Adventures of the Orange Flash
Chapter 70: Meetings in the Dragon's Shadows
As the group flew towards the Dragon Kingdom, Naruto wasn't in full focus as he had left his body on autopilot and was within his mindscape along with Kurama, confronting someone he wasn't expecting to see at all.
"It's been a while since we last saw each other, at that time you were accepting me as a part of yourself," said Yami Naruto.
Naruto nodded in affirmation "Yeah, I had come to terms back then which is why I'm surprised to see you again. Mind if I ask why you're here?"
"I don't need to remind you that I am the side of you when you withhold your anger, rage, sorrow and even…your animosity,"
"Animosity?"
"You can't deny that you've been getting ticked off ever since you came into this dimension and I can name a few being the source; Scourge, Finitevus, the Iron Queen and King being the major ones. It's been building up, even though you were able to control it, there are certain times it would leak out. Have you noticed that there were times that the color of the Foxfire was darker than usual during your more recent fights?"
Naruto frowned in thought "Now that you mention it, I've noticed that my foxfire was of a different color at those times,"
"Those were signs that you're close to unlocking the next Aspect and was the reason why I came since it's liked to negativity," Yami Naruto pointed out.
"So, I'm about to gain the next Aspect?"
"Not yet, you're right at the edge and need just a bit more in order to unlock it,"
"So, what do I need to do?"
"I'll tell you what to do but it will have to be later since you got something doing right now,"
"Point taken, guess I'll see you later,"
Yami Naruto shrugged in response "Not like I'm going anywhere,"
Upon seeing Naruto disappear from the mindscape, Kurama turned to Yami Naruto "What you want him to undergo won't be that easy, would it?"
"Of course it wouldn't, and he'll hate it," Yami Naruto responded.
Snapping back into focus, Naruto quickly took note that they were descending towards a small village which Sally had informed them to be Stormtop Village. Upon arrival, they were met by a Mobian lion wearing a kimono who bowed his head in greeting.
"Greetings my friends, I welcome you all to Stormtop village," said the Mobian lion.
Sally and the others bowed in response "It's a pleasure to be here and see you," she turned to introduce him to Naruto "He's Li Yuen, the village elder in the Temple of the Golden Lotus,"
"It's nice to meet you, Li Yuen-san," said Naruto.
"The feeling is similar, how about I give you all a grand tour of my home?" Li Yuen offered.
"It would be our pleasure,"
"By the way, Sal. How about I show you around the place?" Monkey Khan offered.
Sally hummed in thought before nodding to the offer "Sure, I don't mind. We'll meet up later," she walked away with Sonic frowning which Naruto noticed but decided to bring it up later.
The trio were guided by Li Yuen to a temple and ushered inside as the elderly lion spoke "…and this is the temple of the Golden Lotus,"
"Cool," Sonic looked at the interior of the building with awe.
Naruto nodded in agreement "This kinda reminds me of the other temples I've been to before,"
"I'll say, what's the story of this place, Mr. Li?" asked Tails curiously.
Li Yuen proceeded to tell them the story "Well, it dates back to even before the recorded time. It is said that this land was the birthplace of all dragons. They were a young race and misused their immense power as they warred against each other horribly, by the time they saw the negative side effects of their actions, it was already too late. Ashamed, they vowed to leave the place and settle throughout the world,"
"Hmm, I'm guessing that this place used to be Dulcy's ancestral home," said Sonic thoughtfully, thinking about his kindhearted dragon friend and how she's doing right now.
Li Yuen continued his story "Before their departure, the dragons left behind a prophecy of a time when turmoil would return to divide the land and the great Golden Lotus King would bring peace and unity to the Dragon Kingdom," he gestured towards a giant golden statue for the trio to look at and were shocked upon seeing whom it portrayed.
"Sonic, that's…," Tails pointed at the statue in shock.
"No way…," Sonic was in the same boat.
Before them was a giant golden statue of Monkey Khan in a lotus position and a staff in hand with a look of serenity on his face.
"I see, so he's the Dragon Kingdom's beacon of hope. It explains a lot of things and why he constantly blamed himself after what the Iron Queen made him do, he was forced to hurt the very ones he wanted to protect," said Naruto with sympathy, recalling the weight he bore when he learnt that he was the Child of Prophecy meant to bring peace or destruction to his original but was able to achieve the former before he left.
"Just another reason to show that so-called queen that she's not all-powerful," said Kurama.
"And another trigger for my reappearance," Yami Naruto pointed out whilst seething at the subject matter.
"Yeah, this is pretty hard to overlook. Khan's got his work cut out for him," said Sonic with a small frown.
Naruto was about to inquire Sonic about a certain matter when he suddenly sensed something and turned to the outside with a frown "Hey guys, we've got company and a lot of them,"
"Who could they be?" asked Tails curiously.
Sonic smirked "Sounds like the very ones we're looking for, let's go out there and greet them,"
Running out of the temple before Li Yuen could say a word, Naruto and co went out into the open where the place was seemingly empty but the nine-tailed kitsune knew better and called out to the ones hiding.
"You can come out and show yourselves, I know you're there," said Naruto.
At his words, multiple figures stepped out from the shadows into the light, revealing to be Mobian siders wearing black ninja gi which made Naruto identify them to be the spider ninjas from the Gossamer Clan. He was snapped out of his thoughts as the spider ninjas lunged to attack, forcing him and the others to defend themselves.
Sonic proceeded to zip around at highspeed, punching and kicking any spider ninja which tries to attack him whilst making sure that he doesn't stay in one place for too long to be attacked from his blindspot. He leapt into the air and utilized his Homing Attack to strike his targets consecutively.
Tails took to the air and started shooting at the spider ninjas with his blaster and keeping them away from him by throwing his high-tech boomerang. He reached into his SAC and brought out several grenades which he set them to stun and threw at the ninjas with the assigned function then he would swoop in to attack with his stun baton then quickly using a smoke grenade to confuse the ninjas whilst retreating quickly, having left behind several freeze grenades to incapacitate them.
Over with Naruto, he was using his Fox Fang Fist to engage his own portion of spier ninjas facing him and would utilize the Swift Release to make it difficult for the opposition to be able to keep track of him. However, Naruto noticed that something was off about the spider ninjas, it was as if they weren't giving their all.
"No weapons, no usage of webbing and I don't even sense any ill intent from them. They don't want to harm but rather capture us?" thought Naruto confusedly.
"How odd, considering that they're supposed to serve the Iron Dominion and all," said Kurama with a small frown "So, what's you next move?"
"Ask some questions, but first…," Naruto activated his Plant Aspect as a green energy construct of a vine appears wrapped around his neck and arms with the ends dangling while flowers grow around his feet "Plant Weed!" he slammed his palms to the ground, causing vines to emerge and wrap around all of the spider ninjas, restraining their movements.
"Well, that takes care of them. But there's something funny going on here," said Sonic.
"So, you noticed it too,"
"What do you mean?" asked Tails confusedly.
"A serious lack of weapons and webbing practically screams that they were pulling their punches, so the question to be asked is why?" Sonic pointed out while looking at one of the spider ninjas being restrained by the vines.
