Long AN at the bottom so enjoy. This chapter mainly focuses on Naruto and Jericho, so nothing too exciting. I do not own Naruto or Seven Deadly Sins, nor do I get any monetary gain for any work I publish.

Thought: Kyuubi

Speaking: Kyuubi

Radio/Phone Etc: Kyuubi

Jutsu/Deity: Kyuubi

Scene Change: xxXXxx

xxXXxx

The following morning found Naruto out of bed earlier than he normally would be. Jericho had requested training from him of all people, so he was going to do his best to help her.

With that he quickly got up and ready for the day. After taking a quick shower and getting dressed he left the barracks. As soon as he exited the building he took to the rooftops since it was a faster way of travel.

It only took him a few minutes to reach the training grounds, and to his surprise Jericho was already there waiting for him, while seemingly doing some light training of her own. He quietly observed her for a moment so he could try and get a good idea of what he was working with.

He watched as she fought an invisible enemy, using some pretty good sword techniques. While Naruto was good with a sword he had had no idea how to use the type of swords they used at first.

The only broadsword that he had ever seen back in his world was the Kusanagi blade that Orochimaru used. Naruto himself was more suited to a katana, but luckily Gil had been willing to help him get better with the blade.

Which was another new addition to his arsenal. He had gotten himself a new sword, since apparently his blades made from lightning damaged everyone else's weapons when they sparred.

So they had forced him to get an actual blade so that everyone wouldn't have to replace their equipment after every training session with him. The only ones who's weapons he hadn't damaged was Gilthunder and Howzer's.

Howzer was another one of Gil's friends that he had met. He actually liked him because not only was he a chill guy, but he also used the wind element which was Naruto's own natural element.

He had thrown a few ideas around with Howzer also, though he pretended that all of the ideas was for Howzer's use. He had even came up with some new ways to use his own ability thanks to meeting him.

Back to the moment Naruto watched as Jericho finally seemed to be finished with her mock spar. As she bent over a bit and began trying to catch her breath, Naruto decided he would surprise her.

With little less than a flicker Naruto had moved from his original spot to right behind Jericho. He quickly leaned forward and whispered in her ear. "That was a pretty good performance. You really are something to watch."

Whatever response he was expecting it wasn't the loud shriek that escaped from the girl. She then quickly spun around with her sword ready to cleave him in two. Naruto just reached up and caught the blade between his index finger and thumb.

It took a few seconds for Jericho to realize who it was, and another few to realize what he had done. She was actually quite impressed with how he was able to so effortlessly stop her attack

She had actually put a lot behind that swing, so for him to be able to stop it so casually was another testament to his power and how much he was above her. This further reinforced her belief that he would be able to help her get stronger.

After she caught herself she began to speak. "Didn't anyone teach you that it's rude to sneak up on people, and it's just plain stupid to so do when they have a weapon." She tried to act as dignified as she could, but the sound she had just released made the whole appearance worthless.

Naruto just kept the smile on his face as he replied. "No! Sorry I must've missed that lesson, though I didn't know your voice could actually go that high." Jericho immediately began to blush at that.

She had thought that she was quite aware of her surroundings at the time, but clearly she wasn't. It could also be that Naruto was just so good that he could sneak up on her, but she believed her first choice more. She had to try and save some face, after all.

With a huff Jericho looked at the blade that was still in the blonds grip. She tried to pull it free, but it wouldn't budge. She tried harder, but still nothing. In an act of frustration she literally pressed both feet against Naruto, using his body for leverage.

Still the sword didn't move. To anyone who was observing the scene it would look like Jericho was standing on Naruto, who was also standing. It once more took a few seconds for Jericho to realize what she was doing.

She blushed once more and stepped off of the blond, landing back on the ground. "Sorry about that." She spoke while looking away from him. Naruto just laughed at that. While he wasn't expecting her to actually try that, he was still amused by it nonetheless.

"Would you like your blade back?" He asked, voice teasing. Jericho just nodded her head while refusing to look at him. He just laughed as he handed her blade back. "Well you seem to have some good swordsmanship, so I'll mainly focus on raising your strength, speed and magic."

Jericho nodded and finally looked at him. "That sounds good. So, how will we be doing this?" She asked. She was surprised when Naruto disappeared from her view. She didn't have to wonder where he went for long as his foot became intimate with her stomach.

She was immediately sent flying across the yard. After a few bounces and a roll she finally came to a stop, though the pain didn't. She looked up at the blond with tears almost pouring out her eyes while asking him the silent question, why.

Naruto's entire expression had changed by this point. Instead of his dazzling smile he usually wore his face now looked like it was carved from marble, with absolutely zero emotions showing on it.

"Don't think that I'm going to go easy on you because you're a girl or anything. You asked me to help you get better, so I'm going to push you to your absolute limits to help you. Now, get up."

Jericho actually felt some fear from seeing him like this. She silently wondered to herself if this was the side of himself he showed on missions. No wonder he had been promoted so fast. It was like she was looking at a completely different person.

"Fine! Since you won't get up willingly I'll make you." That statement was Jericho's only warning. Taking his words to heart she quickly rolled from her position, while fighting through the pain.

Her decision was proven to be a wise one as Naruto appeared where she was moments before and struck her previous position with a fist. Instantly the ground cratered from the force of the blow, which caused Jericho's eyes to widen.

She wasn't too sure that she could take a blow like that easily. She was sure that at least something would've been broken at least if he had hit her with that punch which made her wonder. Was he actually trying to kill her or something.

"Are you crazy? That attack could've killed me if it had hit." Jericho would've screamed the question at him, but she was still having some problems catching her breath. Naruto just looked at her with the same expressionless look on his face.

"If that level of attack is more than you can take, then I'll push your body to its limits, until an attack of that level isn't even an inconvenience to you. Now get up. This is the last time I'll go easy on you."

