Chapter Four — Voyage into the Veiled Thicket

~ Beyond the known horizon, where paths fade into the mist, lies a truth untold, a destiny that insists ~

Flames crackled in the darkness.

Each flicker cast shadows on the bare earth and bathed the night in hues of auburn and gold. The campfire flooded the clearing with warmth, letting off spirals of smoke. Wood snapped into embers among a circle of stone and ash like ruins time had forgotten. Leaves rustled around them, blending into a choir with howls, cries, and shrieks.

Naruto threw a log in and stoked the fire with a stick.

As the flames licked upward and devoured their offering, Malenia approached with two skewers of raw fish.

"Hungry?" She knelt in a seiza pose and handed him one.

He hesitated, eyes flickering between her, the food, and his hands.

'Seriously? Fish?'

He reached out and grabbed the stick.

'There isn't even any broth or noodles...'

He clenched his jaw and placed it over the fire.

'This won't be like ramen at all.'

Malenia joined him. "It's fish, not poison."

"Fish..." He frowned. "Ramen is the only true food, believe it."

The blaze painted a mask of light and gloom on her face as she chuckled. "A warrior must balance their diet. Try it. It might surprise you."

He looked down at the roasting food.

'Maybe she has a point?'

He sighed and flipped it over. Its flesh glistened like treasure from the seabed, and its sweet scent tickled his nostril. A faint allure of running water that spoke of fresh streams and crystal waterfalls flooded his senses.

'Besides, when have I ever backed down from a challenge?'

The fish cooked, its skin crisped, and flesh peeked from its center like a mirage in a desert.

"Take it off the fire." Malenia bit into hers. "It's ready."

He brought it to his mouth and blew on it.

'How bad can it be?'

He took a bite.

It broke beneath his teeth, revealing tender flesh that melted in his mouth. Salt and bitterness hid under juice and sweetness that danced in his mouth as if butterflies among blooming flowers. The soft meat swirled across his tongue, and his taste buds flared with spices he'd never heard of before.

He chewed and swallowed.

'Ramen is still superior. The food of the gods. No doubt about that.'

He took another bite.

'But this ain't bad at all…'

"Why are you so obsessed with ramen?" Malenia nibbled her food. "It cannot be by choice."

Naruto chuckled, swallowed a mouthful of fish, and rubbed his thumb against the edge of his skewer.

'Do I tell her?'

Embers flew from the fire, dancing in upward spirals before they faded into the night. Each flash reflected off his eyes, volcanic rock over the ocean, and cast his features into a ruby. He took another bite and chewed slowly. The meat held a primal essence, a connection to earth and water that resonated within him. He glanced at Malenia as her form swam in and out of shadows against the crackling flames.

'It might be nice to open up to someone for once...'

He took a deep breath.

"When I was little, the Old Man used to give me an orphans' stipend. It wasn't enough to splurge on restaurants, but I had all the groceries I could ever need." He wiped the grease from his hands on his pants and rubbed his fingers across the rough texture of his forehead protector. "My ANBU guards were super cool about teaching me how to cook too."

"However?"

"I always ate alone." He shook his head. "Food loses a lot of its taste when no one ever sits down with you."

She hummed. "What changed?"

He looked down, studying each fiber on his skewer as if he was decoding some intricate ninjutsu scroll. Memories flowed through his mind like a river rushing down the mountain. A ramen stand. A kind smile. A boisterous laughter. Noodles and broth. Company.

"Then..." He smiled. "Then Old Man Ichiraku invited a lonely boy to eat with him."

Malenia's armor clinked like raindrops across a tin roof as she leaned towards him.

"It was the best meal I ever had." He looked up at her. "One bowl became two, then five, then…"

He threw another log at the fire. Sparks shot up in an array of colors and joined the waning stars in their endless dance.

"Eating a balanced diet will never take those memories away from you." Malenia's voice cooed like the whisper of summer winds. "Keep them in your heart, but deny not your body the nutrition it craves."

"Whatever." He threw his empty skewer on the fire. "Ramen is still the ultimate food, believe it."

"Naruto—"

"I don't want to talk about it anymore." He scowled. "Please."

"As you wish."

The light danced on the scarring on her eyes, each flicker casting a ray of orange across the cracks as if it was filling a canyon with fire. The wind purred and brushed crimson locks across her face, and a crow sang into the night.

"Naruto." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Tell me of the skills a ninja of this world must possess."

He blinked twice. "Huh? What kind of question is that?"