The spider ninja proceeded to explain "The master learned of your arrival and decreed that you meet with her. However, there was no guarantee that you would come willingly or peacefully. We were sent to make assurances,"
Sonic quirked an eyebrow at this "So attacking and kidnapping our friends is the best you could come up with to gain our cooperation? You couldn't just import a chili dog recipe or better yet simply talk to us?"
"It's not our place to question the master,"
"Even so, it would have saved a lot of time if you just spoke instead of attacking us," Naruto willed the vines to release the ninjas and retreat to the ground.
"Are you sure it is wise to simply comply with them?" asked Li Yuen with concern.
"We came to the Dragon Kingdom in search of the ninja clans to begin with, so we'll comply with their request," Naruto explained.
"I see, do exercise caution,"
"No worries, we got this!" said Sonic confidently, then he turned to the spider ninjas "Alright then, lead the way,"
Sure enough, the spider ninjas took the lead with the others following them for some time until they arrived at the stronghold of the Gossamer Clan which was built into the side of a cliff. There they saw Sally and Monkey Khan tied up with the other spider ninjas watching over them.
"Glad to see that you're in one piece," said Sonic with relief.
"Do you agree to meet the master with obedience and humility?" the spider ninja inquired.
"We will as long as no harm comes to us," said Naruto sternly, assuring them as well warning should they try anything unwanting.
"Very well," the ninja signaled the others to release the captured which they immediately did, Monkey Khan massaged the soreness from his wrists while Sally looked rather depressed.
"Hope they didn't rough you up,"
Monkey Khan grumbled in response "Speak for yourself, being beaten so easily is half as embarrassing as being rescued by you,"
The Blue Blur rolled his eyes "Get over yourself, monkey boy. You okay, Sal?"
"…," Sally looked away, not giving any form of response.
"…Sally?" Sonic made to approach her but was stopped by Khan with a hand on his shoulder.
"Let me talk to her, the rest of you can go on ahead," said Monkey Khan.
"…," Sonic frowned for a moment before walking past him "Yeah, okay,"
Naruto was watching the interaction between the two and started to wonder "I've been sensing jealousy from Sonic for a while now every time he sees Sally interact with Monkey Khan. Could there be something between him and Sally? I kinda find it weird since I see him getting along with Amy more even though he thinks otherwise,"
Kurama shrugged "They must have been romantically involved and maybe broke up before we came to this dimension. I'm not exactly the kind of guy to discuss this mushy stuff with,"
"Well, it looks to me that something's definitely going on between Sally and that monkey boy which Sonic clearly doesn't like. Remind you of anything?" asked Yami Naruto.
"Let's not go there, we both know full well that it's a sore subject for both of us," thought Naruto sternly.
"Okay okay,"
Later on, everyone was at the throne room where the Bride of Endless Reach who is the Bride to the Gossamer Clan sat on her throne in a lotus position before speaking to them.
"I am the Bride of Endless Reach, Bride to the House of the Gossamer Clan. She who knows the course of fate, she who can obtain all things," Bride of Endless Reach introduced herself.
Sally bowed in greeting "I am Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, daughter of king Maximillian and leader of the Freedom Fighters,"
Monkey Khan followed suit "I am Monkey Khan; the king of the free people, appointed defender of the people of the Dragon Kingdom without a clan to call their own,"
Sally bumped her elbow against Monkey Khan's to stop him from saying anything to earn the Bride's ire "Oh no you don't, we need you at the top of your game too,"
Naruto crossed his arms and nodded "I'm Naruto Uzumaki Namikaze,"
"Yo, I'm Sonic," said hedgehog introduced himself with his signature greeting.
Tails spoke last "The name's Tails and I'm with him,"
Sally glared at them for their blatant disrespect "You guys…!"
But it would seem that the Bride of Endless Reach paid them no mind "Ah, the Acorn Princess, I would very much like to hear the account of our dearest daughter; Uma Arachnis,"
Hearing that name made Sally come to a realization "She was one of yours?"
"Wait, I thought you have never been to the Dragon Kingdom?" asked Monkey Khan confusedly.
"She was a minion of the evil wizard Ixis Naugus and escaped from the Zone of Silence a long while ago. She later worked with the former warlord Kodos to steal the Sword of Acorns but later ended up turning on him and helped me retrieve it," said Sally.
"And then?" the Bride of Endless Reach gestured for the princess to continue.
"I'm sorry, she died due to radiation poisoning but not before laying a clutch of eggs then her children took the Sword of Acorns from us. But they were captured by Doctor Robotnik and sent to his Egg Grapes. I'm sorry to say that we could not rescue them in time before they…if only we had known, we could have…,"
The Bride of Endless Reach raised a hand to stop Sally from saying any more "Enough, what was the ultimate fate of the Sword of Acorns?"
"It was destroyed before it could fall into the wrong hands,"
Upon hearing this, the Bride rose to her feet with a declaration "As it was spun, so has it been done! Our heart breaks for the loss of our daughter and her children, but it is mended anew with the news of their fates fulfilled!"
Everyone looked at each other in confusion of her statement while Naruto mentally rolled his eyes with a scoff "Great, a clan that believes in fate. No doubt Neji would have joined these guys if he was still in that fate believing phase of his,"
"True that, which was why we enjoyed literally punching that dumb notion out of him," said Yami Naruto with a smirk, recalling one of those 'good times'.
Sonic spoke up "This is fascinating and all but could you make it that the uninitiated can understand too?"
"Uma and indeed all of the Arachne have been our most gifted readers," the Bride of Endless Reach got off her throne and gestured for the others to follow her through a passageway "She saw that the last relics of the source of all would fall into the hands of evil and ensured that they were destroyed even after her death,"
"I see, kinda reminds me of something similar back home," said Naruto thoughtfully.
Then they entered a chamber when they came upon the sight of a massive web with several spider ninjas climbing around it "You are the first outsiders to gaze upon the Web of Fate, woven by our first bride. Its strands foretell of what is to come…if you can read it. It tells of our future prosperity, it set Uma on her mission and even foretold of your coming here,"
"Now wait just a minute…," Monkey Khan confronted the Bride with a frown on his face "If you can foresee all this, then why have you been fighting!? Why have my people been made to suffer if you're so well informed? Why aren't you sharing your wisdom with the people of the Dragon Kingdom?"
"Uh Khan, I don't think now's the best time to do this," said Sonic, not wanting to create any conflicts at this critical moment.
The Bride of Endless Reach turned to glare at Monkey Khan "This is our web woven by our Bride and read by our chosen. It is not something for the rest of the Dragon Kingdom. The Web of Fate tells of the key moments to come but not the road to take, we cannot use it for something so bias as day-to-day tactics. Furthermore, we believe this 'King' born in another land, powered by Robotnik's gifts and given a title only by clanless peoples is forgetting he is talking to the Gossamer Clan's Bride!"
Monkey Khan gritted his teeth in anger "If you think I'm just going to…,"
"Ahem…If I may?" they both turned to see Sally approaching them "The Dragon Kingdom is a massive land, the unorganized 'Free People' can live alongside the other clans comfortably, right?"
"Of course, all they want is to live in peace," Khan admitted grudgingly.
