was.

"Please be careful here. Familia wars, while not as common as before, are dangerous. While open warfare is frowned upon, the Guild typically does not intervene until the dust has settled and fines or punishment can be levied. Many have died during these breakouts and death is a very permanent misfortune." All three Genin nodded in understanding.

"Most of the information you'll need will be contained in your guides. If you do join a Familia and begin dungeon exploration, any mana crystals you recover should be traded here at our Guild exchange so that you will always receive the best exchange rates. Please beware of cutthroat street exchanges as they regularly charge additional fees for converting mana crystals into Valis, our main currency." She held up several different sized coins with odd numerical markings on them. They were all the same gold color being differentiated solely by size and weight.

"Your chosen deity will grant you their blessing and regularly update your falna status as you gain excellia." She took up her feather pen, clicked the top of it, then turned to them with a smile.

"Now, as your new advisor, are there any questions I can answer for you?"

Shikamaru stepped in and began with some basic information gathering. He started by looking for a recommended place to lodge, to which Eina immediately recommended the Hostess of Fertility¸ a multi-level inn located on the Western Road almost due south of the Guild. It was fairly well-located, was close to Guild Headquarters (and by default Eina), and was widely-regarded as a city favorite.

"As team lead, I'll be working with you to share information while we get these two into a respectable Familia." He nodded his head politely in her direction, causing the admittedly pretty woman to blush. "Please take care of me."

Shikamaru secretly found her very appealing. Her snug-fitting uniform was professional yet hinted at her full curves and long, slender legs. It was getting difficult to hide his attraction, but they needed to get through this in a timely fashion. It was getting late and Naruto's angry stomach was beginning to both annoy and embarrass him.

Before too long, the conversation winded down and the questions ended. Naruto noticed the white-haired boy start as if remembering something right before darting outside, his finger pointing to several names of interest on the recent additions to the city's census for Shika and Ino to note. They'd have to garner descriptions of the eight names in the hopes of narrowing their search a bit further.

Eight names, while a small amount, were like finding eight needles in a barn filled to the top with hay. This was a huge city.

Leaving the names for Eina to research more information, Shikamaru rose and bowed indicating he'd return tomorrow morning for their physical indicators. For now, they hoped to be able to get a room before it got too late and a bite to eat.

That plan all but ended once they stepped outside the Guild office building and came face to face with a small army of what appeared to be adventurers wearing the same purple clown symbol somewhere on their body. A few faces, the Amazon twins and the fur-faced wolf boy, were quietly nestled among the throng, the latter sneering at the small group as a Prum male with pale blond hair and blue eyes nearly the same shade of blue as Naruto's stepped forward and bowed.

"We would be honored if you would care to join us without a struggle. In the end, it would be better for everyone involved if you cooperated."

Shikamaru promptly frowned as Ino's, "Oh, dip" hissed out from between her pursed lips.

~III~

Bell froze once he stepped onto the front steps of the Guild main branch, his urgent need to return to the church and check on Lady Hestia completely forgotten at the sight of his crush, and her entire Familia, waiting patiently on the street. His face flushed a tomato-like hue as their eyes locked but only for a moment. She almost immediately turned to face the doors to the building behind him and that's when the wheels started turning in his head.

He recognized Loki herself standing at the head of that mob and their intent suddenly rang out loud and clear in his mind.

Loki Familia was here for a hostile acquisition.

They were going to steal the new recruits before anyone else could. Glancing back over his shoulder, his ruby tinted eyes grew enormously wide as he wondered just how powerful the foreigners were to garner the interest of a powerful group like Loki's not even hours into their visit.

His thoughts tumbled away into the back of his mind as the small group in question exited a few minutes later only to calmly meet the glares of the people blocking their exit.

Loki, a thin female wearing tight short shorts and a striped tube shirt-jacket hoodie ensemble that did little to hide the absolute absence of a chest she sported, proudly stepped forward and raked her maroon-colored orbs over the group. Settling her eyes on the blond male standing to the far left, she nodded once and slapped the blond Prum on the back with a grin matching her now slit-like eyes.

"Cut the nice-nice crap. Finn, keep the blond boy and the two older ones. Someone else can take the other two for all I care." While her crew of rugged adventurers nodded happily at her decree, this obviously did not sit well with the "blond boy" focus of her comments.

"Piss off lady. We're not your property to claim." His voice was guttural, angry even. Naruto dropped his jacket on the steps, his body moving to stand between the mob at the bottom of the stairs and his team now centered at his back. Most of the people at the bottom of the stairs openly laughed at him.

This was Loki Familia!

Did he not understand his predicament?

Despite his disrespectful tone, the appointed goddess barked out a bubbly laugh commenting that she was going to enjoy breaking in her newest boy-toy.

"Stay calm, Naruto. Remember, no waves," his eyes glancing sideways to their teachers only to find passive faces taking in the growing drama. Naruto clucked his teeth and scowled.

"Screw that, Shika!" Ino sighed as the angry Genin cracked the knuckles of his hands and rolled his shoulders. "Did you hear them?" He wasn't yelling. In fact, the calm tone of his voice made Ino shiver. "They want to discard you two and run off with us three, like you two are damaged goods or something. You may be okay with not upsetting idiots like this, but I take offense to folks mouthing off about my teammates, my comrades." Ino's eyes melted a little.

Naruto's eyes, however, settled on the still grinning tomboy, his eyes pulsing a bright red, his pupils narrowing briefly to angry black slits as his killing intent, laced with a heavy dose of Kyuubi's youki (because the always-angry bijuu found the prospect of a real fight stimulating), washed over the whole audience making civilians flee for blocks around and lesser fighters buckle at the knees.

Shika grinned. "So, we're no longer annoyances?" Naruto offhandedly waved the comment away.

"Don't push it, brain child." The chuckle behind him made the blond grin as he raised his shoulders enough to make them pop audibly in the now silent courtyard. All eyes were focused on him, and even the formerly smiling ones of the no longer grinning Loki were taking him seriously.