"Humor me."

"Well... There's taijutsu. You gotta know how to fight. Ninjutsu, which I'm awesome at. I have my clones, and my Rasengan... and my Transformation Technique is off the charts, believe it!" He scratched the back of his head. "There's also genjutsu, but I suck at those."

"Hm... What of soft skills?" She tilted her head, crimson hair cascading down her face like a ruby curtain.

"Soft skills?"

"Infiltration. Stealth. Interrogation. Covert operations."

"Yeah... I was never any good with any of those..." He grimaced. "Except stealth. Used to give the ANBU back home a good chase."

"But are they essential for a ninja?"

He leaned back and stared at the sky, each speck of twinkling light flickering like fireflies above.

"If you ask the academy teachers, sure. The most important part, really. But they only taught us the bare minimum and shipped us over to our jōnin sensei for further instruction." He clenched his jaw. "Only, Kakashi-sensei never taught us anything."

"Kakashi?"

"Our jōnin instructor on Team 7." He snorted. "A lazy pervert that wasted hours reading that smut book of his instead of training us."

"Then your other team members had similar issues learning these skills?"

"Nah…" He frowned. "They were pretty good."

"Is this something you wish to talk about?"

"No." He sighed. "But thanks for asking."

She nodded and stared back into the fire.

The shadows on her armor flickered, painting a kaleidoscope of contrast on her golden plates like specks of light scattered across a pond. A log crumbled into embers, bathing her visage in red light before she threw another. Wisps of smoke spiraled up and twisted around one another, playing in the cool breeze like swirling silk.

"I cannot teach you soft skills. We will need a competent instructor from this world. You will not be taking on any covert missions in the near future, so matters not. We can leave them for last." The ash rustled as she sifted through the embers with a stick. "How long was Jiraiya planning to train you?"

"About two and a half years... I think." He frowned and sat back, drawing up his knees. "We were supposed to go back to the Leaf after that."

A cool breeze murmured as it danced around them, carrying a chorus of insects into their small clearing like a backdrop at a theater. Crickets chirped, cicadas, cicadas hummed, frogs croaked, and the moon watched it all from above, a playwright enjoying the fruits of the stage they'd set.

"One cannot learn the arts of war in three years." She drummed her fingers on her thigh. "Why did he insist on such a short timeframe?"

"I dunno. Why does Pervy Sage do anything?" Naruto shrugged and stared out into the distance as the leaves whispered to each other in a language only they understood. "Maybe 'cause he thinks we've got an enemy lurking in the shadows or somethin'? Gamakichi overheard him talking about Akatsuki back on Mount Myōboku."

"I see..." She cupped her chin. "It's an issue of protection, not time. Do you know who these Akatsuki are?"

"No." He shook his head and hugged himself tightly. "But if they make Pervy Sage nervous, they must be pretty serious. He ain't one to overreact about these things."

A flock of crows flew above them in a trail of dark feathers and croaking voices, disappearing like ink drops into an ocean of darkness.

"I have no doubt Jiraiya's plan was to drag you all over the continent to evade them." She stretched out her left hand, gaze trailing over the cracks in her skin. "We cannot do that."

"Why?"

"I can defeat anyone in open battle. But prolonged travel through foreign lands, where an opponent may come from anywhere?" She shook her head. "I cannot cover every angle. One ambush, and they might take you from me."

"So, what...?" He looked at her. "What do we do?"

"We need a place in which to settle down. Where I can learn the terrain and prepare to answer any threat against you." She crossed her arms. "However, it must also be vast enough for me to infect the land with Scarlet Rot without affecting people or their way of life."

'Well...'

'Ain't she asking for much?'

'Not to mention that it would have to be a place that won't rat me out to Grandma Tsunade...'

A haze of fiery light doused the clearing, and a scent that spoke of oak, maple, and sweet cedar flooded the forest. Shadows danced like marionettes under a purple sky as if the world above was a canvas and the stars were stage lights piercing the darkness in specks of silver diamonds. Trees towered over the edge of the clearing, groaning with sway of branch and trunk.

His eyes widened. "I know the place!"

Malenia looked at him.

He scrambled up to his feet and dusted off his pant legs. "It's gonna be great, believe it."

"You're certain it meets the criteria?"

"Oh yeah." A smile blossomed on his face like a bloom under rain. "It's a desert, so there's not much for you to corrupt."

"And the locals will not object to our presence?"

