So, here's the neat part: in official Japanese LN, Shadow is called… Shadow. Literally. Not Kage. Shadow. It's transliteration of English word.
And I thought: "Man, wouldn't it be neat for Naruto to have something like that, too?"
Yeah, Naruto gets to be called 'Shadow of Fire'… Not Hokage. Shadow of Fire. Literally.
'Hmm, let's see…'
Cid frowned and focused on his task. It was the last thing to do before he and Naruto go back to shinobi world. Yep, it was about time to do so.
Cid's current task was to make sure that time dilation actually works as it's supposed to and does not, well, break down like how it happened previously. Remember: he was supposed to have 100:1 time dilation, not the 10:1 which he got in the end. Sucks, yeah…
Unfortunately, there's not that much stuff to do with Black Rose to begin with. Eta did a really good research on spatial rifts' nature and even came up with a bunch of theories about them, though some of them Cid had to throw out of the window because… Yeah, because unlike him they did not have Magic Vision (and he still didn't manage to make sure the awakening of it will go well, so he could not try to do it, either), which heavily limited Eta's abilities to research Black Rose, being limited to his own observations and the diaries of Cult members… Come to think of it, there was one guy that actually managed to do something, but he almost as insane as Eta was, so Cult didn't get a single benefit from him. How does Cid know about that guy? Eta told him about it.
Anyway, back to the topic.
Once he is finished with Black Rose time dilation, he will give Naruto last two days before they go into shinobi world.
Well, it did go well for kid, and Cid himself had some fun, so it was not all that bad, right? Right. It's all good. He even managed to make some stages for the future in his own world! Now this is what he calls good stuff!
Though there was one moment when Cid seriously thought about just escaping right here and then…
"Ci-i-id…" one dark-haired and red-eyed girl with brocon tendencies called out for her absolutely unassuming brother.
"Hi, Claire," he turned around with a polite smile.
But of course this sister of his would try to find him. It's not like Shadow Garden would keep the information about him coming back a secret from his sister, right? Especially if she knew about his double identity.
"Don't tell me you didn't even have time to tell me about you leaving for Beatrix knows how long…" she practically growled at this point as she stared at him with cute pout and hands on her hips.
Oops?
"In my defense I can only say that I got too distracted by new fields and opportunities," he decided to simply tell the truth.
"Oh, yeah?" obviously she didn't believe him, "Well, pray tell, then?"
"Glad you asked!" he smiled happily as Claire suddenly realized that something was amiss.
"You know what, how about-"
"In case you didn't know, magic is actually…"
Needless to say, at that day Cid decided to just bury his poor sister under smart terminology. What? If Eta can do it, then he can, too!
Yeah, an hour or so later Claire tearfully begged him to stop with all the science stuff. It was wild, but it was also fun! What was even more fun, however, is finding out about that strange fox-like thing that took a part of chakra suit and formed it into, well, fox.
Quick scan showed that it was actually that strange chakra in kid's stomach, which he rightfully assumed to be that thing… This… How was it… Well, this thing! Demon! Yeah!
So this thing actually managed to use part of chakra suit to give itself a degree of freedom. Fortunately (for it), it did not do anything rash and simply enjoyed being, well, free. As free as it could while technically still being in kid's stomach. Yeah, wild stuff, he knows…
Well, upon realizing that Cid realized this thing realized that it might be kinda screwed, so it decided to play dumb… Before Cid called it out on that anyway.
So, that thing actually turned out to be Tailed Beast (he finally remembered what it was) that had the power of, uh, well, primordial chakra or something? In short, that thing was really big, really strong, and really ancient. Apparently, the knowledge of fuinjutsu has only came to humans in last hundred years or so, and before that it could easily travel anywhere it wanted without fear. Well, now it couldn't, since everyone and their dogs wanted a Tailed Beast, because prestige! Power!