The red haired Familia leader tilted her head over her left shoulder and barked out one word, "Bete." The grey-furred wolf's grin erupted on his tattooed face as he strode forward and lined up with the boy at the top of the stairs.

"This is gonna hurt you more 'an me, boy." Naruto smirked back.

"Famous last words, were they?" Without another quip, the crowd behind the werewolf backed up to block off the street as Naruto descended to the bottom of his perch, the melee fighter backing up to give him room to prepare himself.

~III~

Eina burst through the crowd near the door after alerting her superiors, her face growing tense with serious levels of concern seeing the blond shinobi amicably gliding down the stairs to face off against the werewolf beserker.

"Oh, dear. This is bad," she mumbled out. Not even turning her head nor taking her eyes off the soon-to-be scuffle, Anko took the bait.

"Why is this bad?"

"That is Bete Loga, a level five adventurer with Loki Familia. He's a recognized melee fighter and, although he's not equipped his metal-clawed bracer yet, his metal boots and shin guards are equally dangerous. He is a lot for a non-adventurer to take on right away." The girl seemed genuinely distressed but Anko merely nodded as if they were discussing the weather.

"Good," Asuma joined in. "This will give us a chance to see how well our Shinobi ranking system stacks up against your adventurers. It should also let us know how our chakra usage stacks up to your mana." Eina could only blink in dumbfounded shock at the unenthusiastic discussion as their student was about to be pulverized and stolen right out from under them. Asuma could only grin knowing that Naruto was not a fair one-to-one comparison with anyone.

"You don't understand!" she burst out only to get a raised eyebrow from the taller male in return. "There are few stronger than Loki Familia's warriors! This will be a challenge he won't be able to win!" She was growing noticeably agitated.

"Relax, Eina-chan." The casual familiarity from the purple-headed woman made her blush but did not alleviate her panic. "You would be surprised what the gaki can do."

Swallowing her worry like a rancid lump of fat, Eina turned to watch what she believed was going to be a heavily lopsided battle about to derail their mission in Orario. Maybe the Guild would let her sell tickets at the next Monster Feria after she lost her dignitaries three hours after their arrival?

~III~

Naruto's punch knives stayed in the modified leather belt that held the sheathes tightly against the small of his back, his feet settling into a tight combat stance as his arms rose to guard his core and chin. More than a few noticed his compact form resting lightly on the balls of his feet and wondered what style of combat he preferred. More than a few women noticed the flexing muscle underneath the snug tee shirt and raised approving eyebrows.

Suddenly Bete vanished from Bell's sight. There was a loud thud and a sudden burst of dust at the area around where the shorter blond was standing. Many in Loki Familia were already smiling and preparing to move in to carry away the nearly dead stranger when the dust settled to reveal Bete standing there with his mouth hanging open, his fist caught firmly in the metal-encased hand of the younger fighter. Everyone on Loki Familia's front line paused in shock.

Bete recovered and yanked his hand back before unleashing a furious volley of blows, which the smaller blond either caught, blocked or sidestepped, his palms lightly brushing aside the taller fighter's fists with light taps and nudges. When the werewolf got too close, the blond stepped in past a right-hander and slammed his shoulder into the Loki warrior's chest knocking him backwards three stumbling steps. Roaring with a growing sense of frustration, Bete poured on the speed and began adding roundhouse kicks and front snapkicks to his assault as Naruto leaned back just enough to let them sail harmlessly by. He was watching, sizing up his opponent's skill using as little energy as possible to do it.

Lean backwards a little here. Lean to the right and twist the shoulders a little there. Swat the right cross across and away from his core. Lift the left foot and trap the front snap before he could extend it.

Naruto, being used to fighting the much faster Jounin, was reading the taller animal person like a play book, his shoulders and hips leading each attack as Bete's temper took a greater hold on his combat focus.

"This is impossible!" the werewolf roared, his amber eyes raging in disbelief. "You. Don't. Have. A. Blessing!" Each word was punctuated by a blow or kick, each miss spiking his anger and making his form sloppier by the second. Naruto ducked under his roundhouse-spinning heel-kick combo. The boy then proceeded to slap the taller wolf's one-two fist combo out of the air like annoying children's toys, his sparkling blue eyes shining with merriment before going deathly cold. A shiver suddenly went down the taller man's spine forcing his grey hackles into the air.

Naruto decided he'd seen enough and turned up the heat.

"Toad Reaps the Harvest," Shikamaru muttered out causing Ino's head to snap in his direction.

Bete's next punch, a right cross, sailed over Naruto's head as the shorter blond dipped to the outside of it and sharply twisted his upper body so that his left fist shot up into a wicked uppercut slipping under the Loki boy's extended arm and catching the wolf flat on the chin. The blow connected with a wicked crack, the compression sending a jolt of air out in a burst that ruffled the hair on the nearest Loki Familia members as Bete's eyes partially rolled up into his skull.

Naruto's next punch was a straight smash that caught the handsome nose of his lupus opponent right between the eyes. The force of the blow snapping back his furry head and sending his lanky frame sliding along the ground to stop at his goddess's shocked feet.

Calmly walking back up the stairs, Naruto removed his shirt next revealing a heavily muscled frame before spinning back around to face the rest of Loki Familia with an angry sneer on his face. "Who is next?" he growled out as his eyes raked across the assembled forces refusing to let them pass in peace.

He noticed more than one pair of feminine eyes loitering over his upper body but missed the emerald green pair just behind his left shoulder as they peered from behind Anko.

"Holy shit, son! If you're this powerful without a blessing, I can't wait to get you into my line up!" Not wanting to risk her favorite, Loki looked over her other shoulder and called out another name. "Gareth!"

Murmurs began to go out among the crowd. Loki was calling in one of her big guns, one of her top executives, to fight against an unclaimed boy. Many mortal and immortal eyes were suddenly taking in this challenge now, and Bell shivered as that tingling sensation he'd been feeling lately rolled off his shoulders in the direction of the brave blond trying to defend his friends against an entire Familia of powerful adventurers. His heart went out to them, but he saw the situation as hopeless.