He threw his hands behind his neck and laughed. "Nah. A friend of mine has a lot of influence there."

Mossy fingers of vines snaked down from the towering trees, their emerald tendrils reaching for the firelight like grasping hands. A tapestry of leaves, woven in hues of emerald, ochre, and auburn, rustled in the breeze, whispering secrets to the night. Above, the canopy formed a cathedral of branches, their silhouettes stark against the purple canvas of the sky. Diamond dust scattered across the celestial expanse, twinkling like distant campfires in the infinite wilderness above.

"Very well. We shall set out first thing in the morning."

They spent the rest of the night in silence under the canvas of sparkling stars in a black sea. As Naruto stared into the flames, Malenia hummed the lullaby she sang earlier, her melody rising with each new verse like a story painted in golden brushstrokes. Her voice drew all life to listen, lulling the crickets, critters, and birds to silence. Her song echoed into the distance, whispering into the night of a plateau bathed in gold.

Naruto stirred and opened his eyes with his mouth bone-dry. The log he'd fallen asleep on pressed into his cheek, and the rough bark scraped against his skin. Soreness throbbed through his back and limbs. With a groan, he rolled onto his side and stared out into the forest, where the earth yawned, shadows stretching across the grass. Sunlight peeked over the eastern horizon like a lantern casting its warm halo upon the clearing.

As he leaned up on his elbows, his joints creaked and his muscles groaned.

"I know you're tired." Malenia sat next to their roaring campfire, holding fish over it. "But we must depart soon."

'Did...'

'Did she even sleep?'

Naruto nodded and sat up next to her.

She handed him a skewer. "You mentioned yesterday that one of your techniques involves transformation?"

"Yep." He took a bite. "The Transformation Technique. It lets you copy someone else's appearance."

She tapped her gauntlet with her index finger. "Show me."

"But, I'm eating..."

"Do it."

"Alright." He sighed and put down his fish. "Here goes."

He made the hand signs and poured chakra into the technique. A cloud of smoke enveloped him. When it cleared, a perfect replica of Malenia stood in his place.

"I see." She tapped her armor. "Is it a real transformation?"

"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his head. "The regular version taught at the Academy is an illusion, but I have too much chakra for that. So, I developed this."

"Your clones can do the same?"

"They can do whatever I can."

"Can you transform into an item?"

"Sure. I once transformed into a windmill shuriken so Sasuke and I could trick an enemy. Why?"

She unclasped her sword from her hand and handed it to him. "Feel its weight, then have a clone transform into it."

He grasped the hilt.

'Huh... It's lighter than I expected.'

He made a clone.

"Transform." Her scarred eyes remained fixed on him.

'Well... Here goes nothing...'

The clone transformed into the sword.

She grabbed it out of the air and swung it around.

As the blade sliced through the air, her crimson hair swayed like a wave on a stormy ocean. The metal glinted in the sun, and the edge whistled with each cut. Her armor clanked, and her movements flowed like a river carving its path through a valley. She parried an invisible foe and thrust her blade forward.

"Good." She threw the blade to Naruto. "It's a perfect replica."

"So... what was the point of that?"

She clasped her own blade back on. "We needn't wait to find a sword for you to practice with."

"Couldn't I just use yours?"

"I must always be ready for an attack."

"Yeah... That makes sense."

"Now, finish your fish. We must go."

"Malenia..." Naruto groaned. "Can I let go of the sword for like... a minute?"

"No."

"Just one minute?"

"No."

"But my arms hurt."

"You will gain strength."

"I'm plenty strong!"

She chuckled. "Then hold the sword."

They traveled through the wilderness, traversing the terrain like explorers in uncharted waters. Grass rustled underfoot, and leaves whispered as the breeze carried them away. Sunlight bathed the forest in a golden hue, each beam reflecting off Malenia's armor like a beacon on a distant shore.

"C'mon... I gotta pee."

"No."

"Are you seriously gonna make me hold the sword while I pee?"

"You have two hands, do you not?"

He grumbled under his breath and kept walking.

"Make your swing more fluid." Malenia's armor clinked as she corrected his form. "Flow like water rushing through a mountain pass. Never be a hammer smashing an anvil."

Naruto grunted and swung.

His feet sunk into sand, and a warm wind smashed into his face. The sun beat down from the sky like a scorched ember, piercing him with spears of fire with each beam and casting shadows of silhouettes on the vast horizon. His clothes clung to his skin, damp with sweat, and he swatted away a small sand gnat from his neck. The landscape stretched beyond him in a sea of gold, each grain glimmering in the sun as a polished diamond.

