Chapter 33

"I know her."

The words had Byleth looking up to the blonde quizzically. "I would be surprised if you didn't."

"No, I mean, I've spoken to her before. About three weeks ago, actually. We, kinda didn't leave on...good terms." He admitted, remembering her specifically as yet another person who tried talking sense into him.

"Interesting, but why is that relevant?" Byleth asked.

"It's not. I...just didn't think she would be helping the people trying to kill you... Then again, I've learned recently that I may not be a very good judge of character."

"..." Byleth hummed, not seeming at all interested in the blonde's inner turmoil. "Regardless, this is no time to dwell on trivial matters. Will you fix her or not?"

"I...really don't think it is a good idea." Naruto replied hesitantly, getting a disapproving frown from the bluenette.

"This is no time for hesitation. If you act and it doesn't work, then she dies. If you do nothing, then she dies. Regardless of what we decide to do, her life is in our hands."

"That's easy to say when you're not the one the consequences fall on." Naruto bit back.

"We both share the consequences. I share the blame for her state, even if not directly responsible. Here and now, you are the only one who can save her... Or have you decided you're just going to let her die?" Byleth's tone grew harsh, her expression unchanging even as Naruto grew irritated.

"I'm not using powers that I do not yet fully understand on a living person. I'd rather take my chances taking her to a proper healer."

"She will die." Byleth stated with cold certainty.

"You don't know that."

"I do. There are injuries magic cannot heal, one being of the mind." To emphasize this, she lifted the albinos head slightly to show dull purple orbs void of life. Upon letting go, her head slumped once more, proof that though the body loved, the mind had not. "She is beyond Fodlan's means, both mentally and physically. Her mind is damaged. There is no coming back from that. I brought her here with the hope that your people could save her seeing that our skills differ, and I was correct in doing so. Even if there's a 1% chance of saving her, then I will take it."

Naruto thought on her words; truly, he did. However, the fear of the unknown had a grip on him that was hard to shake off. In desperation, he reached within and tried, begged for the power of the Goddess to answer his call.

The familiar sharp pain of rejection had his hopes crashing back to rock bottom. Clenching his fist, he looked down, ashamed at both himself and the fear gripping his heart. He heard the girl sigh, no doubt disappointed.

The unsheathing of a blade had his head shooting up. Out of instinct, Naruto's hand flashed forward, catching the bluenette arm before she could put the knife to the injured woman's throat. The comatose girl did not flinch, but the same could not be said for Byleth who turned towards the blonde, eyes wide and a look of genuine puzzlement on her face—as if she genuinely did not think he would stop her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naruto growled, his fist squeezing tighter on the woman's wrist.

"Is it not obvious? I am granting her mercy." She plainly stated.

"And what mercy involves killing her?!" Naruto shot back, the anger beginning to cloud even his usually stoic mind at watching the woman's casual, uncaring countenance towards another's life.

"She's on death's door. If you can't, or won't help her, then the least I can do is put her out of her misery. It is the only kindness I can give her. I thought you would understand, considering your profession."

Though the words were said without any internal inflection, they stabbed deep within, nearly dousing his anger almost immediately.

She was not wrong, because he had done the same thing not too long ago. Memories of an elderly woman on a lab table, suffering and with no chance of ever seeing the light of day came back to the front of his mind. Back then, he had no choice. He tried to convince himself that it was the right thing to do, yet no matter how much Sothis had reassured him, he just couldn't quell the pit of doubt, telling him there could have been another way. It was the first time he had actually thought about it since before the fight with the Sound Nin, which only made him draw parallels between this situation and that.

His eyes flicked from the blade at the woman's neck to her eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation—any sign that she was bluffing. The bluenette held no fear in her eyes, and the blade was steady and unwavering.

She was serious.

If he did heal her and something happened because of his lack of understanding of his new powers, she would die. If he did nothing and she died as a result, wouldn't he be directly responsible if the woman killed her? If he did nothing, she died. If he did something, she could also die.

What kind of choice was that?

Even if he tried to stop her, would he have to kill her in retaliation?

Was she even wrong? Was he being ruled by his emotions again? Was there really no other way?

What...would Sothis do?

Dumb question.

He knew what she would say, and he knew he wouldn't like it.