Sally turned to the Bride "And you said that the Web doesn't show you the way to each point ahead. If that's the case, couldn't there always be a peaceful option?"
"Perhaps," the Bride admitted to the statement.
"Wouldn't it be worth the effort even if it isn't the fastest route? Your clan already lost Uma and six young members who never got to see their homeland,"
"That…that is very true,"
"If there's a route that doesn't require lives being sacrificed for the greater good, then you shouldn't even hesitate to choose that route," Naruto spoke up, seeing that this Bride is rather considerate and not all that tethered to the belief of fate.
"But would the King of the Free People recognize the Gossamer Clan and its land? Or would we be opening ourselves up to a new 'King of the Four Houses'?" the Bride of Endless Reach inquired in a serious tone.
"The people only want peace…as the King of the Free People, I would be sure to honor your clan and its claims. You have my word of honor," said Monkey Khan.
"You think she's going to buy just 'your word'?" asked Sonic skeptically only to be scolded by the simian.
"I don't know how you do things over there, but here in the Dragon Kingdom one's 'Word of Honor' is sacred!"
"Okay okay, consider me culturally enlightened,"
"Anyways, I'm all there is to fight for the people of these lands, there are no Freedom Fighters here. If there is going to be peace, your clan is going to have to make the first gesture," Monkey Khan explained.
The Bride of Endless Reach hummed in thought "We shall consult the Web and see what it directs," she went to examine the Web.
Monkey Khan whispered to the others "We're in the heart of their fortress, if she says no then we're in deep trouble,"
"If that's the case, we'll keep the limb brigade busy while Tails gets Sally to safety," said Sonic confidently while Tails gulped nervously.
Sally frowned in disagreement "If it comes to that, we'll stick together to the end,"
"You guys can calm down, I'm sure everything is fine," said Naruto, not sensig any negativity from the Bride of Endless Reach.
Soon enough, the Bride turned to speak to them "I see that the path you ask of us is fraught with peril and I see dark days to come should we choose it," everyone sans Naruto tensed at her words "…but it should ensure peace and prosperity for all clans and all people in the end. We shall reject the Iron Dominion and you shall have our support, you have my Word of Honor,"
Upon hearing this, everyone cheered happily at having successfully persuaded one of the ninja clans to withdraw their support to the Iron Dominion with only three more to go from here.
Sally and Monkey Khan bowed in gratitude with the former speaking "Thank you, on behalf of the Republic of Acorn,"
The Bride of Endless Reach bowed in return "We'll be watching you with great interest, King of the Free People,"
Later that night, the group returned to Li Yuen's home and were having dinner with the elderly lion and his adoptive daughter Li Moon whose appearance surprised Naruto since she almost looked like a younger version of Fiona save for the difference in hairstyle. Sonic was currently telling everyone how things went from his own point of view.
"…and then Khan gets all in her face and I'm thinking 'Great way to get us into another fight, monkey boy'," said Sonic, making many save for a few laugh at the joke.
Monkey Khan frowned at Sonic before turning to Sally "And after all that talk of losing your touch, you were able to end a hundred years of hostility within a day. Do you feel better about yourself now?"
Sally smiled a bit "I did alright, I suppose," she took a bit of food from her plate and fed it to Monkey Khan "It seems you have just accepted your role as the king of the Free People too,"
"Yeah, I suppose I have too,"
"Do you think everyone is doing okay back home?" asked Tails, when not receiving any response, he looked up to see Sonic sipping on his cup of tea with a grumpy look on his face "Sonic?"
The Blue Blur snapped back focus to reassure Tails "What? Oh yeah, sure! I'm sure Amy and the others have everything under control with Nicole's help,"
Naruto was eating his food and had seen how Sonic was frowning at the interaction between Khan and Sally with Yami Naruto tossing in a comment "Yup, the dude's totally jealous. Never would have thought of seeing him being this way,"
"I know, makes me feel bad for him. Maybe he should talk to Sally when all this is over,"
Meanwhile Li Moon approached Tails with a teapot in hand "More tea?"
"Oh um, yes please!" Tails held out his empty teacup with his cheeks-tinged pink for Li Moon to fill up for him "Thank you, Li Moon,"
The girl giggled in response "My pleasure, it's so good to see you again,"
Naruto and Sonic smiled at the interaction between the two youngsters when the former's ear twitched upon hearing something and one of his tails suddenly lashed out to catch something in midair, unravelling to reveal a kunai which alarmed everyone.
Monkey Khan shot to his feet with his Atom-Bat in hand "Quickly, maybe we can catch whoever threw that and-,"
"They'd be long gone after delivering this message," Naruto revealed a note which was tied to the handle of the thrown kunai. Sally took the note from Naruto and everyone leaned over to read it.
"It's from the leader of the local Yagyu encampment, he wants to meet with us," said Monkey Khan.
Sonic grinned in anticipation "Well that suits us just fine, we've already gotten one ninja clan to break away. Tomorrow, we'll take on the Yagyu clan!"
That night when everyone had gone to sleep, Naruto sat cross-legged with the cocoons of his two Chao settled on his lap as he dove into his mindscape and went to meet with Yami Naruto inside of a cave for odd reasons.
"I'm here, so what exactly am I supposed to do be able to unlock my next aspect?" asked Naruto curiously.
Yami Naruto shrugged "Nothing serious, I just need you to adapt,"
"Adapt to what?"
"To this!"
Yami Naruto suddenly transformed into a mass of darkness and launching himself at Naruto, entering his head through his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. When he was done, Naruto's eyes shut, seemingly unable to open again, and he had lost the ability to speak, hear, or smell, more so that his hands were bound together.
"What did you do to me!?" Naruto screamed smugly.
"This is your test," said Yami Naruto in a serious tone "To conquer the fear of not knowing what you're doing, where you're going, who's around you, and what's happening. You can only feel. But what will you feel? Pain? Perhaps. Perhaps not. You'll be like this for 24 hours since the perception of time is different here in the mindscape compared to the outside. Good luck, you're gonna need it,"
Not knowing what to do, Naruto tried moving forward but ended up tripping on a stone and tumbling to the ground. Rising back to his feet with a groan, Naruto tried again, treading carefully with one step at a time to avoid tripping again but this time walked head first into a cave wall, stumbling backwards in pain.
"Darn it, is this how it feels to be blind, deaf and mute? Goes to show how I've been taking them for granted," Naruto thought to himself "There's gotta be a way for me to move around without tripping or crashing into anything,"
As he cautiously wandered through the cave, Naruto began to notice that he was sensing some sort of strange ripples that occur whenever he takes a step. He tried again a couple more times, fine-tuning it until he started to receive a very fuzzy picture, working on it more and more until it came up semi-clear. He began to 'see' the interior of the cave.
"This is a bit different from Sage Mode but the concept is somehow similar. I guess this is what he meant to conquer my fear; and that is by becoming one with the darkness, to accept it without being influenced," said Naruto thoughtfully, his body emitting a black fiery aura and could easily traverse through the cave without any issues now until finally exiting it.
Then Yami Naruto detached himself from Naruto, restoring his other senses "Congrats, you've finally unlocked the Void Aspect,"
Naruto looked down at his hands and noted the dark aura around them "So, what happens now?"
