A/N: Been awhile, hasn't it~?!

Sorry for up and vanishing like that; life reared its ugly head and I had to deal with it. Thank you for all the wonderful support in the meantime *bows* and for your understanding.

Now, ladies and gentlemen!

I!

AM!

BACK!

HUZZAH!

LONG LIVE THE REQUEST YEARS!

Someone asked me to do this, so here I am! Not sure if anyone has done this yet, but here we are. Be sure to vote for what will happen! THERE IS a poll on my profile! Vote to decide which faction Naruto joins! Also, remember, if you haven't read/seen Akame ga Kill, you're going to be mighty confused. I recommend the wikipidea if you're lost. Now then, as per the anonymous request, I am once more obligated to say that I own none of the material within, merely the idea for this story.

Now for your questions and fan mail!

Q: WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!?

A: If you'd read the Author's note it explains my little absence for the last few days. As to being gone for this story, well...lets just say personal reasons, to make a long story short. I lost a good number of chapters when my computer died. THANKFULLY I now have a laptop, so that hopefully won't happen again. Suffice it to say they're done and over with and I'm back! I'll be updating quite a few things in the coming days as my job allows. And YES before you ask, I've been at said job for quite some time and its a joy to work at.

Q: When are you going to finish a story?

A: Some are already finished, mind you. Furthermore, its my goal to work on them at least once every day. Remember you, I don't write for myself, though the act of doing so is certainly a passion. I would have left this site behind a LONG time ago if that were the case. I write for you guys! I make absolutely ZERO money doing this-as we all do-

Q: Happy ten year anniversary! Any plans?

A: Wow, has it really been that long already? And yes, a few.

Q: Has your sister gotten any better?

A: It was touch and go for awhile, but she seems to be back to her normal self for now. Thankfully!

Q: Dear god, a submissive Esdeath? Don't think I've ever seen that...

A: Neither has Naruto!

Now...

...off we go!

And remember!

I!

Own!

NOTHING!

LET US BEGIN~!

BLOOD AND VIOLENCE AHOY!

Once more as a disclaimer, I do not own ANY quotes or lines you may or may not recognize from TFS, other movies or shows. I receive no monetary value from using them. They are for sheer entertainment purposes only, so I hope you enjoy 'em!

Makes the fight far more interesting, don'tcha think?

Sorry if its short, but something is better than nothing with my health woes at this point...

"You don't fight with honor!"

"No. He did."

~?

Kill the Decision (Interlude)

...that's what happened. For better or worse, I'm stuck with her, I guess. Soooo...thoughts?"

A deafening silence followed Naruto's proclamation. And then.

And then:

"HA?!"

Naruto offered a faint shrug as he wound down his tale, one that had taken the better part of an hour to curtail. To his credit, he'd managed to deliver the entire speech without betraying so much as a hint of the anxiety currently roiling inside his chest. It skittered in his stomach like a swarm of angry insects, threatening to devour the calm facade he was projecting. Inwardly, he cursed himself for his own stupidity. He'd spared Esdeath on a whim and nothing more, pausing only to bind and blindfold the ex-general before leading her back behind him.

Night Raid stood as a study of contrasts.

Some of its members looked at him as though he'd grown a second head and spouted gibberish. Others simply stood in stunned silence. More than one jaw worked wordlessly. The rest, well...he wondered if they were going to draw their Teigu and attack. A small part of him found it morbidly humorous, all things considered. Slaying a Teigu with another Teigu. There was some irony to be had in that. Had it been his choice, he would've gladly let them make an end of it; tear him limb from limb, separate his head from his shoulders and crush his skull to red paste. Alas, he had no say in it. Despite his mind's protests, his body would still defend itself to the last.

Hmm.

Were going to try?

He wondered about that.

None of them had drawn a weapon on him so he supposed there was that, but their stony expressions put paid to his suspicions.

'Ah, jeez, I really stepped in it this time...

Despite having her remaining arm bound behind her back and a piece of torn cloth concealing her vision, Esdeath somehow managed to sketch a fluid bow in response. Even in her disarmed-and wasn't that quite the pun-and wounded state she still reminded the blond of an alpha predator; a peerless killer waiting for the right moment to pounce. He was under no illusion that he'd tamed her-far from it. While he might have bested her once and secured an admission of loyalty, he doubted that "allegiance" stemmed to those he considered his allies. Who could claim to know her innermost thoughts? Not him, certainly...

