Hey everyone! Thunderito here and welcome to my new story, called Naruto: The Shadow Blade. This story is the Naruto/Sword Art Online crossover, that was the second most requested story in my first poll. Also, check the AN at the bottom. It shall explain A LOT regarding this story, Naruto and the plot. Also, there will be choices for you. Without any stopping, on with the story!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Sword Art Online. They belong to their respective owners.

Chapter 1: 10000 trapped

Sword Art Online. The first game of the century to use the full potential of the NerveGear's Virtual capabilities,called FullDive. It was the most requested game of the year, with reservations filled weeks before it's opening. Ten thousand players were accepted into the world of Sword Art Online, one thousand of them being Beta Testers. It was the first Virtual Reality Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game, or VRMMORPG for short. Thus, it was expected to be a great hit, as the Beta Testers reviews were positive to a fault. However, no one would know how horrible the Game would turn out to be.

Japan

Somewhere in Tokyo, in an area full of estates, was a large wall, with an iron gate. The gate had a plate, with a whirlpool surrounded by a triangle. Inside, stood a large estate, painted yellow, with a red roof. It was the home of the Namikaze-Uzumaki family, the most prestigious family in all of Japan, excluding the Imperial Family. Descendants of a long Clan of Daimyo's, they possessed enormous wealth and power. They had created the Namikaze-Uzumaki Company, or NUC, a large organization which owns dozens of powerful companies. Two of them were created by themselves. One was the Triangle, a company specializing in military equipment and military programming, with so much power it even controlled it's own official military divisions, specialised in Technology, Hacking and Repairs. The other was Whirlpool, the biggest Japanese Company of Electronic Devices, from fridges and washing machines, to phones and computers. They had dozens of different companies, ranging from clothes factories to food factories. It was lead by Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.

In the third floor of the estate, was a large room. It was painted an orange-gold colour and had Led Lights on the ceiling. On one corner stood a King-sized bed, with an office desk to it's side. The desk had a computer with three monitors, the middle one curved and it was state of the art. On the other side of the room was a wardrobe, a futon in front of a 65' curved Tv, with a U-Box and a training corner, with a bench press and a treadmill. Sitting in front of the computer was a young man at the age of 16. He was tall, standing at 6'2, with the body of an athlete. He had sun-kissed, spiky blonde hair and piercing, sapphire blue eyes. He was currently wearing a red T-shirt, black shorts and red sneakers. The boy was Namikaze Naruto, son of Namikaze Minato and Uzumaki Kushina.

The boy was very famous in the enterprise world. At the age of 16, he could speak Japanese, English, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Greek and French perfectly, with good knowledge of Italian, Turkish and Arabic. He was a prodigy and a genius, having not finished school and owning many Masters and PhD's in Computers. From hardware to software, he was an expert. He was also quite athletic, having achieved Black Belt status in Judo, Karate, Kenpo, Ninjutsu and uniquely Krav Maga. He was also a master of many different sword styles, from the Japanese Katana to the European Longsword. The fact that he had a European Greatsword and a Japanese Katana in an 'X' above his bed explained that. The boy was considered able to learn anything he could desire, as his was a quick thinker and could adapt at anything.

He was called by many in the world 'The Golden Boy', due to his wealth, knowledge and power. The fact he was blonde also helped. They considered him a boy who had everything he could desire. But unknown to everyone, even to his family that wasn't true. In reality, Naruto was a very lonely person. He had very few friends, as the school kids wouldn't dare approach him. Even the girls, despite thinking he was handsome, didn't feel like talking to him. His parents, being busy with their schedules and constantly making him do things that he doesn't like, for example learning so many languages, worsened this. Naruto was smart, he understood that his parents simply wanted him to reach his fullest physical and mental capabilities, but was it so difficult to just spend a bit of time with him? He did the math, it wasn't. But it wasn't like it mattered a lot anymore. They had two more years. After that, he would join Military Command School and do what he wished with his life. But right now, he had to stick with what he had.