Only one other adventurer had fought and won against Gareth. Ottar, of Freya Familia, was a monster in more ways than one.

"Naruto!" The blond paused as he stepped once more off the top stair to face his next opponent, a powerful looking Dwarf from what he could see, wearing thicker armor and brandishing a heavy hammer easily in one hand. Naruto took his eyes off the bulging muscles of his next opponent and met the concerned gaze of his big sister, his eyes sweeping over the heavily-blushing face of the beautiful half-elf advisor, flushed face and all, refusing to meet his gaze.

"You'd better drop the resistance seals. Something tells me you're going to need all of your strength and speed for this one." Every pair of eyes on the street bulged despite not knowing what a seal was. They knew what training resistance meant and, if the boy had beaten Bete with them on, Gareth was in for one hell of a fight.

He was only one level above Bete and, while that constituted a huge jump in combat power and ability, it was possible that this un-blessed boy possessed similar strength already with whatever these seals were. The thought made Loki a bit uneasy contemplating the possible outcome.

'Fuck it! Gotta end this quick!'

"Forget the one on one. Tione! Tiona! Riveria! Finn! Grab him! We'll come back for the others later!" Many faces started at the declaration as the two Amazonians cautiously stepped forward to stand next to the Dwarf in question.

"Is this wise, goddess Loki? What message does this send-." She never finished her question as Loki overrode her.

"Do you want Freya, or worse, Apollo or Ishtari getting their mitts on this guy?!" That alone shut them up as they all stepped forward to challenge not just a newly weightless Naruto but his two companions.

Tiona laughed. "We know how weak you two are. What do you think you're gonna do against us?" Her laughter died as a dozen puffs of smoke appeared around the three and, when it cleared, twelve more copies of the blond warrior squared off against them.

Tiona laughed once again. "Ha! I've seen something similar before." She turned to her teammates and scoffed loudly. "Don't worry! They're not-."

She was going to say that they weren't real.

She was going to boost her comrade's moral by easing their sudden worry at being outnumbered.

That ended abruptly when one of the copies rushed forward in a blur of motion and planted a fist in her face sending her to the ground in a sprawling tangle of arms and legs.

Loki swore out loud something foul enough to make the slender blond woman standing next to her blush.

Then chaos ensued as the grand melee began.

~III~

For the second time in the same week, Magnus was reeling from sensory overload. His shock bent his proud neck and hunched his shoulders as the words of his scion rang in his perfect ears.

'We shall do no such thing.' It wasn't rushed, or heated, just a bland denial of acceptance. Looking up from the chamber floor, Magnus' eyes reflected shock, but this time disappointment warred alongside dull acceptance.

"I understand your confusion," the midnight scaled patron began from his high perch, "but he will seek us out if he truly is the Walker you claim to have found." Magnus reeled as if he'd been struck, his eyes flying to the pearl-colored Opalessa coiled at the talons of her mother, the fair Marianus.

He saw no reaction even as the hatchling tried to hide the sadness in her eyes, her sleek muzzle pointed to the hard-packed earth of the Chamber of Lights. While the way the multi-hued crystals reflected their pastel tones across her magnificent hide always soothed him, today was not a day to be so enamored. His muzzle whipped to the right as he sought support from Titus who lay similarly beneath and to the side of Poseidus, his sire. The despair present in Opal's sibling mirrored the pale one destined to meld with the newest Walker should he have been male. Titus had been briefly bonded to the last Uzumaki princess, a painful memory that lingered about him like a stagnant thundercloud to this very day.

Magnus felt broken. Betrayed. His long diligence had brought nothing but frustration and anger as his talons cracked and rent the polished stone at his feet.

"This. Can. Not. Stand." The words were spoken, not roared, but his emotion rolled from his massive body in waves. His eyes pleaded once more with their Celestial Clan head to no avail. With a disgusted growl, the massive predator of the deep turned away and plunged into the water-filled pool at the room's center, his unhappy waves sloshing out of its once timid surface in the wake of his passing.

"You wrong him, and you wrong us all," the voice of a teal mass of scales and powerful limbs resting on a lower pedestal spoke out. Titus swung his still growing head over to address Regnus, one of two presiding elders, out of curiosity.

"How so, respected Elder?" Though having seen nearly two-thousand seasons, the smooth-scaled creature resembling a wingless dragon glanced back to the roiling pool as he answered.

"We have waited so long for a survivor. So long. Yet now we lay timidly among the deep waves hiding from the world of man as our cherished struggle perishes among the muck and mire of evil beings." His muzzle shot up to meet Poseidus directly. "The Breaking did more than tear asunder our bonds. It has broken our spirits and now you leave the fate of our clan's continued existence to the whims of fate?"

The massive Boss Summons was unmoved. "You overreact."

"Do I?" Regnus had been just as hopeful as Magnus and the possibility of a Walker was too much to ignore. "How long before our foes hear of your claim upon him? Will they honor our right of Imminent Domain or will they lash out against this hatchling to wound us? To break our spirits completely?"

"We do not know that they will-." Regnus cut him off.

"You do not know that they will not!" the chamber echoed with the force of his voice. "You remember their screams as well as I do, as we honored their wishes to preserve their legacy." The Elder rose stiffly from his perch and moved to the pool. "How many summoning clans fought against our beloved sirens while we hid our shame? How many more will remember and seek out this last one to rub our noses in that same shame once again?"

Having nothing more to say, he plunged muzzle first into the bracing waters. It was time to remind the sea who the true masters were. It was time to remember what it felt like to feel the call.

~III~

Loki couldn't believe her eyes. This kid was a walking wet dream! Powerful magic, powerful body, and damned easy on the eyes if you went for that male thing. Once again, her worried look shot over to her immediate right to make sure Ais was safely behind her before looking out over the flailing tangle of limbs as her team tried to sort out which one was real. Even Tiona had gotten back up as her magic slowly started to convert the blow she took into raw strength.