Jericho once more looked at him in shock. "If this is what you consider taking it easy on me then you really are crazy." She replied. Naruto could see the hesitance in her eyes, and knew he had to do something to motivate her a bit.

He just hoped that she'd forgive him for what he was about to say. "You might be right, or maybe this is just the extent of your power. Then again what should I expect from an apprentice Holy Knight."

Jericho knew what he was trying to do, she really did. He was trying to get her riled up so that she'd keep going. He didn't care if she got angry or sad, he just wanted her to keep pushing on, so that's what she would do.

She allowed the anger caused from his words to course through her. Immediately she had the energy to stand again, and she was going to use it. "Don't you ever look down on me. I might just be an apprentice for now, but someday soon I'll be one of the strongest Knights in this Kingdom, even stronger than you." She finished while pointing heatedly at him.

Naruto just continued to stare at her. "Is that so. Do you really believe someone at your level could ever surpass me."

"Yes, I do. And when that day comes I'll be sure to rub it in your face." Replied Jericho, determination shining in her visage. Naruto almost smiled at this, but forced it back down. He had to keep his roll as the cold teacher up to make sure he pushed Jericho to her limits.

"Well why don't you show me the power of the person who will one day surpass me." Spoke Naruto as he finally pulled his sword from the sheath strung across his back and took up a basic stance.

Jericho was quick to follow, though her stance was more rigid and proper than his, showing that she was taking this far more seriously than he had to, which was a given with both of their skill and power levels.

"I hope you're ready, Naruto, 'cause here I come." With that Jericho charged at the blond. She went for a side swipe, but Naruto blocked with his own blade. She quickly pulled back and tried to hit him with a forward stab, but he once more moved his sword in the way to parry.

She then jumped back to gain some distance. Luckily she wasn't followed by her opponent. Naruto seemed willing to allow her to make some type of plan of attack, which she was grateful for.

Seeing as she had no other option besides her swordplay she once more rushed towards the blond, while giving it all she had. Each attempt she made at attacking him was either blocked or dodged, with a few counterattacks in between.

Jericho was quickly beginning to tire. She was already a bit winded from her own training she had done by herself, and now the taskmaster from hell was all over her ass. For a moment she actually regretted asking Naruto to train her, but that thought was banished just as quickly as it came.

While his methods were… barbaric, she could tell that they were working. Even now, after only a few hours of sparring, she could follow his movements a bit better. She knew it had to do with the fact that Naruto wasn't playing around with her, and it was either react to his attack and act accordingly, or get seriously injured.

And she really didn't want to get injured. So with that thought she continued to push herself, never giving up or backing down. And for that the respect that Naruto held for her only grew.

Naruto had also noticed something else as well. For some reason he could feel his body getting cooler, a feeling he knew well enough as being from ice. He could only smirk slightly as he had realized that Jericho was using her magic, though she didn't seem to notice.

He had found something else to help her train with. If her magic really was ice related then he'd have someone with another element to train with and help come up with new techniques.

He could already see what he needed to work on, so for now he would continue at his current pace to see how long Jericho could last in a straight up fight for her life. He knew he would also have to help her with her stamina as well.

xxXXxx

It was almost two hours later when Jericho actually couldn't go on, though he knew that if she was actually using her magic she would've only lasted a few minutes at best. He was still quite impressed by her.

It was at this moment that Jericho realized that they had an audience. She hadn't even really noticed them, being too busy trying to make sure she actually survived this new hell she had placed herself in.

She was laying on her back and breathing heavily. Her body felt like shit, and she was sure that her bruises had bruises. She only sighed as Naruto walked up beside her before kneeling next to her prone body.

"I just want to say that I'm sorry about all those things I said earlier. I was just trying to get you in the mood, you know." He had an awkward smile on his face while he was scratching the back of his head.

Jericho just glared at him for a minute before sighing. "Don't worry about it. I knew what you were doing, and it actually worked, so thank you." Naruto's smile finally returned to normal after hearing that.

"Well you're welcome. I'll take you back to the Weird Fangs base so you can rest." Spoke Naruto as he picked her up bridal style. He knew she wouldn't be able to move, even after she was healed. So he would have to carry her back to her base.

Jericho was a blushing mess by this point. She actually was glad by how things were turning out now. This alone made all of her previous torture worth it, there was just one problem.

If Jericho wasn't so tired, and her mind wasn't on the verge of shutting down, then she would've never said what she was about to say, but the above mentioned problems along with the man she adored holding her in his arms caused her to say something very uncharacteristic.

"No! Don't take me back to the base, I won't be able to rest good there. Just take me back to your room so we can sleep in peace." She said, mind half asleep already and not truly focused. If she was then her blush would've been worse than Naruto's.

Before he could retort he noticed that Jericho was already out for the count. This left him with two options. He could either try and find her base to take her there, or he could just return to his room to allow her to rest in peace.

He doubted that a group with the name Weird Fangs were a peaceful bunch to be around when trying to rest, which left him with one choice. Making his decision Naruto walked off with Jericho in his arms.

As soon as he had reached an area with nobody around he immediately made a portal into his room. It wasn't a good look for a guy to be walking around town with an unconscious girl. People were sure to spread some rumors if they had seen him, so he went with the safest route.

After stepping out of the portal he quickly placed Jericho down on his bed. Then he began to heal her wounds since he didn't own any magic healing stones, so he would have to do it himself.

After he had healed her he tucked her under the sheets and stood back. He watched as she snuggled deeper in the bed making herself comfortable, which caused him to smile. A yawn then escaped from his mouth.

While he wasn't really tired, he could still use some rest. Once again Naruto found himself with two options. He could either sleep in the bed, and risk castration, or sleep on the floor and maybe get an earful when she woke up.

It didn't take long for Naruto to make up his mind. He quickly took his shirt off and rolled it up to use as a sort of pillow. He then proceeded to lay down on the ground to get some rest. He'd clean his bed later since neither of them had taken a shower yet and were covered in dirt.