It was yet another situation where he had to choose between life or death. The only difference this time was that there was a chance to actually save them, yet the margin for failure was unknown. The best possible thing was that it didn't work and the woman would be the one to bear the responsibility. Worst case was that he killed her on accident, with no way to reverse it.

He never truly realized how terrifying life was without Sothis until this moment. Was this how people lived knowing their actions had immediate consequences? That they couldn't immediately reverse their decisions?

It was terrifying.

"...Fine...you win." He said, defeat evident as he released her arm. "I'll try."

In the end, there was only one lesser evil here. The bluenette let him approach, thankfully removing the knife from the albino's neck but not putting it away.

Naruto stood over the girl, stalling by using the excuse of looking over her injuries. The fact anyone could do this to another human being would never not make him feel sick. At least they had paid, which was the only positive in this whole scenario.

With a deep breath, he put a hand on her head. This was definitely a bad idea, but he supposed it was better than letting her die. He began pouring his energy into the woman, just like he had when he healed his hand. After a minute of this, he stopped to observe the wounds.

Nothing had changed.

Problem was, there could be a variety of reasons why. One possibility could be that it only worked on him, which would be a shame and waste. The other could be it was exactly like Sothis' where he couldn't heal things past a specific time period.

But wasn't his new ability the power to move things forward?

No, that couldn't be right. He would not have been able to heal himself as he did back then. His wounds were fatal, no amount of time would have healed them. There was also the case with the pillow. The cotton didn't 'revert' as it would with a Pulse. The shattering of its form signified something, but what?

"It didn't work." Further comments from Byleth were silenced with a raised hand from Naruto.

It was already established back in the room that he had the power to move things forward, which was evident enough in his experiments. But now that he thought about it, what if that wasn't the case? When he healed his finger, it didn't feel like the damage was being reversed. It felt as if the hand itself was being replaced. In fact, his entire body felt that way. It still felt like his hand, but if it wasn't healed, then what happened?

He began to become genuinely frustrated. His power made no since. It was like a Pulse, but wasn't. It could revert damage, but it didn't feel as if it was being 'reverted' but more like 'replaced'. If that was the case, then how? What was it doing exactly? How was his damage being replaced with...with...

Wait...

Wait...

He looked to the bluenette and asked plainly, "Is your dad still at the cabin?"

"Take off your pants."

Jeralt stared at the two teenagers passively, the blonde kid's words sinking in and making the silence that passed all the more unbearable.

"...You wanna run that by me again?" He asked his spawn, hoping beyond hope that she would better explain this-

"You heard him. Take 'em off."

...Nope, there was no misinterpretation on his part. Those words really left her mouth—in the same tone, no less.

"Please, it's important." The blonde next to her added, not making it any less unsettling.

"...Before I jump to the wrong conclusion, can I ask why?" He tried, knowing his child was anything but socially competent while the blonde could put even the best card player to shame.

"We need to see your leg." Byleth revealed which immediately eased his tension.

"And why is that exactly?" He inquired further.

"I want to try healing it." The Genin revealed.

"Ain't possible." Jeralt immediately denied. "Been too long and the wound has already been cauterized. There's no healin' that."

"I'm not 'healing' it, per se. I'm...well, it's hard to explain, really."

"Think you'll have to do better than 'trust me', kid."

"It's a matter of life and death."

"For who? Me?" Jeralt raised a brow, unsure if he should take that as a threat or not.

"It is for a good cause, Dad. Now, take 'em. Slowly."

"Can you PLEASE stop saying things that can be so easily misconstrued!" The man almost begged while massaging the bridge of his nose. "Fine, I'll leave you to it. Just know I warned ya."

With that, he lifted his peg leg and began rolling up the cloth covering his injury, revealing a very nasty scar where the wood was attached. Naruto immediately knelt in front of it, observing it closely for only a moment before placing a hand on the leg. Power answered his call, and Jeralt began feeling something enter his body.

It was...strange. It didn't feel like mana at all, but it was warm. It coursed through his body in waves, slowly making its way up to his chest before spreading through every pour on his body.

He heard something crack, and much to his shock, found it was his own skin. The cracks spread throughout his body, yet oddly enough, he didn't feel any pain or discomfort. Eventually, the cracks shattered and the pieces fell from his body to land on the floor, disappearing into thin air to reveal his own skin underneath.