Good. From the looks of that boy they were trying to subdue, she was going to need it. A quick glance showed the Fel Cloaks gathering along the upper roof ledges of the Guild House. She needed to wrap this up quickly before another deity brought their Familia in to interfere.

Just as she was starting to sort out what was happening (the copies tended to burst into smoke when they took damage and her team was beginning to sort through them working in pairs, her breath caught in her throat as Ais calmly walked away from her and around the fighting mass, up the stairs before just-as-calmly handing her sword over to the dark-haired boy standing behind what she now recognized was the real blond fighter.

The girl never even acknowledged her frantic screams as Loki repeatedly howled her name. She watched in horror as the dark-haired boy almost lazily drew the sword and placed it alongside the bared neck of a peacefully kneeling Ais Wallenstein, Loki's pride and joy. Then the boy's very cold eyes looked up to lock with hers and she saw the depth of pain he was willing to inflict. His eyes said very clearly that, if she didn't call this off, he'd slice her flawless throat wide open and he'd sleep just fine afterwards.

Riveria, who caught the executive's movements sidled up to her goddess who merely nodded her head once to the caster.

Without a second thought, the elf shot off a ball of energy high above the crowd watching as it burst into a mini explosion some ten meters above their heads, the loud popping noise and burst of light stopping the already dwindling melee cold. Some froze with limbs perched between wide open jaws about to bite down. Others had arms drawn back with a club or lead-filled sap preparing to pummel an opponent (hopefully) unconscious rather than bursting another damnable clone. Eight remaining copies of the surprisingly tough boy blinked up in confusion as the Loki group retreated back to their goddess with sullen looks on their faces.

"We're done here. Take your pack of thugs with you and go." Shikamaru's voice was ruthless. He had to be given the fact that Naruto was barely holding himself upright after the rain of blows he'd sustained in that mosh pit. He had to admit it to himself, the guy was stubbornly resilient if nothing else.

"What about Ais?" Loki nearly bawled out. Shikamaru judged his earlier assessment accurate as to this one's importance, his hastily cobbled plan working out this time in an ugly situation of unknowns.

"We'll release her once you guys are long gone. Now get to steppin'." He gently touched the blade to her neck, the golden eyes on the blond growing large with concern as she flinched.

Loki clucked her teeth before motioning for her group to move away slowly. "Harm her and we'll wipe you out. None of this capture crap!" Shikamaru nodded, his left arm surreptitiously scrambling for a better grip on Ino's belt as she leaned against his shoulder.

"You made your play and lost lady. Take the loss for what it is and move on graciously." Even after they were out of sight, he still waited three minutes before removing the blade and re-sheathing it. Suddenly the blond woman jumped up from the ground, her hand flying to her neck to check for cuts only to come away clean. When Ino stood up and backed away, he released her belt then handed the cased weapon back to its owner, who nodded silently before turning on her heels and walking quietly away.

"Troublesome," was all Shikamaru could think to say before looking at the heavily bruised and battered Naruto slumped over at the top of the steps. "You okay Naruto?" The boy tiredly waved his hand about before flopping over onto his back, his bruises slowly fading away from view before Ino's very surprised eyes.

Over by Asuma and Anko, Eina was apologizing profusely on behalf of the Guild and offering an escort to get them safely to their destination, her eyes flickering over the prone body of the blond male. Her parting words were that the attacking Familia would be fined heavily, a portion of those fines going to their group as compensation to help pay for treatment. As the group moved off, no one noticed Bell slipping away in a rush to have urgent words with his own goddess, Hestia.

~III~

As soon as Naruto was recovered enough to walk, they got moving. Apparently, news of their tussle with Loki Familia traveled even faster as the crowded street literally parted like a beaded curtain in Konoha's Red Light District before the scowling blond lead of their group.

No one wanted to go toe-to-toe with a guy that could take on most of Loki's group single handedly, at least not right away. They did notice several onlookers following from the roof tops at a discreet distance as they stayed to the main roads and worked their way towards the Hostess. Team Ten found a rather stout woman waiting for them at the entrance with her meaty hands fisted on wide hips, her trademark green dress and white apron marking her as part of the establishment. Her commanding tone marked her as the proprietress. After studying them all, she nodded once.

"I'm Mia. Rules here are pretty easy. No fightin' within my place. This here is for eatin' and drinkin'. You want more than that, you take it outside, hear me?" Once they all agreed to her terms, she spun about and stormed back inside to resume her duties behind the bar.

The original plan for two rooms changed as Anko asked for one with a couple beds. Mia shrugged and gave them one with three beds, the biggest she had. Given their run in first thing, the larger woman could understand their reluctance at being separated.

Not everyone respected the neutral territory rule of the Hostess like they should and a group was harder to take unawares.

Three beds. Naruto and Shika opted to use their bedrolls on the floor and that pretty much settled the rest. They'd have to take turns in the communal bath going in groups to avoid being alone until they could find a Familia of their own. Letting the girls go first, they all paused as a knock sounded on the far side of the room's door right as Ino reached for the handle. Stepping away from the now open portal, Naruto could see the same white-haired boy from earlier with a shorter, and nearly naked (despite the thin dress she was wearing) female with dark blue hair tied up in twin ponytails.

Her white dress did little to hide her figure as the smiling lad bowed politely and introduced goddess Hestia, his Familia leader.

"We'd like to offer our help!" he proudly chirped out happily as the five room occupants blinked back owlishly like he was completely off his nutter.

~III~

Gathered around one of the beds, Hestia laid out the history of the gods as she knew it hoping to win new allies, at least temporarily, to her cause.

"Long ago, we the gods descended to the lower world of you, our children, seeking excitement." Her eyes took on a far away shine. "And so, we decided that we would live here in the lower world forever. Sealing our godly powers away, we would live happily, surrounded by discomfort and inconvenience. The only thing we could grant to you is the Blessing, the power to fight monsters.

"Those children to whom this power is granted become family to the god: Familia." Shikamaru sighed loudly as his boredom took over. Unfortunately, it also stopped the small goddess in her tracks.

