now I should explain the ships now considering as of this posting almost every chapter that I have written so far has been posted on this site and since archive of our own which were this fanfiction was originally published has a different system and how you do tags compared to here I will have to explain the ships here mind you they're not all final.
Byleth and Marianne was decided for the very beginning because that's my favorite ship with Byleth and considering that there is not that many stories featuring this pairing and since this is a crossover story this will be decently long don't know how long it's going to be why not have this be the main ship that is a non crossover ship?
Naruto and Hinata have a harem with Ingrid and Dorothea I always intended for Naruto and Hinata to have one though originally it was going to be Edelgard but I couldn't do it because the thought of bisexual Edelgard is something I cannot get behind to me I read the character as a lesbian and I think lesbian Edelgard is best Edelgard.
Shez I won't reveal at this time you'll find out soon .
Sasuke and Mercedes was a ship that I did not intend originally it just clicked with me when I originally wrote Mercedes is introduction and Sasuke's reaction to it and I abandoned the two possible characters I would have shipped Sasuke with like Petra and Lysithea those two were the first choices but they didn't suit well with me as soon as Mercedes appeared so I went with that and haven't looked back.
Claude I am thinking about doing Hilda and Ino but I haven't decided yet or committed if he's going to have a harem with them both or end up with one of the other.
Dimitri I have already decided who he's going to end up with but I will not spoil it because the way I will introduce this character will be in a way that hasn't been done in other fanfics. it's obvious what the ship is but I won't spoil it now you'll know when I get to the Arc that introduces the Ashen Wolves yes they're going to be in this story there's so of my favorite characters in three houses and there's no way I'm not going to introduce them there will be a fifth member of their team who will it be? You'll have to figure it out but it's obvious if you paid attention to the seeds I've laid in earlier chapters.
without further Ado let's begin.
chapter 15 golden deer Land of Waves
If there's one thing Naruto hates more than anything, it's being on boats. It's so tedious, considering how long it takes. It feels slower than moving on land at least to him, and he feels like he wants to puke his guts out. The golden deer class are on a ship that the church provides; they hire a sailor to take them to their destination. It sucks they're on their second day of a 7-day journey. He hates it; he feels sick; he wants to puke every moment the boat rocks.
"I take it boats aren't your thing?"asked Claude.
"I ha-"he put his hand on his mouth as of trying to stop himself from throwing up.
"damn I never thought you had a bad case of motion sickness"Claude said feeling bad for him he leaned at the edge of the boat it was a large ship in particular it was enough for 50 people to fit he lean towards the right side.
"I hate this,"Naruto said, complaining.
"Could be worse,"said Claude.
"This is pathetic I mean seriously motion sickness?"Kyubi said in a not so mocking tone.
"I do not want to do this on the way back"he threw up whatever he ate it was at the side of the boat into the ocean.
"Damn"said Raphael.
"are you okay?"Said Hilda with concern
"I have not been able to have a full meal in days because of this I'll" he didn't get a chance to finish, he puked again.
"Are you sure it's not motion sickness or some bad food you ate?"asked Kakashi, concerned. Kakashi put his hand on Naruto's forehead to do a check up.
"Food poisoning well you're going to be in your quarters until you're well enough to move here I'll give you some food that your body won't reject"he gave him some pills Naruto took them and drunk a glass of water and laid down.
"You're assigning me to take care of Naruto?" asked Dorothea, not happy with the prospect of being in the same room as him.
"Yes, unlike the others here, you do have some healing magic, though not as good as Marianne's. You could help Naruto relieve some of the worse of his symptoms so he could recover faster." Kakashi didn't leave her any room to refuse.
"I'll do as you ask, professor." Dorothea said, not wanting to argue.
She was given the food that Naruto should be eating. He would not like this food she knows but there was nothing that can be done. Naruto he was lying down on his back he looked miserable. She put the tray on his bed Naruto looked at her wondering why she was here?
"Is there any reason why you're here?"Naruto asked her curious on why she was here.
"Believe me I wouldn't be here by choice, professor Kakashi assigned me to help you until you are able to get out of bed.
"it was hard to tell what Naruto was thinking.
"Well I appreciate it, this could give us a chance to get to know each other better. We do have a lot of time after all and nothing but time."Naruto said with his trademark grin even if it was hard for him to smile due to him being sick.
"Don't count on that. I'm only doing this because Hinaa would be sad if something happened to you."
Naruto can't help but notice that she called Hinata by a affectionate nickname.
"I just want to know why you hate me." he asked. Dorothea replied sharply and bluntly.
"Because I think you're a two-timing asshole who's playing with Hinaa's and Ingrid's hearts." Rather than getting defensive, Naruto remains calm.
"It isn't that simple. They're both important to me. I can't bring myself to break their hearts." She didn't want to hear it; it sounded like another excuse not to commit.
"You ignored Hinaa for months. No, scratch that. You ignored her for years, and now you're taking interest in her? Ingrid. She had been through a lot. She had lost her fiancé, and you are playing with her heart. that is what pisses me off most of all. I've seen men like you where I grew up."
Just being in the same presence as him just made her angry."
"I am an asshole."Naruto admitted shamefully then continued.
"I don't deserve Hinata-chan. She's a wonderful woman. She's kind and she's beautiful. I don't know where I would be without her. When I'm at my lowest point, she lifts me up. When I see her smile, I feel at ease. I didn't ignore her. I was scared. I was scared that I wasn't worthy of her. That I didn't deserve her. That are better options out there than me."
The way Naruto spoke about Hinata Dorothea couldn't she didn't want to admit that these feelings he felt towards her were deep, this was love. But why was he talking about something so personal with her? They were strangers; they barely spoke until a few days ago. But then Ingrid she remembers the smile she had every time she spoke about Naruto when she saw her and Naruto speak she felt furious she had to ask him.