As otherworldly as the experience was, he couldn't help but be a bit disappointed at the outcome.

"It didn't work." Byleth stated the obvious, looking from the stump to the ninja.

"Not sure what the hell that was, kid, but I've had that injury for three years. I think we can both agree I ain't gettin' it back." Jeralt said.

"Three years..." Naruto mumbled, his eyes oddly never leaving the stump. Humming to himself, his hand was back on the retired mercenary's stump once again, and Jeralt felt himself being pumped with energy once more. Just like last time, the energy enveloped his entire body. Cracks soon began lining his body again, but this time, they extended to even the space beyond his stump. The longer time passed, the bigger the cracks until they were webs.

It shattered, the shards hitting the ground and revealed a patch of flesh.

And not just any piece of flesh, but the flesh that was directly below his stump. As if a gear in his body had been placed, the muscles around his new skin began working and Jeralt had a sudden sensation of itchiness he hadn't felt in three years.

Almost reverently, he put a hand on his new appendage and lightly pinched it. The pain told him it wasn't a trick of the light, some kind of sorcery, or a dream.

"Damn, Kid. "How the hell doin' that?" Jeralt whistled, moving the limb this way and that.

"To be honest, I don't really know." Naruto admitted, looking even more surprised than the man himself while looking at his own hands. "I just thought about your leg three years back and it was suddenly fixing itself." He further admitted, gaining a newfound appreciation mixed with excitement for his new abilities.

"...That ain't magic, is it?" Jeralt asked as he continued massaging his new limb.

"Not as far as I know. Some old man in my dream said he gave me some kind of 'approval' before I woke up. I guess I know what that is now...not that I'm complaining." Naruto admitted, to which he gained a raised brow from Jeralt while Byleth suddenly winced.

"I'd say that's hard to believe, but at this point, I'd believe it if you told me dogs were secretly agents of the Goddess." Jeralt joked, looking a little more relieved before a thought suddenly appeared. "Wait, if you didn't know this would work or not, does that mean I was a goddamn guinea pig?"

"...If I said no, would I still be in trouble?" Naruto deadpanned, to which Jeralt laughed before ruffling the blonde's hair.

"You're alright, Kid. You're alright." Hearing those words brought an odd sense of warmth to the Genin. The closest thing he's ever felt to the feeling was the Hokage, but this felt oddly different than the grandfatherly love he'd felt back then. It was definitely something he wouldn't mind hearing ever now and then.

Standing to his feet, Jeralt tested his weight on his new leg before smiling down at the blonde. "Well, I'd say you did a mighty fine job, Kid. And as such, I owe you one. If you ever need anything from me, don't hesitate to ask." He turned from the now smiling kid to his daughter and ready to give the same thanks, but paused at seeing her expression. "You alright, Kid?"

"N-no." Byleth said, her voice strained as she gripped her skull. "Th-the damn fox won't stop yelling."

"Fox?" Naruto questioned while Jeralt suddenly grew serious.

"What is it saying?"

Byleth suddenly relaxed, appearing to be thinking deeply before she turned to the youngest in the room.

"He says he wants to talk to you."

Naruto blinked at that.

"Me? Why?"

Byleth winced again before replying, "He says he just wants to talk...I think. Can't hear much over all the yelling."

"That doesn't sound like a good idea." Jeralt frowned.

"He's...not...asking." Byleth gritted out, the pain in her head growing. Her pupils suddenly began to morph into slits, followed closely by her hair becoming more feral and fingernails elongating.

Jeralt knew what was happening and immediately began backing up. At the same time, the door slammed open and both Kakashi and Kagero were now present, both ready for the incoming danger. Seeing the weapons in their hands, Jeralt immediately held a hand to stop them from doing anything stupid. He'd been through this song and dance before, and he knew the best ways to calm her enough to gain control and not kill them all.

Problem was, someone had already acted.

The blonde kid now stood in in front of Byleth, his back the only thing Jeralt could see.

"Naruto, back up." Kagero ordered, to which the blonde did the complete opposite. His hand reached out before any of them could think to move, and his hand grasped her head.

...

Naruto reopened his eyes to behold a sight he didn't think he would ever forget.

A cell, almost taller than the Hokage monument itself, towered over him. Thick bars as wide as trees stretched to the cobblestone walls, and on the center bar was a sealing tag. Looking up, he saw a giant, gaping hole that allowed the moon's light to pour inside, its beauty sticking out in the dreary atmosphere of the jail.