"We understand that much." He held up his small adventurer's guide as an example. "What we want to know is what you get out of helping us."

The goddess's eyes narrowed at the shrewd negotiator but nodded, nonetheless. "I gain temporary help for my Bell-kun." She inclined her head towards the blushing teen boy that looked more like a rabbit with each passing moment.

"He's all I have; he's the only member of my Familia and he's nearly died on me twice already having been at this only a few weeks." She sighed as her cherubic cheeks puffed out in frustration. The ruby-eyed Bell's head dipped in shame as his hand shot up to the back of his neck eerily similar to a certain blond on their shinobi team.

"You do realize that we'll have to leave once our mission is completed, right?" Again, the goddess nodded.

"He's strong," her pigtails swinging about as she indicated Naruto with her up-tilted chin. "He's strong enough to protect Bell-kun by himself if reports are true. It's my hope that he can teach Bell a thing or two about fighting while he's here." Her eyes indicated the twin blade handles sticking out from behind Naruto's v-shaped back.

"In exchange for my Blessing, I'll take any help you can provide Bell while you're here and I'll give mine gladly in any way that I can." Naruto rose from the floor like a wraith and stood before the diminutive goddess.

"I'll do it." He sounded convinced already. Shikamaru merely looked up at him with his unasked question all over his face.

"She isn't doing this out of selfish reasons, unlike that Loki woman." Naruto's deep blue orbs never left hers. "She is offering us what she can in the hopes that we'll help someone she obviously cares a great deal about, someone precious to her." He turned to face his teammates. "She doesn't see us as property to claim or steal and that's worthy of my respect. I understand her desire." His eyes locked briefly with Anko's before his face turned to once again meet with the small woman's eyes as her smile blossomed full of hope.

Asuma did not miss the faint blush coloring the snake summoner's cheeks.

"I'll join your Familia until we have to leave." He held out his hand for her to shake, one she took readily. "What do you need me to do?"

She hopped up, her disproportionately large boobs bouncing nearly out of their barely-confined enclosure.

"I need you to take off your shirt and lie down on the bed!" Naruto's face contorted in confusion as he nervously prodded his ear with a pinky.

"Excuse me? Run that by me again?" It took a second, but Hestia's face took on a healthy sheen of red as her hands began waving back and forth in front of her chest causing some interesting palpitations in that area as they jogged side to side in time with her movements.

"Ah, I meant lay down on your stomach. I need to inscribe the Blessing on your back." Naruto chuckled as he stripped out of his shirt, a sight of rippling hard lines and bulging mounds of flesh that stole Hestia's breath, much to Ino's annoyance, before he spread out face first on the nearest mattress. Hestia promptly scrambled on after him as she straddled his hips in her barely-decent garment.

The knife scabbards made it impossible to sit on his lower back, which would have been more comfortable. Instead she pricked her finger then leaned forward far enough to rest her left hand on his shoulder blade. Tracing intricate patterns along the skin of his back, the thin streaks of red ichor began to pulse with golden trails of light as they melded into his skin.

Naruto could feel the warmth lingering as her finger swirled around his upper back, her delicate digit overlaying an intricate pattern that reached from his lower ribs to the middle of his shoulder blades. Then his entire back flushed with heat that bordered on the uncomfortable.

Hestia's pinprick of a wound closed immediately after she made the final rune in High Speak, her palm slapping down in the middle of his spine as a golden glow began to suffuse his upper body. Across the room, the boy's teammates stared in awe at the amount of power flowing from the petite woman into the body of their jinchuuriki, the light pulsing repeatedly from the symbols etching themselves into his skin. Deep inside Anko worried, her teeth chewing at her lower lip as she feared for how this might affect the nine-tailed monster of her village's worst nightmares.

Raising her body to an upright position, Hestia lifted both hands placing her palms flat together and began to chant.

"All-Father, blessed keeper of Light,

Guide and protect our paths as we cherish and nurture the flames of their youth;

"Through breath and blood and hope and faith,

Endow the spirit of this Blessing, the falna of our heavenly plane in this fragile vessel;

"Strengthen what falters, mend what breaks, heal what hurts to our final breaths.

"Together as one, our love spreads among the flock."

The glow across his flesh flashed once more then dwindled to a bed of floating hieroglyphs and numbers just above the skin of his back. Ino's eyes goggled as the displays of symbols clustered around a brazier holding a swirling flame, the lowest layer showing "Level One" and all of the corresponding words and matching numbers showing either a "S," "SS," and in one case "SSS." She couldn't make out more before the petite goddess leaned forward and pressed all of the glowing symbols like an overstuffed sandwich into Naruto's back, her eyes wide in surprise as the glow faded from view.

~III~

The fox looked up from his nap, the excitement of the day long faded, as the metal seal welded into the bars of his gilded cage began to glow on one of the four main nexus conduits. The western ley line pulsed and flexed, the metal squealing something terrible making the bijuu's ears cringe. Slowly the bulging metal molded itself into a circular seal with the symbol for Ēteru, or Ethereum, the new symbol pulsing with one final explosion of golden light.

That left one more major conduit and four minor ones located halfway between each major port like the points on a compass.

To his left side, a sluice gate opened up in the sewer wall near the floor and a flood of reddish liquid began to flow into it. The fox grunted in poor humor as his head spun around to look at the center tail in his waving bunch of nine as the color rapidly drained from the tip all the way to its base.

Laying the limb back down into the sopping floor of his cage, he rested his head once again on his massive paws and closed his eyes. He wasn't worried about the energy draining from a single tail as it would replenish soon enough. He was more impressed that the boy had managed to tap into something he probably knew nothing about.

The meat sack was full of surprises it seemed.

~III~

"What were those bursts of light at each layer of numbers on Naruto's back?" Anko's question broke the silence as Hestia's hands stayed on his lower back as if trying to keep something hidden from view. Everyone could see with the light gone that those pulsing symbols and images had transcribed themselves into a complicated tattoo of sorts.

