Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or SO3, both which are awesome as hell in their own ways.

Takeshi Yamato: Thanks for the offer, but due to bad memories with taking in OC's I try not to use others. I'll more then likely use one of my own if it comes up, sorry.

Reishin Amara: True, lol, but I wanted to go with a more serious moment with Naruto compared to all the humor moments I'd done during the rest.

The Lonely Fox: No worries, Naruto still use's his Chakra and Ninja moves, he just doesn't feel the need to use them on those he deems weak enough for him to defeat with his sword and physical abilities alone.

Vandenbz: Thanks for the comments, I'll look the chapter over for the mistakes and see if I can fix them all, My Spell check isn't always the best you see.

ChaosRune: I see your point, I'll do my best to step it up so it isn't just the game with Naruto added to the mix. I'm still some what new to fic writing so please bare with me.

5-digit:... Darn, that's a good scene, lol. Anyways, I'm sorry this took so long to come out and hope your still willing to keep up with it :)

Drake the Gunner: I'm glad your enjoying this story so far, I hope your still willing to follow along seeing as I've yet to update this in HOW long.

cool: Yeah, I'll try to make the fights stretch out a bit more, though with some I don't see the point if in the game I myself had no problem beating them... but I'll attempt my best.

RyugaOmega: Thanks for the review, though when it comes to the pairing I at least want it to be Nel and MAYBE one other girl at this point, not sure if that would be Maria of Claire however.

Blackholelord: I suppose you have a point, though I have a few ideas involving the Akatsuki, though I'm unsure if I'll actually go through with them.

spiritwolf35: Ah, alas I am sad to not be wanted on your oh so important favorite's list, surely someone who has SO many works of fiction would honor me by having me on your favorite's after all... oh well, I suppose I must find SOME way to live with such a fate...

Now then, Sorry this took so long to get out but since my father is still having health problems, along with looking for a job in the crappy economy of California, I haven't had much free time. Also I've been working on my Grammar and such, let me know if I'm getting any better.

000

The Airyglyph Aqueducts, A place once frequently that long ago had been used for both sewage reasons and a secret escape route one could take should the Castle be taken by enemy forces. In recent years however many type's of monsters had taken refuge within the Aqueducts, making it impossible to set up any Airyglyph guards within it... though with monsters filling the area it actually saved the King some man power, so he had decided to allow the monsters to stay... so long as none of them left and entered the city limits.

"Hm" Naruto mused with a frown, his eyes running over the area they had been directed to by their new found companion, one Nel Zelpher, "I've been to worst places."

"Where are we?" A curious Fayt asked Nel as she dusted herself off, having just finished coming out of the shaft they had traveled through.

"We're in the aqueducts that wind their way under the city." Nel replied simply, glancing at the blue haired teen for a quick second.

"Aqueducts, huh?" Cliff followed with, scanning the area just as Naruto had been," Hey, it's all frozen over."

"This comes as a surprise to you? It IS winter in Airyglyph" Nel said with a raised eyebrow to the blonde Klausian arms crossing over her chest," Didn't you see the snow falling outside?"

"Cliff can be a bit slow sometimes." Naruto offered with a fox like smirk.

.".. Shut up" Cliff said with a light frown to Naruto, before taking a step forward, suddenly starting to slip on some of the ice on the ground, only to catch his balance before he would fall at the last second,.".. You say ONE word!", Cliff said lowly as he turned to send an accusing glare to a smirking Naruto.

"Careful" Nel said as she began walking past Cliff, a hidden smile hidden by her scarf," You're no good to us if you fall in the water and freeze to death."

"Sca-ree..." Cliff said with a grimace at the thought of dying in such a way... plus the way Nel said it made it even more so.

"Let's get moving" Nel called back to the three men, motioning towards the nearby underground structural area," This way leads to the city... if we can make it through", She said before continuing on, leaving the three men to rush after her.

"You know, I'm not sure if she's joking or not." Naruto said lowly to Cliff as they began moving down the path to their right, a somewhat somber Fayt taking the back.

000

Naruto frowned as he looked at his blade, wiping the gooey remains of the Slime like monster he had just slain along with the rest of his group. Nel had went on ahead to make sure there weren't any other monsters in their path, leaving Naruto, Cliff, and Fayt to themselves for the moment. Cliff was sitting nearby, resting comfortably on a broken stone block that may have been a part of a pillar at one point. Fayt was sitting not far from Naruto, the blue haired teen having barely spoke since they had began traveling through the underground Aqueducts, yet he kept sending Naruto glance's every once and a while.

"Look kid" Naruto sighed, finally having enough as he sent a narrowed glance towards Fayt, who looked a bit surprised Naruto had noticed his glance's," I know I look good and all, but I don't sway that way."

"W-what!" Fayt stuttered out, a hint of a blush coming to his cheeks before glaring at Naruto while Cliff snorted at Naruto's teasing," Yeah right, I'll have you know I'm quite happily straight!."

"No shit" Naruto said with a hint of a smirk coming to his lips, slipping Kubikiri onto his back," Really, what's eating you? Your being WAY to quiet."

"I just..." Fayt began, regaining his somber look for a moment, before looking at Naruto with a serious look," I just wanted to know how you deal with it... How is it you can kill someone and be fine with it!."

Silence followed, Cliff looking on from his seat with a surprised look, before his eyes locked onto a frowning Naruto's, wondering what his fellow blonde would respond with.

"I see" Naruto mused with a nod of his head, understanding Fayt's problem now," This is about that Knight you killed back in the dungeons right?", Naruto asked with a frown, his answer in the frown Fayt sent back his way," I figured as much", Naruto sighed, leaning back against the wall he had been sitting against," To tell you the truth, killing was a concept that took me a long time to actually get used to... though it got easier as I realized the reasons I kill for."

"Reasons to kill for?" Fayt repeated with a frown, unsure what Naruto meant but a bit eager to find out.

"Let me start by saying if it comes down to it, those I see as precious to me come first before anyone else" Naruto began with a frown," If it were to save those I cared about I would do anything... no matter how horrible," Naruto explained, before gaining a sheepish look," Well, as long as I couldn't find another way out of it of course, I'm just saying when push comes to shove."

"I still don't understand what you mean." Fayt noted with a frown, mentally thinking over His father, his mother, and Sophia... HIS precious people.

"It's pretty simple" Naruto sighed, regaining a frown on his face," I kill for my precious people, I kill to protect them, I kill so that I may live and return to them... I kill for them... you understand?", Naruto asked, sitting back up straight," That guard you killed, you killed him to save yourself, so that you may return safely to those who are precious to you... I killed that sicko to save those he would eventually torture, people like THAT... I could care less for."

Fayt stared at Naruto for a moment, thinking over the blonde's words,"... I still don't like it", Fayt muttered out moments later.

"Never said I liked it" Naruto said with a light smile as he jumped onto his feet, stretching his arms out a bit," But I will do what is necessary for my survival."

.".. Right" Fayt said, gaining a light smile of his own, seeming to have at least gotten over it a bit.