He sighed. "Can't we just go to the Hidden Sand?"

"Everything you told me of Gaara of the Desert indicates that he will find us sooner or later." She adjusted his grip on the hilt. "The chances of anyone else doing the same this deep in the desert are almost nonexistent. One would have to be a native to this land to survive it, and we have seen not one hint of human life."

"Yeah, but you're ignoring one important fact."

"I care not that you dislike our living conditions." She chuckled. "I'm enduring the same as you."

"Malenia!" He exhaled. "You're a demigod, you don't count. I wanna stay somewhere that doesn't suck... Without bugs... or sand... or heat..."

"Divinity removes not discomfort, and, in life, one must master every aspect of combat. Training in harsh conditions is vital to success." She moved back and twirled her sword. "Do you know why knights of the Haligtree exercise in the snow?"

He scoffed. "Because they're masochists?"

"Because it slows them down." She pointed her sword at him. "Your fights will not always be in comfortable circumstances."

"But—"

"Hush…" She ruffled his hair. "Swing."

~ Swing ~ "I'm just sick..." ~ Swing ~ "Of eating..." ~ Swing ~ "Scorpions." ~ Swing ~

"Complain not. They're protein."

"They taste gross."

"Taste is irrelevant. A warrior must be capable of foraging for food from whatever they have at hand."

"I haven't..." ~ Swing ~ "Had a bath..." ~ Swing ~ "In three weeks!"

"It's the desert."

"It sucks!"

"It teaches endurance."

"Well..." ~ Swing ~ "I..." ~ Swing ~ "Hate it."

His sword gleamed as it carved through the air, and whistled with each slash. The sand swished with each movement of his feet, like waves upon a rocky shore, and the distant dunes writhed as if man-sized worms were crawling through them. Each breath he took scraped his lungs like razors and clung to his throat, and a faint taste of salt lingered in his mouth. Sweat dripped down his brow and stuck his shirt like a blanket of needles across his skin. His grip wobbled on the hilt as he fought to retain its tightness and strike fluidly.

"How do you even..." ~ Swing ~ "Find..." ~ Swing ~ "All the damn scorpions?"

"The same way I find water."

"Which is?"

"Something you'll learn when the time comes."

"Of course it is..." He groaned. "Can we at least finally make a permanent camp?"

She looked around. "We are deep enough in the desert..."

"Finally!" He dropped the sword and collapsed to his knees. "Thank the Sage!"

"Celebrate not just yet." She chuckled. "We still need to find an oasis."

"Damn it!"

The campfire flickered, casting auburn light and dancing shadows across the sand. The flames flooded him with warmth and the scents of smoke and burning wood. The fire hissed as it fought the desert chill, and sparks rose from it like a firework, scattering into a million twinkling lights that swirled with the stars. Moonlight gleamed in the pond, and grass and shrubs poked through the soil. Malenia leaned against a palm tree and looked at the moon's reflection in the water.

"Say, Malenia..." Naruto chewed on his scorpion. Its rubbery texture scratched his tongue like sandpaper. "Where did you grow up?"

She stayed silent for a moment before sighing and looking up at the night sky.

"Under the shining canopy of the Erdtree, in the Golden City of Leyndell." She smiled. "The bastion of the Golden Order and the linchpin of the rule of the Greater Will. Where gardens flowed with white flowers and silver water, and laughter echoed through the streets."

A flock of birds cawed into the night, their voices ringing through the forest like a symphony. As the leaves swayed in the wind, moonlight bathed them in soft light, each one casting a shadow that spoke of hidden groves in an unknown realm.

"My brother, Miquella, and I lived in a palace at the center of the city." She twirled her finger around her hair. "Every morning, church bells rang to herald a new day, and Queen Marika the Eternal sang from atop the canopy of the Erdtree, a melody all the Lands Between could hear. Even after we left, I... I..."

Naruto leaned forward and put his hand on her knees. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I just..." She shook her head and exhaled. "It has been long since I last saw my mother."

"I'm sorry..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Do... Do you wanna talk about it?"

"Another time, perhaps."

"It's funny... You told me you were a demigod and all, but..." He chuckled. "For some reason, the fact that you're a princess somehow seems more major, you know?"

"Divinity is distant. Most relate it not to the mundane. Royalty, however..."

"Yeah... A princess is way cooler!"