"That was the falna adjusting to his life's experiences. As an adventurer levels, the falna, which modulates how much mana one can absorb, molds and processes into powerful physical and magical effects. In turn, it helps to strengthen the body's natural abilities, their strength, endurance, intelligence, agility, defense, and magic power." Without thinking, almost as if it were habit, she held out a hand to Bell. In return, the shocked boy handed her a piece of brown paper that she placed along Naruto's skin right above his Blessing record. Pressing it flat, she burst another pulse of power which burned a copy of his status on it before lifting the parchment off and flipping it over so that the words were readable. Once again, she took in a shuddering breath before lifting the paper up towards the purple-haired woman.

Blinking in shock, Anko took it and read what was transcribed in Kanji.

[Naruto Uzumaki] Level 4

Belongs to: Hestia Familia

Home: Hidden Room Under the Church

Job: Adventurer

Deepest Exploration: None

Weapon: Punch Knife, Kunai, Stinger Throwing Knives, Fists and Feet

Wealth: 0 Valis

Strength: SS 1002 Defense: SS 1010 Agility: SS 1107 Utility: E 417 Magic: H 150

[Magic]

Ifrit Salamander: Burning Wrath of the Apocalypse – Self-Immolating flames providing complete immunity to natural and magical flames below draconic strength (reduced effectiveness); Monstrous levels of combustion and absorption through direct contact; Branching point for mastering additional forms of fire magic.

Fae Borealus – Endows the caster with the ability to inscribe normal and magical runes into corporeal objects (only) through use of mana.

[Developmental Abilities]

Concurrent Chanting – A high level technique that involves casting magic while fighting or moving around; reduces the chance for Ignis Fatuus due to loss of magical control through technical failure.

Titanic Resistance: Negates the effects of abnormalities such as poisons or paralytic toxins.

Luck of the Devil: Random improvement of individual luck, such as finding dungeon resources or gambling. Effects are reduced when applied to intentional moments of conflict resolution as opposed to random acts of providence.

[Skills]

Liaris Freese: Iron Will of the Kraken – This skill increases Naruto's growth so long as he maintains a driving desire to reach a specific goal. While the driving focus can change over time, the skill's impact remains in effect. As an added bonus, this Iron Will provides immunity to charm, status and mind controlling affects such as fear, possession, and hypnosis.

Arch Nemesis: Heavily increases abilities when fighting against a chosen enemy, be it a single person or a race of enemy, such as minotaurs or dragons; cannot exceed level limitations.

Hestia was nearly speechless. She'd seen that rare skill twice now, and her worried face passed quickly from one young male in her Familia to the other. She could no longer hide the truth as, once Bell saw Naruto's abilities and skills, he'd connect the dots with the speed of his own development. Bell didn't have the Kraken thing but his was a different focus.

An image of that blond tart belonging to Loki flashed through her mind unbidden. It would only be a matter of time before she lost him to another deity or that Ais Wallensomething and that thought drove a stake straight through her heart.

She sighed blowing out a small gust of air once the blond boy carefully folded the paper and stuffed it into his thigh holster despite Bell's curious looks. Apparently, the shinobi were adept at keeping secrets. With a hopeful smile, she looked up at the other four in the room.

"Was there anyone else wanting to join Hestia Familia tonight?"

A few minutes later, all four males were sitting lotus across the room with their backs turned to the now topless Ino laying face-down on the same bed Naruto was splayed across only moments before. While she hadn't cared (Naruto and Shikamaru had both seen her partially naked before during training or while watching her back during bathing on the road) but Naruto had insisted on protecting her modesty. It gave her a warm feeling despite their tempestuous relationship.

So, with her chin resting on her crossed arms, she waited patiently for the self-proclaimed goddess to finish her work, smiling as the light from her back pulsed once before dying to a fading light. It wasn't three times like Naruto's falna had done but she wasn't bottom of the barrel either and that was fine with her.

"Level two, not bad." Hestia ran her fingers lightly over the girl's frustratingly smooth skin before leaning forward and whispering in her ear on the same side her female instructor observed from. "You know, you should really make a move on that blond hunk you're travelling with before those two cuties back in your village do." Ino's eyes burst open as her face turned to get a better look at the woman's sly grin.

"How did you -?" Hestia shrugged it off as a trifle.

"I saw his interactions with them when I scried his past. It's a goddess thing." She smiled innocently. "The brown haired one with the twin buns on her head is cute and he's awfully fond of her well-shaped bottom." Ino gawked and sputtered as the large-breasted midget gently patted her rear. "Then again, the one with dark blue hair like mine is similarly equipped," she leaned back and gently squeezed her obscenely large breasts, "and he seems rather fond of those also." Hestia's grin shot to the left as her eyes locked onto Anko's barely-hidden globes.

Anko's eyebrow rose receiving the hidden message.

"Still, you are still growing, my dear, and soon you'll have all of the equipment you need to catch his eye." She gently patted Ino's back before sliding off of the younger girl's body. "You just need to quit holding back if you ever hope to change his view of you as one of his tormentors from school."

Ino sat up and began wrapping her chest beneath her bindings, her eyes darting over to the backs of the three boys talking casually about dinner to come and something called "spaghetti." Naruto was acting horrifically offended that someone would douse noodles in anything other than miso broth while Bell was chuckling that he might find it surprisingly good if he tried it.

Securing her larger than expected breasts snugly to her body with the sturdy material, Ino slipped on her mesh armor and purple top then took in a deep breath or two to test the fit before turning back to the smug sweater monster.

"Anything interesting I should know about back there?" her thumb indicating her own Blessing.

"Something unusual. You have a magic ability called 'Dia Panakeia,' a rare ability found only among the Fels serving the god Ouranos. To my knowledge, it creates colored spheres that can move about the battle field and heal your allies, or in unlucky cases, an enemy if they intercept them." Ino nodded knowing she'd have to play around with the ability in order to learn its capabilities. "It came with a chant that you'll need to learn in order to use it." She passed a slip of paper to the young lady translated in Kanji that read:

"Pius' staff, Pione's light. Intersect with

the authority of healing and heal everything."