"Its my pleasure, really." Esdeath's cool voice cut through his thoughts and somehow, her sightless gaze still found his. "See? I'm behaving. Can you untie me now, Master?"

"No, I think you'll be keeping those on." the whiskered warrior riposted in response. "At least, until we've decided what to do with you."

Her lips pursed into a thin line of displeasure. "You're mean-ouch!"

A taut hand chopped her head and she bowed with a yelp.

"I prefer practical."

Lubbock uttered a soft, squelching sound.

"You've gotta be kidding me...do you...already have her trained or something?"

"Esdeath. Sit." Naruto deadpanned flatly, drawing a baffled glance when the general did just that. Without pause or preamble she folded both legs beneath her and dropped into a seiza position. He considered the young man's mystified expression more than reward for the silence that followed. Alas, it proved short-lived.

"Well said!" Bulat seconded, clapping him on the shoulder. "I'm sure you had your reasons!"

"Oi, I wasn't asking you musclehead...

That broke the floodgates; when the musclebound man guffawed openly, everyone else happily followed him down into the chaos that flowed forth.

In a heartbeat he found himself trapped in something of a four-way tie; his arms found themselves locked between the deadly razor folds of Extase even as Leone's clawed hand closed around his skull and as Akame's vicious Murasame hovered just above his exposed jugular. A harsh click punctuated by a vague sensation of pressure informed him that Mine's versatile Pumpkin had joined the fray, its barrel now pressed against the back of his skull. Honestly, it would've been downright concerning if not for his relative immortality. Perhaps, if they were thorough enough, they might actually kill him.

"Hey, now." a blond brow rose in concern. "Aren't you overreacting a bit, Sheele? Guys?"

...she actually listened to him just now." Najenda growled.

"Do you want me to kill them, boss?"

"That's not funny, Akame!"

"Now, now, just wait!"

...even if she's trained, she's still a wild beast!" the latter emerged in a snarl on Leone's part.

A hot flush crawled up the back of Naruto's neck and rendered his face nearly incandescent. No, not trained. Not in the least. He told himself it had nothing to do with the chained collar around her neck, nor the leash he was leading her by. These...these were simply there to restrain her! Yes! That! Esdeath was taking her new role far too seriously for his liking. She hadn't challenged him once or even tried to escape and report to her superiors in spite of her bonds. Perhaps it would've been easier to simply kill her and dump her body in a ditch for the wolves. Spirits knew it would've saved him the hassle, or the look Najenda was grilling him with. And yet he hadn't been able to bring himself to do it.

"Why the hell is she even here anyway?!" Mine interjected, momentarily diverting his attention . "Injured or not, you should've killed her! Have you betrayed us?!"

"What?" he blinked. "Would you rather I lie to you all? If I was going to trick you, I'd like to think I'd be more subtle about it."

"She's a danger to everyone here!"

"By that logic, so am I." The darkest wisp of a shadow flitted across the blond's face and for a moment, she hesitated as those blazing orbs bored down into her. "And be that as it may, my decision stands." A stray spark skittered through the air in warning. "I won't kill her; unless she gives me cause to. The same applies for the lot of you. I may want to die, but if you do this, you'll give me a reason to defend myself." his head turned at an impossible angle, blazing orbs glancing over his shoulder. "Is there a reason, Mine?"

Blood-red eyes flicked southward.

"Is there a reason?"

Something about that smile tied the pinkette's stomach into a knot; like a snake of dread slithering through her thoughts, devouring her every rational thought. It was a grin utterly devoid of sanity, tethered by the most meager of identities, worn down over the ages. Right and wrong didn't apply here-not to him. She wasn't looking at a man, she realized; this was a teigu, cold and hard crafted from the scraps of a man's soul. Whatever remained of Naruto was so far gone as to be unreachable; here was a man who didn't want to be saved, only to die. As much as it galled her to admit, she could understand that.

Grimacing, she lowered her rifle.

...lets hear him out, boss."

Najenda swore softly.

"Damnit, Mine!"

At some unseen signal Sheele withdrew her teigu as well. After a moment's hesitation, Akame complied. In short order, Leone found herself alone against what-in her eyes-amounted to little more than a glorified undead and his charge. Even then she didn't relent; her claws drew bloody red gouges in the whiskered warrior's skull; all the while she found herself at war with the very core of her being. Every instinct, every fiber of her being shrieked at her, howled that she had to crush Naruto's skull, that she had to do it and do it now because she'd never get a chance like this...