Naruto was drinking a carbonated drink, as he typed commands in a program at rapid speeds. Suddenly, a message popped up. He pressed on it and it read 'Kirito: Hey Maelstrom, you on?'. Naruto smiled lightly and started a call. "Hey Kirito. What is it?" he asked. "Hey Maelstrom. I just wanted to see if you wanted to meet up once SAO was up." he said, as Naruto's eyes widened. SAO would start in around 5 minutes! He then smiled sadly "Sorry Kirito, but you know I like to enjoy myself the first day of a new game. But we can meet tomorrow to grind together!" he said, as Kirito nodded "Alright! Later!" he said, closing the call, as Naruto sighed.

Maelstrom was his alias, the English meaning of his name, when his name didn't mean a Ramen Flavor. He used it in his games. Unknown to most of the world, exception being his family who once caught him playing with it, he played Maelstrom, the best Gamer in the world. From MMORPG to FPS, any tournament he participated in, he was always first. Hundreds of people complained he cheated, though if he did, the system would catch him and he would be expelled. His addiction to video games came from the feelings of loneliness. He finally found something he was good at and enjoyed, besides learning new cultures. So, after he reached 14, his free time was spent playing video games. He was also one of the First Beta Testers of SAO, not to mention the most successful one, having reached the 23th floor, with Kirito behind him on the 18th. And it seemed, the new SAO would make Maelstrom's legend even more powerful.

He finished running his tests and picked up his NerveGear. He connected it to the computer, placed it on his head, then laid on his bed. He closed his eyes, opening it with a command "Link Start." he said. His eyes fell victim to a massive array of shapes and colours, before a blink was heard and he saw floating text.

'Complete Upload, Green'

'Checking Complete'

'Log In/Register?' he pressed Log In

'Language: Japanese'

'Account:*********'

'Password:********'

'Creation Character:'

'Beta Test Available. Would you like to use it?' he pressed Yes

'Enter Now?' he smirked and pressed Yes

SAO World

Naruto opened his eyes and looked down, clenching his arms a few times, getting adjusted to the feeling. Even if it was a game, everything felt so real. He looked down on himself. He looked exactly as he did in real life, except he had black hair. He was wearing an orange jacket with a leather chestplate, black pants and leather boots. A sword was sheathed behind his back. He opened the menu, checking his inventory. He nodded in satisfaction as everything was in order. He then took a deep breath and rushed ahead. It was time to grind.

Naruto entered a small clearing, where wild animals started spawning. He gripped his blade and charged at them, swinging left and right. He cut one boar, only to dodge a snake, before turning and cutting it's head off. He jumped above another boar, then killed a wolf. He turned, cutting beasts left and right. Even though he reached Level 2, it wasn't enough. 'Faster, faster.' he thought, as his arm was now a blur. He didn't stop until he reached Level 4. By that time, it was evening. He wiped the sweat off his forehead, then opened his Menu to log off. To his surprise, there was no Log Off button. "This is weird…" he said, as he tried to contact the Moderators, to no avail. Suddenly, a blue circle appeared on his feet and he was teleported.

Town of Beginnings

Naruto found himself at the Town of Beginnings, along with thousands of other players. He was in the Central Plaza, near the main clock. He looked around, suspecting that all ten thousand of Sword Art Online's players had gathered here. Suddenly, the sky turned red, as a large dome surrounded them, writing 'Alert' or 'System Announcement'. Then, a huge faceless cloak appeared, the hood making him look like a red Grim Reaper without the scythe. "Welcome players to my world." he said, as Naruto narrowed his eyes. "I am Kayaba Akihiko. I have an announcement for everyone. I see that everyone has noticed by now the lack of a Log Off button. This is not a glitch. From this day forward, you are trapped in Sword Art Online." he said, as everyone started to protest. "There is only one way to leave, to defeat the final boss at the final floor. In simpler terms, defeat the game. If even one of you does it, all of you may go. However, you must know, from now on if you die in game you die in real life. Also, if your Nerve Gear is forcibly removed, you die." he said, as real life pictures appeared "Tries have already been made, with players dying. I have given the police information on how to keep you alive. But it all rests in your hands. Now, a final gift before I leave. Look at your inventory. Good luck." he said, disappearing. The sky turned back to normal.