She laughed. "How are you so naïve and so wise in one breath?"

He grinned. "Yeah, I'm kinda special like that."

Dark clouds gathered on the horizon, and the distant dunes rustled as if they were bushes full of rats scuttling about.

"My brother never let the servants bring me breakfast." She looked down. "The trays were bigger than him, yet he bore one on each hand, for he would not eat without me. His little arms could barely handle it..."

"What did you eat?"

"Tea, bread, and cheese. Dessert. Always dessert."

"Aww..." Naruto grinned. "You like sweets?"

She smiled and glanced at him. "When I was young, we'd leave the palace grounds once a week to walk through the city. We'd go along the promenade and stop by Mr. Ashmaven's cart for strawberry tarts and lemonade."

"Mr. Ashmaven?"

"A kindly man with a bald head, a white mustache, and a well-trimmed beard. He was the best baker in Leyndell." She chuckled. "He never took a single coin from us. No matter how hard we insisted."

Naruto laughed. "Sounds like a nice guy."

"Many good people lived in Leyndell in those days." She traced patterns into the sand with her finger and watched them vanish into the wind. "The Royal Library was one of our favorite places. Miquella would read to me about the history of the Erdtree while I played with his hair."

"He liked to read?"

"Yes..." She lay her hand on the sand and let a centipede scuttle over it. "He was a scholar at heart, but... He'd lost his enjoyment in it rather quickly. Finding a cure for me consumed him."

Insects chirped in an orchestra of buzzing and whirring, and a cool breeze caressed them with fingers of floating sand. Vultures cawed overhead, and the fire crackled and popped, its embers spiraling up as if the wind was stealing them away. As the flames danced, Malenia's armor glinted as if threads of gold were woven into each plate. The pond glistened like a mirror under the moon, and the palm trees swayed as the breeze whistled.

"He used to sing for me..." She let the centipede go and wrapped her arms around herself. "He had the most beautiful voice you could possibly imagine."

"Will you sing me one?"

She looked up. "Oh forlorn traveler, head hanging low,

Shadows surround you, where did you go?

Specters whispers, fear clouds your eyes,

But listen to me, a light will rise.

This song's your compass, truthful and bright,

Guiding you onward, burning the night.

Let hope rekindle, let your soul yearn,

Through deepest shadows and darkness stern.

Weary and worn, your journey's been long,

Welcome home now, where you belong.

This haven awaits your peaceful embrace,

So, let sorrow go without a trace."

The palm leaves rustled above them, and their trunks creaked like the floorboards of an old house. Malenia's hair swayed, a waterfall of crimson silk dancing around the scars and cracks on her skin. Each strand gleamed in the light of the fire in threads of molten rubies, and each rise of her chest created shadows on her armor like silhouettes in a forest.

"That was beautiful..." Naruto wiped a tear from his eye. "Your brother sounds awesome."

"He was..."

"What happened to him?"

"He's... asleep." She stood up and went to the water. "I know not if he will ever wake."

"Oh..." Naruto fidgeted with his sword. "I'm sorry."

A log crumbled into embers, its last flame flickering like a candle in the wind before dying. Smoke spiraled up, and Naruto played with the handle of his sword, tracing the grooves in the metal. A small lizard crawled across the ground before disappearing into the grass.

"I miss him." She pushed her hand through the pond, and a tear slid down her cheek. "Oh, how horribly I miss him..."

Naruto sprung up to his feet and went to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face into her lower stomach. He barely reached her hips, but she hugged him back. She held him close, enveloping him in a cocoon of fabric and steel. A faint scent of spring flowers flooded his nose, and warmth radiated from her body. Her armor clinked as she trembled, and the fire hissed.

She tightened her hold and started crying.

SCENE BREAK

"Good. Now, finish the combination with a thrust." Malenia circled him like a hawk watching its prey. "Remember, keep your grip firm. Do not hesitate."

Naruto's boots sunk into the sand with each step, and his clothes clung to his skin like wet paper.

He grunted and struck.

"You're getting better." She adjusted his grip. "Your footwork is improving."

"Thanks..." He panted. "It's hard... believe it."

"The process of mastering any skill is challenging."

"Yeah, yeah..." He rolled his eyes. "Pain is gain... or whatever."

"You will get there. Now, finish the combination."

