I did say there would be a better summary, so here it is:

After defeating Pain, Naruto gets sent to a new world to start over. Just how will he start over in a world which he knows next to nothing about and where the term' 'Shinobi' is dreaded throughout the world? What if he gets caught up in a civil war he technically doesn't need to be part of? Pairings: Naruto x Eleonora V.; Tigre x Limlisha; Additional tags: Wind, Water and Earth using Naruto; stronger Naruto; somewhat smarter Naruto; Fuinjutsu Naruto; non jinchuriki Naruto; Way more nice Lim (When not in Public or around Ellen); Trouble always following Naruto;

Greetings all. So yeah, I am going to write a story in a category that I feel…no…KNOW has a lot of potential: A crossover between Naruto and Madan no Ou to Vanadis (Lord Marksman and Vanadis).
I mean, come on, there are so many underrated anime out there.

I am going to write with the same Style as my third story, 'A Fox is Semper Fidelis', as I am basically writing both stories at the same time.

Now, I know I announced that I was writing only one story, that being the aforementioned one, but I decided on writing this one AFTER posting the last chapter of 'Fox Days'.

Anyhow, I really hope you enjoy this Fanfic.

On a side note, I'd really recommend watching the 'Madan no Ou to Vanadis' anime…I find it pretty good to watch.

On that Note, this Fanfic will follow the Madan-anime.

Please remember the following…I don't feel like writing it in every frikken upload…

"It is pranking time…" Normal speech

'That could have gone worse…' Normal thought

"Rasengan" Technique/Jutsu name

Prolog, Leaving Home

To say Naruto was exhausted was a big understatement. Less than an hour earlier he had defeated the last Pain puppet and without rest he had gone to the real Pain's location, where he was initially sent flying by Konan, who thought he was going to threaten Nagato. The Katsuya clone accompanying Naruto got dispelled at that, cutting Naruto of from the village.

Instead of getting revenge on Konan for the punch, Naruto insisted that he wanted to speak with them.

Deciding to accept his words, but not lowering her guard, Konan and Nagato told Naruto their story, which the blond Jinchuriki listened to without interrupting.

Afterwards Naruto managed to convince the two that their current course was wrong and was greatly saddened when Nagato sacrificed his own life to bring back the lives of those who died during the recent battle.

Now, he was on his way back to the village.

"So, you managed to defeat Pain-sama…" a voice spoke out. Naruto turned just in time to see a orange mask with a single eye-hole staring at him and feel an intense pain in his stomach, where his 8 triagrams seal was.

Looking down, he saw Tobi's hand above his seal, which had been shattered, and was extracting the Kyuubi from the seal, forcing the Biju chakra into another seal he had on the palm of his hand his hand.

"Wh…at…?" Naruto managed before he lost the last of his strength and the world began turning dark.

"You have been an annoyance for quite some time…but no more." Tobi said. His voice had gone from the jester like one to a deeper, more menacing one.

"And now, everyone will believe you perished during the last battle…Kamui" Naruto barely felt his body being sucked into a vortex of some sorts.

Suddenly Tobi jerked as a surge of chakra forced its way out of the seal on his hand and into his system.

"Don't you fuck with me…" a deep voice roared. "I will not be held captive again by the likes of you…" The Warp Vortex began to destabilize and the next thing Naruto knew, he was in complete darkness. It wasn't the scary, haunting darkness one would have in a nightmare…no. it was the gentle, soothing darkness.

It kind of reminded him of falling asleep.

'Well, dad…Seems like I am coming to meet you and mom on the other side…' Naruto thought as his eyes began closing. 'My only regret is not being able to become Hokage…' With that, Naruto let his consciousness slip away from him.

In a separate dimension

Unknown to Naruto, a large, pale being was watching this turn of events. Needless to say, the being had about a gram of pity or the shinobi, but it was still there.

"Your time in that world is over, young Shinobi." The being said. Take the life I took from your father and mother." A blue-gold orb appeared in his hand and it drifted across the dimensions until it reached Naruto. "Go now. Live your life in another world. Start again. Forge your own path, away from the chains of fate."