"Then what about Ingrid? You should at least be honest with her. Naruto, tell her your feelings instead of playing around with her heart. She has been through enough." Dorothea said, though she would leave out the part that Ingrid is in love with Hinata. She didn't feel like that was relevant. If she had a choice, she would rather have Ingrid be with Hinata than Naruto. But what surprised her is that he said nothing.
Naruto didn't defend himself. It was almost as if he knew deep down what she was saying was right.
"You're right, but I still can't do it. My heart won't allow it. I care about her. She's hard-working, she has a great work ethic and a great sense of honor and duty. She's kind to others and will beat the shit out of anyone who threatens her friends. She's been through a lot. I want to make her happy. Is that wrong?"
She couldn't respond to that, but the way Naruto was describing Ingrid was the same as Hinata. But that's not possible.
The idea of being in love with two people is ridiculous. Hinata, she can understand that they've known each other for most of their lives, but Ingrid they've only known each other for three months at most.
"How do you feel about Hinata Chan and Ingrid Chan?" Naruto asked her. Now it was being flipped to her. "That's none of your business.
" She left him alone; she couldn't do this. She needed some air.
She did not want to believe it she refused to believe it the idea of him being in love with Ingrid and Hinata it was absurd she would not indulge in that thought.
"Kind of hypocritical, don't you think? Considering you're still in love with Ingrid and love Hinata."
She hears herself saying in her head: She would never acknowledge openly the hypocrisy of her anger towards Naruto when she feels the same way about Ingrid, who she's loved for years, and Hinata, whom she's only known for a few months. She doesn't want to acknowledge that she and Naruto are alike.
She does not want to acknowledge it that both of them don't feel worthy of their first love. The difference, though, is that Dorothea will at least be honest with Ingrid, while Naruto continues to have cold feet. She needed air, she needed a place to think. Just being around him made her lose control.
"Very smooth kit" Kyubi said sarcastically
"I don't think I did that bad. All things considered"
Naruto said, defending himself.
"I really like that one Dorothea, such a feisty woman and she has a tongue to match. not to mention she is sexy as hell.She would be a great mate for you."
Naruto was getting sick of hearing the word mate.
"you said that about Hinata-chan and Ingrid-chan I highly doubt I'm going to get a third woman to fall in love with me. That's just ridiculous. I don't even sure if Ingrid-chan is willing to share me with Hinata-hime."
he heard laughter from the fox spirit almost as if he found what he said amusing.
"what's so funny?"
Naruto said annoyed.
"I think you have nothing to worry about with Ingrid. I think her and Hinata as we speak are having a heart to heart and being honest with each other regarding their feelings. When we get back to the monastery, I would not be shocked if they both agreed to share you and you'll have two lovely ladies to date. That will be a challenge. Are you up for it?" Kyubi challenged."Of course I'll do everything to make them both happy. Believe it."
Naruto felt himself drifting off to sleep."That food poisoning is definitely nasty. You're lucky you have an intelligent sensei while you're asleep. I will help cleanse that out of your system. One last thing: I think it would be a good idea for you to try to be friends with Dorothea. I will tell you more later. For right now, sleep." he cut his connection. Naruto fell asleep thinking about Hinata and Ingrid.
Dorothea looked at the ocean, she always wondered what it would be like to be out in the sea when she was a little girl living in the slums with nothing but rags. The only thing she had was her voice. When a noble heard her voice, they employed her; she had never sung around Hinata. Something about that girl made her feel something she had never felt before. Hinata is kind to her, despite being from a noble background. She vowed that she would only marry out of necessity. So she wouldn't die in poverty, but would it be such a bad thing to find love and be able to be taken care of?
She still loves Ingrid despite what had happened with their breakup she had a really hard life despite being born a Noble; her family is barely above the poverty line. She had a fiance that she did truly love at one point before he was tragically killed seeing her falling in love with Naruto it made her protective of both her and Hinata she loves them both.
The last thing she expected was Ingrid falling in love with Hinata. It made a complicated situation even more complicated. If circumstances were different, she wouldn't mind involving Ingrid in her relationship with Hinata because they both love her. But Naruto made everything more complicated.
She did not understand what they saw in Naruto. He grew up poor just like she did. She can't assume that just because he grew up poor doesn't mean he was in her position; he was not a woman and didn't have to resort doing things that she wasn't proud of.
She didn't pay attention to the person who approached her. She hadn't spoken to her much, but she knew who she was by reputation. Ino was from a famous clan in Konoha. She had an ability to enter someone's mind, not an ability she would want to be on the receiving end of.
"I see Naruto made you mad, didn't he?" Ino asked, as if she could read her mind.
"I don't know what they see in him." Dorothea said, trying not to sound jealous, but failing miserably. Ino looked as if she understood what she was going through. She walked next to her and looked at the ocean in the direction of the monastery.
"Naruto had been through a lot growing up. He had no parents, in fact, to this day, he doesn't know who his mother or father are. He's an orphan. He's never experienced real love in his entire life. It's easy to forget or not to know because you haven't been around him like I have. Naruto was never popular back home. He is hated by most of the villagers for things I don't understand to this day."This is something she did not know.
Ino continued.
"That's why Naruto pursued Sakura for years. He was desperate for love, any kind of love, even if it was a toxic form of love, anything rather than loneliness. He hides his loneliness well, but he is a very lonely person. There are things I could tell you, but it wouldn't be right; Naruto should tell you himself. The only thing I can tell you is please don't judge him. Naruto is a good guy, even if he is an idiot sometimes." Ino wasn't in love with Naruto; she was one of his friends who has known him for most of his life.
"Truth be told, I kind of agree with you regarding Hinata, but it's not up to us to decide who is and who isn't good enough for her; only Hinata can decide that. She has loved Naruto for many years, and that Ingrid girl from the Black Eagles she is your friend, I assume?" Ino asked her, wanting to know.
"I've known her for almost three years. I met her before I went to the monastery when she saw one of my shows when I was part of the Opera." This surprised Ino.
