AN: Hello folks, I'm back again. Fallen-Ryu, huh, that's an interesting idea...I'm going to go ahead and use it. TheAmnesiacOne, it's not just a matter of not being taught about this, but also his Origin and Nature…Those two together make him dense about ANYTHING not combat related. ByzantineAlter, well you got two of three, but you are wrong about the Archer who worked with Cu…I'm actually rather proud of the character I chose for that role. alaxbird, *checks wiki*… sonofa…*slams head into keyboard* Right well then…I can just say I meant Gawain and be done with it? Also, one more chapter to decide who the final servant on Naruto's team is, and please if you already voted do not vote again...Though don't be to discouraged if your choice is not in first place. They will still be on Naruto's team, and Fallen-Ryu gave me the wonderful idea to have a servant be more spiritual in nature, meaning they can't leave the Emiya grounds. Anyways on with the chpt.

Speech

Thought

Higher Being (i.e. Demon, Grail, ect) speaking, Scene/POV change

Higher Being thinking

The Grail War Begins Pt 2: Gae-whatnow

Emiya Clan Estate: Half an hour after the previous chapter

As soon as he got home, the master of the Emiya household activated the bounded field to redirect any non prana user away from the estate. His instincts screamed that at least the blue spearman, no Cu Chulaain, would arrive to try and kill him again, and he would rather not have potential collateral casualties on his conscience when he fought.

While he waited Naruto had set traps, and cleared an area where he could fight without destroying anything of value. Now part of him was saying he was paranoid, but that part was ruthlessly squashed when he reminded himself there was a Grail War going on, and he had been an inadvertent witness. His initial plan to simply run and stay low was no longer valid, after all it was self-evident that the Servants who had opposed his killer were unable to defeat the Irishman.

After clearing the final bit of his possessions out of the dojo, he activated the last security field he had, and decided to meditate until he felt it be penetrated…He didn't have long to wait, maybe five minutes after his security field went up, he felt it shatter. As it did he felt not one, but THREE familiar presences; apparently that entire coalition had decided to come ensure the deed was done.

Not that it mattered one way or the other. His only path forward was victory, or death, and he had no intention of dying AGAIN that night... "after all," he thought grinning wryly, "Rin's old gem supply only contains so many, and my own regeneration can only heal some much simultaneously before being overwhelmed…I would rather not have Rin racking up a massive debt on my end."

The intruders gathered just outside of the dojo's doors, and were talking loudly enough for him to hear them. "No offense meant, Cu, but this boy survived you stabbing him in the HEART, I think we're justified in coming along to make sure he dies."

The voice of the blue clad spearman retorted with a fair amount of annoyance: "And I told you it was either a fluke or he had help. I can kill the kid easily, as I proved back at that school, I don't need help on this."

The archer, easily identifiable by his accent, replied: "We understand where you're coming from Sir, however would it not be more efficient to work together?"

The door opened with Cu in the lead, walking backwards while still talking: "I said this already but maybe you're too thick to get it, I don't need help with defeating him! But if it will get you two to shut up about it for five fucking minutes, I'll let you help if I have trouble; otherwise STAY OUT OF IT!"

At the last part it almost seemed like the blue haired man's head had grown comically big, and his two allies held up their hands to signify their acceptance of the Irishman's statement. They then leaned against the wall by the door they entered by, and the hound of Ulster stepped onto the dojo's raised floor.

Naruto rose to his feet as he looked at the grinning spearman, who was in a loose ready position, and spoke calmly: "I know who you are, as you so courteously introduced yourself. However I do not know your companions."

The spearman with the gold bladed cross spear spoke in a bored tone, which he detected had a slight Mediterranean accent: "And why should we tell someone who's going to be dead soon?"

Naruto grinned as he lazily stretched, cautiously watching the bemused blue haired lancer for any sudden movement: "It's exactly BECAUSE I'm going to be dead soon you should tell me. The dead can't share their knowledge with non-necromancers unless the living visit the underworld…I would have thought that self-evident to a gods fearing man like yourself."

A begrudging nod was the spear wielder's response: "Yes, you have the right of it there I suppose boy. Very well, I am Prince Hector of Troy."