"I'll stick around and help you get used to the new aspect as time goes on until you can use it out on the field,"
"Not any different from when I unlocked my other aspects,"
"Exactly so,"
"Alright, I'm gonna go and rest for tomorrow,"
"Sure, you do that,"
With that said, Naruto faded from the mindscape and went into a fitful sleep for the group's objective of meeting the leader of the local Yagyu encampment and persuade him to convince the other members of the Yagyu clan to break away from the Iron Dominion.
"An ambush!" Sonic called out in alert.
The group were heading towards the meeting place, traversing through the rice fields when they were suddenly attacked by Yagyu Ninjas leaping out of the paddies with weapons in hands to attack them.
"Hisssss!" one of the bat ninjas lunged at Sonic with dual chained sickles in hand.
"I'm still learning the local lingo…," Sonic swiftly jumped up to attack with a high kick to the ninja's chest, knocking him away "But I think that translates to 'Beat the snot out of me!',"
Monkey Khan was bashing the bat ninjas away with his Atom-Bat but restrained himself from using his lightning powers otherwise he would accidently shock himself and the others "Stinking Yagyu scum, I knew we shouldn't have trusted their summons!"
Naruto was using his Swift Release to dart around and attack the ninjas with a barrage of punches and kicks, all the while surprising them as he uses his chakra to stand on top of the water's surface "These guys need some serious training, the spider ninjas were more competent compared to these guys,"
"Naruto's right, this clan isn't as organized and disciplined as the others. This ambush is sloppy," said Sally, a bat ninja jumped out from the water to attack from behind but suddenly had his head slammed into the marsh, courtesy of Tails having stomped on the bat ninja's head from above.
"If they're such pushovers, then why did the Iron Queen to bring over to help the Dark Egg Legion?" asked Tails, hopping off the ninja's head.
"I don't know, Tails. Maybe they were easier to uproot without upsetting the whole clan,"
Naruto captured the last conscious bat ninja to interrogate him "Would you mind explaining why you're attacking us when your leader gave us an invitation?"
The bat ninja blinked in confusion "Hisss…w-wait, you're the ones he sent for?"
Sonic asked sarcastically "Do we look like locals to you?"
"Hissss! Pardon! Pardon! We thought you were just travelers! Simple robbery! Honest! Honest!"
Monkey Khan rolled his eyes with disdain "Just shut up and lead the way,"
After releasing the bat ninja, the group followed him out of the rice fields and into a bamboo forest. Along the way, Sally thought to inquire Monkey Khan about something which had been bothering her.
"The Yagyu clan has no bride for their house, right?"
"That's right, the Iron Dominion killed the Bride of Rich Nights and took the Yagyu as their own," Monkey Khan explained.
"So dies that make it easier or harder for us? Without a proper bride, the clan will not fall back to tradition, but they will not give up the Iron Dominion either,"
"I don't know, Sally. If we can't deal with this lord, we'll have to pay by the ear,"
"This solidifies that these Brides are like Kages to their ninja clans. This info will come in handy when I return to my dimension," thought Naruto.
"Apologies again, we have arrived," said the bat ninja, gesturing the group towards an ancient temple where the leader resides.
"I think this was a temple from the old days. What the locals call the 'Lost Dynasty' or something like that," Monkey Khan explains.
"How cozy," Sonic commented.
"Keep on your toes, I wouldn't be surprised if they tried another ambush,"
"Heh, they can try all they want and I'll still run laps around them,"
They all went inside and came across the leader of a Yagyu encampment who was eating a bunch of grapes from a fruit basket next to his throne before Monkey Khan called out to him.
"The next time you invite guests, be sure to inform your cronies that they're coming. Otherwise, they might misunderstand,"
The bat leader sneered in response "You get the Gossamer Clan to roll over and suddenly you feel all high and mighty? Please, the fact that you're here means that you did no better against the Iron Queen over there than you did over here," he glanced over at Sonic and the others behind the Mobian monkey "And what's with the tourists, are you trying to impress me with a group of Freedom Fighters you haven't been tricked into destroying?"
"…," Monkey Khan glared at the arrogant bat, gripping his Atom-Bat tightly.
"Real classy, chief," Sonic deadpanned in response.
Sally placed a hand on Khan's shoulder, calming him down and regaining control over his temper "All that aside…I am here to broker peace between the Yagyu and the free people of the Dragon Kingdom…,"
The chief held out a finger to stop him "Hold it, there's something I need to get out of the way first," he pointed at Sally "I will meet with the crown princess of the republic of Acorn as well as the…King of the Free People'. But I don't feel comfortable with the Sonic the Hedgehog in my lair,"
Sonic smirked in response "Of course you wouldn't,"
"And I don't discuss business in the presence of mere children and their older siblings,"
"Mere children!?" Tails glared at the chief in anger.
Naruto quirked an eyebrow and released a bit of his power, making a chill crawl up the chief's spine "Never judge by appearance bat boy, let's get outta here before I end up burning this guy,"
"I'd pay to see that, let's go Tails; it'll saves us the trouble of listening to more political babble," Sonic gently pushed Tails out of the temple albeit the fox wasn't letting it go.
"Ask all your guys with headaches back at the rice fields how mere I am, I fought Master Mogul!" Tails yelled while on the way out.
"Happy now?" Monkey Khan inquired.
"No actually," the chief suddenly brandished his sword, making the two tense "Back in the good old days, before the concept of brides. The Yagyu name used to mean something else; we were assassins, experts with the blade. Only after the bride consolidated the clan that we stooped to thievery in order to feed the traditional treasury horde…," then the bat ninjas entered the lair to surround Sally and Khan "Those heady days without someone telling us all what to do. How I envy the regional lords of those days,"
"I think we just got ourselves set up for a trap," said Monkey Khan, ready to fight back.
Sally replied in a calming tone "Stay calm, maybe we can talk our way out this yet,"
Outside the temple, Tails was still ranting about why he shouldn't be looked down upon with Naruto and Sonic looking on.
"…and I fought Swat-Bots and Egg Pawns and-and-and I built the Tornado from scratch…more than once!" Tails yelled until Sonic went over to calm him down.
"Buddy, I get that guy's being a colossal jerk but there's no need for you to get bent out of shape because of him," Sonic pointed.
Tails huffed with his arms crossed "I worked really hard to prove I'm just as much of a Freedom Fighter as everyone else. He knows who you are but ignored me,"
"And why would you need recognition from a bozo who has yet to do anything better than what you've already done? You're known by so many others of higher standing that you don't need to get hung over one lowlife,"
Naruto spoke up next "Sonic's right, you're acknowledged by friends and family. You're your own person and don't need to be told otherwise by anyone else…and that also includes the eavesdropper,"
"Looks like I can't ever get the drop on you, no surprise really with you being a ninja and all," a female voice spoke up in a sultry tone, making the others turn to see who it is.
"Fiona!" Tails gasped in shock.
Sonic smirked "I was wondering which rock you went to hide under after the whole Moebius thing?"
Fiona perched atop a bent bamboo tree "I got out while the getting was good, been keeping myself busy,"
"And what exactly were you busy with and would it have to do with your presence here in the Dragon Kingdom?" asked Naruto, not looking in the vixen's direction much to her annoyance.