"Wait! You are that Diva? That sucks. I really would have loved to hear your voice. I heard it was amazing." She didn't expect to hear someone from Konoha wanted to hear her sing.
"You heard of my Opera group?" Dorothea asked her.
"Have we? You are popular back home. You have no idea how many fans of you there are in Konoha. There were people who managed to record some of your music and your performances. And well, you have a fan club."
People can record her performances? How such things exist."
"How's that even possible?"
Dorothea curiously shifted the conversation away from romance.
"We have things called ninja tools. Someone snuck them inside your performances. Not all of them were recorded. Unfortunately, such beautiful music; your voice is incredible. Quite a shame you ended your career so early. I would have loved to watch your performance live."
Hearing that she had fans in Konoha, she didn't know how to take it.
"I can't believe you never sang for Hinata. She was a huge fan of yours back home."
She did not know that she never indicated that when they first met.
"You have a lovely voice and your beauty is beyond comprehension" Of course, she would be called beautiful, but then hearing it from another woman wasn't something she heard often, and she didn't even expect to hear it from someone from Konoha. What she heard they were more culturally conservative.
"I'm sorry; I'm just not used to being hit on by a woman." She said with honesty.
"Well, we're both bisexual, so I don't see the problem." She supposed there wasn't any issue, though she wasn't her type, she didn't know how to let her down gently.
"Back to Naruto, please give him a chance. At least hear him out first. You'll understand why he is the way he is once you get to know him." Ino left Dorothea alone. She sighed; they'd be stuck together for the next two weeks. She would have to at least try to get to know him better. After all, the whole point of the exchange program was for people from both continents to do a cultural exchange. Maybe she'll learn something from him, but right now, though, she needed to get some sleep.
She was bored out of her mind. They had been on their voyage for five days. It was boring, there was almost nothing to do. She wasn't sure how much longer she could take it.
"This is boring," she said aloud. No amount of training could reduce her boredom; she didn't like being on boats. She preferred to be on land. She saw the boy Rock Lee doing push-ups. He was competing with Raphael.
"I won't lose," Lee said. They had been at this for days, competing to see who could do the most push-ups. Lee won. All of them supposed that could be something to pass the time, but that's not something that interested her.
She saw Shikamaru and Claude playing a game that was a popular pastime in Konoha called shogi, which is basically chess. Things seem to be very intense from what she can tell. She had nothing else to do so she went to where they were and watched the game.
"I must say Shikamaru, that was an interesting move you made," remarked Claude.
"Yeah, you said that the last time and I still beat you and the time before that; you're not really much of a challenge, Claude."
Ouch! That's what she thought: Shikamaru does have a point; it wasn't even close in terms of their levels of skill."
"You still can't beat Professor Kakashi, though." Claude pointed out.
"Kakashi-sensei has a lot more experience than I do, but he still struggles."
And for the second time today, Claude lost.
"I hope you're a better tactician than you are at shogi, because if you're not, then it would be a disaster for the Eagle and the Lion. I have no intention of losing again."
"She can understand that Claude replied in a nonchalant way."
"Oh, I know tactics only too well; it's just this damn game you kick my ass every single game. It's one thing to do this in a safe setting where we don't have to worry about lives on the line, but it's another when you have to think on your feet. We underestimated Byleth and didn't even take into consideration the people that he had in his class. The shy girl squad almost single-handedly obliterated us all; we paid no attention to them because nobody thought Hinata would be able to lead them so well." Then she noticed Claude making his move.
"And yeah and before you claim that you've won you should pay attention to my move that I just made"
Shikamaru was surprised.
"You that's just not possible"
Shikamaru looked surprised, yes it was Claude who was deliberately leaving himself open so the one piece he was setting out would have a clear target to the king.
"Looks like I won this one, Shikamaru. You're a good teacher, even if that wasn't your intention."
Claude beating Shikamaru was not something she ever thought she would see.
"Shikamaru losing is not something I ever thought would happen," said his friend Ino.
"Looks like you have a serious competitor now; Claude will give you a run for your money soon." Hilda added.
"Well, what can you say when you're up against the same opponent again and again and you've seen their tactics; they've kind of become predictable." Claude said with a tone that's borderline arrogant.
"I've beaten you in every game since we've been enrolled in this class." Shikamaru reminded him.
"Oh, yeah! I haven't forgotten, but have you noticed this time I won? Up until now, I've been studying every single tactic that you've been deploying on me in this game, and I can say confidently that I can win, though with great difficulty. You want to do another game, Shikamaru?" Claude asked him.
They went another round, and the outcome was nowhere near as one-sided as it normally was. Claude was going all out. Both of them were trying to come up with strategies to outsmart the other, but in the end, Claude won, but barely.
"If only we had your help, Kakashi-sensei, we might have won the mock battle single-handedly," remarked Naruto.
"I don't know how you can play these games; it's so boring," said Hilda who was yawning.
It wasn't boring for Shez to do something else besides doing the same thing over and over again.
"I wouldn't mind playing," Shez remarked. "Everyone looked at her in shock.
" You would want to play this boring game?" asked Hilda, astonished.
"Seriously, I'm bored out of my mind for five days on this damn thing. Anything is better than just doing the same thing over and over again."
Claude looked at her with interest.
"Are you sure you want to play? Shikamaru would probably completely destroy you, but maybe you have a slightly better chance.
" She didn't care; Shikamaru moved aside, and they started to play.
She was never bad at chess because the rules of shogi are similar. She shouldn't have much of an issue, that's what she thought at first. Claude seemed to know what she would do before she did it. She had to think carefully about everything she did. It was a relief to have someone to compete with who wasn't just going to win easily. In the end, she lost, but she didn't lose without putting up a fight.
"Wow you're not bad" remarked Naruto, who didn't know much about the game but was impressed.
"I used to play a game called chess with my mercenary band all the time; I always beat them in every single game.