The archer smiled lightly, his English accent struck Naruto as what he imagined a Yeoman of the Middle Ages would sound like: "I do not have a name worthy of such recognition as the Prince here, or the Irish Knight with whom you have unfinished business…But you may call me John of Nottingham."

The blond teen was puzzled briefly, he had never heard of a "John of Nottingham" in history or legends…but he had more pressing matters to tend to, as such he finished preparing and dropped into a low stance from ju-jistu: "And I am Naruto Emiya, nice to meet you"

The two combatants stared each other down, waiting for the other to make the first move. As fortune, luck, or even fate would have it, the blue haired man moved first…launching a probing attack with his spear, one easily dodged around. But it was swiftly followed by more thrusts and jabs, none of which were all too serious, and were just more probing actions.

With these early exchanges, Naruto was able to throw a few punches and kicks in retaliation, holding his ability to create weaponry as a surprise for later. Of course, none of them him as, much like Cu, he was not attacking seriously, trying to gage his opponent and how much effort he would have to put in to defeat him…After all, there were still two more heroic spirits he would more than likely have to deal with after he defeated the Irishman.

Slowly the two ramped up in intensity, blows came in faster as they got to grips with their adversary's abilities, and were aimed with more accuracy. Blows were no longer dodged by inches, or sometimes even feet, but by centimeters and millimeters. Also no longer were the blows solely nonlethal, increasingly they were aimed at vital organs…and blind spots were taken advantage of on some blows. For example, the blond had nearly knocked the spearman into next week with a left hook aimed at the right side of his target's head.

Unfortunately though, Scathach had obviously warned her pupil of that weak point…however instead of eliminating that blind spot, he seemed to have BUILT his defense around it. Using it to draw people in, and then taking them down with a vicious counter attack; Naruto had almost fallen prey to that himself, only being saved at the last second by his instincts honed by training with Segata (and his "Dragon Slayer" Origin/Nature combo)…In all honesty it was a scarily effective defensive technique, and one that fit perfectly with the aggressive attack pattern Cu had fought with so far…so for now they were locked in a stalemate.

However, this stalemate inevitably ended…Though not in a way that would be expected by anyone with common sense. A blow from the red spear's semi-blunted rear was suddenly caught under the blond's elbow, almost knocking the breath out of the young man's lungs…But Naruto managed to just barely keep his focus, and land a punishing blow to the bluet's torso…on a mortal, that blow would have fractured ribs, punctured lungs, and would have caused bruising on the heart at the very least…As it was a Heroic Spirit is made of sterner stuff, and it merely disoriented the warrior…but more importantly it loosened the spearman's grip, allowing wrenching the spear out of his hands.

Spinning the spear in is hand to bring it down on Cu's head, in an attempt to break it on the disoriented Irishman's unguarded cranium, Naruto was forced to pull back and block with the spear as a golden spear tip was thrust at his chest. The sudden violence of the attack and the force behind it made the blond stumble back, and drop the spear.

Dodging under another thrust, and rolling out of the way of a flurry of blows designed to create a gap, he was met with the predictable sight of the price of Troy standing in a defensive stance over the fallen warrior.

Cu Cuhlain was less than thankful for this interference, something his glare and irritated voice clearly stated: "Oi, what do you think you're doing? This is my fight! I didn't need your help you Greek bastard!"

A snort of disbelief was the Trojan prince's reply: "Obvious…That's why this mere hand to hand fighter was about to attempt to break your precious spear over your head. Take a breather hound, I'll take it from here."

Grumbling obscenities under his breath, the Irishman grabbed his spear, and walked over to the sideline; glaring daggers at the ancient fighter all the way. The brief interlude this provided allowed the blond to find his footing again, and switch his stance a little…It was still a martial arts stance, but it was one that he and Segata modified specifically to allow him to create weapons at a moment's notice if needed…to someone unaware of his abilities as a magus, or someone unexperienced, it would seem like a personal variant of a normal opening stance for karate, and there in lay the trap.

It was one that he hoped Hector would fall into, but no such luck. The Trojan was more wary, having watched his comrade's fight, then he was at the outset…And instead of attacking, entered a defensive posture, forcing the onus of moving first onto Emiya. Though this inadvertently was to Naruto's advantage, as it allowed him to further calm his breathing, and briefly analyze his foe for any obvious weakness. When none presented themselves, he was forced to go with plan b: improvise.