Fiona scoffed in response "I'll tell if you manage to catch me,"
She launched herself off the bamboo and deeper into the forest, the trio looked at each other silently before running after her in pursuit. The chase was rather difficult, given that the bamboo trees were too clustered together that Sonic couldn't use his full speed and Tails couldn't fly around them easily.
"What's the matter, can't keep up? Unlike you, I can be quite…flexible," Fiona grabbed one of the bamboos and bent it before releasing to lash at the duo but Naruto intercepted and sliced it in half with an energy construct of a kunai in hand.
"Allow me to clear us a path," Naruto channeled chakra into his ECG-X gloves to create energy constructs of two large windmill shurikens which he spun with his fingers before throwing them, easily slicing through the bamboos and creating a clearer pathway towards Fiona.
"Thanks Naruto, now I got a clear shot at her," Sonic prepared to dash towards her when Naruto stopped him "What is it?"
"I feel there's something suspicious, let me go instead," Naruto responded.
"Okay but watch yourself,"
"I always do,"
Naruto locked-on to Fiona and used the Swift release: Shadow Flight to lunge at her, but the vixen didn't look the least bit perturbed by this and even snarked at him.
"Good chase, foxy. You almost got me," suddenly a large hand reached out and grabbed Naruto, revealing to be Sergeant Simian who lifted Naruto into the air and slammed him to the ground "Here's some info as a consolation prize; I'm running with the Destructix again,"
"Oh, is that so?" asked Naruto with surprise "If that's the case, here's a congratulatory present if you don't mind it being a bit cold," he suddenly disappeared before their eyes and something started to beep within Sergeant Simian's closed fist which he opened to reveal a grenade which was beeping faster. He tried to throw it away only to be too late as the grenade detonated and encased half of his body in ice which he managed to break himself free from.
There were two more thuds, revealing to be Predator Hawk and Flying Frog having been knocked down courtesy of Sonic and Tails as Naruto reappeared next to them with his arms crossed.
"Figures that you were trying to ambush, Naruto saw through your trick and hinted to us about it," said Sonic with a small frown on his face.
"You did this to grab our attention, so what is it you want from us?" asked Naruto.
Fiona frowned that things didn't turn out the way she wanted and was about to say something when Sally and Monkey Khan showed up after successfully convinced the chief to have the clan sever their alliance to the Iron Dominion and were surprised to see them in the Dragon Kingdom.
"You, what are you and the Destructix doing here!?" Sally demanded, looking at Fiona with anger as she hadn't forgotten what she did them.
"That's what we're going to find out," Naruto stared at Fiona pointedly "Unless of course she's here to waste our time which won't be a wise thing to do,"
Getting the idea of what Naruto meant in that sentence, Fiona proceeded to explained herself; after what happened to Scourge in Moebius, she retreated to Mobius with a plan in mind but muscle was required so she went to recruit the Destructix but the team was in disarray. Drago Wolf left to join the Dark Egg Legion, Lightning Lynx also left to rejoin the Raiju Clan, and Sleuth Dawg practically handed the leadership role over to Fiona and quit the team to lay low out of the public eye.
"And so they let you take the lead, just like that?" asked Sally skeptically.
Fiona shook her head in response "Not exactly, I had to promise to bring Lightning back into the team if they would let me be their leader,"
"Since when did you guys care about each other?" asked Sonic with a quirked eyebrow.
Predator Hawk hmphed in response "He was one of the original four, he has been with us since the very beginning,"
Sergeant Simian nodded in agreement "Mogul, Kodos, Snively, Sleuth…leaders come and go. But he's our comrade, we know he's being used,"
"Outcast! Downcast! No class! Hihihihi!" Flying Frog cackled madly.
"That's a lot of loyalty thrown getting around when Fiona's involved," Sonic snarked.
"Aw, come on. Can't you talk some sense into them, little guy?" Fiona spoke while giving Tails a sultry look.
Tails himself flinched back "M-Me?"
"Sure, you know me better than anyone else. I'm sure you can put in a good word for m-,"
*Thunk*
Suddenly, something whizzed past Fiona and struck something behind her. Everyone turned to see an energy construct of a kunai having been deeply embedded in a bamboo tree, they all traced the throw to see Naruto with his hand outstretched, revealing him to be the thrower.
"That was a warning shot, next time…," Naruto stated coldly, creating another kunai and began spinning it through its hoop with a finger "…I won't miss,"
The cold tone sent a chill down Fiona's spine as she didn't even hesitate to comply to the blonde kitsune 's warning. She can't afford to anger him else things would end very badly for her.
"Thanks Naruto, I was seconds away from walking over there and punching her," said Sally with appreciation.
"After what you told me, I wasn't going to let her hurt Tails anymore than she already had," Naruto replied seriously, he glanced at Tails who was looking at him with gratefulness which made him smile softly in understanding.
"We want Lightning returned," Sergeant Simian pointed out.
"And we want his clan to renounce the Iron Queen," said Monkey Khan.
"Then terms are agreed upon,"
Khan turned to the others "I'm game if you guys are. I know you're enemies but…,"
Sonic waved him off "I get you plus I'm flexible over these kind of things. But the major is how exactly to get the fuzzball to leave the people he wants to be with? Never mind the whole army of ninja lynxes,"
"And this is why I'm charge and brought us all together. I have a plan," said Fiona, Naruto rolled his eyes mentally and Kurama called out to him.
"I have an inkling on what she's up to," said the Bijuu.
"Same here, we'll bring it up later," thought Naruto mentally.
As they made their way over to where the Raiju clan were situated. Fiona informed the group of the clan's base being the Iron Fortress which was formerly under the ownership of +the Iron Queen and Iron King. It was built with meter thick walls and has two heavily reinforced doors that can only be opened from the inside.
"And once we get past those two doors, it will be a straight path to the throne room and the Raiju clan's Bride," said Fiona.
"So, the doors have to go," Monkey Khan enquired, wanting to make things clear.
"That's right, so my plan is…," Fiona began to explain by was interrupted by Naruto.
"No need for a plan, I can handle all this by myself. Plus I've been wanting to vent a bit," Naruto used Shadow Step to disappear before anything could said in response to his statement.
"What's he doing, he'll ruin everything!" Fiona complained.
"Naruto's been in a mood since we left New Mobotropolis, if you're sure that you can tell him what to do then be our guest by all means," said Sonic, making Fiona growl before looking away as he raised a point and doesn't want to draw his anger to her.
Over with Naruto, he had arrived at the outer wall wherefor first of the reinforced gates towered over him but wasn't the least bit intimidated. Upon creating a shadow clone, the two worked together to create a Giant Rasengan which he used to practically blast the supposed durable gate out of its hinges before stepping inside. Sure enough, his loud entrance alerted the ninja lynxes as a multitude of them approached to attack him.
In response, Naruto activated his Air Aspect with a strong gust of wind swirling around him "Wind Vortex!" he thrusts both hands forward to launch a large tornado which drew the ninja lynxes into it, entrapping them whilst inflicting constant damage at the same time until willing the tornado to fling them away.