Ino shuddered. It sounded widely indiscriminate and she'd need more selective healing to use in a pitched fight.

"You also have a developmental ability called 'Mage' which increases your casting efficiency. Beyond that, you're an open book ready to be filled." The petite woman frowned with a heavy sigh. "At some point you may want to learn how to cast while moving or fighting so that you don't mess up a chant and spontaneously combust." Ino blanched.

"That can happen?" she squeaked out. The goddess only nodded as if it were a sad but unfortunate truth. Which it was.

"Unfortunately, I can't teach you anything else. If you want to learn healing magic, you might want to spend a few days in the University. They can teach you the basics of mana manipulation and healing in the cleric's ward." Shikamaru's voice rang out on the other side of the room.

"We will put the question to our advisor." Standing and turning to face the now covered Ino and female gang, he zeroed in on the goddess. "Now to our business arrangement in the dungeon."

"What do you mean?" Hestia was confused.

"We're not going to be staying in Orario so large sums of Valis will do us no good. As our compensation for your support, we'll be donating seventy percent of our take to Hestia Familia." Both Bell and Hestia were waving their hands before their respective chests trying to turn the proposal down but Shikamaru plowed on.

"Take it. We don't need the income back home because of a completely different currency system and, from the description we received about your financial situation, this will benefit you once we're gone and it's back to just you and Bell for your own safety. We can deposit the Valis directly into your Familia Guild account, so you won't have to hold on to large sums of money." Hestia blinked in complete surprise.

"We-we have a bank account?" She looked at Bell who merely blushed not sure of whether or not it was true. He hadn't made enough Valis beyond their daily living requirements yet to make it necessary. Shikamaru simply held up his Dungeon Guide and wiggled it under their noses.

"If what Eina-san tells us is true, you should both have one of these. There should be one for adventurers, like you Bell, and one for gods and goddesses, like you Hestia-sama." Hestia blushed sheepishly chiding herself for not reading that accursed encyclopedia. It was just so boring.

"Also, why didn't you lock their statuses?" Another blow rocked the goddess's brain.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Shikamaru pinched the bridge of his nose. So much for all-knowing gods.

"The book says to ensure that your deity 'locks your status,' meaning there is a way to make it vanish from the surface of the skin so that others cannot read it. Really, have you even read your user's manual?" He was perturbed now. This was beyond negligent.

Hestia was trying desperately to convince him that she'd get right on it and tomorrow she'd take care of locking all three after she finished her day of work. They weren't a wealthy Familia so even the goddess had to pitch in.

Deep in his mind, Naruto was planning to change that hinderance to their family as another knock sounded at the door.

Just outside of it stood a nervous Syr, the hostess that had shown them to their room earlier. Her silver hair was tied up beyond her head scarf and her matching eyes sought out the blond Genin on the far side of the room.

"Ah, Naruto-san, Naruto-san!" she called out. "You have visitors waiting downstairs. Please come meet with them as they claim to have important business to discuss with you." Despite his puzzled face, Naruto nodded that he was on his way, a quick glance to his team as they all stood up to join him.

"One for all, Foxy." Naruto blinked at Ino's new nickname for him before striding out past her. He was the point man after all.

What they saw in the busy common room was a large central table holding a good chunk of Loki Familia without their goddess. Instead the blond Prum waited for him to arrive and motioned to an empty chair sandwiched between the Amazon sisters. The elf, the blond swordsmistress, the wolf and a few other family members he didn't recognize rounded out the group.

He noted that the wolf was grumbling curses into his tankard trying to hide the band aids forming "X's" across the bridge of his nose.

Behind him, he could feel Mia's eyes boring into his back.

Once he sat down, the two women on either side of him placed two small sacks of coins the size of medium-sized melons on both sides of his place setting as Eina walked over and stood next to his right shoulder.

"On behalf of the goddess Loki," the Prum began, "please accept this token of our apologies. I hope we can start over with unhurt feelings." The childlike leader spoke unhurriedly, his a voice used to being heard and acknowledged. In that carefully enunciated message, Naruto heard no regret. He was simply a soldier following orders.

"As a representative of the Guild, I recognize that this transaction closes out Loki Familia's responsibilities stemming from their unwarranted attack on Konoha's representatives," chimed in a relieved Eina. Finn bowed from his seated position.

Naruto rose and grabbed all four bags by their tied tops and stepped away from the table before turning back one last time to match stares with the Loki top executive almost as an afterthought.

"The scales are balanced. I wouldn't expect more than that." He turned and walked away much to the pouting displeasure of the slender Tiona. Finn nonchalantly waved away Tione's concerned look.

"We knew this would most likely happen after Loki's brash comments. Give him time to warm up to us." Instead the Loki foot soldier took note of Hestia and his smooth features contorted for the first time. "That, however, might pose a problem."

~III~

Naruto relented after being refused for a third time and the entire group was showed to another table as they sat down for an evening meal. Hestia kept insisting that they keep the Valis since he'd earned it fighting Loki's group prior to joining her Familia so it fell outside of their bargain. Naruto finally gave up and slid two bags over to Anko for the group's loot.

"Naruto-san," the blond's head pivoted to the white-haired knife fighter, "I'm meeting someone to purchase armor tomorrow. Perhaps you would like to join me before we try the dungeon for the first time?" Glancing down at his left gauntlet, Naruto nodded after a short pause saying he was thinking of finding a good smithy anyway. Now he had the Valis to buy what he needed.

Then the spaghetti and ale arrived, and he forgot all else as the first fork full of pasta passed his lips. It was good. Different no doubt, but good.

Hestia leaned back in her chair next to Bell, the boy's enthusiasm rising by the moment as he now had more Familia to bond with. He no longer felt all alone, and it would pain her so once the Konohan group returned to the East. For now, she enjoyed their chatter and light conversation as Bell wormed his way into their hearts. He had the knack for things like that.

Soon enough, with enough ale and food and warm company, the laughter began as the group celebrated the newest Familia additions. At some point, the silver-haired waitress and her Elven co-worker, Lyu, joined in the festivities, presumably to keep the ale flowing.