"Well, that wasn't bad", Cliff spoke up with a smirk, both younger men looking to him as they had forgotten he had even been in the room," Still, your moment of bonding won't matter if we get lost and freeze to death in this place."

"True" Naruto noted with a sheepish frown, looking towards the path Nel had taken," Where the hell is Nelly anyway?."

"Nelly?" Fayt repeated with a confused look, Cliff laughing lightly at the nickname.

"What?" Naruto asked innocently, looking to Fayt with an innocent expression," Too obvious? I kinda like it though... Nelly Zelly."

Shick!

"But her Majesty, Queen Nel the Lovely and Merciful sounds just as good." Naruto spoke up instantly, the woman in question behind him with a blade to his neck, eyes narrowed and a some what creepy smirk on her face.

"I used to be called Nelly when I was little actually... by a neighborhood boy who thought it was funny" Nel informed Naruto, before leaning more against him, her lips inches from his right ear," The last time he called me that... was that last time anyone ever heard him speak again... understood?."

"Sca-ree." Cliff said with a wide eyed look, watching the scene while being thankful he wasn't the one with a blade to his throat.

"Perfectly" Naruto said with a sheepish grin, shivering as he felt her body press into his back, mentally trying not to think of the naughty image's flooding into his mind... mentally cursing the short time he had spent with a certain Perverted Sage," I promise not to do it again."

"Good boy" Nel said in a mocking tone, lightly pulling back as she patted his head like he was a dog, removing her blade from his neck and sheathing it, before looking towards Cliff and Fayt with a serious expression," I found the path out of here... though there is one last obstacle it would seem."

"What is it?" Cliff asked her curiously, eyes locked on Naruto, who was pouting at Nel who was acting like she was ignoring him.

"The path out is covered in ice... meaning we'll have to be careful while crossing over it." Nel said with a sigh, crossing her arms over her chest as she slipped into a relaxed stance.

"That sounds fun" Fayt noted with a frown,.".. though if you only got to the Ice path, how do you know that's the last obstacle?."

"From the map I memorized, there's only a small room and a large room after that left" Nel explained to the teen," There can't be much left to deal with if anything."

"In my experience, the worst stuff is always at the last part" Naruto said in a sage like tone, before smirking," At least that's how it always is in Video Games."

"Huh?" Nel asked in confusion, not recognizing the strange term he had used.

"Mini-boss here we come" Cliff chuckled, before looking to Nel," Lead the way then... Your Majesty", He said, smirking towards Naruto as he referred to Nel by the title, Naruto flipping him off with a frown.

"Of course... this way." Nel said with a light smile as she moved past Naruto down the pathway, the three men following after her.

.".. So, what did we learn?" Cliff asked Naruto with a smirk.

"That your an ass." Naruto said with a glare to the Klausian.

"And that Naruto isn't as tough as he'd like us to think." Fayt spoke up with a smirk of his own, earning a laugh from Cliff and a glare from Naruto.

"Nice one kid!" Cliff laughed, lightly slapping Fayt on the back," You CAN joke!."

"I liked it better when he was being Emo." Naruto muttered, unhappy at how he was becoming the butt of the jokes... before smirking as he recalled the feel of Nel against his back, feeling much better from the memory.

It wasn't long later before they arrived on the steep path that Nel had mentioned, the ground fully encased in sleet over coating. Cliff lightly put his left foot against it, frowning as he already could feel how easy they could slip.

"I'd say our best bet is to go one at a time" Cliff informed the group, before looking to Naruto," We'll see you on the other side."

"Huh?" Fayt questioned, sending Cliff a curious look as Naruto began stepping to the ice," I thought you just said we'd better take it slow."

"Unless Naruto has some kind of special skill", Nel mused, glancing over to Naruto as she noticed the Rune's visible to the naked eye glow for a moment," A Runology ability?."

"Is that what they call it here?" Naruto asked curiously as he began walking on the ice, seeming to have no problem trekking across," We call it Symbology in Greeton", He explained, keeping the lie Cliff had told going," This specific skill just sends my... Magic to my feet in order to latch onto the ground beneath me... no matter what kind of surface."

"Really?" Nel asked, obvious interest in her tone,.".. Perhaps you'd be willing to share such abilities with me later on."

"That depends on what your willing to give in return!" Naruto called back to her with a some what perverse tone as he continued down the path, soon getting out of earshot,.".. I have a feeling she's going to pay me back for that remark at some point."

Naruto chuckled lightly to himself, deciding to past the time recalling just how he had learn the Snow Striding skill... it having been in the scroll Kakashi had given him before leaving his home world. It hadn't been easy continuing his Shinobi Training alone... luckily or unluckily however he had Cliff and Mirage to help him out.

/Flashback/

"You sir, are absolutely crazy!" A Younger Naruto said with a deadpan look towards a grinning Cliff.

"Oh come on!" Cliff tried to push, looking over to the frozen lake he had taken Naruto to in order to master the next Chakra Control exercise," Look, didn't that one guy you told me about use this method? Then that old pervert made you do the same!."

"Yeah, but those were both Hot Springs... this is a frozen death trap!" Naruto explained with a glare, wondering to himself if Cliff wasn't as cool as he had been first led to believe," It's like the total opposite!."

"Now now, you don't wanna look like a wimp in front of Maria right?" Cliff asked with a teasing smirk, Naruto lightly blushing at the mention of the blue haired girl who was currently off with Mirage investigating another part of the planet they were on, Naruto having gained a small crush on the lovely young leader of Quark during the last few months he had been a part of the organization.

"W-well... no."Naruto admitted with a frown, inwardly thinking of how bad his last crush had gone.

"Good, then get to it!" Cliff said quickly, suddenly whacking Naruto's back hard, sending the young blond toppling forward onto the ice... which cracked instantly from his weight.

"W-what!" Naruto managed to gasp out before dropping into the water, making a light splash.

.".. This might take a while." Cliff noted with a frown, shaking his head as he moved over to fish Naruto out.

/End Flashback/

"What's with that look?", Cliff asked Naruto curiously, The Klausian, Fayt, and Nel having just finished trekking over to Naruto, who was lightly glaring at Cliff.

"Just remembering how stupid you can be." Naruto explained with a dramatically loud sigh, jumping off the rock he had been sitting on.

Cliff merely gave Naruto a confused look, before shrugging it off and casting Nel a curious look," So, just a bit further right?", He asked her.

"Just past there" Nel informed him, pointing to the entryway of the next room," Once we're past there we're out."

"Right" Naruto mused with a frown, reaching for his blade... only to pause as he let his arm hang by his side," Naw, No need to let my other skills get rusty."

"What do you mean?", Nel asked him in confusion, before frowning as she recalled his earlier words," You still suspect some big monster is going to be in there?."

"There usually is" Naruto informed her with teasing smirk," Tell ya what, how about a little wager on whether or not I'm right?."