He wasn't worried about it though. He was glad to allow her some peace after what he had put her through, she had earned it as far as he was concerned because she had refused to give up. With this final thought Naruto closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

xxXXxx

Within the castle of Liones, King Bartra sat on his throne. He was having a monthly briefing meet with all necessary parties to find out the state of the kingdom, but it was his two Great Holy Knights that had his attention.

When he had asked how the Knights were doing they had quickly assured him that they were upholding their duties admirably, especially the new recruit who had been doing so well that he had raised two whole ranks in a single month.

This had gotten the King's attention. He had the utmost faith in both men, so to hear that they had decided someone was worthy of that type of promotion was quite surprising to hear.

"And who might this young Knight be?" Asked the King. He wanted to learn more about someone who was obviously working hard to protect his Kingdom.

"His name is Naruto Uzumaki, my Lord, and he was recently instated last month, but his success on missions and the respect he has earned from the other Knights is what earned him his promotion." Spoke Dreyfus.

The King rubbed his beard in thought at this. "And how old is this Knight?" Asked the King. Surely this man had to have a lot of experience to earn this type of praise.

"From what we know he's seventeen right now, my Lord." This time it was Hendrickson who answered. The King was actually surprised to find out that it was someone so young that they were talking about.

"Really now. You mean to tell me that a mere child has garnered this much respect from the both of you?" Asked the King incredulously.

"While he may be young he has experience that those far older than him have yet to display, along with the fact he shows great power and control for one so young." Spoke Dreyfus again.

While he respected the King, he wouldn't allow a Knights hard work to be dismissed just because of their age. The King, seeing they had misunderstood his question, was quick to clarify his question.

"I meant no disrespect to the boy's age, as I'm sure he worked hard to earn everything he has been given, I was just surprised by it. Tell me, by your estimation, how long do you think it will take him to reach Diamond Rank?" Asked the King. He was truly curious about the boy's speculated rate of growth.

Both Dreyfus and Hendrickson thought about the question. They knew that if Naruto kept up with his current rate of success, then he'd probably be able to reach Diamond Rank before the year was out.

That would actually be the fastest that anyone had ever made it to that rank, but they had no illusions that Naruto wouldn't be able to do it. "If he keeps up doing as well as he is now, then I can see him being Diamond Rank before the year is out." Spoke Dreyfus, getting a nod of agreement from Hendrickson.

"So he really is that good, huh." Started the King. "Then I'd like to meet the young man who's putting so much effort into the betterment of this Kingdom." He finished. Both present Knights were expecting something like this to happen.

"When would you like to meet him, my Lord?" Asked Dreyfus.

"I will prepare a feast for him in three days time to celebrate his hard work and show him my appreciation. Inform him to be at the palace on the eve of the given day, alright.' Both men nodded at the Kings request.

After that it wasn't long before the rest of the meeting was wrapped up. As soon as the meeting was over and the King allowed everyone left. Now alone in his throne room the King was allowed to get lost in thought.

"Someone with that type of power might be exactly what we'll need in the coming months. For now, though, I'll try to get a read on the boy to see if he can be trusted with an important task." With this final thought the King began making further plans for the coming Holy War and other matters.

xxXXxx

In another part of the palace a young girl could be seen walking the halls. This was Elizabeth Liones, the third daughter of King Bartra, which made her a princess. She was just wondering around the castle while deep in thought.

For the past few months she had noticed her father was becoming more stressed. She didn't know why, but she could never really get her him to tell her why. He had said that he was just worrying too much about the future.

She didn't doubt this as she knew about her father's ability Vision, which literally allowed him to see the future. This allowed the King to prepare for thing long before they even happened, which she suspected was why the kingdom was so peaceful.

"I really wish that father would let us in so we can help him." Thought Elizabeth while also thinking of her sisters. She also didn't like the fact that he was paying less attention to them.

While the need for her father's attention had decreased since her younger years, where she actually used to act out just to get it, she still liked it when he paid attention to her. Sadly he hadn't been doing much of that. "I hope he handles whatever's bothering him soon." With that final thought she continued to walk around the castle.

xxXXxx

Amber eyes groggily opened up to an unfamiliar room. Quickly the owner shot up in surprise. Looking around the person quickly realized that they were in a bed, though the room was still unfamiliar.

Before Jericho could begin to panic anymore, she noticed the sound of light snoring. She quickly peered over the edge of the bed and smiled when she saw Naruto there on the floor sleeping, with his shirt off.

Once more Jericho found herself distracted by the sight in front of her, but it didn't last long as she finally came to a realization. She was alone with Naruto in his room. She quietly wondered to herself why she was here, before the memories came back to her.

The blush on her face was massive. She had actually told Naruto to bring them back to his room. Why the hell did she do that? Even if she knew her base would be rowdy she still could've just told him to taker her to her house, though she really didn't want to see her brother.

She quickly blamed her tiredness and hormones for the decisions she made. She then had to wonder why Naruto had even considered her suggestion. Did he want to take her back to his room?

As she looked herself over she noticed that all of her clothes were still in place. "Of course they are. Naruto's not the type to take advantage of someone." Thought Jericho, cursing the fact that she had such thoughts about the blond.

She could tell that the only thing Naruto had done to her body was heal it, which she would also have to thank him for even though he was the reason for her injuries in the first place. She had asked him for that anyway.

As she finished those thoughts she began to look around. This was her first time actually seeing in his room. She hadn't really been paying much attention to it the night she had came here to ask for training, since other things were occupying her mind then.

She couldn't help but to feel a little sad looking around the room. It just looked so bleak, having no type of pictures or anything to show that it was someone's home. There wasn't anything that seemed to make this room scream that it was Naruto's.

After observing the bland room she leaned back over the bed to look at the blond still sleeping on the floor. She then looked at his face and a thought passed through her head. It was something that she always wanted to do, but could never bring herself to actually try.