" This was the first time she spoke of her mercenary band; however, she didn't want to think about it. She pushed her thoughts of her friends deep into the far reaches of her mind.
"So it's just like Shogi?" asked Naruto, curious about the game of chess.
"Yes; the rules are similar. However, I doubt any of you can beat me in chess." Shikamaru looked intrigued.
"Whatever, what a drag" Shikimaru remarked. Lorenz arrogantly.
"I recall you lost horribly in chess" remarked Claude, who had seen their chess match on her first day and it was quite a spectacle.
"I was distracted," Lorenz said defensively.
"Yeah, you always say that," Leonie said, clearly annoyed.
"Just a question, where is Ignatz?" asked Raphael.
"I think I saw him painting in his room" Naruto answered.
"Thanks" Raphael said and left the group. She wondered where Dorothea was probably staying, as far away from Naruto as possible.
"Hey Naruto can you give this to Dorothea?"
Hilda handed Naruto a food tray. She saw Naruto create a shadow clone to carry his own tray. How does he do that?
"Such an interesting technique." Arval pointed out.
"It would come in handy, though I doubt he would teach me such a technique." Shez remarked.
She saw Naruto leave. Perhaps being alone wasn't the solution to relieve her boredom. She went to Rock Lee.
"Would you like compete to pass the time?" she asked him. He smiled happily.
"Of course I'm also happy to let's see who can do the most push-ups come, whoever wants to show the power of their youth come. Everyone groaned; she didn't care if it meant she could relieve her boredom even for a little bit. It was worth tolerating such embarrassing antics as Lee's philosophy.
What she found out was that this was not just a competition but training. She lost badly to Lee, but then she saw the benefit. What if she trained with him and everyone? She could get stronger, faster. This was the way to pass the time, to train and compete with others in order to get stronger and not be bored out of her mind.
Naruto was taking Dorothea's food to her while also holding his own. He didn't like the fact that he was doing what Hilda should be doing herself, but he supposed it was inevitable that he couldn't avoid her the entire trip. Something stopped him. He heard a woman with an extremely beautiful singing voice.
"When I see the stars shining bright in the night sky."
"I wonder if the goddess is looking after me."
"If she is, why doesn't she hear me?"
"Happiness eludes me"
"Why does love hurt?"
"Why can't I tell the person I love how I feel?"
"When I'm around her she makes me feel like I'm worth something."
"She's like an angel"
"I love her"
"With all my heart"
"It should be me that makes her happy"
"Not you"
"I'm so jealous"
"If only her eyes were for me"
"When I look at you when I Grace you it's like looking at the Sun"
"You are beautiful my darling"
"I wish I can tell you"
"What you mean to me"
Naruto didn't want to say anything he couldn't. He felt tears falling through his eyes. He had never heard something so beautiful in his life. He understood now why she hated him.
"She has quite a voice; it's hard to believe someone so beautiful could be human. That's what you're thinking, isn't it?" Kyubi asked him in a non-mocking tone.
He couldn't deny that he was emotionally moved by her voice when she sang that song, which he had never heard a voice so beautiful in his life. He also didn't know how to react to it.
Naruto could not indulge in his thoughts for long cuz Dorothea saw him and was surprised and startled.
"Why are you here?"she asked him, trying to save face.
"Oh I was just bringing your"he felt like an idiot he didn't know what kind of excuse he can come up with.
"My lunch I could have gotten it myself"Dorothea said as she took the tray from Naruto's hand she sat down Naruto sat down next to her.
"You wouldn't mind if I sat next to you would you?"Naruto asked her.
"Whatever do what you want"she said feigning indifference.
Naruto didn't know what to say. He had heard everything about her song.
"You're quite talented; why aren't you in the Opera or something?"
Naruto asked curiously.
"You would think lowly of me if I told you why"
She said as she took the first bite out of her meal.
"I highly doubt that,"
Naruto replied.
"What do women do in Konoha when they're retired as ninja or when they're unable to be one?"
Dorothea asked Naruto.
"They either get married or they take whatever job they possibly can get just like everyone else"
Naruto answered, but Dorothea wasn't satisfied.
"I was asking about the common people, not those with connections like Hinata or Ino.
"Now Naruto knew what she was asking. He thought about it what he witnessed in his childhood; he remembered prostitution and all sorts of things that were required for them to survive; he didn't want to remember that part of his life.
"I never thought about that before. I don't like to remember that part of my life."Naruto admitted thinking about the hellish childhood he had where he had to scavenge for food because nobody in Konoha would allow him to shop for food.
Now that he thinks about it, he doesn't remember why he wanted to be Hokage. What was the motivation?
"It's nothing I want to remember either. My childhood was hell when my mother died. I barely escaped being a prostitute when I was discovered that I had talent in my voice. I was offered to be a star and I took it."
Naruto was wondering why she was telling him something so personal.
"The same people that mocked me and ridiculed me watched my operas. When I got a little older, I had men who were old enough to be my father hit on me and ask for sexual favors."
Naruto almost spat out his food in disgust.
"Sick fucks" Naruto said contemptuously.
"Yeah, though I was lucky I had people like Manuela who kept me away from such a life. So many women in the Opera do prostitution as a side hustle. I'm one of the lucky ones."
Naruto looked at her in a different light. Such a strong woman; no wonder Hinata looked up to her.
"Have you told Hinata-chan any of this?"
Naruto asked her.
"No, I don't want her to think less of me."
She looked away, almost as if she were ashamed.
"She would never think that way about anyone; Hinata-chan is like an angel."
There was an awkward silence.
"Do you love her, Naruto?" She asked him seriously. "Naruto thought long and hard.
" I don't know what love actually is. I never grew up with any parents. I never knew my mother or my father. I wouldn't know the difference; she's important to me. I would do anything to make her happy when I'm around her. I feel stronger than I am when I'm apart from her; when she's in pain, I'm in pain. When I look at her, it's like I'm looking at the sun itself; she's like my sunshine. I know it's corny, but that's the best way I could describe her." He felt his heart beating rapidly when he mentioned something so personal; he never told this to anyone, not even Hinata herself.