"Oh?" Nel asked, not reacting much to his offer but for a raising of her right eyebrow, before slipping into a more relaxed stance, arms over her chest while leaning onto her right leg," And what exactly be the stakes?."

"If there's nothing in the room seeking to either kill or eat us... then I will do any one thing you ask of me" Naruto informed her with a confident look on his face," And should I be right you must do the same."

.".. As long as it doesn't involve betraying my country and people" Nel informed him with a some what wary look, before a barely noticeable blush came to her cheeks," And nothing lecherous!."

"Deal!" Naruto replied instantly, before motioning towards the room to her," After you... your highness", he said with a teasing smirk, bringing up the title he had given her but a while back.

Nel rolled her eyes before moving into the next room, Cliff shaking his head at the two of them before moving after her. Fayt moved to follow as well, only to look to Naruto with a frown," You realize she could ask you to help them make whatever weapon they want right?", Fayt asked, finding Naruto's wager a foolish idea.

"You act like I'm gonna lose" Naruto said with a fox like smirk, moving past Fayt and moving on to catch up with the rest of the party," I never lose a wager, my luck is too amazing to allow such a thing."

"Are you sure?" Fayt asked as he followed Naruto, standing besides the blonde with a frown as they entered the next room, Fayt not noticing Nel and Cliff a bit always standing, unmoving," I mean, what are the chance-", He began to ask, only to see Naruto smirking at something ahead of them, causing Fayt to look as well,.".. That's a Giant Crab."

"Mhmm!" Naruto replied, his smirk growing larger as he and the rest of his party stared at the large Crab that was standing just in front of the Ice before them, snapping it's claws as it readied to attack,."...", Naruto turned his gaze to the quite shocked Nel, lightly poking her shoulder, making her snap out of it and look to him with a glare,.".. I win!", He declared loudly.

At Naruto's yell the Crab charged, making the party quickly dodge to the side's of it to avoid it's attack, Naruto and Nel on it's left with Fayt and Cliff on it's right, The Crab itself shaking off the pain of crashing into the wall.

"Not too bright, is it?" Cliff asked in an amused tone, clenching his right fist before slipping into a fighting stance.

"Well... it IS a crab" Fayt noted with a frown, drawing his sword while wondering to himself how a Crab had survived in such a cold climate.

Meanwhile both Nel and Naruto had their eyes locked on their enemy, whom had turned to them while exposing it's back to both Cliff and Fayt. Nel had her daggers ready, while Naruto merely took a ready stance, leaving his sword on his back unlike his previous fights.

"Why aren't you drawing your sword!" Nel demanded of him, leaping into the air just as the Crab swung at them, The attack hitting Naruto and sending him sailing into the air," Naruto!."

POOF!

To Nel's surprise, Naruto had suddenly exploded in a puff of smoke... being replaced by a piece of now broken ice of all things. Before Nel could contemplate what had just happened, She heard Naruto cry out, Nel landing back on her feet just as she found Naruto ON TOP of the crab... which was trying to hit him with it's claws, only for him to duck and side step the attacks while sticking to his spot on top of it.

"Ride'm Crawdad!" Naruto called out with a laugh, ducking another snap from the crab he was riding, before looking over the side towards Cliff and Fayt," Oi! Attack while it's focused on me!."

"That moron" Cliff chuckled lowly in amusement, charging forward towards the crab's legs," Sphere of Might!", He called out, unleashing his orb like attack that dug into the Crab's side and some of it's legs, within moments breaking off two of the legs that it had harmed, the crab letting out a squeal of pain as it tried to catch it's balance with what legs remained," Your up Fayt!."

Fayt nodded, his left hand touching the blade of his sword, using one of the few moves he had in his arsenal," Blazing... SWORD!", He called out, the blade of his sword suddenly becoming encased in fire. Once that was done he had both hands take hold of the hilt of his large blade, rushing forward, reaching Cliff before dropping into a slide, the sleet under him letting him slide under the crab before he slammed his blade upwards into the underside of the crabs' shell, the flames giving him the extra bonus he needed to rip through the shell and reach it's stomach within it. Fayt continued to slide, cutting all the while through the crab's gullet as it's guts and intestines fell behind him onto the frozen ground behind. Fayt finally pulled his blade out before coming out the other side, finally skidding to a stop besides Nel before he stood up, eyes narrowed as the Crab seemed to be stumbling back and forth, the pain of what he had done being too much for it to mentally deal with.

"Nel! Fire attack!" Naruto called out to her, leaping into the air above the crab, moving his hand cupped before his lips as the symbols on his body lit up," Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!", Naruto called out, before a large ball of flames burst forth onto the Crab below, the Jutsu another that Kakashi had added to the scroll... it had been the first Katon jutsu Naruto had learned, since he had seen Sasuke do it enough.

At the same time below, Nel herself had unleashed her own Fire attack upon the Crab," Fire Bolt!", She called out, before throwing the smaller bolt of flames upon the creature, it and Naruto's attacks forming together before enveloping the screaming monster with it's flames.

The crab began to flail around, the flames torturing it with every second they covered it, before it's flailing made it slip over to the less thick Ice covered ground, the ice cracking under the giant crab's weight before it began to plummet into the depth's below, it's screaming echoed all the way down.

Silence followed as the group looked down, no longer being able to see the monster they had been able to deal with simply enough,.".. I was gonna eat that", Naruto sighed, earning a Disgusted look from Fayt, a frown from Nel, and a shake of his head from Cliff," What!."

000

Albel Nox was not a happy person... at least off the battlefield and rarely so these days as very few people could offer the man a challenge. The only man who could in his opinion was a fellow brigade captain, which left the young warrior unable to properly challenge him without a good reason that would keep him from being thrown into a cell after he won. At the moment however he was thinking of what he had just learned, overhearing some of Duke Vox's knights speaking of the escaped prisoners, the worthless maggots having failed to stop their escape and the Inquisitor had been killed by the younger blonde one. Albel had demanded of one of the guards a description of the blonde and how he fought... the answers only making the Black Brigade captain feel excited. Perhaps this fool could provide him a worthy challenge, at the very least he might get a much needed work-out from it.

Albel sheathed his weapon, a smirk on his lips as he turned and his made his way to gather what brigade members he had with him before the trail got too cold. By now the escaped prisoners were most likely out of the city and he had quite a lot of catching up to do...

000

"I'm just saying" Naruto continued to explain, walking besides Cliff and Fayt, the three of them once more following after Nel as she led them down the hill where the Aqueduct had exited from," If we had taken the time to cook that sucker up, it could have fed us for at least a few days... less if we could get some Ramen noodles."

"We get it!" Cliff groaned with a shake of his head, wishing Naruto would just drop the whole Crab thing", What is it with you and making everything into a Ramen?."

"Not EVERYTHING" Naruto said with a frown, recalling only ten times in the last few years he had mentioned putting something into a Ramen",... How much longer till we're there?."

"Just a bit further and we'll be in the city" Nel informed him as she stopped suddenly, turning to face them with a serious expression," I suggest we do our best to get to the city gates without being seen, I'm sure the city guards will be looking for us by now."