Naruto and the rest of the players stood in silence at the revelations. Then, everything fell to chaos as yells, curses and screams of panic filled the square. Naruto thought of what he learned 'Is he crazy? He must be… I am trapped in Sword Art Online, where if I die, I die permanently. No respawn.' he thought, then checked his inventory 'A mirror?' he asked himself, before looking at it. Suddenly, he glowed, only to see his avatar looked exactly like him, even in height and body mass, the only thing different were the clothes. 'But how? I get the head, as the helmet covers the entire face, but the body? Wait, this must be the reason why I had to touch the Nerve Gear all over my body. Akihiko I swear I will kick your ass you maniac.' he thought, clenching his fists. He immediately left the area, as he had no reason to stay anymore. No, he had to move. If he were to defeat this game and go back to the real world, he had to become stronger. He had to become the strongest. He had to use all his knowledge from the first to the twenty-third floor, all of it's secrets. He rushed forward, attempting to reach the next town, when a pack of wolves appeared. He narrowed his eyes. He knew this game. He knew twenty three floors. Early SAO had a progress application, telling you how much of each floor you had explored, but it was removed in the final version. Back in beta, before progressing to the next floor, he would make sure to fully complete each floor. And he remembered, he remembered it all. Where to grind, when to grind, how to grind, what to collect, where to go. These wolves were part of a mission. He could get their pelts and sell them, while he could complete the mission next town and earn enough gold to buy the gear he needed to properly grind. Growling, he took out his sword and rushed at them, killing each wolf with one hit and one roar 'I will survive!' he thought, as the blade cut them.

Tolbana

One month had passed since the events in the town of beginnings. One month since it was revealed that ten thousand players were trapped in a death game. In the first week, two thousand players died, taking their lives, as they couldn't live in this game. Yet, no one, not even him or Kirito, the best Beta Testers, had managed to reach, much less clear the first floor's boss, in order to access the second floor. However, a conference was being held for that exact purpose here in Tolbana. From what he heard, some people claimed to have found the boss room.

Naruto was sitting in the spot where the meeting will be held, a small theater which represented the Town Center . The stairs led to the center, a circular spot, where an empty rectangular fountain laid behind it. Naruto was sitting to the upper right part. He was wearing black form fitting pants, a blue sleeveless shirt with a leather chestplate above it. He had a mask, that surrounded his neck like a hooded scarf. He also had black Ninja sandals and leather gauntlets. Strapped on his back, was a Chokuto with a plain blue handle. It was called Sutato no Kaze, the Wind of Start, the best single-edged blade for five floors. He was sighing, observing the gathered players. He had reached Level 17 and wondered if anyone was around his level, as most had Level 10 gear on. He suspected Kirito would be, as the man surely would of started to grind like crazy the moment he found out. Not that he didn't. He had already explored every part of the First Floor, except the Boss Room. It seemed their locations had changed, but not the bosses themselves. Though, it would make no difference after the twenty-third floor, for himself at least. For the others, much sooner.

Naruto looked forward, his eyes displaying mild boredom, when he heard someone call out his name. He turned, smiling at Kirito. He met him a week ago, grinding in a forest. Back then he was Level 14, so he assumed he would have gotten up a level or two. Kirito was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt with a starting iron chestplate for protection above it, fingerless black gloves, black pants and black boots. Behind him was a double edged sword, the 'Anneal Blade'. It was the best double-edged sword for three floors. He nodded at him "Glad to see you're here." he said. Kirito smiled, sitting down next to him "I assume we will need to make a party." he said, sending Naruto a party invitation, which Naruto accepted. He inwardly smirked, nodding in satisfaction that Kirito was Level 16. They had a small chat, regarding where they grinded, their skills and missions they accomplished, when they saw someone approaching them. It was a player, whose features were hidden from a maroon hooded cloak. Though when he heard the player's voice, he knew it was a girl, as she said "Is this seat taken?". Naruto shook his head "No it isn't. You're welcome to join us." he said, as the figure nodded and sat down, though keeping a slight distance from Naruto. Kirito send an invite to her, which she accepted and both boys saw her name was Asuna. Naruto took note that the girl was Level 14 and was glad she could at least keep up with them. They turned, as a man with long blue hair, with two bangs framing his face and blue eyes went to the center of the room. He was wearing a blue long-sleeved shirt, white pants, black boots and was protected by a bronze chestplate, shoulder pads, gauntlets and grieves. A longsword with a grey handle was sheathed on his waist, while he had a white kite shield on his back that had a black sword in the middle.