His blade whistled as it carved its path through the air. Heat raged through the desert like a storm on the sea, and the sun beat down upon him with spears of burning steel. His swings flowed as water rushed down a mountain, each movement blending into another. His sword rushed as a river carving its path through valleys and mountains. Each breath scorched his lungs like needles prickling through the ocean, and sweat glistened on his skin.

"Good." Malenia nodded and moved away. "Now with clones."

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

Naruto and his clones moved in synchronized strikes, each step flowing into another, each cut connecting into the next. The weapons shone in the sun, and each slash cleaved the air like a saber parting waves. They kicked up dust as they twirled across the desert, each step sinking into sand before moving forward with the grace of an eagle soaring through the skies.

"Excellent." She raised her sword. "You may only dodge by Substituting with your clones."

His clones jumped away, each one turning to face her and creating more clones.

The dance began.

Malenia smashed into Naruto with the force of a hurricane. He exploded in a puff of smoke. She rushed the original's new location. He exploded in a puff of smoke. The steps repeated as an echo rushing down a chasm. Her blade sliced through the air, and each strike left nothing but a cloud of smoke in its wake.

"Good." She slashed. "You've improved."

"Thanks." Naruto substituted with a clone. "You still not gonna tell me how you keep singling the real me out?"

She chuckled and slashed. "Not today."

"You know..." He substituted with a clone again. "This has become kinda easy..."

"Because you need only evade." She slashed. "Perhaps we ought to... challenge... your focus."

He squinted. "What does that mean?"

"It means..." She rushed at him. "Tell me about Sakura."

"What?"

~ Thud ~

She smashed her sword into the sand next to him. "You didn't substitute."

"You distracted me!"

"Do you think your enemies will allow you the courtesy of a distraction-free fight?"

He sighed.

"Substitute. Then tell me about Sakura."

"Fine..." He substituted with a clone. "But there's nothing to tell."

~ Slash ~ "There is a great deal to tell."

"No... There isn't..." ~ Poof ~ "Besides, even if there was anything to tell, I don't want to talk about it."

"You cannot circumvent your problems forever. It is the nature of war, of life itself, to overflow with pain and struggle." She twirled her blade in a whirlwind of steel. "To hide from them is to succumb to weakness."

~ Poof ~ "I'm not weak."

"Then tell me about Sakura."

"Stop it!" ~ Poof ~ "I like her and that's it!"

Malenia's blade sung through the air like an orchestra of whispers and echoes. Dust flew in swirling clouds, and sunlight reflected off its polished surface. Its steel gleamed in the sun as if a thousand diamonds were forged into it. It whistled with each strike as if speaking of lost loves and unspoken dreams.

"Can't you just—" ~ Poof ~ "Drop it?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I know what bitterness feels like." She stopped chasing him. "Come with me."

He dispelled his clones and followed her to the pond under the watchful eyes of the silhouette-shadows on the horizon.

They sat next to each other as water whispered and rippled in the wind, its surface glimmering like a mirror under the sun. The grass rustled and swayed to the rhythm of the breeze, and sand shuffled under them. Malenia ran her fingers across the water, sending ripples to spread in concentric rings.

"Out of all the demigods, only three of us received the blessing of the Greater Will and title of Empyrean. My half-sister, Ranni, Miquella, and myself. Yet, of the three of us, Miquella was the most fearsome." Her scarlet hair cascaded down her shoulders and back, framing her features like threads of polished rubies. "He was the shining beacon of the Golden Order and was capable of creating entirely new incantations. The world itself lay on the palm of his hand."

"Why..." Naruto frowned. "Why are you telling me this?"

"He gave it all up for me." She hung her head and stared at the ground. "He abandoned the Erdtree. The Golden Order. The Greater Will. All to cure me."

"I..."

"He planted the Haligtree and watered it with his own blood. He became the very seed of the New Tree. A New Tree for a New Order." She folded her legs up to her chest and hugged herself tightly. "That is why he sleeps. Even now, he rests within the roots of the Haligtree, feeding it with his lifeforce."

"Is... is there any way we can help him?"

"No." She dug her fingers into the sand and smiled at him. "He is stuck in a petrified cycle, for time and tides lay upon the stars, and the stars cannot move. My half-brother, Radahn, saw it fit to freeze the stars in the heavens."

"It's not the same..." Naruto picked up a pebble and threw it into the pond. "You can't compare my unreturned crush on Sakura with... with something huge like that..."

"Bitterness is bitterness." She laid her hand on his shoulder. "Regardless of the source, it will corrode your heart and rot you from the inside out. I know."