He casually approached the second reinforced door and stretched out a hand for Hazy-Moon to float into it as he took an Iai stance with his hand close to the handle. Naruto closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then his eyes snapped open as his hand moved in a blur to unsheathe the blade before resheathing it. He approached the door and gave it a light kick, making it fall down into pieces.
Glancing over his shoulder, Naruto called out to the others "Are you guys coming or what?" then he walked into the inner stronghold, leaving the others to watch him enter with mouths agape.
Sonic sneered at the others "And you thought that he was going to ruin things,"
They followed after the moody kitsune and made their way to the throne room where there the Bride of the Conquering Storm and Lightning Lynx amongst the lynx ninjas bearing their weapons towards them.
The Bride of the Conquering Storm scoffed "So the King of the Free People rallies himself a little army, that's fine by me! Only fools declare an all-out war on the Raiju Clan!"
"Which is why we're not here for war, but rather to talk," Monkey Khan spoke.
"By invading my…I mean by invading the fortress entrusted to me by my masters?"
"Would you have listened to us otherwise?"
"No, state your case or leave quickly,"
Monkey Khan made his offer "Break away from the Iron Dominion! As the King of the Free People, on my word of honor, I promise to uphold your right to your lands and allow you to keep the fortress as well,"
"Provided that you don't mind two missing doors," Naruto snarked, making Sonic and Tails snicker while Sally and Khan glared at them.
The Bride of the Conquering Storm snorted "You'll let us keep it? Such bold words. But we cannot be bought like the lowly Yagyu. We are the mighty Raiju! Only through one's strength…through action, can you earn anything!"
Monkey Khan grinned at what the Bride was hinting at "In that case, I propose a wager upon a duel of honor. Should your champion win, we shall surrender ourselves and be prime prisoners for the Iron Queen,"
"Like that would ever happen," Yami-Naruto retorted.
"However, you shall renounce the Iron Dominion should our champion emerge victorious,"
The Bride of the Conquering Storm listened to the wager made and agreed to it "Very well then…Lightning! You shall prove your continued worth to the clan!"
"Y-Yes, of course! Thank you!" Lightning stammered in response.
Monkey Khan bowed to Sonic "The King of the Free People humbly asks the Hero of Mobius to duel on his behalf.
Sonic playfully bowed in response "The Hero of Mobius happily accepts, but thinks all this honorific hoity-toity is silly. He stepped forward to face Lightning with the lynx ninjas forming a ring around them.
Lightning was rather surprised and nervous to see that he would be facing Sonic "Y-You…? Not the monkey?"
"Sorry fuzzy, but I'm the hero of this adventure. At least be glad that it wasn't Naruto who fights as that would have been pretty for you," Sonic pointed out.
"No!" Lightning suddenly surprised Sonic with a punch to the face and followed it up with a strong kick to the stomach "I've come too far for you to ruin things now! She finally took me back, after all these years! I won't let you take that away from me!"
Sonic stumbled a bit, recovering from the attacks "I see, didn't realize that you have so much invested in this. but I've got a whole city to rescue," he went into his spinball form and revved up before assaulting Lightning with a barrage of Spin Dashes from every direction and successfully knocking him down for the count "My friends and family have to come first…I'm sorry,"
Seeing the result of such a short fight, the Bride of the Conquering Storm groaned in annoyance "That was pathetic. Henceforth, Lightning is Raiju no more…again,"
Snapping his head up in shock, Lightning tried to appeal to the Bride "No, wait! I can still be of use to you!"
"No, you can't,"
"Don't, please! I lov-,"
This time, the Bride of the Conquering Storm put her foot down…hard "Do not embarrass any more than you already have, that's what got you exiled the first time,"
Lightning looked into the Bride of the Conquering Storm's eyes and saw nothing but coldness and uncaring, making him bow his head in despair.
Seeing what had happened and now getting a clear idea of what's really going on, Sonic confronted Fiona "This isn't what we agreed to,"
Fiona shrugged in response "Yes, it was. You just didn't know,"
Lightning was surrounded by the other members of the Destructix, easing him of the pain of being exiled and humiliated.
"You were never one of them, you're one of us," Sergeant Simian spoke.
Predator Hawk added in agreement "They would have rejected you eventually, we will not,"
"All for one, one for all, some for some, and free-for-all!" said Flying Frog in his own crazy way.
Fiona went over to whisper into Lightning's ear "Hey, you're running with us now, and I promise with what I've got planned…they'll get what's coming to them,"
"All of them?" Lightning asked quietly.
"All of them,"
"…good, let's go,"
The Bride of Conquering Storm then made her declaration "The Raiju have lost and by my word of honor; I renounce ties to the Iron Dominion but that does not make us allies…leave,"
"Don't have to tell us twice," said Sonic, doing just that but then noticed something "Where's Naruto?"
"I haven't seen him, I thought he was with us," said Tails confusedly.
"Maybe something caught his attention, but I'm sure he'll be back soon," said Sally.
"Hopefully in time as we now have only the Shinobi clan to have an audience with their bride," said Monkey Khan.
After leaving the Iron Fortress earlier, the Destructix team were taking their leave and making plans to depart from the Dragon Kingdom towards an unknown location. Suddenly they came upon someone sitting on a large rock at the side of the road…it was Naruto who had gone after them.
"What do you want?" Fiona asked, feeling wary of the one who proved to be very bothersome, even more than Sonic and knew to tread carefully around the blonde kitsune. Naruto glanced over the group and quickly noted the look on Lightning's face before sighing upon recognizing it.
"The look of a guy seeking vengeance, sure brings back memories of a certain someone with duckbutt hair," said Yami-Naruto with a roll of his eyes. It's no surprise that the dark side resents the Uchiha after everything unlike the light side being more forgiving.
Ignoring the dark side, Naruto spoke to Fiona "You're going to rescue Scourge, aren't you?"
Hearing this made Fiona take a step back in shock, wondering how he knew "So what if I am, are you gonna stop us?"
"*Sigh* why are you trying to make the same mistake yet again? I know you were there when he practically admitted that you're a coward who runs away and I suspect he wouldn't have hesitated to hurt you if he saw you then," said Naruto.
Fiona clenched her fists tightly at the memory "It doesn't concern you!"
"So you say, at this point you won't listen to my words. All I can do is warn you that continuing on this path would lead to consequences that would haunt you for the rest of your life," with his words said, Naruto used Shadow Step to leave Fiona standing there with his words echoing in her mind.
Sergeant Simian called out to her "What is to be our next objective?"
Snapped out of her thoughts, Fiona responded "We'll be going to our potential benefactor, he'll be interested in our services,"
Meanwhile, Naruto had made his way back to Sonic and the others then he noticed that Espio was with them but sensed the Apprehension between them especially with Monkey Khan looking ready to attack the chameleon ninja and Sonic playing mediator between them to prevent a fight from breaking out.
"Yo Khan, take a chill pill," said Sonic.
"Need I remind you that he betrayed you and his team by fighting for the Iron Dominion?" Monkey Khan pointed out whilst glaring at Espio.
"You don't need to, plus I figured that he didn't do so out of his own free will after learning of the going ons in this place,"
Naruto reappeared before them and spoke "Sonic's right, Espio couldn't freely choose sides as long as he's loyally bound to his clan. That's how we ninjas operate," he thought of his own loyalty to the Hidden Leaf village and how hard he fought to protect it.