Movement to his left had him looking down on the bluenette, on all fours with one hand gripping her skull while she glared into the cell. Looking to where she was glaring, all he saw was a void of black.

Everything changed in an instant.

A killing intent more powerful than anything he'd ever felt before made his knees buckle. At the same time, red slitted eyes the size of a house appeared in the darkness. They were filled with so much rage, hate, and bloodlust that it filled every corner and crack in the room, nearly suffocating the duo. The rest of its body eventually entered the moon light, and its towering form and revealed.

Nine magnificent tails stretched from its body and whipped the air behind it. Its fur was a vibrant orange, almost glowing in the light. Its sharp and pointed ears stood tall, while black lines closely resembling eyeliner stretched from his eyes to the insides of his earlobes. Its mouth, filled with fangs as big as he was (if not bigger), were twisted in a snarl that only made his rage more prominent.

"YOU!" His voice, as deep and demonic as one would imagine, thundered across the room, shaking the entire structure. Its body slammed against the bars, its strength and ferocity strong but unable to even bend the steal holding it captive. "Why do you have that power?! Speak now, human!"

Naruto swallowed, his body shaking but his nerves were steel. He couldn't, wouldn't let his fear rule him. "It was given to me."

"BY WHO?!" The fox bellowed, his roar echoing off the walls and sending him a step back.

"I...don't know."

"DO NOT LIE TO ME, FLESH BAG!" The fox volume increased. "Your scent, even the very essence of your soul has his chakra running through you! That is NOT possible! YOU ARE NOT WORTHY! Speak the TRUTH, or I swear to break free of this vessel and use what is left of my soul to devour you and everyone you love!"

Despite the threat meant to strike fear in the blonde, it did the opposite. His brow furrowed, and his fist gripped as he flared up at the fox.

"I am telling the truth. I don't know who, or what he was that gave me this power, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you." Naruto stated confidently. "And threaten my friends again, and I will make sure you regret it, stupid fox."

The fox's growl grew in volume, his teeth clenching so hard that they threatened to shatter while the chakra in the room grew exponentially, cracking the cobblestone and forcing Byleth to her face from the pain. The beast only grew more furious upon realizing the Sage's chakra began to protect him from his chakra—consciously or not, he didn't know. All he knew was that the brat that looked so much like Namikazi Minato matches his glare and did not kneel as he should.

The pressure vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. One moment the fox was exuding power, and the next, it was like it had put a cap on it. Byleth began breathing rapidly and coughing while the Namikazi lookalike did not relent into their staredown.

In the end, it was the Kyuubi who broke the gaze first, turning around in his cell and walking further in. However, he would not leave without having the last word.

"I do not accept you. No matter what the old man has done, your kind is not worthy—nor will you ever be." He kept walking before his form vanished completely, leaving the two humans alone in the empty room.

Naruto stared in the direction the fox departed. Only when he couldn't see him anymore did he let out a breath of relief before looking to the host of the creature. Said woman had finally regained herself and was now looking to the jail cell with an expression he couldn't describe.

"...What an ass?" Was all Naruto could think to say. She did not laugh, but he could see a tiny smile grace her lips.

"He warms up to people slowly. Trust me, by tomorrow, he'll hate you twice as much. And if you're lucky, he might start cursing you behind your back."

Naruto did not doubt for a second if that was true or not.

Pain.

A feeling Edelgard had become accustomed to over an undisclosed amount of time since her failure. Pain so immense and so overwhelming that she lost all sense of herself after the first week.

In those moments, she truly believed she would die. That she would amount to nothing and that the world she wished to mold would forever be out of reach. That she would never know vengeance, that more people would suffer by those demons in human skin, that the nobles who conspired against her family would never know justice, and that her family would never be avenged.

She knew she was going to die.

It was not a fact, but a certainty.

Yet that did not stop her from wishing to live. Even though her mind was gone, her body continued to fight. Even when her limbs were disjointed and her spine shattered, her lungs punctured, and her body burnt, she fought. She fought, because it was all she knew how to do. Above the fear was a desperate need to live. Even if it wouldn't be for herself, for once, she wanted to live a life of her own making.

To do that, she had to live.