And yet...

"Why didn't you just kill her?!" the blonde demanded of him.

Azure eyes narrowed, uncaring of the crimson seeping into his vision. "I will not kill an enemy whose surrendered. Never again."

"Then I'll do it!"

Esdeath grinned then, a wide smile revealing too many teeth. Somehow despite being bound, despite the thick blindfold obscuring her vision, she still managed to gather her legs beneath her. To stand. A single fluid motion brought the towering terror to her feet, her head cocked aside like an inquisitive wolf. The temperature plummeted, sending a bracing chill racing through the lioness despite the searing fury coursing through her veins. She couldn't possibly be a threat like this...could she? No, surely not...

"Ohhhh do try, little mouse." the general purred. "I still have my legs."

To her credit, Leone didn't rise to the bait.

Nor did Esdeath at that.

But she did react.

Death.

She struck and saw her end flit before her eyes, beheld her own demise as a high-heeled boot swung up to crush her skull. Bits of bone and gray mattered spiraled past her vision, even as her eyes rolled back. In that instant, she couldn't react. Couldn't bring herself back from the brink, couldn't take back her attack; not as her clenched fist barreled toward Esdeath's exposed throat and the icy heel drilled into her skull-

"Oi. None of that."

With an annoyed grunt he jerked the bluenette backwards, eliciting a faint yelp from the icy mistress. With that, the specter of the future shattered and reality rushed back to fill the void left unfilled by time. The sudden loss of momentum sent Leone tumbling past the enraged general to crash headlong into a wall. Dazed, and a touch concussed perhaps, but very much alive. Groaning, she staggered upright-

Thunk.

"Will you just think for a second?!" Irritated, Naruto swatted the unruly lioness on the head lest she lunge at his throat instead. "I've got a solution to all of this!"

"Tch, what the hell, whiskers?! And what solution might that be, hotshot?! That hurt!"

His smile sent a silent shiver through all assembled.

"Its simple." With an exasperated snort, the blond clicked his teeth, allowing a touch of genuine anger to pervade his words. "Really. If she turns on us in any way, shape, or form, she dies. If she attacks any of you, she dies. If If she tried to run away and report to her superiors, she dies. If she speaks out of turn, you guessed it! She dies!"

Esdeath pouted at this statement, just so.

"Well, you're no fun, Master...

"What was that?"

"Nothing!"

A/N: Feels good to be back again, even if this chapter was little more than a short interlude. Once again, I apologize for that and ask for your understanding. I've been having a rough time of things as of late, both healthwise and in regards to life. Reality has decided to rear its ugly head as of late, leaving me both pressed for time to write and my sanity issues. Did I mention I might be going insane? I won't go into details-and I'm certainly not going to haul off and do something foolish-but my mind seems to be getting away from me as of late; I find myself forgetting things, having trouble speaking as I once did, and the like.

I'm still able to put words down on paper-or keyboard in this case-but its a tad worrying.

Doesn't help that I might have to get ANOTHER job to help make ends meet.

Next chapter will be all sorts of insanity! And a touch more serious than this one. Its a doozy, and the upcoming previews hint at it in a big way. I suppose you could say I've been inspired as of late, thanks to certain events, no?

So, in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previews!

(Preview)

"Think on your actions! Can you truly call this justice?!"

"Shut up shut up shut up! You worthless teigu! You have no idea-AARGH!"

A shriek tore out of Seryu as he wrenched her shoulder in its socket. The sheer agony of it momentarily forced her to her knees; that was all it took for her opponent to overwhelm her. A booted foot slammed down between her shoulders and planted itself against her spine. Strong hands pulled her arm aside, tearing tendons as they forced it behind her back. At this angle it was impossible to use her hidden weaponry, much less attempt a counterattack. Thus, she found herself left with the alternative.

"K-KORO! KILL!"

Half his face vanished in a maw of toothy slobber...

...Sheele swallowed thickly aside...

...as the rest laughed.

"My turn."

"Bring forth the sacrifice!"

...congratulations. You wanted a god? You found one. There's just one problem."

With an annoyed grunt he leveled a long finger forward.

Cocked it backwards.

Formed a gun.

"Oh, dear."

...he's fresh out of mercy."

R&R~!