He took a deep breath. "What am I supposed to do?"

"One cannot solve a problem without acknowledging its existence." She clasped his shoulder. "Why do you refuse to talk?"

He shook her off and stood up.

"I..." He started pacing. "I just... I just get so angry... I don't know why, but... whenever you mention Sakura, or Kakashi-sensei, or anything related to Team Seven or the Academy really, I just lose it."

She hummed.

"Whenever I think about it, I just can't stand it. I feel like..." He clenched his fist. "Argh… I can't… I can't even figure out what I want to say…"

He stopped pacing and looked down at his hands. They trembled and clenched into fists as he gazed at his skin, knuckles whitening with each second. His teeth ground together, and his fingernails dug into his palms.

"I'm so angry." His voice quivered. "Always... Like... like there's a volcano in my chest..."

"I understand." She knelt next to him and wrapped her arms around him. "To heal is to suffer. It is never easy to face the demons you have spent so long suppressing."

He shook in her embrace, fists trembling and knees wobbling. A tremor ran through him as if he was a small branch in the midst of a storm, clinging onto whatever it could for dear life as it tried to avoid being ripped away from its tree. His breath quickened, each inhale scraping his throat as if fire were burning through it. His heart beat pounded, a rabbit running from a hungry predator, as his chest tightened and muscles seized up.

Malenia stroked his hair and hummed Miquella's song to him.

The full moon shone in a cloudless sky.

Its silver rays bathed the desert in a pale hue like threads of platinum on a canvas of black velvet. Stars glimmered like gems embedded in a night sea, and the wind hummed as it caressed the sand dunes like a mother to her child. The campfire crackled and popped, and wisps of smoke spiraled up and faded into the darkness. Malenia sat cross-legged, her armor gleaming in the moonlight as if threads of gold were woven into each plate. Her crimson hair swayed as if rivers of molten rubies danced on her scarred face.

Naruto sat next to her. "Sorry about today..."

She smiled and put her hand on his shoulder. "Never apologize for discussing your feelings with me."

"Really? Not even when they're annoying?" He rubbed the back of his head. "'Cause they can be super annoying..."

"Yes." She chuckled. "Even when they are 'super annoying'."

The logs popped and snapped in the flames, wisps of smoke spiraling up and dispersing into the night air like threads of cotton in a stream. Insects chirped and hummed around them in a chorus of buzzing and whirring, and the wind whispered as it danced across the dunes. A lizard skittered across the sand and vanished into the grass, and a distant cry echoed through the desert.

"Say, Malenia..." He stared into the fire. "Did you have a best friend? Back in your world? Other than your brother, I mean."

"I did... a long time ago." She stared at the sand. "I only remember the concept of him. The Greater Will took his name and appearance from me when Miquella and I abandoned the Golden Order."

"Can..." He gulped. "Can I ask you a... theoretical question?"

"Of course."

"If your friend had betrayed you and left Leyndell to apprentice under a traitor..." He frowned. "Would you give up on him or do everything you could to save him?"

"Is this what happened to Sasuke?"

He looked down, hugging his knees.

"You should not compare my situation to yours. This is not the Lands Between. No Outer God influences Sasuke. His decisions are his own." She exhaled. "I cannot tell you one way or the other. The bonds of friendship run deep. Only you can estimate when giving Sasuke leeway crosses the threshold of losses you're willing to bear."

"Pervy Sage sure thought I should give up on him." He snorted. "Everyone thinks I should give up on him."

"What does your heart say?"

"I think..." He gripped the hem of his shirt. "I think I can save him."

"Then listen not to others." She squeezed his shoulder. "Follow your convictions to the end, be it glorious or bitter."

He hummed.

Coyotes howled in the distance, their mournful cries echoing across the dunes like the wailing of a child taken from its mother. A falcon cawed and dove towards the earth as if weaving through waves. The fire popped, sending sparks up like glittering specks of fireflies across the darkness above. Leaves rustled with each shift of the breeze, and the palm trees creaked under the winds' touch.

Naruto stood up. "I think I'm gonna go for a walk. I... I need to think."

"Wander not too far. I cannot protect you if I cannot reach you in time."

"Malenia, we're in the middle of the desert." He chuckled. "What could possibly threaten me here?"

"I would still rather accompany you on your walk."

"Please… I just…" He sighed. "I need some time alone. Please?"

She stared at him and took a deep breath. "Please wander not too far."

"No worries." He winked at her and walked away.