"Before we go any further, I'd like for you to elaborate on exactly what you wish us to do for you." Fayt suddenly spoke up, earning a curious look from Nel.

.".. I suppose I could give you a quick explanation" Nel mused with a nod of her head after thinking Fayt's question over," But remember, refusal is not an option."

"I don't know about that" Fayt replied, eyes narrowing lightly," I won't do anything that I don't want to do... plus there's the chance we won't be able to help you with what you need us to do."

"I told you in the dungeons that I required your technology, did I not?" Nel asked the bluenette, her right eyebrow rising slightly as a frown came to her lips.

"Right, but I'd like to know exactly what that would entail." Fayt spoke, frowning in return to her own.

"Look, if this was going to be a problem you should have asked me before agreeing to my terms" Nel said with a sigh, shaking her head," You three agreed to my offer knowing full well I wanted your technology... Did you not understand this? Or is it merely your not the kind of man who keeps his word?."

"I-I" Fayt stuttered, unsure of how exactly he should respond to her accusations.

"Look, what the kid here is saying is you didn't leave us much of a choice" Cliff spoke up on Fayt's behalf, stepping into the conversation," It was basically come with me or die."

"Well, I wouldn't say die" Naruto said with a light smirk, watching the discussion from the side lines", I'm sure we could have fought our way out... though Fayt might have died", He added, ignoring the worried look the blue haired boy now had.

"So... you won't cooperate?" Nel asked, her eyes narrowing into a glare towards three men before her, ignoring Naruto's attempt at messing with Fayt

"When did I say that?" Cliff asked with a wide smirk, earning a some what surprised look from Nel, Cliff pointing towards Naruto," Besides, even if me and the kid here said no, this dumb ass would help you."

"Damn right" Naruto stated proudly, walking over to Fayt," Come here", He said, pulling Fayt away as Cliff followed suit," Excuse us for a moment Nel-chan, we gots guy stuff to talk about!."

"H-hey!" Fayt stammered as he was pulled off by Naruto, Naruto forcing Fayt to form a huddled circle with himself and Cliff. Nel watched this with a curious look, trying not to appear amused by Naruto's way of pulling this off.

"Look Fayt, Nel risked her fine ass to save us and we agreed to her terms" Naruto began in a loud whisper," It's only right we help her out."

"What about the UP3!", Fayt demanded with a light glare to Naruto.

"Fuck the UP3!", Naruto stated in another loud whisper", The UP3 is going to get us in trouble with a hot ninja girl who can throw fireballs and one thing I've learned is NEVER piss off a girl who could throw fireballs... or throw hard punches... or summon snakes... or who can swing a ramen ladle REALLY hard... or has a blaster!."

.".. Are you for real?" Fayt asked with a frown to Naruto, before turning his head to an amused Cliff", Is he for real?."

"Sadly he is" Cliff said with a light grin to Naruto who seemed to be pouting as he recalled the women in question to all those thoughts, lightly elbowing his side to snap his fellow blonde out of it before he looked to Fayt with a frown," Look kid, now isn't the time or place for that sort of thing."

"That might be so, but still..." Fayt muttered, looking quite uneasy about the whole thing, having been taught to always follow the laws.

"Excuse me, but can you save your discussion for later?" Nel suddenly spoke, all three boys lifting their heads out of the huddle at the same time to look towards her," We REALLY need to get moving... unless you all would like to return to your cells?."

"No thanks!" Cliff said with a sheepish look as the boys broke their huddle.

"Alright then, lets move it" Nel said with a sigh, turning to face the city below," Once we're out of the city I'll be more then happy to explain everything."

"There, you see?" Naruto asked Fayt with a smirk, starting to follow after Nel," For now lets all just get along and stick with the nice lady."

.".. Fine." Fayt sighed, letting the matter drop for now before following after Naruto with Cliff by his side.

"Good, My people have a wagon waiting for us just outside of the city" Nel called back to them," The exit's to the east, let's go before someone finds us."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too worried about that Nel-chan." Naruto said, a fox like smile on his lips as the tattoo's on his body lit up in response to his chakra.

000

Albel Nox was NOT a happy man, this being shown to the people of Airyglyph as he charged at one Naruto Uzumaki, who dodged the first swing of Albel's sword" Worthless peon, hold still!", Albel roared, suddenly throwing his shoulder into a surprised Naruto's chest, before shoving his blade forward into his chest... only to once more growl as the blonde turned into a puff of smoke.

Albel had led his brigade into the city, having been making his way towards the city gates when one of his men spotted the very blonde they were going to hunt... as well as five other similar looking blonde's doing various things in the city. After watching his men run into trap after trap, ending up making fools of themselves, Albel jumped into the fray, cutting through blonde after blonde, each one seeming to be replaced by two more.

"Wow, your pretty good" One of the nearby Kage Bunshin spoke from atop the roof above Albel, the Black Brigade leader leveling a glare up at the fake," But I HAVE to ask... what's with the skirt? Are you one of "those" kinds of guys, because the boss happens to LOVE wo-"

Albel Nox had never before thrown his sword at an enemy as there was only a small chance it would actually do damage and then you were weaponless... but never had he been so angry as to both do this and pull it off. Albel Nox watched his sword stab into the ground before him, the angry warrior pulling it from the snow just as he noticed two more Naruto's running from three of his Black Brigade, Albel spotting one of the walls of the city now bore the words "Uzumaki Naruto was here and kicked ass!"

Of course being a different planet and all it just looked like chicken scratch, but it was still insulting to see.

000

(The following scene had to be done closely to the game as it's important info and all that, though those who know can just skim through it if they like)

"LOVE Kage Bunshin, I do I do I D~OOOO" Naruto sang to himself, lightly wondering what was with the pissed of skirt wearing guy who seemed to be the only one capable of dealing with his Bunshin with no problem... he'd have to watch out for that one later down the line.

"You better keep your promise and show me how to do that." Nel informed Naruto as they exited the city limits, looking a bit eager to learn the strange abilities he had at his beck and call.

"Fine fine... just remember you lost the bet from before." Naruto said with a smirk to the red head, who frowned deeply at the reminder.

"Can it wait until we're in a safe area?." Nel asked him with a sigh, wishing she could find a way out of doing whatever he had in mind.

"I suppose" Naruto mused with a nod of his head, pausing as he caught sight of a wagon not much further, what appeared to be a female figure besides it," That your people?."

"That it is" Nel said with a light smirk at spotting the wagon and woman," Come on," she told the three men with her before speed walking over to the wagon.

"More women?" Cliff said in surprise, gaining an amused smirk as they arrived at the wagon," I'm starting to really like this side..."

"I am SO telling Mirage." Naruto mocked him, Cliff taking a swing at the other blonde's head, which Naruto barely dodged before they made their way over to the wagon with a silent Fayt.

"Sorry we're late" Nel said to the woman before her, who wore similar clothing to Nel, but had short light brown hair and amber colored eyes, giving her a somewhat more tomboyish appearance," We ran into a few snags in the road."