And so he launched himself forward, the force and speed of his movement leaving minor cracks in the reinforced wooden floor. He hoped that the increase in speed, no matter how slight, might catch the opposing warrior off guard…but Hector was not only ready for such a burst of speed, but when he countered after parrying the blow off to the side, his attack was so fast that all Naruto would do was create a weapon to defend himself.

With a clang of metal on metal, cross spear met Greecian kopis. The curved cutting sword allowed him to redirect the blow from a vital organ…But the golden blade did not come away without some blood on it. The cut it created was a mere nick, but it was on his abdominal region, and stung with every movement that the blond subsequently made. In the minds of the combatants, both knew that that might be the deciding blow, at this level of combat every distraction could prove fatal.

Wincing slightly at a brief flash of pain, Naruto forced his body to ignore it. He had bigger concerns…Like, oh say, the golden bladed spear that ALMOST rammed into his chest before he dodged under it and lashed out with the kopis. While he did not hit the prince, he forced him back a pace, giving the Emiya scion a brief amount of breathing room.

A natural lull in the fighting occurred as a result of this, the Trojan holding his spear defensively, while the blond took the time to change out his kopis for a gladius hispaniensis (with a leaf shaped point, for better damage on thrusting blows), as the "gladius" swords were more all-rounders than the Grecian kopis.

While Hector had never encountered this style of blade, he was rightly cautious of it due to his prowess as a fighter. As such, knowing the physical capabilities of his foe, he gave the blade the respect it deserved, his next attack, while faster, was also more controlled. While this made the blows easier to dodge, it would be much harder to disarm the man let alone redirect blows away from vital organs.

It was after narrowly avoiding yet another blow, that Naruto realized the prince's plan. The Trojan was slowly forcing him back, soon he would be pinned against the wall of the dojo, easy pickings for the famous warrior. Knowing this, and knowing that beyond the door behind him was just a very narrow corridor leading to the grounds of the estate, the blond tapped as deeply as he could into his "Dragon Slayer" Nature/Origin combination.

As soon as he did, he felt change over taking him. Everything not related to the fight: his concern for damaging his house, his sub conscious worry over his friends getting caught in the Grail War, EVERYTHING else ceased to matter. All that he could think of, ALL that he could do, was crush his adversary under his boot.

Hector, being the closest, perceived the change the quickest of his compatriots…But it was too late to do anything about it. The blond viciously counterattacked, every blow hammered against the spear when it was used to block, making the brunet's arms quake with effort trying to hold him back. Soon, the prince took a step back, and then another…Followed swiftly by falling into a fighting retreat.

The blond would just not let up in his attack, soon they were back to the middle of the large dojo…Then they were passed it, and a few nicks and cuts started appearing where his sword had partially bypassed the legendary warrior's guard. By the time they were three quarters of the way to the wall that Hector had come in by, the Trojan had summoned an oval shield with two gaps in it, and was using it to supplement his defense, as well as armor the beautiful armor he wore while in the Greco-Trojan war.

It wasn't enough though, and Naruto's blade bit deep into the prince's leg, near where his adversary's infamous lethal weakness was. The spearman stumbled, and would have fallen to Emiya's blade then and there, if not for the sudden arrow fire he had to dodge, as well as some spear thrusts from the blue clad spear man.

The English Yeoman, who had now come level with his comrades with another bodkin arrow nocked, spoke: "I assume honor can go stuff itself at this point my lords, this foe seems to be too much for any one of us to handle alone."

Begrudgingly, the two warrior elites agreed. While they were not fully used to working in concert with their allies, they were fast learners. So when they launched their counter offensive it was uncoordinated at first, but soon the gaps between each attack lessened, and opportunists for the blond to counter lessened. Whereas before he had been pushed back slowly in one on one fights, here he was forced to give ground rapidly.

Soon the fight had spilled into the corridor, and while it prevented the three spirits from launching flanking attacks, it also focused their attacks even more. Inch by inch, foot by foot, the adopted scion of Kiritsugu was pushed back, suffering dozens of minor wounds (although they soon healed, it was still a minor distraction he could not fully afford).

Soon their fight had spilled out into the actual grounds of the estate. This gave both the attacking heroic spirits, and their magus foe, more room to maneuver. But despite their numbers they could not land a fatal blow, part of the reason why was because the grounds were seeded with traps, both magical and mundane.