Naruto, despite his reluctance, began to smile more as the night went on. On more than one occasion, he caught the green-haired elf stealing glimpses his way before finding something interesting in the bottom of her tankard. His eyes darted to a sloshed Asuma, who turned out to be quite the mellow drunk, his slurred voice going on and on about how much he missed his raven-haired beauty. When Anko got tired of laughing at him, she turned to the two serving girls helping themselves to their celebration and asked for something stronger immediately discovering her "acquired taste" for bourbon. It was love at fourth sip. Then it happened.

Naruto chuckled. It was a flicker in the chaos of a rowdy pub but Ino heard it and her already crimson cheeks spread to her neck. It might have helped that she was past three ales into the wind, but the sound caught her ears and made her heart pound in her suddenly too-constricted chest. The sound faded by the time her head swung over to bring his profile into view, but his parted lips and that fanged smile pulled her in. Her body started leaning and she suddenly had a hard time focusing on anything but his inviting lips.

She wanted a kiss. She wanted to kiss those tender lips so badly that she was beginning to feel warm all over, the heat spreading down into her tumbling stomach and beyond.

Her movement caught his eye and suddenly her head was being pressed to his shoulder by a blazingly warm hand layered in heavy callouses. Her eyes were wide, the room was spinning, and the heat from his palm was gently stroking her cheek. Her whole body went rigid, an electric surge shot up her spine, then all of her limbs flushed with a burst of heat. She had the sudden urge to tear off her blouse with the rampant heat wave ravaging her core.

One ice blue peeper was able to roll up enough to see the underside of his strong jaw. He was talking to someone, but his words seemed muffled as her entire consciousness focused on that hand gently laying on her cheek. Somewhere she noted that he smelled like pine needles and she hummed happily.

Before she could force herself to sit up and pull away, something a rather annoyed voice in the back of her mind was chastising her for even considering, his thumb slid up the side of her face and began stroking her temple. The sensation made her entire body convulse in pleasure as Naruto gently rubbed her scalp from the hairline to just above her right ear.

It relaxed her. It soothed her. It also stoked her inner fire and made her breaths come in short bursts with its intimacy. Her eyes shot up again to his chin, her suddenly dry mouth trying to croak out a sound, his name, something to make him look down and see the want in her eyes. It was not to be as he lifted his hand just off her skin, something that made her mewl in disappointment, before gently running his fingers through her hair all at once. The wave of pleasure closed her eyes and they didn't open again as he soothed her straight into unconsciousness.

Naruto chuckled once again when the alcohol in the ale took over and Ino started drooling on his shoulder, her soft snores blowing onto his neck. Seeing that she was comfortably asleep, he turned his attention back to the other people at the table noting Lyu's growing blush and Hestia's contented smile as she relaxed for the first time in the evening.

She arrived tense earlier in the night unsure what to expect from the group of foreigners and now she had three followers to protect her family. It was enough for now.

By the end of the night, Hestia even managed to no longer feel guilty about the extra tiny Blessing she'd given the blond girl to help her win the heart of her secret crush, the Maiden's Wellspring. She couldn't wait to see how the girl's figure reacted once her strength began to grow. If the boy, like all boys, was impressed by large assets, he was in for a pleasant shock in a few years.

~III~

Naruto awoke flat on his back, his body feeling heavier than normal first thing in the morning. He chalked that up to the honey-colored ale he drank the night before and stretched his arms out, his back popping and aligning pleasantly. It was still early, no light coming in yet through the heavy curtains. He could hear Anko and Asuma both snoring up a storm in their beds and he chuckled as he remembered making clones to escort Hestia and Bell home before making more to carry his entire drunken team upstairs then stand watch. He grinned as Ino stretched out her body cutely laying atop his chest as she was and…

"…"

Ino was laying on his bare chest.

"…"

Ino's bare chest was laying pressed against his bare chest.

"…"

Ino's chest was bigger than he thought. Gently shaking his ale-fueled cobwebs out so as to not wake up the peacefully sleeping kunoichi, he gently brushed her long bangs from her face ignoring the pool of drool collecting in the cleft between his pectorals and upper abdominals. His hand transitioned to gently stroking the left side of her face, her cheek and the soft hairs around her temples becoming his favorite targets.

Ino moaned pleasantly and pushed her cheek into his palm, her left hand rising off of his chest to press his hand against her face. She was mumbling something even as he felt her thighs squeeze sensually against the side of his legs and, with a slight sigh, he half-expected to hear Sasuke-teme's name purr from her pouty lips. Oh well, some guys had all the shitty luck.

'Damn, she's gorgeous even first thing in the morning.'

"Nnngh, Na-Naruto… don't… stop. Warm… Don't leave… leave me."

He was stunned. His ears had to be going bad. Even as her right arm slid up under his left and clutched at his sides, his mind tried to deny what he'd heard. It must have been the sleep, the ale. His brain was floundering.

"Stop being so dense, meat sack." Angry as he was at the Kyuubi's intrusion, the flea bag had a point. How could anyone deny this?

His left hand slid up the slumbering girl's back, his fingers brushing just the tips along her pale skin. The smooth lines of her face held him entranced as her lips parted forming a sleepy "O" shape. Ino's head lifted from his chest, drooling string and all, as her back arched revealing both sides of her bulging chest smashed against his ribcage. She exhaled and it was the sexiest thing he'd ever heard, a gentle rush of wind as her eyes fluttered opened in shock and lust.

Ice blue pools of light met sparkling sapphires of the richest blue as time stood still.

~III~

---

[Jutsu Used In This Chapter]

[C-Rank] Ninpon: Jouro Senbon (Sprinkling Needles): Jouro Senbon is a technique utilized by Rain ninjas. After hurling their umbrellas into the air, they unleash a torrent of needles. Using their chakra, they can guide these needles towards their opponent. Aoi is not very adept despite being ranked as a Jounin and often relies on blanketing the area with as many needles as possible.

~III~