"Don't worry Lady Nel, it hasn't been too long" the young woman reported with a light smile," All preparations for our departure are complete and we're ready to go."

"Good work Tynave." Nel said with a smile to her subordinate.

"We're just glad your safe." Tynave replied, making Naruto gain a curious look.

"We're?." Naruto asked, lightly looking around for anyone else, only for the Wagon door to open up, revealing a lovely girl, and also wearing similar clothing to Nel and Tynave, with light purple hair and ruby red eyes.

"Are these the one's Lady Nel?." the girl asked with a soft voice, smiling lightly as she looked them over, all three men each blushing lightly at the girls smile.

"That's right Farleen" Nel said with a light smile to the younger girl," All three of them are engineers from Greeton."

"So we were right." Tynave sighed, seeming relieved to hear Nel's words.

"That's great! Now we'll be able to complete it!." Farleen followed with, her smile widening. Both Naruto and Cliff sent a look to one another, both wondering what exactly the girls meant by completing "It."

"Exactly, but we don't have time to talk right now, we need to get moving" Nel said with a frown, looking back towards the city gates," We don't want the Dragon Brigade on us after all."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the name, did that mean there was a Brigade of Knights that rode Dragons... or were THEY dragons themselves? More so, did this mean there were other brigade's as well? Traveling to different planets always made him overly analyze these things...

Both girls saluted Nel before moving into the wagon, Tynave moving into the back while Farleen moved to the front, seeming to be the one who would be driving the Wagon.

"Alright you three, get in the wagon so we can get out of here." Nel said as she turned to the three men, motioning them into the Wagon. Fayt was the first to enter, followed by Cliff, and then Naruto, whom was followed by Nel as she shut the wagon's door right before the wagon began to move

"So, you mind introducing us to there two fine young ladies?." Cliff asked Nel in a some what flirty tone from his seat between Naruto and Fayt.

"As I called them before, this is Tynave and the driver is Farleen" Nel informed the Klausian as she motioned towards the tomboy looking girl to her right before motioning to the front where Farleen was driving the wagon," They are my eyes and ears within Airyglyph... They're also the one's who told me about you three"

"Lucky us." Fayt mused in a low tone.

"I suppose we owe you two our gratitude" Naruto mused with a soft smile to Tynave, who blushed lightly at the sight of it," Thank you."

"D-don't mention it." the girl replied, lightly looking away from the blonde so her blush didn't become noticed.

"All women hm?" Cliff mused with a smirk, a bit amused at Tynave's reaction to Naruto," I'm sure not complaining."

"Aquaria is ruled by the Holy Mother of the Church of Apris" Nel explained to Cliff, lightly raising an eyebrow as she noted Tynave's reaction to Naruto," We employ many more women than Airyglyph."

"Sounds kinda sexist." Naruto mused with a frown, seeming to be thinking over the situation's between the two countries.

"Considering the Uniform would you want to join?" Cliff asked with an amused grin, motioning to the outfits all three girls wore, making Naruto realize that he wouldn't look good in a miniskirt... well, at least without pulling a certain jutsu he wouldn't

"The Church of Apris?" Fayt felt the need to ask, wanting to better understand the people he might just be helping built who knows what.

"Yes, the church of the Sun God Apris" Tynave spoke up, her blush having receded," The Holy Mother leads both the Church and Aquaria as our Queen."

"A Theocracy then." Fayt noted with a nod of his head.

"Great." Naruto sighed, frowning at the idea of a country being run by a religion... wondering what they would do to someone who didn't follow the same teachings they themselves did.

"A country filled with Temple Maidens... now I HAVE to see this place." Cliff mused with a wider smirk, elbowing Naruto in the side to snap his fellow blonde out of whatever thoughts he had trapped himself into again.

.".. You have a point" Naruto mused with a smirk of his own, allowing him to fantasize a county filled with hot women all wearing outfits like Nel,"Ah, glorious", he sighed, earning a glare from Nel and a frown from Tynave, the latter currently reevaluating the younger of the blonde men.

"Nel" Fayt suddenly spoke up, earning the attention of all those in the back of the wagon," I'd appreciate it if you answered my questions now."

"Right, But before that, might I ask one thing?" Nel replied with a question of her own.

"What?" Fayt asked, curious as to what she wanted to ask.

"Are you three really engineers from Greeton?" Nel asked, for some reason sending Naruto a quick glance as she asked this of Fayt.

"W-well..." Fayt stammered, surprised at the question.

"Hey now, you still don't trust us?" Cliff asked with a frown to Nel.

"It's not that, it's just" she began to speak only to pause for a moment, looking for the right words," The fact that you possess special technology and knowledge is clear to me.. so, yes, it does seem likely that you are who you say", she said with a frown coming to her lips as she each gave them a look over," Still, something doesn't fit! The way you respond to danger, and your fighting ability indicate that you are not telling me everything... not only that", She said, this time looking right at Naruto," The way you act and fight... it's like you've lived for battle and war, how easily you kill shows your quite familiar with the act", Nel said to him, looking like she was ready to say more only to stop as she returned to look at Fayt," It's obvious your all not regular engineers... so you can see why I have my doubts."

"Well..." Fayt responded, once more at a loss for words as he thought over her own words, before he shot Cliff a look as if asking for help.

"Okay, you got a point" Cliff spoke up for Fayt, smiling lightly," But it seems to me you're just going to have to take our word, I mean we got nothing to gain by lying to you anyway."

"Yes, I see what you mean?" Nel replied with a frown still marring her lips, obviously still having her doubts.

"… Yet you still don't trust us?", Naruto asked the red head with a light frown, though he figured they hadn't done too much to earn said trust yet... and it didn't help with Fayt trying to back them out of their agreement.

"No, I trust you", Nel replied with a shake of her head, granting the blonde ninja a light smile as well," In any case, I was ordered by Her Majesty to bring you to Aquaria and I will do all that I must to follow through on her orders".

"Then, could you please answer my questions?", Fayt asked Nel with a frown marring his face, having grown a bit frustrated from being denied answers for so long.

"Yes, Since you're unfamiliar with this region, I'll fill you in on the details while explaining our current situation", Nel informed the three of them, before looking to Tynave for help," Tynave, the map".

"Yes, ma'am", The girl replied, turning a bit to dig into a nearby container, soon pulling out a large map that seemed to show both Countries involved in the current war. Naruto ran his eyes over it quickly, seeming to be taking in every part of it before shooting Cliff a quick look, which the Klausian returned before both returned to the conversation.

"This is Airyglyph, the city we just left", Nel began to explain, pointing out the city on the map for them," Everything to the west of this line is the nation of Airyglyph, a military superpower", She informed them, before motioning to the east area of the map," All this in the east is the Land of Aquaria… do you follow so far?".

Both Cliff and Fayt nodded, while Naruto merely gained a frown,"… The King's name is Airyglyph to right? Like the country and the City?".