"That's funny, that's how I see her as well," Dorothea said in agreement.
"What you're describing is love from the depths of your soul."
He was expecting Kyubi to chime in, but he said nothing.
"Is that how you feel about her?" Naruto asked Dorothea.
"Is that so wrong? I cannot control my feelings towards her anymore than you can. It's why I was so angry and jealous. I'm sorry; I just want what's best for her." She was done eating, and so was Naruto.
"You're right about one thing: I don't deserve her." Naruto admitted.
"I don't know if anyone does, she's like the Sun,"Dorothea agreed. Naruto was in deep thought. He thought about what he was proposing would be preposterous. Would Hinata agree to it?"Why not share Hinata Chan with me Ingrid chan?"Naruto suggested. Dorothea was shocked by his suggestion and he heard Kyubi's voice.
They sharing Hinata; was he serious? Dorothea thought the idea was ridiculous, but Naruto wasn't called unpredictable for nothing.
"Don't joke about something like that," Dorothea said in annoyance.
"I don't joke about something like that; I'm dead serious."
Naruto gave her a look on his face. He was serious about them sharing Hinata. Then she thought about the idea being ridiculous. She became one of Hinata's girlfriends and Ingrid becoming Naruto's girlfriend as well. The idea was absurd.
"If you think you're going to get a harem between me, Hinata, and Ingrid, forget it."
She wanted to storm off right then at the stupid idea, but Naruto gently put his hand on her wrist.
"I'm trying to make everyone involved happy: you, Hinata Chan, and Ingrid Chan. I don't expect you to like me; I just want to make you happy as well. You're Hinata's friend, and she speaks highly of you. She doesn't say it, but you're important to her. It'd be hypocritical of me having Hinata share me with Ingrid Chan if I'm not willing to do the same for you. I am dead serious I don't say anything unless I mean it I am dead serious." Naruto is serious. Earlier she couldn't stand him, but she started to have some respect for him. Then she asked a question. This was the final test."
"What if Hinaa leaves you for me? Would you be okay with that?"
Naruto's look of concern was exactly what she expected; upset at the very idea that she might never even consider sharing her with him if he gave her up without a fight.
"No, because that would never happen, and we both know Hinata Chan wouldn't do anything to hurt either of us—that's not who she is."
Naruto spoke with conviction.
She was so frustrated she wanted to hate Naruto. It would be so much easier, but she found it hard to hate him. He always thinks about others before he thinks about himself. He hides a deep pain and insecurity she understands him better than she wants to admit, but then there's one thing that bothers her: Ingrid.
"What about Ingrid? What about her happiness?" Dorothea asked him.
"I'll do what I can to make her happy." Naruto didn't elaborate; he was confident that things would work out. What was wrong with her? She wanted to scream and say no, but she couldn't. Naruto wasn't the problem; he wasn't the enemy. She wondered how Ingrid was doing with Hinata. Are they having a heart-to-heart like she and Naruto are right now?
"Well, it seems like you two are hitting it off," said Claude, smiling.
"Seriously, Claude, what the hell?" Naruto said, startled, and laughed.
"Looks like me and Hilda have been successful. It's nice to know that the tension between you two is all but gone. Come join the rest of us; we're playing an interesting game from your home country. We wouldn't want you to miss out on the fun, now, would we?" Claude looked at Dorothea as if in a wink.
She groaned in annoyance at all the people. They're having a good conversation too.
"Dorothea Chan; we don't want to miss out"she felt color on her cheeks. What did Naruto call her? The same thing he called Ingrid and Hinata. She should be outraged; she should be furious but she went with it. What's the harm? Naruto's not a bad guy; sure, there were some things she wasn't sure about. She was glad she decided to be the transfer student for the month. She was glad she was wrong. Naruto was not what she thought he was.
2 Days later at the port at the Land of Waves
Claude, when he got off the ship, along with everyone else, he was relieved after seven days of boredom. They'd have to do another seven days when they got back. Everyone looked relieved as well.
He heard stories about the Land of Waves, about the poverty that infested the region. It was overrun by bandit gangs, and a bridge was being built in order to end the poverty that had plagued the nation for generations.
He had never set foot anywhere near the five nations. This was the closest that anyone from his homeland ever got to the five nations, the continent where his friends from Konoha came from.
He saw Naruto and Dorothea talking casually laughing at the little things they became so friendly in the span of a few days due to Hilda and Ino arranging for it to happen.
"You know at this rate, Naruto will end up having three girlfriends." Said Hilda, happy that their plan worked.
"Three girlfriends can you imagine the Sasuke fangirls back home? They would lose their collective shit, especially if they found out Sasuke is in love with Mercedes of all people. I mean, one of the most religious students of our school and she's the one that won Sasuke's heart." Ino remarked.
"There is one thing that has been on my mind, and I've been hearing about it multiple times from the transfer students in the Golden Deer. What is a red thread?" Claude asked, feeling ridiculous for not asking Ino this question up until now.
"Red threads are threads that connect soulmates together. it usually is someone who has one soulmate but it is possible for them to have more than that though it's rare." Claude and Hilda waited for her to continue.
"You see, I think the reason why Sasuke and Mercedes are clicking so well is because Mercedes is Sasuke's soulmate, and I believe that they are in in love." When she was done answering, Claude thought about it, it all made sense; there's so much he didn't know but could a foreign legend really apply to the people of Fodlan? His goal was to open up borders between nations and for people to fully understand each other to end the age of war and strife.
"That's interesting; we have our own equivalent, though it's pretty much the same as your red threads."
Claude said to Ino.
"Yeah, I know. When you visit Konoha, you'll learn how different a lot of our cultures are, and some of our similarities. I'm not going to lie; at first, I thought the people of Fodlan were a bunch of uneducated barbarians, but being here for the past three months, they're just like everyone else. If we were simply visiting each other's countries and walking in each other's lands, there would be no war. It's such a shame that there's so much beauty in your homeland." Ino said sadly.