On more than one occasion one of the lancers had stepped on a land mine, only having their reflexes to thank for successfully avoiding death or dismemberment. Other notable traps were a rune that summoned earthen walls to entrap one of them, paralysis fields, prana sapping runes, spike pits, and a rune that summoned a temporary dragon made of earth and stone. However, all these defenses were intended to deal with foes of a much lower caliber than themselves, and were easily resisted or destroyed as the case may be.

By this point Naruto was getting desperate, he was running through mundane swords and other weapons at an alarming rate; and while they were not easily broken like all other weapons created by magic, as the Denial of Nothingness allowed him to create REAL weapons that would not shatter so easily, he was still facing pseudo deific beings. His mind ran through dozens of plans at light speed as the German Zweihander he had been using bent in HALF from a blow by Hector, forcing him to discard the blade.

His only choice was to create a weapon EQUAL to that of his opponents, but he had no time to truly think on what weapon to summon. Especially as Cu's blood red spear was gathering energy at an alarming rate, knowing the man's legend, he took a gamble and created an exact duplicate of his opponent's bloody spear. Rapidly channeling as much prana as he could while protecting himself with a falchion he had created, he prepared to unleash the legendary weapon he had copied.

Two voices cried out simultaneously: "Gae-bolg!" Twin streaks of crimson, lashed out, and met in the space between the fighters. The energy released by the identical weapons tore great furrows in the ground, and wind gusts forced the combatants away from the meeting point.

Neither spear seemed to have the advantage, indeed it was a perfect stalemate. But as the energy from the attacks released one final gust of wind and flash of light, the copied spear cracked…and shattered…despite matching the spear in all aspects, including power output, the original was superior due to the many years it had spent in its wielder's possession.

In fact after overpowering the blond's spear, it still had enough energy to travel forward and impale the teen. Although not in the heart, as lacking most of its momentum, the target was able to dodge just enough for it to avoid his vital organs…Though it still left a deep wound…and as a side effect, Naruto was thrown into his "workshop."

Panting heavily, Cu fell to his knees while his to comrades came forward to join him from where they were pushed by the clash of identical legends. Spitting on the ground, the hound of Ulster spoke: "Damn, that kid is a freak. Despite being outnumbered he's pushed us to our limits. One thing's for certain when we get done with this I'm going to need a drink."

Hector nodded in agreement, even as he kept his eyes locked on the workshop, expecting at any moment for the blond to come charging out with some new weapon and plan of attack: "Agreed, if he was born earlier, or Tyche not taken a disliking to him tonight, he would have become a hero worth remembrance…And I think I'll join you in that drink."

The longbowman, whose helmet had been blown off, revealing hair as black as a raven's feathers, spoke in a quasi-optimistic tone as they advanced on the shed: "Cheer up my lords, at this point I think we've weathered all he can throw at us. We just need to finish off now, and that should be easy now that he's trapped in there."

The Irishman groaned, "You just had to say something like that didn't you?"

Whatever reply the archer would have given was cut off when a MASSIVE spike of prana suddenly radiated from within the shed. Dust and debris from the ground around the workshop blasted out in a circle, pelting the heroic spirits and temporarily blinding them.

As the dust died down, their "fight or flight" instincts from when they were mortal screamed at them to run. But they pushed it down, thinking that it was an attempt to intimidate them, or that the blond had merely created a new weapon to attack with.

When the dust finally cleared, they wished they HAD listened. Because standing across from them were not three opposing servants, like most other groups they had scouted for the one who stole their contract from their master, but NINE…and they all looked very angry with them.

The archer summed up the situation perfectly: "I shouldn't have opened my bloody mouth."

CHAPTER COMPLETE!

NEXT TIME: The Grail Wars Begins Pt 3: By your command

Anyways, review please.

Poll: Choice for final slot: You only get 1 vote. Make it count!

Lancer Artoria [essentially the more mature (physically and emotionally) version of Saber (she would kinda fill an elder sister role to her three others and Mordred)]: 25

Attila/Altera/Etzel (sympathetic character, especially once Naruto finds out about the Fox) 10

Scathach (because wouldn't it be funny to see Cu's reaction to his teacher being summoned…plus Naruto might be able to make her see that her life DOES hold meaning and death) 36