He smiled to all of them "Thank you all for coming today. My name is Diavel and my class is, unofficially, a knight!" he finished with a grin, as everyone started laughing, commenting the lack of classes. Then Diavel gained a serious look, as he begun speaking "Today, me and my group, discovered the boss room on the highest level of this floor." he said, gaining the attention of everyone. "By defeating the boss and progressing to the second floor, we can show that this game, this death trap, is NOT unbeatable. It's our responsibility to do so! Don't you agree with me, everyone?" he said passionately. It didn't take more than five seconds of thought, when everyone started clapping and whistling. Naruto gave a nod, while Kirito smirked. The figure was silent. "Now, to discuss our battle strategy. We are to form parties of at least two players. We can't defeat a boss with simple parties. We need multiple, so as to form a raid group!" he explained, waiting a minute for everyone to be finished. Naruto sent a look at the girl, who was looking at him. When she caught his gaze, she quickly turned away. He didn't mind it, as that was how everyone treated him. Honestly, he was glad Kirito talked with him, albeit it was because he was a Beta Tester. He turned back to the 'knight', as everyone finished. "Is everyone done? Good. Now-" he was about to continue, only to be stopped by a man who came down next to him, telling him to hold it.

It was a short man, with reddish-brown hair that was spiky like a cactus and brown eyes. He wore a beige long sleeved shirt, olive pants and brown boots with a white net cloth covering them. He also had a grey scale mail chestplate, leather gauntlets and a broadsword on his back. He had a frown on his face "My name is Kibaou and I have something to say. I am sure that some of you should be apologizing to the players who have died so far." he said, as Diavel frowned " Kibao-san, you're referring to the Beta Testers, is that correct?" he asked, with Kibaou nodding "That's right! On the first day we were trapped, all of them disappeared and left nine thousand beginners to fend off on their own! They monopolized good hunting grounds, profitable quests and put themselves above all else! And then they feigned ignorance of doing so!" he explained, before he became angry "I am certain some of you are Beta Testers! We should have you kneel before us in apology, then give us the gold and items you've been collecting as compensation! I will not trust my life to such people!" he heatedly finished, as everyone started murmuring. Kirito trembled, closing his eyes and clenching his teeth, while Naruto's eyes narrowed. He was about to stand up, when a voice was heard, that asked if he could speak.

Kibaou turned, only to sweat as a large imposing man appeared. He was tall, near Naruto's height and bulky. He was bald, with a brown goatee and brown eyes, with two silver earrings. He was wearing brown boots with white fur on the top, dark brown pants that were connected to a dark brown tank top, with white parts and brown forearm protectors made of cloth. He also had a beige leather breastplate and a large battleaxe was behind him. "My name is Agil." the man spoke "Kibaou-san, you're saying the Beta Testers should offer compensation, because they didn't look after us new players, is that correct?" he asked. Kibaou frowned and nodded. Agil then took out a small brown book "This is the guidebook. You have one correct? It is after all, free in the item shop." he said, as Kibaou nodded "What about it?". Agil closed his eyes, turning to everyone "This guidebook, was distributed by Beta Testers." he said, as lots of people gasped in surprise. He then opened his eyes, giving a hard stare "Listen, this was free and given to everyone, yet a lot of people still died. I thought we were here to discuss a strategy, not to fight amongst ourselves." he said, as some people nodded. Kibaou huffed, then went back down and crossed his arms. Agil sat back down, as Diavel continued his speech. "To be truthful, the guidebook has information on the boss." he said, getting the attention of everyone "He is called, Illfang the Kobold Lord. He has minions called Ruin Kobold Sentinels guarding him. His weapons consist of an axe and a buckler. He has four HP bars. When the last one reaches the red, he changes his weapon to a talwar. His attack patterns also change." he explain, as everyone stared in awe at the accurate information. "Now, concerning loot." he said, putting the book back "Money is distributed automatically, Experience goes to the party striking the final hit and items belong to whoever gets them. Any questions? No? Dismissed!" he said, as people started leaving.