...So she did. Despite the pain, she fought to stay alive. Even in the infinite sea of darkness, she fought to keep herself alive. Even when the pain stopped and she could no longer think, her will to live kept her body alive.

Until she saw light.

In the distance, light shone, and her mind began coming back from wherever it had locked itself away. Her body was still numb, but she could still feel her fingers twitch and her rear sitting on something. It all began to come back to her, surely, but slowly.

First, her eyes.

The voices spoke louder, and her eyes moved to follow the sound.

Then, her nose.

The world began to smell, and her eyes followed the source.

Then, her skin.

She could feel the hard thing she sat on and her eyes focused on the two figures.

Lastly, her mind.

Her brain finally registered the world around her and, for the first time, she was able to comprehend what was happening.

"...eee."

She heard a sound, followed closely by something repeatedly hitting her face.

"Ooooooooiiii."

"...I don't think it's working."

"*Sigh* how's 'bout next time you kids get the adults involved and not go handlin' things on yer own."

"Ooooooooiii, are you dead or not? Ooooooooiii."

The tapping grew in power, feeling more and more like someone was slapping her in the face. It was that realization that had her eyes focusing faster and the haze clearing up almost instantly.

The last thing she expected to see was the face of a blonde, whiskered teen only inches away from her own.

"Ah, you're alive." He intoned, pulling back and allowing the rest of his features to come into view.

She could only stare at him, her mind now trying to piece together where she had seen the boy before.

"I...know you." She whispered, her throat oddly not hoarse despite not having water in what felt like weeks.

"I'm happy you remember me." He said before looking her over. "Are you OK? You had me worried. I was afraid it wouldn't work. Does anything hurt? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"..." Edelgard remained in a stupor, the words were coming in too fast for her recovering brain to answer even one.

"Geez, give the lass some space, kid." She turned her head slowly to the source of the new voice, and a broad man with a similar shade of blonde hair and a beard stepped forward to force his fellow blonde to back off. "You alright, kid? You were practically on death's door just a minute ago."

The moment those words left his lips, the memories of her torture regrettably returned. She did her best to hide her wince, but the sudden look of regret on the man's face told her she wasn't successful in hiding it fully.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make you remember." The man said.

"It...is fine." She dismissed his worries and tried turning the conversation towards a different matter. "Am, I now your prisoner?" She asked, moving her hands in emphasis to her situation.

Without question, Naruto moved behind her, Edelgard's eyes following the blonde until he disappeared out of sight. It took no time at all to feel circulation in her hands and feet, and she moved to massage then out of habit.

Unfortunately, she underestimated her own body's fatigue. The moment the ropes were cut, she fell forward. The only thing that stopped her from face-planting onto the dirt was the man who caught her.

"Easy there." He warned while pushing her gently back up onto the chair. She thanked him, but didn't even have the energy to fight his helping hand and simply sat back while massaging her wrists.

Something was suddenly put to her lips. Recognizing it as a waterskin, she hesitated only for a moment before allowing her lips to part for the drink. The water that hit her tongue before going down her gullet brought a relief she didn't know needed tending. She drank nearly half the canteen before she motioned for the boys to stop tilting the waterskin, taking a satisfying breath of relief before licking her lips.

"Better?" Naruto asked, and she nodded gratefully.

"Where are we?" She finally questioned, not recognizing her surroundings.

"Underground currently, but somewhere away from the dastards that strung you up." Jeralt answered, to which the heiress grew worried.

"Did, did they follow you here?"

"They are dealt with." A new voice interjected, making Edelgard look around to find the unseen speaker. Upon seeing the speaker reveal herself from behind the taller blonde, her entire body froze. An irrational fear creeped up inside her, and a need to escape had her jumping to her feet.

Her legs, however, did not get the memo, and she ended up collapsing onto her back. Her head was spinning, and she had no way of stopping it, only barely hearing the blonde boy rushing to her side and asking questions.

She did not answer, simply staring into the eyes of the blue-haired woman. The girl returned her stare, unafraid, but her eyes held no pity either. Red eyes replaced the blue, her hair suddenly became wilder, and an aura enveloped her. In a flash, she was above her, her face close and her hands holding, gripping her neck in a vise.