Well, Cid himself would want it, but after some consideration realized that… No point. Literally no point in having one. Tailed Beast was quite literally it: Beast with large amount of chakra and maybe some unique properties. That's it. So, in his infinite mercy (another halo to Soul Space) he allowed it to continue living… So long as it didn't ruin his roleplay. He would get mad in that case.
Needless to say, ancient and mighty Beast was not at all elated of having its fate decided by him, but who asked? Definitely not him. Moreover, it also agreed that technically being sealed gave its own advantages: while not having full freedom of being, well, free, Beast also couldn't be sealed because chakra suit wasn't even him. That, and the fact that trying to seal the seal can result in a quick destabilization and the following kaboom. Oh, yes, the first one to receive the backlash would be the unfortunate sealer. As some people said in his previous life, 'Skill Issue'.
So Cid and Beast came to an agreement: Beast just chills out most of the time and only emerges to give support to kid, while Cid doesn't bother with touching it and, if possible, helps other Beasts… Yes, there are eight more. Wild stuff, again.
That was good for him, anyway. At least now he has the full-fledged Protagonist under his sleeve… Almost literally, actually: kid still didn't reach the height of his sleeves, so… Yeah? Technically?
Bizarre, but looking back, Iris Midgar could say that meeting with Cid Kagenou and Shadow was for the best.
Cid gave so much needed support for both princesses (even if he didn't know it), always being there to silently help them, be it with well-timed gift or some profound advice that you wouldn't even expect from someone with his background.
Shadow, on the other hand… Crushed her ego. And it hurt. A lot.
It was hard to accept that there was someone of such power that could practically trample the strongest fighter of kingdom and didn't even break a sweat. However, support from her sister, from her sister's boyfriend, from her sister's boyfriend's sister… In short, there were people who helped Iris recover.
And after some point, she came to accept her flaws. That did not stop her from trying to eradicate them, though; fortunately, Crimson Order funding came in right about Bushin Festival, which heavily increased their recruits. They had to check for their background, but it was still a stark, good contrast with what Crimson Order was at first: from nothing but a dozen of knights, including Iris herself, it has grown into a quite powerhouse with hundred or so members. What was even better is that most people, especially the ones who were in Order since the start, were loyal to Midgar.
So, yes, while meeting with Shadow crushed her ego, it also allowed her to be reborn… Sounds so poetic, but it's the truth.
As for Cid Kagenou?
"Hmm, hmm, hmm…" the boy in question was currently sitting on the other side of the table and happily sipping his… juice, she thinks.
She nodded slightly and drank a bit of her own coffee.
"So, Cid, how is it going?" of course, she was asking about his trip to faraway land funded by Mitsugoshi. Honestly, she didn't expect such a large company would take lowly baron's son as their trailblazer… then again, Cid Kagenou was full of surprises.
"Hm?" he cocked his brow, "Didn't Alexia tell you already?"
"Indeed, she did," Iris agreed and leaned in, "However, I would like to know it from the source."
"Oh, check your sources and all, huh…" he mumbled quietly before nodding to himself and continuing, "Well, as I said before, it's quite a barren place, with not so much population. The legends say there are some… tests, I think? And you can 'conquer' them, which gives a lot of benefits," he leaned back on his chair, relaxed, "Of course, I can't tell you anything about Mitsugoshi's deals: that's company secret," and spread out his hands.
Honestly, Iris Midgar didn't like secrets. Unfortunately, this was one of those times she would have to suppress her pride, as current Midgar is not something that could contend with Mitsugoshi, a company that can influence multiple countries at once.
"I see…" she could only nod and accept it.
Well, as of now it's all good. She would have to do some preparations, just in case.
"Catch me if you can!" a raven-haired girl giggled happily and taunted the blonde boy behind herself.
"Phew, phew… Just let me get to you…!" he shouted back and tried to catch her by surprise, only for her to immediately disappear and reappear in another place with cold queen look on her face.
Aurora found it… fun. Honestly. Ever since Lilac (her younger version) and Naruto (kid from another Realm) appeared here, not a single moment was boring. Exhausting? Maybe. Draining? Probably. Boring? Not a chance.