"We have our own problems just like everywhere else," Hilda pointed out.
"I know, but you haven't told us what your goals are. What is it that you would like to do?" Ino asked Claude. He didn't know if he felt comfortable revealing those secrets. There would be one person he would reveal them to, Naruto, but right now he doesn't feel he could trust his friends enough to reveal his ambitions.
"That's a secret. Maybe in time I'll reveal it, but for now, let's focus on our mission." Claude said nonchalantly. They weren't satisfied with his answer, but he knew they wouldn't be. He went ahead of the group. He couldn't help but think what Dimitri and Edelgard were doing right now?
She doesn't usually let things phase her. It was hard not to notice the poverty, destitution, and suffering. She never saw anything like this during her travels. There was a boy who was asking for food, not knowing what to do. She couldn't speak to him because she didn't know their language. She did the one thing she could: she took some food from her pouch and gave it to the boy, who thanked her in his language and ran off to his friends. How could anyone let their people suffer like this?
She doesn't like getting involved in the political affairs of any particular country, as it makes her job more complicated. Her mentor once told her, "Whatever you do, don't get involved in the politics of any respective country." She couldn't help but notice that whoever is in charge of this country doesn't seem to care about the people or their suffering. She looked around and saw Claude giving food to children, just like Naruto and Dorothea were doing. Even if they removed the current tyrant who rules this place, would things really change? The bridge she's heard about that's being built might solve some of their problems, but can a single bridge build by one person really solve the issues of poverty and starvation?
These are not thoughts she had not before she became a student of the Golden Deer; her reasoning is to get stronger and kill the man responsible for the deaths of her mercenary band. There is nothing noble or altruistic about what she is doing, but she can't help but think that she has the power. Would it really be wrong to use it to help these people? She had a lot on her mind when she heard someone walk by her and it was none other than Hilda.
"You're troubled, aren't you?" Hilda asked her.
"I have never seen so much poverty and starvation." She said with more emotion than she intended.
"I get what you mean; it's so bad here that I don't know what I can do to help." She was more shocked than she expected.
"It's more common than you think for us commoners this isn't shocking it's just the way of life"she hated saying that but it was true the nobles didn't give a damn about the common people.
"There's much I don't know"Hilda said still shaken by what she was seeing around her.
"Well, in this mission, we're supposed to deal with the bandits who are causing trouble for these people. Once we take them out, things should get better, I hope," Shez said out loud. Would it really get better?
She noticed something and tackled Hilda down. A gigantic sword which she barely dodged hit a tree in a man who was taller than she was used to seeing stared down at them both.
"A bunch of kids you girls wouldn't even provide me with any sort of entertainment" the man said almost tauntingly. Shez took her swords out, but why did she feel fear? Hilda was shaking.
"You are wise to be afraid, but that's not going to help you now; you foreigners shouldn't have set foot on this land." He jumped off the tree, grabbing his sword, and charged at lightning speed.
She barely blocked his blade with hers; he was stronger than any one she'd ever fought; this kind of strength was almost on par with Byleth's; if she could beat him, she'd be far closer to being able to take on Byleth. His sword, though half its size, was almost as if it were nothing but a paperweight. She couldn't protect both herself and Hilda with such speed using such a large blade.
"Run! Get the professor!" She ordered Hilda without hesitation.
"You've only delayed the inevitable after you're dead; I'll kill her too." The man said with a voice of bloodlust.
"Who the hell are you?" she asked.
"It seems pointless to introduce myself to a corpse, especially from a foreign land, but I'll indulge you. I am Zabuza Momochi of the Mist. You should be honored; you'll be the first person from a foreign land to die by my blade." She had heard of the name Zabuza Momochi during her studies at Garreg Mach when they were studying the criminals in the Bingo Book of Wanted Fugitives from the Five Nations.
She doesn't think she is confident that she could beat him as she is he's too strong. He kicked her in the stomach knocking her down he's about to do a killing blow until it was blocked by Kakashi who blocked his blade with his own smaller blade which was called a kanai."Fancy seeing you here Kakashi of the Sharingan"said Zabuza excited at the prospect of fighting him.
"You should run, you're no match for him as you are." Kakashi told her. She was scared she never felt such fear in her life. This demon, this bloodthirsty demon. She never felt such bloodlust from anyone. Her legs wouldn't move, why wouldn't they move?
" You should do as he tells you. If you end up dead, you won't be able to fulfill our destiny." Arval said reprimandingly. Her legs still wouldn't move. Was this her fate to die in a place like this?
Hilda was terrified; she warned Kakashi immediately everyone else was looking at her wondering why she was so scared.
"Hilda what's wrong?"Naruto worriedly
"Professor Kakashi I ran as fast as I could Shez she told me to run but I'm not confident that Kakashi can defeat Zabuza"Everyone gasped.
"We should get the hell out of here now"said Shikimaru.
"Yeah we should get out of here it's what we're supposed to do Kakashi Sensei wouldn't want us to put ourselves in danger unnecessarily"said Ino.
She was looking at Claude if he had anything to say but Naruto didn't allow anyone to argue the point for very long.
"We will not abandon our Sensei nor will we abandon Shez."Everyone looked at Naruto as if he was out of his mind.
"He is a fugitive from the mist, one of the elite ninja from his village.None of us can take him,"Shikamaru argued rationally considering the differences in skill and power.
"We don't abandon our friend's end of discussion."Hilda never saw Naruto this angry before
"We cannot go without a plan Naruto that would be suicide he is far more skilled than any of us and who knows if he doesn't have any friends"Claude pointed out.
Before they can argue further they were surrounded bandits Hilda grabbed her axe that she had on her. They were smiling at them this made her angry considering the looks they were giving her and everyone in her group.