Once again, she struggled to breathe, kicking as much as she could to get the beast off her. And yet, no matter how much she kicked and screamed, she could not break free. Just like last time, she was helpless, unable to breath, and was about to-

Multiple slaps to her face began to distort the world around her. The face of the demon woman was replaced by the face of the whiskered teen, the blue hair replaced with blonde hair, and the red eyes were now a deep seafoam. He was saying something, but it was hard to hear over her pounding heart and her ragged breaths. It took her a minute, but her heart rate had slowed.

However, it nearly restarted all over again upon seeing the woman responsible for her trauma still standing in the room.

"W-why are you here?! I did what you asked! I told them! I gave them your message! Why are you here?!" Edelgard rambled, the panic in her voice palpable as she pushed herself back to get as far away from the demon as possible.

Meanwhile, Jeralt and Naruto turned to Byleth, both gazes accusatory in their own volume. The woman at least had the sense to hold her hands up in defense.

"She brought men who destroyed my house and nearly killed me, so I used her as bait to find the ones she was working for. It was self-defense." Her argument was sound, succeeding in lessening the glare of her father but not that of Naruto.

"Listen, kid, no one here is gonna hurt anybody. You're safe here. Promise." Jeralt reassured the heiress, yet that did little to ease the heiress.

"...Would you feel better if you punched me in the face?" Byleth suggested, to which Naruto stood and took a step towards the bluenette. He was stopped from taking a second by her father.

"No one's punching anybody, damn it!" The ex-mercenary sighed, shaking his head before addressing the scared girl. "Look, lass, you're not a prisoner or a hostage. You were saved, meaning that's that. Whatever happened back then is in the past. Gone, but not forgotten. Once you've recovered, you're free to leave. Just make sure to keep us out of you're politics from here on out. Got it?" Jeralt finished with finality, seeking to get his point across despite his words being aimed at a future Emperor.

Edelgard did not reply. Her breathing had slowed, her mind was more rational, and her heart had calmed, but she still didn't trust the bluenette. Her fear of the woman had been momentarily quelled, however, and now she could see the situation for what it was.

"Those terms are agreeable." She conceded, seeing no reason to deny. If all they wanted was for her to stay as far away from them as possible, then she would do it gladly, even if she didn't fully believe them.

Byleth didn't look all too bothered by it, simply shrugging before making her way towards the exit.

"Not so fast, young lady." Jeralt stopped the young woman before she could make it out of the door. "Now that that's settled, we need to talk. Alone." The last word held an undertone of danger only a father can exude.

Naruto, sensing a scolding on the horizon, immediately scooped the heiress up bridal style, ignoring her embarrassed squeak to make a beeline for the door.

"We're gonna get some air, if that's OK with you." Naruto said in passing before making his escape—doing the polite thing by closing the door behind him.

Now making their way towards the ladder at the end of the corridor, Edelgard starred at the side of the blonde's head in reverence. He had no idea what she was thinking, and the same went vice versa. It was probably for the best that they kept it that way, seeing that Edelgard had finally realized she was only garbed in her smallclothes while being carried in such a way that could easily be misconstrued by any unaware of their situation. Only when they reached the stares did he look at her, and she prayed to the Goddess that he could not see the hue of pink that no doubt painted her cheeks.

"You might want to hold on tight." Was his only warning before he kneeled down and leaped up and out of the hole. Upon landing, she saw sunlight, but was too frazzled to pay it much mind as she glared at the teen holding her.

"I believe you missed the part where you waited until I was ready." She said, her tone stern.

"Sorry, thought you were."

"I was not."

"Oh."

Dismissing the teen, she removed the strands of hair out of her face, allowing her vision to be unobstructed once more.

A strand, a single strand, had her pausing momentarily to look at it.

Instead of the pale white she knew, the pale white that spoke of her fate and the constant reminder of her ambitions, it was dark.

Not dark.

Brown.

Grabbing more locks and holding it up to her face, she confirmed her suspicions.

Her hair, her reminder, had been erased—as if it were never there to begin with. The longer she looked, the more she began to believe this was a dream. It had to be!

Yet she felt something internal had been healed. Something she couldn't see, but just knew it had been fixed—knew that it was gone.

"What, did you do to me?" She spoke in a whisper, her eyes never leaving the strands of hair in her hands.