Considering that she knows that her younger version basically had no childhood, and this boy was not having it, either, it was very heartwarming to see them act… like kids. As it's supposed to be.
Which meant only one thing…
"Ara~" she giggled as children's attention turned to her, "You two seem to be good friends."
"Friends?" Lilac tilted her head and blinked, "…Yeah, we are friends!"
"What she said!" Naruto nodded sagely in agreement.
They didn't even deny it. Aurora remembered other boys being pretty embarrassed when tasked with hanging around with girls, and vice versa… But it seems like here that is not the case. Good, good, good!
"Ah, let this Senior tell you a story about…" she went into her memories.
"Aunty Aurora, not again…!"
'Phew, done.'
Cid nodded in satisfaction as he stared at the lightning covering his entire body. Of course, he wasn't just resting here; he was still creating new stuff! And what's better than to finally finish another Stance? Yup, Lighting Stance… Note to self: create cool-sounding name.
He now had Stances for three out of five chakra elements, which honestly didn't sound so bad. Like, as he knows it, most shinobi in jonin ranks actually have two to three elements on average; he would actually be an outlier once other Stances are finished. As of now, he had Water and Earth missing.
As to what did Lightning Stance do? Not much, actually: bioelectricity becomes way better, signals from brains to nerves and vice versa become near-instantaneous, and the lightning itself acted as some sort of shield against most threats; that is, strong attacks will be weakened, and weaker energy attacks could be completely ignored as the electromagnetic field will heavily interfere with energies, be it mana or chakra. Of course, physical stuff wouldn't be stopped that way, but, uh… Are you sure you want to punch lightning? Yes…? Anyway, it also looked really cool, with lightning lazily running around the body even in somewhat still state; when in combat, however, the lightning bolts could appear even meters away from the user. Really cool!
Fire Stance heavily upped the temperature around the user and even made the flaming coat, if it could be called as such. In short, compared to Lightning Stance which focused more on precision and agility with heavily upping your ability to react which allowed to keep your damage over time relatively stable, Fire Stance hugely increased your burst power. There were no tricks, it was that simple.
Wind Stance by itself was even simpler: it, quite literally, allowed you to feel the air around you and use it to your advantage. This one was actually heavily recommended by Cid for any newbie martial artist, because, well, it had no drawbacks. Even if you fail, you just strain your chakra channels a bit, and that's it. If you fail with fire, you can burn. If you fail with lightning… well, rest in peace, nerves.
By his estimation, Earth Stance would be all about defense, while Water Stance… Well, probably evasion and healing abilities? Most sources depict it as such, and for a reason…
Excerpt from research about worlds and Realms:
'…That is to say, it would be foolish to think that our world is the only one in existence, especially with Cult of Diablos' documents confirming the existence of things called "Realms", where many powerful beings that are usually called "demons" reside. Their biology and structure is quite different from ours…'
'…However, I find it quite interesting that humans, as they are, do not change between worlds. They might have interesting quirks that they evolved over time to adapt to their world, but as it stands, there is no difference between human of our world and human of another world. What could possibly be the reason?…'
'…Spatial rifts rarely open on their own, and when they do, drastic changes happen in the world they appeared in. As told by Mist Dragon, magic came into this world via one of those spatial rifts. Bizarre, however, that Mist Dragon, who was previously all amiable towards Master Shadow, suddenly started showing hostility to him after one of the otherworldly trips. What is this existing in another world that could warrant such a reaction?…'
'…Today I have came across a strange symbol. It depicts a strange circle with bumps on the sides, making it triangular, and containing yet another circle with three arrows going through it and pointing towards the center. It appeared out of nowhere. However, if you look from another angle, it does have some resemblance with Shadow Garden's symbol…'
'…I have decided. Once time comes, I will try to travel to another world. I have to. I want to know more. Master Shadow agreed and said that once he is finished with this "shinobi world" he would take me out on adventure. I am trembling in excitement…'
By Eta, Seventh Shade of Shadow Garden, Head of Research Department.