"Wow we got lucky we will have some fun tonight especially with all these girls from a foreign land it's not every day we get to have our way with them."This made Hilda sick to her stomach. They numbered at least 30; they had them outnumbered.
"Shadow clone jutsu"Naruto yelled and the amount of clones that was made evened out the odds.
"Oh so one of them could make clones of themselves it makes no difference"
One of the men created their own shadow clones which outnumbered them again. It was hard to tell them apart. Shadow clones from what Naruto had told her, depending on the kind of Shadow clones they were, could be 100% identical to the original. They were outnumbered if only they had someone with the Byakugan. It would be extremely useful.
Before anything could happen, a gigantic sand tsunami gulped half of the clones in an instant. She didn't bother doing anything for long; she had to make sure her classmates were safe while the bandits were distracted by a surprise attack. Hilda cut down the first of the bandits; he died instantly.
They had a foreign way of fighting, but the principles were the same. One of them tried to overpower her, but to no avail; her strength was greater than his; she overpowered him quickly; her brute strength alone killed the second man.
The third was about to strike at her but he was killed by Dorothea's Thorn spell which pierced his heart. She thanked her and focused on the battle whoever saved them she would like to kiss him or her when the battle was over.
Claude had no idea what he saw when he saw a sand tsunami forming. The look on Naruto's face told him what that was. He would ask him later. Right now, he had to focus on leading his class and preventing any deaths. He ordered everyone to get into formation. A bandit tried to charge at what they thought was the weakest link. Ignatz. Before he could strike at him, Claude took out his arrow from his quiver and aimed it at the man and fired.
The arrow entered the man's skull,"Stay focused"Claude ordered."Sorry Claude" Ignatz apologized.
"Save the apologies for later"Raphael said as another bandit charged at him this time he was stopped by Raphael who easily overpowered him and crushed the man's skull with ease. He didn't look happy that he killed someone in such a way but when it comes to war violence is a necessity.
Naruto was more aggressive than usual. Dorothea's was about to be struck down until Naruto shielded her with one of his shadow clones before the bandit could do anything. Naruto jabbed his kunai into the man's throat. Nothing was said between them. Naruto continued to protect Dorothea and everyone in his class. Claude saw Hilda struggling. He went to her aid when she was about to leave an opening. Claude took a sword from his scabbard and stabbed the man's stomach. "Hilda, please pay attention." Claude said worriedly.
A shuriken was thrown at them. Claude barely dodged; this wasn't the kind of weapon he was used to encountering. He didn't have time to grab his bow before another barrage of shuriken was thrown. He felt hopeless; he had never encountered such weapons before. Two hands, which looked like sand, grabbed the men, lifting them off the ground. He heard them scream as their lives ended.
The battle was almost over as soon as it began all the bandits that attacked them were dead. But there was no time for celebration for some reason. Something about what happened with Kakashi perplexed him.
"We should come to our sensei's aid"Claude suggested.
"Are you out of your mind?"said Hilda.
"I'm not out of my mind. We should rescue him"she looked scared.
"I don't want to be anywhere near him"Claude looked at Naruto he had a look of determination.
"I'm not abandoning my friends, I'll go even if I have to go by myself."Naruto went ahead Claude signed.
"Well I'm not going to let him do anything foolish so I'll go with him"said Dorothea, who went with Naruto without hesitation. Claude looked at Hilda.
"Hinata would be really sad and angry at us if we allowed Naruto to get himself killed"with some hesitation she went with Claude despite the fear that she was feeling with the man named Zabuza.
She still couldn't move, the fear was intense. She saw Kakashi and Zabuza battling. She had never seen anyone move as fast as they were; they made Byleth look slow in comparison.
"Get moving!" She heard a voice behind her. It was Claude who shot an arrow at Zabuza, who looked at him with interest.
She felt hands on her. It was none other than Naruto. Dorothea cast a spell which hit Zabaza in the arm. He looked at Dorothea and Dorothea froze; she was feeling the same kind of fear. Shez was.
"Get out of here, none of you are a match for him." Kakashi said right as a water clone appeared behind him and caught Kakashi in what looked like a water cage.
"You should have left when you had the chance, Brats" he said triumphantly as if he had already won.
"If you have any brilliant ideas, I'm open for them." Claude said, trying to save face while hiding his own fear.
"There's just no way we're going to be able to touch him; he's too fast." Hilda, whose body was unable to move, said.
"I have a plan." Naruto said as he performed his hand signs.
"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Over 50 clones appeared, each attacking.
As if an amusement Zabaza quickly dispatched them when the last of the Naruto clones were knocked down. He then threw an arrow at Claude, who caught it.
"So that's your plan? Interesting. I'll have to ask you how you do that after this is over." Claude said, taking aim.
The Zabuza clone charged straight at Claude. She stabbed herself in the leg to counteract the fear with pain. She felt herself being engulfed in the same kind of power that she used against Byleth 7 months ago. Everyone in the group was shocked, except Claude.
She blocked the clone's sword with two of her own. The clone was surprised by her power.
"What the hell are you waiting for? Fire"Shez said angrily.
Claude took aim and fired. He hoped whatever plan Naruto had in mind would work. The arrow was about to hit its mark when he moved slightly to the left with one of his arms, and it missed.
Then he saw the arrow that missed transforming into Naruto and Dorothea. She cast Thorn, which caused Zabaza to be hit. Naruto threw a Kanai, which he was forced to withdraw his arm, which freed Kakashi.
"I will have to lecture you later, but right now I have a problem to deal with," Kakashi said as he got back into his fighting position. Kakashi wasted no time; he did hand signs that Claude had seen since Naruto and his Konoha classmates enrolled in the monastery.
He saw Zabaza do the same thing; it felt surreal to Claude; he thought these feats were legends; he read about them extensively in his homeland. To think that it actually existed. He saw Zabaza about to cast a jutsu, but he was a few seconds too slow, and there was a tidal wave which engulfed the rogue ninja. He watched in fascination and amazement as he slammed hard against a tree.