"You had a lot of injuries, so I healed them. Your hair started changing half way through, so I thought I could heal that too, and I did." He answered, though he was unsure if his answer was correct. "Was I wrong?"

"No," Edelgard whispered, gripping the hair as she felt water run down her cheek.

Was she crying? When was the last time she had cried? How many years has it been since she'd shed a tear? The Crest of Flames was an integral part of her strength, yet it was also a curse. Her ambitions could be achieved without it, which is why no longer having it, knowing that her life was no longer on such a short timer brought a joy she hadn't felt in years.

It was the same joy that had her burying her head in the teen's chest and allowing her tears to run freely.

"Thank you. I...thank you. I, I don't know how I can ever repay you. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you."

Naruto could do little other than hold the crying girl, rubbing her back soothingly while the tears wet his shirt. He didn't know the significance of what he had done, but he was just happy that he did something that made her happy, unknowingly or not. It was such a touching moment.

Which made it all the less touching when the door to the shed suddenly opened. At once, sunlight assaulted them, forcing Naruto to raise his hand to shield his eyes from the brightness.

A silhouette stood in the door, tall at that. When his eyes finally focused, his eyes widened at the unexpected arrival.

"Seiros?"

"A-Archbishop?"

Despite her name and title being called, the woman did not move. Her face was neutral as she stared them down, not giving a single hint at what she was thinking. When she finally spoke, her tone was flat and her words simple.

"Should I give you two privacy?" The words left her lips, and the two teens were left staring. Only when enough time passed for Edelgard to process her words and their predicament did she finally realize where the Archbishop's head had likely gone.

"Th-this is not what it looks like!"

Jeralt groaned for what was likely the hundredth time that day. All around his living room were the combined forces of the otherworlder (minus the Jonin), along with the (now clothed) heiress and two others that he didn't wish to see again in at least another lifetime.

He has known this day would come. Though he had evaded Rhea for nearly 20 years, he would be a fool if he thought it wasn't by her own design. He would be a bigger fool if he thought he could hide from a being who had lived four times even his lifespan.

No, he had known this would happen eventually. He knew the moment Byleth brought Seteth's child onto his doorstep.

Looking to the girl in discussion now sitting next to her who seemed to be glaring holes into the blonde kid across the room, Flayn gave him an apologetic smile. It did little to assuage his annoyance, but at least he knew she did not do any of this out of malice.

"Sssssooooooo...nice weather we're having..."

Jeralt could have snorted at the blonde kid's attempt at breaking the ice. The only reason he hadn't was because Byleth had been the one to make the attempt first moments prior, and that had gone over as well as could be expected.

"If I may, I think it is high time we got to the subject matter." Seteth's words were not a suggestion. He looked to Byleth, his stern countenance somehow more firm. "You are the one they call the 'Angel of the Woods' no? The one responsible for quelling bandits, as well as the one responsible for the current state affairs in regards to attacks on all three royal kingdoms?"

The room grew tense at the questioning, nearly everyone aside from the otherworlders knowing the answer before Byleth even spoke. As for the woman herself, she looked unbothered by the question even when all but confirming his hypothesis.

"And if I was?" Her words were a challenge, one Seteth did not faulter at.

"Then there is nothing that needs to be discussed further. You shall come with us to the Monastery, where you shall immediately answer for your crimes."

Like a switch, the room grew tense. Though most of the outworlders did not seem phased by the degree, the said could not be said about Naruto and even Flayn—the latter of which tried to speak up but was immediately cut off by a hand from her father.

"From what Flayn has written, I have you to thank for saving both her and Sir Uzumaki's lives. Nevertheless, the fact remains that you have thrown Fodlan into a state of chaos through your actions. Noble houses are up in arms over the deaths of many of their retainers and kin, the kingdoms are preparing for war, and the Church's hands are tied in doing little else but to placate the people's fears. It does not at all help that the blame is ultimately being put on our shoulders. All these events and more have happened because of you, and it is only fair that you take responsibility."

Jeralt gripped his biceps tightly at that. Seteth spoke out of rationality; he was aware of that. All actions had consequences, and even he would admit that what Byleth had done, even from an outsider's point of view, seemed shortsighted. Even if they had the full picture, the way in which she executed things left not only fear, but resentment and power vacuums that would likely take years to refill.

That, however, did not mean he would sit back and let the church have her—or anyone for that matter.