Now was the perfect time, however. With that she slowly reached out her hand towards his cheek. She always wondered how his whisker marks felt, and now she would find out. As her palm finally rested on his cheeks she couldn't help the smile on her face.

She was quick to notice that the whiskers were indents in his face, though not deep. As she continued to rub his cheeks she couldn't help but remember the first time she had met him, and the first time he had defeated her.

xxXXxx Flashback

Jericho had been hearing a lot of rumors this last week about a new Knight that had practically walked in off the street and gotten a position without having to do any apprenticeship under anyone.

Naturally this information pissed her off, as she had been working hard to get promoted from being just a simple apprentice, but she couldn't seem to advance for some reason. So, because of this, she wanted to see what was so special about this mystery guy.

With a mission in mind, Jericho went around Liones asking different Knights about this guy, and she had found out quite a bit about him, including where he trained. It was thanks to that information that she made her way to one of the training grounds.

Her information was proven correct when she came upon two men sitting together and talking, with a woman sitting nearby. The woman she didn't really know, but she knew the Diamond Ranked Knight, Gilthunder.

She could also guess who the other man was thanks to the description she had gotten of him from the other Knights. Blond hair, blue eyes and whiskers on his cheeks, though none of them had actually told her that he was about the same age as her.

This new revelation had the effects of both surprising her, and pissing her off further. What did this guy, someone who was just as young as her, have that she didn't. She had been training for most of her life to try and achieve what this guy had in an hour at best.

That thought just raised her anger more as she stormed over to the two men. Their attention was immediately on her since it wasn't hard for them to notice her approaching. "Are you the new Crystal Knight, Naruto Uzumaki?" She asked angrily.

This just got a raised eyebrow from Naruto before he replied. "I was. Now I'm an Emerald Rank. We were just celebrating my promotion, would you like to join us?" The shock that Jericho was feeling right now surpassed any she had ever felt in her life.

"How the hell did you already rank up? You've only been here for around two weeks from what I've learned. A promotion this quickly is unheard of." She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Naruto just gave her a huge smile while scratching the back of his head. "Yeah that's what Hendrickson said as well, but they believe that someone with my power level and abilities would be better suited for higher ranked missions, so they promoted me." He finished with a chuckle.

This just made Jericho livid. She had to find out what was so special about this man, what he had that she didn't, and there was only one real way to do that. "Fight me!" It would be those two words that Jericho would soon come to regret.

"Why would I want to fight you?" Naruto asked, curiously. Now, while Naruto wasn't trying to be insulting or anything when he asked that question, Jericho thought he was. In her mind she heard him asking why he would want to waste time fighting someone weaker than him.

Jericho couldn't stand being underestimated by anyone, which she thought Naruto was doing, so she quickly pulled out her blade to attack. The two men before her didn't even seem bothered by her sudden act of hostility.

Instantly Jericho found herself on her back looking up at the sky, with two swords pointed at her. All she had seen was a flash before they had her pinned, and there was nothing she could've done to stop it.

Now she realized that she was outclassed. Not just by Gilthunder, but Naruto as well as she was sure he could've handled her on his own. "What was that about?" Asked Naruto sounding annoyed.

Jericho just closed her eyes to hide the tears that wanted to flow. This was what it took to become a Knight. Overwhelming power so that you could handle any threat to the Kingdom, something that she wasn't gifted with.

"Do you think we should report this?" Asked Gilthunder. Naruto just shook his head in the negative.

"No! She looks like she has a lot on her mind right now, so we'll let this slide." Spoke Naruto. This caused Jericho's eye's to widen. She had just attacked a superior officer. If they reported her the consequences of her action would be detrimental. She could even lose her apprenticeship.

"Why! I attacked you, so why protect me?" She asked the blond. While she was glad that he was willing to let this go, she had to know why.

"Maybe because you seem sad. If you want to talk to someone then I'm always around, unless I'm on a mission of course." Spoke the blond with his signature grin on his face. Jericho couldn't believe what he was saying.

It was then that the two men stepped back, with Naruto holding out his hand for her to take. She did and was easily lifted up off the floor by him, however due to Naruto's ridiculous strength, and Jericho not being prepared for it, she found herself pressed against his chest.

He had put a bit more strength than necessary which had pulled Jericho right into him. "Sorry about that." Said Naruto as he stepped back a bit.

"Don't worry about it." Replied Jericho while looking at the ground. For some reason she couldn't look at him right now. "Sorry about attacking you guys as well." Naruto just waved her off.

"Not a problem. Most of my friend have attacked me before. Hell even Gil here has attacked me, though that was because I was sneaking around the training ground." Said Naruto.

Jericho just nodded at that, glad that he at least appeared to forgive her. She really didn't want to get into trouble for one act caused by her emotions. Seeing no further point in being here she turned around and prepared to leave.

Before she had gotten too far she heard Naruto speaking again. "Hey I didn't get your name." He said to her. She stopped and pondered if she should answer him, but realized that it was the least she could do.

"My name's Jericho." Naruto smiled at that and she turned around and continued to leave. From that day she would continue to watch the blond, and had come to greatly respect his power from the spars she saw him participate in.

She also was quick to realize that she was beginning to get weird feelings for him, which made her act hostile whenever she was around him to hide how she really felt. She doubted that he would even feel the same way about her anyway.

xxXXxx Flashback End

Jericho continued rubbing Naruto's cheek as she was lost in thought. This would soon come to an end when she heard a voice speak. "You know I thought that you were going to try and strangle me in my sleep. This is a lot better, though." Jericho's whole body froze.

It was at this moment that she noticed the pair of blue eyes looking at her mischievously, with a smirk of the same nature soon appearing on his face. Jericho looked at him in shock, which quickly turned to horror when she realized what she was still doing.

With a loud shriek Jericho recoiled as if she had been burned, but had moved back so hard and fast that she actually fell off the other side of the bed. It was at this moment that Jericho wished she could just disappear.