"Um… yes", Nel replied, looking confused as to what he was getting at.

"… What kind of person names his capital city and country after himself?", Naruto felt the need to ask, eyes moving into fox like slits.

He received blank expressions from the two women as silence took hold within the wagon, Cliff being the first to break the silence as he snorted in amusement.

"Now that you mention it…", Tynave noted with a light smirk, having never thought about it before," It DOES sound rather narcissistic…".

"I-I suppose", Nel coughed lightly, trying to return the conversation back on track… though she wondered why no one else had picked up what Naruto had," As I mentioned earlier, Aquaria and Airyglyph are at war. Airyglyph is a Militaristic nation that reveres power above all else, while Aquaria is a peaceful Nation that worships the Church of Apris. Aquaria and Airyglyph maintained Friendly relations until several years ago... But one day, they invaded our Territory without warning"

"It seems they'd been planning their invasion for some time, Airyglyph is A frigid land ringed by mountains so food production has never been easy here… especially in winter", Tynave followed with, frowning as she did," We believe they were after our land, fertile with the blessing of Apris".

"A war of aggression, huh?", Cliff noted with a frown, arms crossing over his chest as he'd heard many a war being fought for similar reasons on planets like this... and even the more advanced ones.

"Correct", Nel said with a nod," There was no diplomacy, only outright military aggression. We Resisted, but were outmatched. Somehow, we managed to hold them back, but The border town of Arias was laid to waste", She paused for a moment after mentioning this, allowing herself to recall the battle in question before continuing," Still, the war has not been Completely one-sided. We may be lacking in military power, but we do have Runology".

"That's what you called Symbology earlier", Naruto noted, recalling how Nel had used her own tattoo's power to make use of her mental energy, just as Cliff and Fayt used their Physical energy for their own skills.

"A secret art handed down by the followers of Apris", Nel explained, lightly lifting her right arm up to show one of her tattoos," We inscribe special Runes into our flesh that enable us to invoke normally impossible phenomenon… Thus the name".

"So that's how you broke the prison bars", Cliff recalled, shooting Naruto another quick glance, which once more was returned.

"Correct", Nel replied, before shooting Naruto a curious glance," You called it… Symbology right?".

"Yep, it was the name we gave it back in Greeton", Naruto explained with a large smile," Though it seems you use it a bit differently then we do".

"I noticed", Nel said, gaining a light smirk," I'd be quite appreciative if you would share your own knowledge in better utilizing the Rune's at some point… if your willing".

"Only if you ask nicely", Naruto replied in a teasing tone, before noting the frown Fayt was shooting him," Oi, What I intend to teach someone is none of yours or anyone else's business".

Fayt sighed, having figured as much already, before he looked towards Nel once more," So what's stopping you from using your Runology to fight back?", he asked, moving the conversation along.

"There's only a few of us that can use Runology, far too few to help us stand up to Airyglyph", Nel replied with a sigh," That's why we decided to develop a weapon that makes use of Runology. It's a man made weapon that uses the special energy evoked by Runology as a power source. The engineers have named that energy 'Channeled Force' ".

"Channeled Force?",Naruto asked with a frown," It better be cooler then it sounds".

"… What does being cold have anything to do with it's effectiveness?", Nel asked with a confused look.

"Never mind", Naruto groaned, palming his forehead, he should have known such a term wouldn't be around on a underdeveloped planet," Anyways, so what is this Channeled Force stuff?".

"It's similar to lightning, But there are still a number of problems preventing us from cooperating the weapon", Tynave replied in place of Nel, frowning as she explained.

"A power… similar to lightning?", Fayt repeated with a somewhat surprised look, instantly thinking of Electricity.

"Just when our research ground to a halt, Tynave and Farleen told me about you three", Nel continued to explain them," They also brought back a fragment of that thing that fell into Airyglyph. It was of great interest to our researchers, as according to their research the fragment was of a material they could not identify… After that they decided that we should enlist your aid in our weapons development, so I was sent in".

"So you're asking us to help develop a weapon that uses channeled force?", Fayt asked bluntly, not sounding too happy about this at all.

"Yes, That is correct"

"Hey, I bet we could use their power to make us a communicator", Cliff noted with a thoughtful look on his face.

"Yeah, A Radio Wave device maybe… if this Channeled Force is what I think it is", Fayt followed with," It might be our ticket out of here… but still", He sighed, looking to Nel," We can't do this for you".

"Ho-", Naruto began to speak up, lightly glaring at Fayt for his words, only to have Cliff shoot him a look that said to let it go for the moment.

"Didn't I say refusal wasn't an option?", Nel asked coldly, eyes narrowing at Fayt. She was really starting to get annoyed by his constant refusals after previously agreeing to help out with whatever they needed.

"But you're talking about a weapon that will kill many people!", Fayt argued firmly," I don't want to have any part of that.. Plus, we don't have any time to spare", Fayt finished, shooting both Cliff and Naruto a look, deciding to ignore Naruto's frown.

"I understand your situation", Nel sighed, recalling the story she had been told back in the Airyglyph Dungeons," you need to hurry to save your father, correct?".

"Yes"

"You admit this is a personal problem… not one that concerns us?", Nel asked him, shooting him a some what annoyed glance.

"True, but…", Fayt spoke unsurely for a moment, before looking to Naruto with a determined gleam in his eyes,"… What you said back in the Aqueducts… didn't you mean it?".

Naruto lost his glare instantly, recalling the conversation before sighing dramatically," Right, perhaps I should have worded it better then", He mused with a chuckle, still a bit peeved at Fayt… but Naruto himself had forgotten exactly why they were with the teenager in the first place.

Nel frowned at this, realizing she was losing her one true supporter in the group from whatever the two were talking about", Our country is at war, both people on BOTH sides are dying!", She spoke passionately, trying to get through to Fayt and get Naruto back on her side", A quick end to all of this will reduce the number of lost lives, THAT is why we need this weapon!."

"This is starting to remind me of my old Earth history lessons..." Cliff muttered to himself, shaking his head at the situation.

"Even if all that is true, it's not a good enough reason for me to build a weapon." Fayt stated firmly, knowing he was pissing the red head off but he would NOT be the cause of who knows how many deaths.

"I see, so your going back on your word?" Nel demanded, though before Fayt could retort she turned her glare towards Naruto," And you Uzumaki, does your word mean so little in the end?."

.".. I never go back on my word" Naruto spoke plainly, looking back at Nel with a blank expression," That's my nindo Nel-chan... I'll help you as best I can, though at the same time I have to protect Fayt until my boss can take him off my hands, but so long as he's around you and all that I can do both."

Nel smiled at this", Good, now if we can just get your friend here on board", She said, turning to look to Fayt, who was once more annoyed with Naruto's reasoning.

"Alright, how about we all just calm down here?" Cliff spoke up for the first time in a while, a large grin on his face as he put a hand on Fayt's shoulder to help sooth him," Why don't we just take this one step at a time, there's no need to be overly hasty after all."