"Hold on. Before you go making assumptions, you should hear her side of the story." Naruto came to her defense, to which Seteth shook his head.

"It does not matter her reasoning, Naruto. What matters is that her actions have painted a target on not only the church but also those who worship the Goddess. Even as we speak, rumors of our involvement have spread, and if not quelled with a culprit, we just may be in store for yet another bloody war the likes Fodlan has not seen in centuries."

Naruto went to reply, but nothing came out. It would seem the logic was enough to douse the kid's fire, along with whatever argument Flayn had prepared. His argument was valid, and any sensible person would agree with his logic. Like he said, actions had consequences, and no one was exempt from that.

"She's not going anywhere." And yet, Jeralt did not, nor has he ever cared about consequences—especially when it pertained to his daughter.

"Sir Jeralt-"

"No, I think it's high time you listened for once." The mercenary cut Seteth off before he could speak more of his drabble. "19 years. For 19 years, we've been on the run, fighting for our lives, or hiding away from you people. Not a day has passed where I do not worry when she is away, or who would cut our throats in the dead of night. There has not been one day of normacy for us, and I'd be damned if I let you take her from me too. So no, she will go nowhere, and you will leave. That is your only option."

Jeralt made sure to glare into both Seteth and Rhea's eyes, hoping to get the message across both verbally and physically.

Rhea sat with her typical regal poist, looking wholey unbothered by his words. Seteth did the same, yet not even he could hide the slight dip in his already stern visage.

"Your decision is the height of foolishness. Even if the world should turn their banners on us, you would forever be an enemy of the church. Is that truly worth it?" Was Seteth's final argument, to which Jeralt only laughed.

"I was an enemy of the church long before any of this. My loyalty died with Sitri." He made sure to point those words at Rhea before returning to Seteth. "And wouldn't you do the same if you were in my shoes? If it was your child?"

The two men shared a brief staredown, neither faultering in their intensity. Eventually, Seteth sighed, breaking the stalemate before admitting, "You are not wrong. However that is not the-"

"That is enough, Seteth."

All heads turned to the Archbishop, who turned her attention from her second-in-command to Jeralt, the latter of whom felt the need to stand his ground when the woman's gaze fell on him.

"You are right, Jeralt. You have done much for the church, and you certainly deserve a normal life, one not constantly in the shadows." The Archbishop said, her tone kind yet somehow also coming off as apologetic. "Nevertheless, it is true what Seteth says. We are in dire straits. Regardless of whether or not you come with us, war will still be on the horizon with those of the church displeased with our recent changes. These events coincide perfectly with their own agendas. As such, I come offering a compromise—one born of mine own recent convenience."

Saying that she turned to Byleth, the teen stoically staring back.

"Lady Byleth, I know I have no right to ask for your assistance in this matter. I have failed you and your father both, and for that, I deeply apologize. Know that I only ask this of you in hopes you can live out the rest of your lives in peace. It is not much, and it is selfish on my part, but it is all I can offer."

"...Depends on what the offer is." Byleth said lowly.

"I assure you, it is simple. I only request that you remain the enemy that Fodlan know you as." Saying that, she turned to the future Adrestian. Said ruler who looked taken aback by the Archbishop's sudden attention. "And for Edelgard Von Hresvelg to be it's new savior."

A/N: I am ashamed to admit that I gave up on this chapter. Seriously, I still had 3000 words of dialogue I wanted to put at the end of this chapter, but for the life of me I could not write it. I tried, I really did, but I simply did not want to waste another two weeks writing a scene I had no interest in. It would sound forced, and very unenjoyable iny opinion.

In the end, I decided to leave Rhea's last words up to the reader's imagination and get back to it in a later chapter so we can move on with the story. Sorry, but that's just how it is, and considering this will be the last we see of Fodlan for a long while, it's kinda sad.

Also, seems like FF net is up to it again with the emails so I people didn't get the story update sadly. However, for someone reason I got like 15 new followers so that's a bonus! Thank you all for following and for the new people I hope you're enjoying the ride! Also want to thank those who reviewed! Reviews always keep me going and I always look forward to you your responses!

Next chapter we are back in the Lead, and the report of their mission before the Chunin Exams! Hope you're looking forward to it as much as I am!

As always, don't forget to Follow, fav, review, and have a DAMN good day!