"He is correct, I cannot say more. However, you can acquire your answers from the Bride of Constant Vigil as she had been observing your efforts in dismantling the clan of the Four Houses. So, I volunteered to guide you to a meeting with her," said Espio, hoping to convince his friends to believe him like in the past.
"I'm sorry, Espio. But your word isn't good enough now, even if Naruto vouches for you," said Sally sadly.
"…," Espio saw that his actions had seriously shaken their faith in him and resolved to fix that "Very well then, there'll be no more secrets between us. I'll reveal something I had on each of you, removing any advantage I would have had over you,"
"Secrets about us? We're heroes, Espio. We're squeaky clean," Sonic said skeptically "But if you think it will get us to warm up to you, then take you best shot,"
"The Sneak," said Espio.
Sonic was taken aback and grumbled "That was a one-time thing and just for laughs…how did you even?"
Tails stepped up "I wasn't in the Freedom Fighters for that long, what do you know about me?"
The chameleon ninja spoke in an amused tone "Captain Super Fox-Man,"
Hearing this made Tails turn away in embarrassment "Nobody was supposed to read that! I was a kid…well more of a kid,"
Espio turned to Naruto who stopped him "No need to say anything since you don't have any secret info about me, given the fact that I'm not from this world to begin with and haven't been here for that long,"
"Indeed, you are correct,"
Sally was the next person "Well?"
"The location of your Royal birthmark," Espio said with both looking away from each other awkwardly "When Elias came back, I had to verify his claim, so…,"
Sally held out a hand to stop him from speaking further "We won't speak of it anymore,"
Monkey Khan approached with a look of interest "Can we skip me and go back to Sally?"
"No, for you I can only confirm that there are other Khans," said Espio.
This statement confused the Mobian monkey "No there aren't, I'm an only child and I know how my parents died,"
"That's not what I meant,"
"Well it's a pretty common family name, I'm sure there are a lot of Khans out there,"
"Not families, you! Others like you!" Espio insisted.
"Could he be trying to say that there are clones of Monkey Khan?" thought Naruto.
"Sounds like it," said Kurama with a shrug.
Monkey Khan was getting angry at this point "What others like me? I was the only one Robotnik managed to-,"
Sonic stopped him "Calm down monkey boy, we've got a continent to liberate and a city to save, remember?" he confronted Espio "You proved that you've got dirt on most of us, but how does that make us want to trust you,"
Naruto spoke up once more "Sonic, to a ninja. Information is everything. From being a sword to defeat your enemies or a shield to protect oneself. It's not something a ninja would pass around freely and guard it with their very lives, Espio doing this shows that he's willing to put himself at risk to regain your trust," the blonde kitsune recalled the lesson Ibiki taught him on the first stage of the Chuunin exam.
"I see, so what happens next?" Sally inquired.
"I'll guide you to the secret headquarters of our clan to meet with the Bride of Constant Vigil, but I'll require that you wear blindfolds in order to conceal its location," Espio held out the aforementioned blindfolds for the others to take.
Looking at Naruto for confirmation which he did with a nod, the group took the blindfolds and wrapped it around their eyes.
"Espio, we'll follow your lead for now," said Sally.
"Thank you, princess. I promise you won't regret it,"
Sometime later, Espio guided the group through various pathways which reminded Naruto of the time he went to meet with the Bride of the Shinobi clan back in his own dimension. Soon enough, Sonic started to complain about this.
"It's bad enough that we're going so slow, but I can safely say that we're totally lost now," Sonic pointed out.
"That's exactly why I did so, to conceal the way to or headquarters," Espio proceeded to take off the blindfolds, revealing to the group that they were standing in a large cavern with a deep chasm obstructing the way to a door at the other side "Welcome to the way of the Blind, you will find my master when you reach the other side,"
"Okay cool, wait…what d you mean 'If'?" asked Sonic confusedly.
"I'm sorry, but this is the way of my clan," Espio proceeded to disappear from their view.
"Espio wait…ugh ninjas," Sonic heard a fake cough and turned towards Naruto with a sheepish smile "Sorry…,"
Tails took to the air with confidence "No worries, I can carry us to the other side,"
However, Monkey Khan stopped him from going any further "No, you can't…," he discharged lightning from his Atom-Bat to illuminate the cave's ceiling to reveal a gauntlet of traps and blades which were concealed in the darkness "I've had dealings with the Shinobi clan, they're experts in hiding traps in plain sight,"
"And I almost flew into that," said Tails fearfully.
"'Way of the Blind', invisible objects…hmmm…," Sally muttered thoughtfully to herself.
"You think you something Sal?" asked Sonic.
Sally scooped up some dirt in her hand and tossed over the chasm only for it to land on something solid "I thought so, there's a hidden pathway across the chasm! But I suspect that it could be a maze or ladened with traps. We should take things slow an-,"
Sonic zipped past with an armful of dirt which he was sprinkling ahead of him to reveal the hidden path "Slow? What is this slow you speak of?"
"Sonic, be careful!"
"Careful, there are so many foreign words today!" Sonic soon revealed the mazelike pathways before returning to them with a smug look "Espio may have had some 'dirt' on us…but now I have dirt on his tricky little path,"
"I never knew you to play dirty hedgehog," said Monkey Khan.
Sonic rolled his eyes in response "Leave the jokes to those of us with the wit, monkey boy,"
Tails began dust the dirt off Sonic with his well…tails "We're about to meet the last leader of this region, can't go looking like that,"
"Everyone's a critic!"
"Come you guys, time to finish things here so we can head back to New Mobotropolis and give those socalled rulers the boot," said Naruto, obviously being concerned about Nico pretending to be controlled by Iron Queen along with Nicole.
"Naruto's right, so we need to be ready for anything," said Sally.
The group went further inside with no additional incident until arriving at the main chamber where the Bride of Constant Vigil sat, waiing for them with Espio standing next to her with a teapot in hand. The Bride looked at them and spoke calmly.
"Your trepidation is unnecessary, come and we shall speak plainly," said the Bride.
Sally and Monkey Khan stepped forward and bowed in greeting with the former speaking up "Thank you for seeing us, I am…,"
"You can forgo the honorifics, princess. I am well aware who you are,"
"Very well then, the clan of the four houses is…," Monkey Khan began to speak.
The Bride cut him off "…evil and its support crumbles. I know you're here to convince us to break away,"
Sonic stepped forward, liking the Bride's bluntness "Lady, I like your directness. So, does this mean you'll drop those Iron Jerks?"
The Bride nodded as she sipped her tea "Yes, you have my word of honor. The clan of the four houses is no more,"
The blue hedgehog did a fistpump of victory, out of all the four clans, the Shinobi clan was the easiest to convince "Sweet, that was easy! Thanks for your time, we know the way out," he was about to leave with the others when Monkey Khan spoke up.
"Wait just a minute!"
"You can't let it be simple, can you?" Sonic groaned; these are one of those times he really dislikes Khan's attitude besides him being too attached to Sally.