He trudged across the sand, boots sinking into the terrain like the hull of a ship sailing on an ocean of gold under the gaze of the silhouette-shadows from the horizon. His clothes clung to his skin like wet paper, and goosebumps erupted on his skin in waves of prickling needles. Clouds floated above him, silver tendrils on a canvas of black velvet like silky threads woven into cloth. The moon cast its halo upon him, a silver spotlight on a dark stage as if calling him to step forward and play his part.

'Sasuke... Why did you have to leave? Why couldn't you just stick around a little longer?'

The sand rustled around him as if man-sized worms were digging through it.

'Everything was going so well...'

A vulture cried above, circling above him in a shadow upon the moon.

'Our team was getting along... We were all gonna get good training... So, why...?'

~ Click ~

'What—'

Lightning rushed through his feet and coursed up his spine, burning each nerve with an inferno of electrical fire. The world slowed to a crawl as each drop of sweat froze mid-fall and every grain of sand halted in its descent. A million needles pierced his skin, and his muscles seized up. His stomach twisted in knots, and his eyes watered. Blood rushed through his ears, a chorus of whispers on the wind like the scuttling of bugs on the forest floor.

He fell on the sand.

His head rolled to the side. His limbs collapsed beside him as if his bones were hollow. A blurry outline hovered over him, holding a needle.

"Malenia..." His shout came out as a wheeze. "H-help..."

The outline plunged the needle into his neck.

Numbness spread down from his neck, and the figure picked him up.

'Malenia...'

The figure jumped forward, carrying him over its shoulder like a sack. He couldn't move his arms or legs. He couldn't move his head. He could only stare back as wind and sand exploded in the distance.

'Did... Did I really wander that far away?'

As the figure ran forward, the silhouette-shadows rushed in the opposite direction, towards the sand and wind, which were quickly gaining on them.

'She knows...'

'Thank the Sage, she knows...'

'She's coming to save me...'

The world blurred as more and more forms rushed into the sandstorm, their forms merging into one amalgam of shadows like ripples in a pond. Every time his captor jumped, another spike of lightning tore through his body. With every step, a bigger hole pooled in his stomach. Every breath grated through his throat with razor blades of air.

Malenia emerged from the sandstorm.

Blood dripped from her sword, while her armor bore specks of it, as if she had walked through crimson rain. Bodies littered the sand behind her, severed into pieces as if they had run into the business end of an industrial wood chopper. She rushed towards him and his captor like a rampaging hurricane, leaving explosions of sand and wind in her wake.

His captor jumped up and landed in mid air on something soft.

Wings flapped.

They flew up.

'No... no, no, no... She can't catch up in—'

Malenia jumped up towards them.

She soared through the air like an arrow, crimson hair flowing like streams of lava. The moonlight burned on her scars, a silver fire devouring the darkness. She reached out with her free hand like a falcon grabbing for its prey.

'Yes!'

'Yes, she can reach me!'

She reached past his cheek, and her fingertips brushed against the back of his neck.

~ Whoosh ~

A gust of wind slammed into her.

She fell back down.

Naruto stared at her descending form, unable to call out or move as flapping wings took him further up. His vision blurred, and the numbness spread into his head. The world dimmed. Shadows crept from the edge of his vision.

He lost consciousness.

That's a wrap for Chapter 4.

Sorry for the long wait, but I hope the chapter meets your expectations. With this, we're officially done with the Introduction Arc. Next up, we have the Desert Clan Arc. Since Malenia and Naruto will be separated, we'll get both their PoVs, so I hope you're as excited as I am.

As always, let me know what you liked and disliked in the reviews, I'm looking forward to hearing it. Also, let me know if you'd like to see any cameo PoVs in the following chapters. I'm thinking of giving you all little snippets into what the other characters in the world are doing at the end of each chapter. Right now, it's just an idea, so I'd love to hear what you all think about it.

Also, check out my p. a. t. r. e. o. n. at: user?u=53437875 (just paste that after p. a. t. r. e. o. n. / (don't forget to remove the spaces)). I'll be posting the deleted content of what used to be Chapter 5 before I outlined the Desert Clans Arc, as well as some fanart of Malenia I'm currently working on. Also, I'm making a poll on which PoV you'd rather like for Chapter 5, Malenia's or Naruto's. They're both outlined, and I will write and publish both of them, but I'd love to hear which you're more excited for. The poll is completely free.

See you in Chapter 5!

Quack, quack