Her embarrassment just grew when she heard Naruto laughing as he stood up. "Man, you should've seen your face. It was priceless. I wish I had a camera to take a picture." Spoke the blond as he continued to laugh hysterically.

Jericho was mortified at this point, but there was something she needed to know. "Were you up this whole time?" She asked.

"Yep, though I was surprised that you'd pet me like some animal, though it did feel kind of good." Spoke Naruto while scratching his cheek. Jericho didn't know why, but she felt some happiness knowing that it felt good for him.

"So why didn't you stop me earlier?" She really wanted to know why he had just let her do that.

"Well, like I said I thought that you were going to try and attack me really for the training session I put you through, but then you began rubbing my birthmarks and it felt good so I let it slide as payment for you not giving up today." Jericho felt her blush deepen a bit more.

It was then that she remembered something that Naruto had just said. "What's a camera?" She asked curiously. She had never heard of it and wondered what it was. Naruto just tensed and cursed his slipup.

He had forgotten that this world's technology was practically nonexistent. "It's something we use where I'm from to take a picture. It's like a painting, but more real looking and it only takes a few seconds to finish." He tried to give her the best description he could.

Jericho was impressed by what this camera could do, but then she found another question on her lips. "Where exactly are you from. You don't seem to talk about where it is you came from."

Naruto just sighed at this. He knew that it was only a matter of time before he was asked something like this. "Well I'm not from Britannia, but the place that I came from is pretty far from here." Jericho would've continued with her question, but she could see that this topic was making him sad.

Luckily it was her stomach that helped to change the topic by growling. Jericho once more felt the blush on her face as Naruto smiled at her. "Sounds like you're hungry. Let's go out for something to eat, my treat." Said Naruto.

This simple suggestion almost sent Jericho catatonic. "Is he asking me out on a date? Is this what it's like to have a guy ask you out?" These were a few of the thoughts going through her mind.

As she noticed that he was still waiting for an answer she quickly shot to her feet. "Sure! I would like to go for a meal with you." Jericho cursed how eager she sounded. She then noticed a problem.

She was still dirty from their training, and so was he. She quickly walked up to him. "I'm going to get freshened up, and you do the same. I'll meet you out front in an hour, okay." Before Naruto could respond she was already out the door.

Naruto could only scratch his head in confusion. He really didn't understand women at all, and he doubted that he ever would. With a shrug Naruto got out some new clothes and went to freshen up.

An hour later Naruto exited the barracks and looked around for Jericho, but couldn't find her. He wandered if she had changed her mind or something, but before he could wonder too much he heard Jericho calling his name.

As he turned around his jaw dropped in shock. Before him was Jericho wearing a long lavender dress that showed off her figure quite well. She also had her hair out of its signature ponytail, with her hair now framing her face like a halo and was cascading down her back.

He watched as she walked up towards him, but she was looking at the ground now. "Wow, Jericho, you look amazing." Said Naruto while grinning. He didn't know much about women, but he was sure they liked compliments, or at least he thought so.

His efforts proved fruitful as Jericho brushed a few loose strands of hair behind her ear. "Thanks. You don't look to bad yourself." She replied. Naruto just chuckled at her response.

He did appreciate the compliment, even though he wasn't dressed much different than he was earlier with the only change being the color of his shirt which was now grey. "So, is there anywhere specific that you'd like to go to, since it's my treat?" Asked Naruto.

Jericho thought about it for a minute before choosing a small restaurant that wasn't too far from the barracks. She had eaten there a few times, so she knew that the food was good along with the prices.

The two walked in silence, one from embarrassment and the other not really knowing what to say in the situation, until they came to the one story building that the restaurant resided in.

As the two entered and were shown to their seats and given a menu with the waiter leaving to give them some time to decide what they wanted Jericho decided to try and make some small talk.

"I noticed that you don't have any personal decorations in your room. It makes me even more curious about you."

"Oh really. And what exactly are you so curious about?" Asked Naruto.

"Well, for instance, where are you from? Do you have any family? What was your old home like, and why did you leave to come here?" Naruto quickly became pensive, which Jericho noticed.

He was contemplating if he should answer her or not, but decided that there wasn't really any harm in doing so. "Well I don't have any family, not any more anyway. My home was a beautiful place where everyone was finally starting to get along, but I was taken and brought here."

Jericho's eye's widened at this revelation. Naruto was forcefully removed from his home. Who the hell had the power to do that? "Are you going to return there someday?" Asked Jericho. She was slightly dreading his answer.

Naruto grew a sad smile on his face before replying. "Why don't we talk about something else, like what is your life like?" Asked Naruto. Seeing that he didn't want to talk any more about his home caused Jericho to have conflicting emotions.

Was he going to head back home, or was he going to stay here. If he left then what would she do. She wouldn't say that she was so in love with him to go with him, but she knew that it wouldn't be long until she probably was.

That raised the question of if she would be willing to give up her dream for him. At this moment she could say the answer was no, she had worked too long and hard to get where she was, and was too close now to just give it up.

Before Jericho could begin talking about her own life the waiter returned to take their orders. They both quickly ordered their food, with Jericho ordering a fish meal and Naruto ordering steak.

As the waiter left Jericho began to speak. "Well, my life isn't really anything special. I was born and raised in the kingdom and lived with my older brother, he's actually a Knight as well."

"Wow! I didn't know you had a brother. What's he like?" Asked Naruto, curiously.

"He's… complicated, but he's also the person I want to prove wrong the most." Naruto was surprised by the fire that appeared in Jericho's eyes.

"Well, if it means that much to you to prove him wrong for whatever reason, then I know you will." Naruto said with a smile. Jericho smiled back. She was glad that he believed in her, even though he didn't know why she wanted to prove her brother wrong.

"Thanks. In all honesty I believe that your training will be able to help me do just that."

"Well then that means that this training just became even more important, so I'll have to make sure I don't let you down." Jericho wanted to tell him that he could never let her down, but she held her tongue.