Monkey Khan glared at Sonic "It's not that simple, we spent days travelling here and risking our lives to convince each clan's Bride. You had to leave your family and friends behind to those monsters! And the Dragon Kingdom Freedom Fighters…,"
"Ken? Take a minute," said Sally with concern.
Khan took a deep breath then exhaled, feeling a lot calmer now "I heard the Shinobi clan call themselves the protectors of these lands. If so, then why didn't you help us fight? Why side with the Iron Dominion?"
The Bride of Constant Vigil sipped her tea calmly before responding "Generations ago, we thought the same way you did. We fought openly against the other clans and tried to police the Free People of the Dragon Kingdom. We nearly got wiped out for efforts and so had to assist from the shadows in order to survive, learned to do more with less. The shinobi clan is small, had we chosen to oppose the Iron Dominion and its rule, we would have been wiped out once and for all. The destruction of your Freedom Fighters had only proved my thinking to be correct and to continue to do what we've been doing for generations; watch and wait,"
"…," Monkey Khan lowered his head, still feeling guilty of what he was forced to do against his will.
"But…sometimes action must be taken. Espio has shown me this by deviating from the original mission greatly,"
Sonic frowned at the implication "Mission? We all thought that he was a native from Angel Island,"
"That's what they wanted you guys to believe so as to avoid raising suspicion," thought Naruto, not wanting to expose anything.
Espio glanced down at the Bride "Well…with your permission?"
"…speak," said the Bride.
"I was the most recent sent to monitor the Guardian of Angel Island," said Espio.
"You mean to say that you've been spying on Knuckles this whole time?" asked Sonic.
Espio nodded in affirmation "More or less…,"
He proceeded to explain how Knuckles came from a long line of guardians called the Brotherhood whose mission is to monitor Mobius for any threats towards Angel Island. The Shinobi Clan felt that such a powerful shouldn't be left unchecked and so had been watching them from the shadows for many generations. Espio was sent to Valdez who was monitoring Guardian Locke and his dealings with the Kingdom of Acorn, helping him settle in Rainbow Valley and build up an identity as one of the locals.
"I was meant purely to observe Knuckles and report any dangerous decision he made. I was only allowed to reveal myself if the situation is dire…such as when Dr. Robotnik captured you all on Angel Island," Espio looked down sadly "I wasn't supposed to work closely with him, I wasn't supposed to join the Chaotix, I wasn't supposed to become his friend,"
"Espio has broken the taboo of his station, but I cannot ignore that it has been the right choice," said the Bride of Constant Vigil.
"W-What?" Espio was confused by the statement.
The Bride glanced at him with a fond smile "I order you to return to your station on Angel Island. You have permission to act freely and as you see fit,"
"Really? I can!? I…you…just…," Espio's confusion was soon replaced with joy "YES! Thank you, mo-,"
"…!" the Bride suddenly interrupted his sentence with a stern look.
"*Ahem* Master, please excuse my outburst," said Espio, quickly looking away.
"Ah, the universal motherly stare," thought Naruto in amusement.
"Before you go, retrieve the mystical fan of Feng Xing and bring it to New Mobotropolis, your friends will need its power," the Bride instructed.
"At once," Espio ran off, exchanging a high five with Sonic along the way "See you back in the city!"
Sonic grinned in response "You better, you're way behind on your heroism quota,"
"You may have broken the clan of the four houses, but your work has only just begun…King of the Free People," said the Bride.
"…I know," Monkey Khan took off his headband and gripped it tightly with electricity crackling before revealing that he had transformed it into a crown which he put back on "With this crown, I swear I will do my best to both protect my people and honor the authority of the clans. You have my word of honor,"
"You got a long road ahead of you, but I'm sure you got this," Naruto encouraged the Mobian simian.
"I just hope I can live up to the hype,"
"I'm sure you will," said Sally fondly.
"I have my Shinobi clan grant you safe departure from the Dragon Kingdom," said the Bride.
Sally and Khan bowed in gratitude with the former speaking "Thank you Bride of Constant Vigil, we're grateful for everything you have revealed to us,"
"Are you sure you can spare the extra muscle? I mean you don't have any guards here," said Sonic.
Naruto rolled his eyes "A little piece of advice; a ninja never let's his guard down unless he absolutely sure that he's safe or amongst those he truly trusts. Case in point…," he pointed upwards for them to look at the ceiling and see about two dozen of chameleon ninjas looking down on them after deactivating their camouflage ability.
"Okay, consider it a lesson taught. But I gotta admit it's way past cool!" said Sonic, giving respect where it's due.
The next day, everyone was preparing for their departure with Tails ensuring that the Tornado was in good condition as Elder Li Yuen was seeing them off, Naruto had already called for Dragoon and ready to take off for New Mobotropolis.
"Thank you for your generous hospitality, Li Yuen," said Sally gratefully.
Monkey Khan added "Yes, and I will return to you as soon as possible,"
Li Yuen bowed to them both "It has been the honor my village, even more myself, to host such esteemed young people. I am certain you will return to us victorious,"
Meanwhile, Naruto was having a discussion with Yami-Naruto "So, am I ready to use the new aspect yet?"
"Not quite, but I wanted to discuss something else relating to that Iron Cow. I may have discovered a way you can damage him," said Yami-Naruto.
"What is it?"
"I'll tell you along the way,"
Naruto then noticed the interaction between Tails and Li Moon, smiling as they acted so shy around each other.
"Um, I prepared lunch for you, just in case you get hungry along the way," said Li Moon shyly.
Tails received the basket with his cheeks turning pink "Oh um, thanks…," then he quickly jumped into the cockpit with Sonic following suit to land on the biplane's wings.
"Okay Sally, we're good to go. Ready to take back our home?" asked Sonic.
Sally smiled as she jumped onto the plane's wing "It's goes without saying, time to drive out the Iron Dominion!"
Now grinning confidently, Sonic declared loudly "Next stop; New Mobotropolis! Hang on Freedom Fighters, the cavalry is on its way!"
They all took off into the sky as Li Yuen and Li Moon waved them goodbye, but one might notice that Li Moon was holding on to something which was given to her by a certain someone.
This is Hussbek online with the latest chapter, Naruto and the others arrive in the Dragon Kingdom with their mission to meet with the Brides of the four ninja clans and persuade them to renounce their ties to the Iron Dominion before returning to New Mobotropolis to drive the Iron Queen and the Dark Egg Legion out of the city for good. During then, Naruto had an encounter with Dark Naruto who revealed the reason for his reappearance to be because of him being close to unlocking another aspect but it would require his help to do so. There was also the reappearance of Fiona Fox being the latest leader of the Destructix, Naruto easily saw through the vixen that she intends to free Scourge in spite of the kitsune's warnings before giving her one more of great consequences should she continue doing this. soon enough, the mission was successfully accomplished with Espio being on their side once more and actively assisting them. Now the time has come for them to return to New Mobotropolis and give the Iron Dominion the boot out of the city.
Only two more chapters and we'll be saying goodbye to the Comicverse and welcome back to the Gameverse. I've worked on an interesting way for Naruto to inflict harm on the Iron King but I'll reserve it as a surprise for you guys so be sure to look forward to it. Like always, read and review.
This is Hussbek from Ghana.
Signing out and staying alive.