"We have no other choice but to be hasty, the war with Airyglyph will continue to escalate unless we do something" Nel spoke, crossing her arms over her chest as she spoke to the Klausian," If we complete the new weapon the situation would shift in our favor, then its a simple matter of forcing the opposition into submission."

"Is THAT the teaching of Apris?" Fayt asked in a disgusted tone, not liking the situation more and more.

"Of course not" Nel replied with a firm tone, frowning at the accusation," Our God and Queen would never wish such things upon anyone... yet if we do not act both will find themselves without followers", She said, regaining a glare aimed at Fayt", Or would you rather we submit to their swords like lambs to the slaughter?."

"That's not what I mean!," Fayt argued back at her.

"But it IS what your saying." Nel challenged in a cool tone of voice

"Nel-chan, stop twisting Fayt's words around." Naruto sighed, finding himself bored with all that was going on inside of the wagon, why couldn't something happen to switch the fo-

"Oh no!" Farleen called from the front of the wagon, Naruto cursing himself for causing whatever it was.

"What is it Farleen?" Nel demanded, instantly on her feet as she moved to see what her subordinate was worried about.

"We have company and from the looks of it it's the Dragon Brigade!" Farleen responded, this being proven as they heard something roaring from a distance behind the wagon.

"They caught up with us!" Nel asked in surprise, before cursing as she slammed a fist into the side of the wagon," Damn it! We were so close to Kirsla too..."

"So what's the big deal, dealing with some dragons should be no problem for the amazing Uzumaki Naruto", Naruto said in a cocky tone, rising to his feet as he moved up to Nel with a confident look on his face," So, how are we gonna fight these things off?."

"We're not." Nel shot back with a frown.

.".. Well that sounds boring." Naruto whined, really wanting to fight a real dragon as he'd never seen one back on his planet and had yet to see any on any other planet he'd been to since entering the Star Ocean.

"Lady Nel" A serious faced Tynave spoke up, drawing the attention of all those in the wagon," You and the engineers should sneak away before the dragons grow too close, Farleen and myself will keep their attention."

"That's too risky!" Fayt spoke up, jumping to his feet like the others now were, Cliff shrugging as he rose to his feet so as to not be the only one sitting any more," What would happen if they caught up to you?."

"Don't worry, we've gotten away from their kind many times!" Farleen called back with a sweet smile on her face.

"Still..." A frowning Fayt replied, feeling a bit guilty he had been so unwilling to help these girls and yet they were willing to risk their lives to make sure he and his companions got away safely.

"Tynave, Farleen... I'm counting on you" Nel spoke up, her face blank of any expression as she spoke to both her subordinates, before looking to Naruto, Cliff, and Fayt," Alright you three, lets get going."

Fayt suddenly put his hand on Nel's shoulder, making her turn to face him," This is insane! Your just going to let them do this?", He demanded, not wanting any more people risking themselves for his sake.

"Don't worry too much about it Fayt" Naruto spoke up, a smirk on his face as he cracked his knuckles," I'll make sure nothing bad happens to the girls, datte-bayo."

000

Gavin of the Dragon Brigade had long grown used to the cold air of his country, as most of the time it was snowing just as it was at that point. It had been simple to track the Wagon holding the escaped prisoners, the wagon leaving an obvious trail through the snow that the dragon mounts the brigade made use of had been trained to pick up. Once they reclaimed the prisoners and those of Aquaria that had helped them escaped he was sure Duke Vox would promote him, perhaps he could become one of the Duke's personal bodyguards... though he might have some trouble with the two brigade members that were with him... perhaps if he captured the Zephyr woman? She was the most sought off Aquarian agent after all.

Gavin was so caught up in his thoughts he never noticed the wagon suddenly had four forms leaping off of it's side into the snow, hiding out of sight from himself, his mount, and his brigade members even as they continued to give chase to wagon.

Once the Dragon Brigade was out of sight the forms slid out of the snow, dusting the snow clinging to their clothing off of themselves as they did," So, that was the Dragon Brigade", Naruto noted with a frown, his first meeting with a Dragon not being as amazing as he'd wish it had been.

"Yes, they're one of Airyglyph's three military branches" Nel explained, not at all bothered by the cold despite her outfit," They each ride upon the backs of Air Dragon and are not to be trifled with," She informed him in a stern tone, which he just shrugged to", Time to go, While they're distracted we can go through Kirsla and enter Aquaria territory."

"I still don't like the idea of leaving them behind like this" Fayt spoke up, having trouble getting the snow out of his hair it would seem," Even with Naruto's plan who knows if it'll be enough?."

"Yes, there's a good chance they'll still be caught" Nel reasoned with a blank tone," But there's nothing we can do about that, we need to get moving, they knew the dangers of their mission when they accepted it..."

"W-what!" Fayt demanded, looking angry at how easily she seemed ready to abandon her comrades.

"Enough Fayt" Naruto spoke up, moving over to the angry bluenette," It was the same way back in my world and its not your place to speak against it", Naruto informed him... before grinning lightly," Still, thanks to my amazing planning we have nothing to worry about, the girls will both be just fine."

"You can't know that" Fayt told Naruto with a frown on his face," You have no idea how dangerous dragons could be, so saying everything will be just fine doesn't meant a thing!"

"I think that's enough" Cliff spoke up in a stern tone, getting a little tired of Fayt and Naruto butting heads constantly. The Klausian then looked to Nel, arms crossed over his chest," We'll be safer once we reach Aquaria right?."

"Yes, I can guarantee you that much." Nel replied with a nod of her head, glad things were getting back on track.

"Alright then, let's get going and once we get there we can decided what's what" Cliff offered to Naruto and Fayt," How's that sound?."

"Yeah, but..." Fayt began as Naruto nodded in agreement.

"You want Tynave and Farleen's sacrifice to go to waste?" Cliff asked coldly, trying to get Fayt to see reason," Whatever their objective might be, they're risking their lives to save us!."

.".. Fine, your right." Fayt relented, letting it go for now.

"Good, it's about damn time" Naruto sighed, before grinning over at Nel," So lead the way Nel-chan!."

"Agreed." Nel replied, smiling lightly back to the blonde before starting to lead the way through the snow. She was hiding her worry for her subordinates well... but it was there and she could only hope if the girls did end up caught that Naruto's plan would save them.

000

"Got ya!" Gavin laughed as he sent his Dragon forward, the large beast slamming into the wagon from behind, sending it tippling over, crashing into the snow on which it had been traveling before skidded for a bit. The horse's whom had been pulling it were freed from their bonds, instantly running off and leaving the wagon behind," You all come out or me and my Brigade mates here will rip that wagon apart!."

The Four riders were met with silence, until the form of Naruto Uzumaki slid out of the wreckage with a defiant stare, hands up once he got to his feet," You got us, just don't do anything rash... my companions were injured in the crash", Naruto said in a plain tone as he slowly walked up to the Dragon riders.