With a bit more small talk the two finally received ,and then finished, their meals. The two soon left after Naruto had paid the bill. "So when's our next training session going to be?" Asked Jericho.

"We can train on whichever day you or I don't have any missions. So until one of us receives one we can go everyday if you want, or you can pick dates through the week that you're good with."

Jericho thought about it for a minute before coming to a decision. "We can go everyday. That way I'll be able to improve faster, plus we can just send a message to each other on days we won't be able to make it."

"That's good to hear. You'll also be able to watch me and Gilthunder train so you might be able to pick up a few things from that." Jericho could feel her excitement beginning to rise.

While she knew the training was going to be hard, if today's session was anything to go by, she would also have two of the strongest Knights in the kingdom helping her. What more could she possibly ask for.

"I'd like to thank you again for everything you're doing for me." Jericho said with pure gratification in her tone. Naruto just smiled at her.

"It's no problem. You might not like me much, but I'm happy to help you get stronger." This statement caused Jericho's eyes to widen in shock. He actually thought that she didn't like him, but he still agreed to help her train.

The thought alone made her sad, but before she could try and correct him she was interrupted by another voice. "Jericho, is that you?" Her eyes once more widened in shock.

This was the one person that she didn't want to see right now. As she looked towards the voice she was quick to notice the form of her brother, Gustaf. He looked like a male version of Jericho with short hair.

He wore a long sleeved blue shirt with a darker blue short cloak over it with quarter moon symbols on the collar. He also had on dark blue pants and brown shoes and belt and a large silver beaded chain around his neck. As he began walking towards her Naruto also caught sight of him.

"What are you doing here, Gustaf?" Hissed Jericho. She really wished that she had paid better attention to her surroundings so she could've avoided this encounter, but it was nearly impossible for her to focus on much else when around Naruto.

"I was just returning home, but I wasn't aware that you were in the area. I thought that you would be at the Weird Fangs base, aren't they who you are apprenticed under." It was at this time that Jericho noticed the area she was in.

Without even noticing it she had begun heading in the direction of her home when they left the restaurant, which had helped to make this encounter more possible. This just caused Jericho to release a tired sigh.

"Who's this, Jericho? He actually looks a bit like you." Said Naruto. It was at this moment the two siblings remembered their third party.

"Naruto, I'd like you to meet my older brother, Gustaf." Spoke Jericho while gesturing to both men respectively. Upon hearing the blonds name Gustaf's eyes widened.

"Wait, you're Naruto Uzumaki? You're the mystery guy that I've been hearing about that rose two ranks in a months time?" Gustaf's shocked exclamation got a raised eyebrow from Naruto.

"Um, yeah, that's me. It's nice to meet you, Gustaf, though I wasn't expecting to meet you so soon after finding out about you." Said Naruto with a smile on his face. This caused Gustaf to shift his attention towards Jericho.

"So you've talked about me. May I ask what my sister has told you?" Requested Gustaf. He didn't know what his sister might have said about him, but he didn't want her tarnishing his reputation to his colleagues.

"Well she said that you were a complicated guy, along with the fact that she wants to prove you wrong about something which my training should help with." Answered Naruto, honestly. He saw no harm in telling Gustaf this information.

This caused Jericho to blush a bit and Gustaf to once more look at her. "Why are you wasting your time training her?" Asked Gustaf, voice cool.

"It's not a waste of time to me, and I'm doing it because she asked, what other reason would I need?" Inquired Naruto. He didn't really like the way that Gustaf had asked his question.

"And what exactly are you training for?" Asked Gustaf, this time addressing Jericho. He had a feeling, but he wanted to be sure.

Jericho just looked at her brother with a fierce and determined look before replying. "I'm getting him to train me so that I can get stronger and rise from being an apprentice." Naruto smiled at the determination she was showing, but Gustaf frowned.

"Haven't I already told you that it's impossible for you to become a Holy Knight. You're just wasting everyone's time and making yourself look ridiculous." This statement from Gustaf earned him an angry reply, but not from Jericho.

"Hey, what the fuck are you saying to Jericho? What type of older brother are you to just try and tear down her dream like that? You should be encouraging and trying to help her succeed, not tell her that she can't. Don't worry, Jericho, I believe in you"

This outburst from Naruto caught both siblings off guard. While Gustaf was looking at Naruto with an annoyed expression, Jericho was looking at him with something else. "Do you really believe in me?" Jericho asked in almost a whisper.

"Of course I do. Didn't I tell you that I'd push you to your limits and help you to become a Knight, well I never go back on my word. I don't care if it takes a month, or even years, I'll always be there to help you until you reach your goals."

Jericho could feel the tears brimming, along with the burning in her cheeks. Someone who was already so strong had so much faith in her. Someone who she had only known for a short time, and who thought that she disliked him.

This was the first time that anyone had ever stood up for her and her dreams, and to stand up to her brother of all people made the whole thing even better. Jericho, without really thinking, instantly rushed Naruto and captured him in a hug.

"Thank you so much for believing in me. I also give you my word that I won't let you down." She whispered in his ears while trying to hold back her tears. Naruto just hugged her back and smiled before he replied.

"I never thought for a second that you'd let me down, and don't you think for a second that you could." This caused Jericho to look at him in surprise and see the smile on his face. She smiled back before hugging him again and nodding into his chest.

It wasn't long before Gustaf reminded them that they still had company, along with some attention they were garnering from being in the middle of the street. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but can I have a word with you in private please, Sir Naruto."

It was at this moment that Naruto and Jericho separated. Naruto considered Gustaf's request before giving the man a nod. "Would you give us a few minutes please Jericho?" He asked. Jericho looked between the two men before nodding and stepping away.

"Well, what is it you wanted to talk about?" Asked Naruto once Jericho was out of range.

"I'd like to know what your intentions are concerning my sister?" This question got a raised eyebrow from Naruto.