"How are you able to do that?" Zabaza asked, scared.
"I can see the future and the future I see is your end." He was about to end his life when two needles hit him in the neck.
This surprised everyone; it was a strange-looking person at least from Claude's perspective, a person whose gender he couldn't tell. They wore a mask that belonged to an organization called the Abu whose specialty was to go after criminals and perform the most dangerous missions. Something about them seemed sinister to Claude, and he didn't like it one bit.
"I must thank you. I have been tracking down Zabuza for a long time."Hilda sensed it too.
"Play stupid", Hilda whispered, "I must dispose of the body now; farewell." And as soon as the mysterious ninja arrived, they left.
"I will admit your strategy to help free me was brilliant, but don't do what you did again; you endangered everyone, including myself. Taking the initiative is encouraged, but in these kinds of missions, life and death, when your commanding officer gives you an order, you obey it. Do I make myself clear?"
Kakashi said to everyone."
I understand Kakashi-sensei, but I couldn't let Shez die. Those who disobey the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than scum." This was the first time Claude had ever heard it.
"Throwing back what I taught you all those years ago, you did very well, but don't do anything like that again" Suddenly, the seriousness changed to a lighter tone.
They reunited with the group all of the bandits were dealt with but Claude saw a red-haired man around the age of 17. He had some weird mark on the right side of his forehead. His skin was light which was surprising considering the way he was dressed made it seem like he had a upbringing in a desert.
"Gaara I didn't think I would see you here"Naruto said excitedly.
" Neither did I my friend. It's nice to see you again though I wish it was under different circumstances" Naruto embraced his friend.
"So what brings you here?"asked Kakashi.
"I was going to head to Garreg Mach in order to enroll, but something came up here that I have to take care of first. This person wants to be enrolled? Interesting."
"I take it these are your friends?" Gaara asked Naruto.
"Yeah, Claude, this is Gaara." He shook his hand; he had a good feeling about this person. He introduced all of them one by one.
"Wow, Naruto! I didn't think he'd have such a handsome friend; is he single?" Hilda joked.
All the banter stopped as soon as Kakashi collapsed.
"Professor, what's wrong?" Leonie asked him. "I overused my Sharingan." Kakashi replied.
"We should stay in one of the inns nearby," Gaara suggested. The group headed to the nearest inn. The person was surprised to see so many people. They paid their fare for the next week. Everyone went to their rooms. Claude shared a room with Hilda, while everyone else had to share a room with one or two other people.
He wondered though what Zabaza's reasoning was for trying to kill them in the first place. Something didn't add up he would get to the bottom of it one way or another. He didn't like this one bit, what was the church thinking sending them out on such a dangerous mission when Konoha itself could have handled this?
Goto was furious not only did his mercenary fail to kill the brats, but they were alert to his presence.
"Damn those foreigners!"Goto slammed his fist on his desk.
"That damn old man on his insistence on building the bridge will ruin my business! What business do those brats from another continent have with my plans?" goto asked angrily.
"I could make it so we could provide you with additional assistance, but at a price." The voice sounded heavily accented. Goto looked at the man; he was someone of a darker complexion than what he normally sees, the way he carries himself was someone of high class in his society that he's from.
"I don't want another worthless mercenary like Zabuza and his brat. What do you have to offer that they don't?" He put out his cigar that he was smoking.
"As Prince of Almyra, I offer you far more than those worthless mercenaries could. In wealth, we could profit greatly together. You and I." The prince offered. Goto didn't want any foreigners involved, but he also wanted a nuisance eliminated.
"Let's suppose I accept your offer of assistance. How much will it cost me?" Goto asked the man in front of him.
"100,000 gold. I don't think that's an unreasonable price considering how much we would both benefit in the long run." The upstart said arrogantly, which pissed Goto off.
100,000? This boy is out of his mind.
"You're out of your mind! You think I'm going to pay some upstart from a foreign country that insane amount? Who hasn't shown me anything they can offer me in return?"
There was a sinister smile.
"Believe me, what I offer you would guarantee victory, but you're free to turn it down. Go ahead and keep hiring a bunch of worthless mercenaries; when you have a blade at your throat, you will regret turning me down because once I leave this room, next time you see me you will be on the receiving end of my blade."
A single guard was singled out for his bodyguards to make a move.
"Foolishness you're as barbaric as those fools in Fodlan you will regret that you've declined"the arrogant upstart looked at him one last time with his arrogant smile and left.
"Are you sure it was wise?"said one of his subordinates this made him twitch in anger
"I'm not going to pay some upstart 100,000 gold with nothing to show for it where is Zabaza and that boy?"he demanded
"He's in our hideout recovering from his battle."
He took a deep breath and couldn't lose his cool; this would just delay his plans.
There are some mercenaries I want you to hire.
He handed them the list.
Is that the silver-haired man from Konoha? He recently was in Fodlan, but his skills are something he values.
I want you to find Mitsuki and offer him a job.
His men rather than question him, they left the room.
He looked at the map of what his goal would be once he had stepped out of any hope of the Land of Waves being anything but his playground. This was his land, and no foreigner, whether they were from Konoha or from Fodlan, would stop him.
Shahid went to wear his camp was his men eagerly awaited for news.
"My Lord has Goto agreed?" his subordinate asked.
"No the fool wouldn't pay what we're worth but that doesn't matter as the prince. I take what I please I'm not going home empty-handed the old man and that queen of ours will have to recognize what I accomplish here we will strike when that fool is occupied dealing with the foreigners from Konaha and Fodlan.
"He smiled he was glad he didn't pay them it would be so much more satisfying taking everything he would come home with far more than he would have.
With the funds that he would have acquire he would be able to raise his own army. He was going to be the next king, not his brother. It only be a matter of time even the foreigners would be useful for his plans as much as he would like to deal with them as well. They have their own uses and he would deal with them in time.