"Hmph, we were only ordered to bring you prisoners back... though considering you have Aquarian dogs in there we might be willing to let them live as well." Gavin said with a smirk from under his helmet, knowing he would need proof of Zelphyr's defeat and capture... that and Aquarian women were known to be quite the lookers and the brigade could use the stress relief...

"Thank you good sir" Naruto said with bright smile, pausing as he found himself just a few feet from Gavin's dragon now," I... do have one thing to say though and I'm quite sure you and your friends here won't like it whatsoever..."

"Oh?" Gavin asked with an annoyed frown, wondering if any of the prisoners or Aquarians had managed to slip away," and what would be boy?."

Naruto smirked," Bunshin Daibakuha", He said simply, the tattoo's on his body suddenly glowing with chakra before "Naruto" exploded just feet from Gavin's mount. The explosion of the Kage Bunshin took the Dragon Knights by surprise as before they knew it their dragons were roaring in pain, face's damaged by the chakra explosion and blinded. The Dragons flailed about, the pain ridding them of all reason as they soon thrashed enough to send each of the men mounted on them flying off and crashing into the snow before taking off in random directions, roaring out as if that would some how lessen their pain.

Gavin groaned from the ground, having been thrown off his mount and dropped quite a bit... in heavy ass armor at that right onto his face. Thankfully his helmet kept his face from hitting the ground... but it still hurt. Gavin slowly pushed himself to his feet, just as he heard the cries of his men from behind. Gavin managed to get into a sitting position, turning to find two more Bunshin wielding kunai, having took advantage of the downed men to stab them in the back of the neck, both Bunshin now focused on Gavin now, a cold look unseen in the real Naruto's eyes. Gavin stared in horror, starting to back away, looking frantically for his sword only to find it no where in sight. Before he could do any more he was hit from behind and knocked out, the form of Tynave frowning down at him... having used his own sword to knock him out.

"That... was surprisingly simple" Tynave noted with a frown, before looking to the Bunshin with a light smile," Um... thanks Narutos?", She offered, unsure how to speak to the copies the real Uzumaki had left to assist her and Farleen, the later whom was gathering what supplies they had in the wagon.

"Eh, the boss is just amazing like that and as his copies we are even more so." one of the Naruto's said with a cocky smirk.

"If you'd like we could stay until we run out of chakra to help you girls make it some where safe." The other Bunshin offered with a bright smile of his own.

"Thanks, but we should be fine now" Tynave replied, only to wince as she heard Farleen cry out from within the wagon, followed by the sound of something breaking,"... Well, mostly."

"If your sure." The Bunshin said with a sigh, wishing he could hang out with the two pretty girls longer... but oh well, such was the life of a clone. With a single flare of chakra they both burst into smoke, leaving the two girls alone in the snow.

Tynave shook her head, smiling softly as she turned to the wagon, moving to help out Farleen with the supplies. Naruto Uzumaki was... a strange guy she admitted, but she couldn't help but feel better knowing someone like him was keeping Nel safe... that and he was the sort of guy she herself was drawn to," Should have kept the copies around", Tynave sighed to herself... only to tense as she felt the clawed hand suddenly wrap around her neck from behind.

"Yes... that was foolish of you" Albel Nox spoke with a smirk, glad he now had something to draw his target in. With a hit to the back of the Aquarian girls head with the hilt of his Katana he let her drop to the ground, motioning to the nearby Black Brigade members he had brought with him to go into the wagon to collect the other girl," Just knock her out, if any of you maggots leaves a mark on them you'll be wishing you'd never picked up a sword", Albel added, knowing quite well how some of his Brigade members could get when it came to the enemy, but there would be no purpose in roughing up a single girl... at least at the moment.

As his men moved forward to claim Farleen, Albel looked down at Tynave... before simply making his way to his horse. That fool Shelby better have the Facility ready for him, this was all set to make sure this "Uzumaki" was worthy of his attention. Should the boy make it to Albel himself then he was worth the trouble and if not... well he wouldn't need to two women after that then.

000

Naruto smiled as the Bunshin's memories reached him, feeling much better that everything seemed to be going so well.

000

Hmm... really need to put some more action into this I suppose, but don't worry my readers as once the rescue mission for Tynave and Farleen comes up I'll be giving 120% in making it as action packed as possible.

For those wondering, the Giant Grab fight took me about a minute to beat, hence the way I wrote it out. Naruto and the others are having an easy time so far on Elicoor as unlike the game, I would see Naruto, Cliff, and Nel having more skill then Fayt. The game always had the new characters close to level of Fayt of course, which makes no sense as they have been fighting a LOT longer. Albel will be where we get to see Naruto really fight, while Fayt, Cliff, and Nel will be dealing with Shelby and the Black Brigade. I'm hoping to get to the rescue mission two chapters from now, the next being the events leading up into it while giving our foursome time to bond a bit more.

As promised, since so many asked for it, Naruto's interrogation!

000

The Guard just felt... confused, having heard all the horror's the Inquisitor would deal upon his victims, that the ultimate punishment one could receive would to be given into the hands of this man. Yet he found himself for once not hearing screams... but something else entirely.

THWACK!

"Ah, you JUST missed it" Naruto whined from his bound position, trying to look back at the pissed off fat man whipping at his back, the lashes made seeming to vanish mere seconds after they were made," A little to the left, like an inch."

"Damn you!"

THWACK!

"THERE you go! That itch was KILLING me" Naruto sighed in relief, glad the annoyance was no longer plaguing him," Alright, you can get back to the interrogating thing fatso-san."

"HOW DARE YOU!."

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

".. Someone's sensitive about their extra chins" Naruto noted with a helpful tone," You know if you got out more, maybe ran some laps... a LOT of laps... like a Million-."

"I SAID SHUT UP!" The Inquisitor demanded, tossing his whips aside as he grabbed another, this one with spikes added on the end for causing more permanent damage," Take this you little blonde bastard!."

THWAAAAACK!

".. I'm pretty sure my parents were married" Naruto said after a moment, to the amazement of the Inquisitor, only for Naruto to smile as the guard peeked in to see if what he was hearing was real," Oh hey, mind telling the real Inquisitor he can come in, it seems his fat weak ass little sister has been using his toys without him."

"Th-that IS the Inquisitor" The guard replied, before wondering why he had even answered.

"Really?" Naruto asked with honest surprise, looking back at the seething hooded fat man,"... If you were going to get someone with breasts why not get an actual woman... they'd most likely whip harder too."

"GAAAAAH!" The Inquisitor roared in anger, charging forward to pummel Naruto from behind... only to forget the blonde's legs were free. With a single swing of his leg backwards, Naruto's heel met the Inquisitors... well you can guess. With a squeak the fat man dropped, holding the area between his thick thighs while groaning in pain on the ground.

"Huh, should watch where he's waddling" Naruto noted with a blink of his eyes, before looking to the guard with fox like slits for eyes," Sooo... can I go back to my cell now?."

The guard was seriously thinking of transferring to the Black Brigade after this, Albel Nox couldn't be worse then dealing with the crazy blonde prisoner happily kicking his feet before him.