"Well my intentions are to help her get stronger and become a Holy Knight, since that's what she wants to do."

"And do you really think that you can do that? Do you think that you can make her truly strong?"

"Yes, I do. I'm planning on pushing her to her limits and beyond and hopefully, by the time I'm through, there won't be much she can't handle."

"So by the time you're through with her she will be able to protect herself?"

"Yes, she will. She's already really strong, but I'll try to at least triple her strength, if not more." This statement from Naruto seemed to lessen the worry that had appeared in Gustaf's eyes, but he had to make sure of one more thing.

"Will you protect her and make sure no harm comes to her until she's strong enough to do it herself?" He asked. The way Naruto answered this question was very important.

"Of course I will. Jericho is my friend, even though she doesn't really like me. That means that I'd defend her with my life, no matter how strong she is." Gustaf could see the honesty in the blonds statement, which allowed him to release a relieved sigh.

"Then I thank you for all that you're doing for my sister, and I can finally start supporting her dream. If there's anything you need that I might be able to help you with then don't hesitate to ask." Stated Gustaf. This caught Naruto's attention.

"Actually there is one thing. Jericho seems to have ice type magic, so I was wondering if you had any ideas that might help me to train her to use it?" Asked Naruto. While he was a master of using ice as well, he was teaching someone who used magic, not chakra.

"I'm actually an ice type as well. I'm kinda surprised that she is too, but I should've expected that. Can she use it yet?" Asked Gustaf.

"No, she just used it subconsciously. Is there a trick or something for her to use it fully, or do I just have to wing it?"

"Accessing magic is different for every user, though there is one thing that's sure to pull a persons magic out, and that's a huge emotional situation. Whether they're fighting for their life, or extremely sad or angry about something."

Naruto nodded at this. Jericho was in an extremely emotional state earlier when she used her magic, so Gustaf was right about his explanation. That just meant that he'd have to continue doing what he was doing until she could freely use her magic.

"Thanks for the info. I now have an idea on what I need to do so that she can use her magic freely. You're not as bad as you try to make yourself out to be." Said Naruto as he held out his fist with a smile on his face.

Gustaf was quick to catch on to what he wanted as he held out his own fist with a smile. The two then bumped fist, and Naruto could feel the trust that Gustaf was putting into him to help and protect Jericho, which caused his smile to widen more.

With that the two separated and Gustaf gave him a nod before turning around and heading on his way. As he walked past Jericho he gave her a small smile and nod as well, which caused the girl's eyes to widen as she couldn't help but wonder what the fuck had just happened.

The two men had looked like they were arguing at first, but then they looked like two old friends. And she had a strong feeling that her brother's actions a while ago was somehow to say he supported her.

That was the most shocking part. Did Naruto literally just change her brother's mind, something that she herself hadn't been able to do in her seventeen years of life. If he had, then she had really been underestimating Naruto.

Jericho quickly rejoined Naruto with what felt like a million questions running through her mind, but there was one she wanted answered the most. "What did you say to my brother?" She asked.

'Nothing but the truth, and thanks to that he finally agreed to start supporting you." Once more Naruto was hugged tightly by Jericho.

"You really are amazing." She said as she pulled back.

"Yeah, I know." Was Naruto's cheeky reply as he had a smug grin on his face. This caused Jericho to give him a playful glare.

"Hey, don't get too big headed." Was her amused response. The two laughed among each other for a few moments after that. As they finally calmed down Naruto asked her a question.

"Do you want me to continue walking you home?" He asked curiously.

"No thanks. I'm going to go and have a conversation with my brother, and see if he's really willing to support me now, but thanks again for everything." Jericho said. She was truly grateful for everything Naruto had done for her in just a single day.

Naruto just nodded at her before turning around and beginning to head back home. "Alright then see you tomorrow so that we can continue training then." Said Naruto.

"Yeah, sure, and I hope we can go out to eat together again sometime." Responded Jericho. Naruto just looked at her and nodded in acceptance at her proposal before continuing on his way.

Jericho smiled as she also turned around to head home. She was anxious to talk to her brother, but she wanted to be sure about his new feeling towards her goal. She once more couldn't help but think how incredible her blond superior was.

xxXXxx

It didn't take Naruto long before he reached the barracks. He silently contemplated if he should try and find someplace else to live, but saw no real need to rush anything yet. With that he walked inside the building and headed towards his room.

As he walked he was considering if he should go and request a mission to take Jericho on. Not anything too tough, but something that can help her grow and show her how higher ranked missions differed from what she might be used to.

He decided to do it and show Jericho the ropes, as people said. With that Naruto finally reached his room door. He quickly fished his key out of his pocket and opened the door, though something on the floor caught his attention.

It was an envelope with extravagant writing on it. Naruto picked the letter up and went inside his room while closing the door behind him. As he sat on the bed he saw what was written on the envelope as he read it.

"To Sir Naruto Uzumaki." He read to himself. Naruto quickly opened the envelope and pulled out its contents, which revealed a letter. Opening it Naruto began to read.

"Dear Sir Naruto,

This letter is to inform you that you have been cordially invited to the Royal Palace on behalf of King Bartra in three days time for a celebration in your honor. You are expected to appear on the eve of the third day as declared by the King. This celebration is to thank you for your services and commitment to the Kingdom, and the King hopes that you will be able to attend. He hopes to see you there and thank you in person.

Signed

The King's Court."

Naruto read and reread the short letter at least three more times with shock. In the time he had been here he had never seen any member of the Royal Family, so to be invited to the castle by the king himself was quite surprising.

"Are you planning to go?" Asked Kurama, who had once more spent his day sleeping. He wouldn't wake up unless on rare occasions, or if Naruto needed his help in a fight. Naruto seemed to think about it for a second before answering.

"I'm not really sure if I have a choice in the matter or not since it was the King himself that invited me, along with it being a party in my honor." Replied Naruto. Kurama just nodded at his answer.