Nighttime came, as most players were conversing and enjoying themselves. In an alley near the square, we could find the figure eating bread, sitting down on a marble piece. Kirito approached her "It tastes good, doesn't it? Can I seat here?" he asked, as she turned to him and nodded. He sat down, as she moved a bit away. "You really think it's good?" she asked, as he nodded "Indeed. I've been eating it since I came here at least once per day. You also think it's good, right Naruto?" he asked, as the figure turned, only to gasp in surprise as Naruto was sitting next to her, his blade in his hand, which was pure white in colour, as he eyed it with an expert look "It's good for game food." he said. "H-How long were you next to me?" the figure asked, eyeing him up and down once. Naruto send her a look, then turned back to his blade "A few seconds after you took the bread out." he said.

Kirito took a bite off his bread "Anyways, I placed a bit of a twist on it." he said, taking out a small bottle "Put that on it." he said. The figure hesitantly placed her finger on the bottle as it glowed, then run the finger along the bread, as cream appeared. She turned to him, as he begun eating. She slowly took a bite, then gulped down the entire bread in one go. "I wish I had some meat." she said, sighing. Naruto, to her surprise, placed a fried chicken leg on her hands, the bone wrapped in paper, then placed cream on it. She turned to him "You don't want it?" she asked, as he shook his head, going back to his blade "I ate before sitting here." he simply said. She turned back to the meat, took a bite, then quickly cleaned the bone of all meat, sighing in content. Kirito smiled "It was the reward of a quest I did, called 'The Cow Strikes Back' in the previous town. I can show it to you if you like." he said, as the figure shook their head. "I didn't come here to taste good food. I came to remain as myself. I don't want to rot away in an inn back at Starting down. I won't let this game control me. I will live by my choice. Even if I die by a monster, this game will not change me. No matter what." she said, as they both frowned. Naruto rose sheathing his blade, as Kirito spoke "I don't want a party member to die on me. Take care of yourself, at least for tomorrow." he said.

She didn't say anything, instead turned to Naruto who was leaning to a wall, his arms crossed and his eyes closed. He begun speaking "There is a tale, about an assassin who was considered the best. He had retired and spent a few years in peace. However, a threat rose and he took it upon himself to defeat it. However, he couldn't take down even the threat's lieutenant. He thought he needed more practice, so he went back to his master. As it turned out, the problem was that he created a pacifist nature and found it hard to use a sword. His master showed him the hard way, the power of the end, the assassin defeated the threat" he said, opening his eyes "The meaning of this story is, your life is worth more than you can imagine. Staying as you are, is not a reason to sacrifice yourself. Remember that." he said, walking away. Unknown to him, the figure would remember those words forever.

Oh god. The feels I feel bring a feeling unlike any other feeling I ever felt….. I don't have a life hahaha. Anyways, hope you guys liked the first Chapter of Naruto: The Shadow Blade. I sure did! Now, to avoid the incoming barrage of questions. As I said, it will be an Uber-God Fic in the most possible way without Chakra. So, I was thinking. How to make an Uber-God fic in a video game? Sure, I can have Naruto higher level than the rest of them. But, that would just make him Godlike, if not strong. No, I need to maximize results. And since Alfheim uses player skill instead of just level, I placed in Naruto's skills every battle ability I could think of, without overstepping boundaries. So yea, Naruto is a modern day Batman, without gadgets. As for Sao Skills, I actually would like you to answer me one thing guys. I know support skills and weapon skills are skills needed to be put on slots, but what about combat skills, like Parry and Howl? Are they needed to be placed in slots or not? Now, he will have two 'Unique Skills'. One is the dual wielding. The other however, I shall keep it secret. No, it's not gonna be the Holy Sword, or any of the skills you know. It will be one I make myself. So, that's two skills. Some of you will ask, how can he have so many skills if you include normal combat, support and weapons skills? Well, for the level he will have before the end, it shall be enough. The only spoil I shall tell you, is that Naruto will be well beyond Kirito's level after some time. Oh by the way, it isn't a Naruto neglected by parents type of fic, where they don't acknowledge his existence. They are simply busy. That is all. More questions feel free to ask. Until next time, Thunderito out!