"You're right and since we don't really know what type of person the King is it'll be better if we didn't do too much to anger him so you can stay here." Kurama might not really care about Liones, but he did care about Naruto's happiness.

Naruto silently agreed as he began wondering how he would have to act around the king. While he didn't really care about things like respect in the traditional sense, he also didn't want to risk the chance of getting forced out of the kingdom.

He was finally finding something in this world to make him happy, and he would try not to mess it up and lose that chance. So he would try to be on slightly better behavior that he normally was, though if the king was a dick or something then all bets were out the window.

With a sigh Naruto placed the letter inside of his drawer. He then began to strip out of his clothes so that he could go to bed, with him having cleaned it after he had taken a shower earlier.

"What do you think the future holds for us, Kurama?" Asked Naruto quietly.

"I don't know, but no matter what it is just know that I'll always have your back."

"Yeah, I know. Same here for me too." With this the two friends drifted off to sleep once more, neither knowing what the future held, but both prepared to help the other get through it no matter what.

xxXXxx

In the southern part of Britannia there was a relatively new kingdom called Camelot. It was in this kingdom that two particular people were having a very important discussion. These two people were Arthur Pendragon, king of Camelot, and Merilin, his advisor.

Arthur was a young man with orange hair and violet eyes. He wore golden armor and a white cloth wrapped around his neck and hanging like a cape.

Merlin was the opposite of Arthur. She was a slim woman who appeared to be in her late twenties or early thirties. She had short cut black hair and gold eyes. Her outfit consists of a highly revealing and open fur collared long coat, with heart shaped buttons, short shorts that resemble panties with a heart on it, and thigh high boots.

"Have you been able to locate our visitor?" Asked Arthur.

"I never lost track of him. He's now within the kingdom of Liones, and appears to have become one of their Holy Knights." Replied Merlin. The person they were talking about was obviously Naruto Uzumaki.

"That's good to know. We can't allow someone with such destructive capabilities to just be running around freely, especially since you think that he might have a grudge against you."

Merlin, who Naruto knew as Violet, had informed Arthur of Naruto after he had went berserk. He was far too close to the kingdom for people not to notice the huge explosion from his attack that had wiped entire mountain ranges off of the map.

The two had quickly came up with a story to tell the people of Camelot, in order to avoid a panic. They had said that they were just testing a few new types of magic for the protection of the kingdom.

Luckily their ruse had worked since Merlin was known to be an extremely strong mage. They were both still worried about the blond who was on the loose though, but luckily he had headed away from Camelot after he calmed down.

"You said that you didn't know what had set him off, right?" Asked Arthur, to which Merlin nodded.

"That's right. It was just like any other day that I had went to visit him, except when I got there he was on the ground crying and looked to be in pain. When I tried to get his attention he just attacked me."

Merlin had already told Arthur this story many times in the past few months, but she still couldn't believe what she had seen. Never in her very long life had she seen someone with such destructive capabilities as Naruto, not even among the Sins.

The power of his single attack would've wiped Camelot off the map at least ten times over, and still had power left to spare. She could also tell that the attack wasn't even a drop in the boys power. While this would normally scare people away, Merlin found herself even more drawn to the boy.

There was one thing that Merlin could say, though. Naruto Uzumaki had rose to the top of her do not fuck with list, and she'd be damned if she tried to make an enemy out of him. It's a good thing that that wasn't what she wanted.

Because of the blonds show of power she had worked to keep an eye on him, though he seemed to be able to notice when she was trying to watch him. So instead she had relied on her sensing capabilities to track him.

"What do you think we should do about him?" Arthur asked for her opinion. This was the topic of many of their conversations as of late, but they had no definitive answer.

"I can try and teleport him someplace and then trap him in my Perfect Cube, but I'm not one hundred percent sure that it'll be able to hold him." Replied Merlin. While it was stated that it was unbreakable, she had never held someone with that much power in one.

While she would've loved to try and find out if Naruto could break out of the cube, she couldn't risk the fact that he could and might try even harder to come after her. Now she was really glad that she had always kept her cloak on and name hidden around him.

"Then I guess we'll need to head to Liones for more reasons than we originally thought." Said Arthur. Merlin could only nod at this, since if Naruto was in Liones then a meeting between them in the future might be unavoidable.

"I'll try and come up with a few more precautions until then." Said Merlin as she turned and exited Arthur's throne room. She had a lot of things to do to make sure that all of her plans went the way they were supposed to.

As she walked down one of the halls in the castle she couldn't help but think about her goal and the blond she had brought to this world. While Chaos was creation, she could safely say that Naruto was destruction.

If Chaos could create the world, then Naruto could destroy it just as easily. She was the only one who had truly gotten to sense the ocean of power that he held, and it made her truly excited, but also sad that she didn't get to fully study it.

"When Chaos rises I wonder what will happen, and who's stronger?" She contemplated as she thought about pitting Chaos against Naruto, though she didn't know how much of a fight it would be. She was sure that it would be interesting though.

xxXXxx

Alright I'm done with this chapter. Now I know the last part with Merlin is going to get all of you SDS fans panties in a bunch, but please don't let it. I'm aware of how powerful Chaos was made out to be, and I'm also aware of how powerful Naruto is.

Don't worry Chaos is way off for now, and I do have a plan for that so don't worry. This chapter was just to deepen the relationship between Jericho and Naruto a bit, along with making a few early changes.

Next chapter I will do a mission with Naruto and Jericho, along with the party where, as I'm sure you all guessed by now, Naruto will finally meet Elizabeth. I still have maybe two or three chapters before we reach canon, so please be patient.

Also I've been hearing a few places that in one of the light novels for Naruto it was said that he was destroying his dimension because of how strong he was, so can anyone tell me which one it is so I can look that up myself.

I'd like to know since I have an idea for another story and that'd make a good plot point, though I'm going to make the story anyway and use that if I choose to. As always please read, review and enjoy.