With Naruto

Naruto regained a slither of consciousness and thought he heard a voice speaking to him and then felt new life enter his near lifeless body, yet he was unable to open his eyes, let along move or speak. He continued floating through the void for what seemed like an eternity. When the sliver of consciousness slipped away again, he thought that he would finally move on to the next life.

He never realized how much gravity sucks as he began falling…

Chapter 1, Arrival in a new World

In another world

A massive battle was taking place on the Plains of Dinant…actually it was more of a slaughter.

The Brune army, confident in Victory, had marched in under the command of the heir to the Brune kingdom, strongly believing that they could defeat anything Zhcted could throw at them.

The very first battle with an army led by a War Maiden showed them just how wrong they had been.

With an army of just over 5,000 the Zhcted army successfully performed a surprise attack on the 25,000 strong Brune Army, causing Chaos amongst the Brune ranks as they learned that the Zhcted army has dropped the royal standard. The few Officers available managed to gather enough of the retreating forces to stop the Zhcted army in a furious melee. Unfortunately, those troops that had rallied where only conscripts with limited training. The Zhected knights on the other hand were highly trained veterans and made short work of the resistance…short being the opperative word…it was nearly morning when the battle was officially over.

Just after sunrise

A lone Brunean Archer walked across the battlefield.

"What a terrible…battle…" he muttered. All around him were the dead bodies of his fellow countrymen with the occasional Zhected knight here and there.

He was going around, looking for other survivors as well as arrows as he was almost empty, only 5 left in his quiver.

The sound of a horse galloping towards him drew his attention. He turned to see a Zhcted Knight charging towards him, sword drawn.

"A Brune Survivor!" the knight shouted, arrogantly charging at the archer even though he saw the archer take aim at him.

Moments later the Knight fell of his horse, arrow sticking out of his forehead. The horse continued charging, though it veered off course and galloped well past the archer.

"Aw man, I really needed that horse…" he said. His eyes narrowed seeing the group of mounted knights riding across the battlefield, unaware of his presence. He did a quick, as in instantaneous, head count.

"Seven of them, huh?" he asked. His focus focused on the lone rider in the second row, a well endowed, white haired female wearing rather…revealing…blue armor. She was riding on a white stallion and had her sword near her knees at the front of the saddle. "That hair…she's a war maiden." He said. "If I can defeat the enemy leader, they'll have other concerns than chasing down the other survivors." His face took on an determined expression. "All right…"

He ran to a spot well ahead of their path and looked around a boulder.

"Range is 300 alsins (1)." He estimated. "I can do this." He stepped out from his hiding spot and took out his remaining 4 arrows, sticking two into the ground in front of him. With the other two in hand, he took aim with the first arrow.

It seemed as though only one person in the approaching group saw the archer standing in their path, though the distance was too great for her to make out what the figure was doing. The white haired war maiden blinked, wondering what the lone figure was doing…she felt almost no Killing Intent (KI), other than that her knights unconsciously release at all times.

"Eris, goddess of wind and storms…" the archer gave a quick prayer before shooting both arrows in rapid succession.

The two leading riders were caught completely of guard as their horses were struck in their heads by two arrows. They both collapsed with their mounts, alive but trapped under the weight.

The war maiden held on open hand over her sword, which seemed to attract the air and raised itself into the waiting palm. For a moment her face showed complete dissatisfaction before turning into a predatory one with a small smile.

Thanks to his sharp eyes, the archer saw her expression, which surprised him.

As he took aim with the third arrow, he temporarily hesitated when he saw her swing her sword and create a wind that lifted both her and her mount over the two dead horses, landing gently on the ground again. She then began charging towards him, seemingly making the same mistake the knight earlier had made.

His arrow sped towards her, but she easily cut it in two with her sword.

Gritting his teeth, he drew his last arrow and fired. The smile never left the war maiden's face as she cut this arrow from tip to fletching, through the entire length.

To her mild surprise though, the archer did not run away after having spent his last arrow. Instead he remained standing where he was in the middle of their path, face practically shouting at her that he was ready for whatever was to come.

She began slowing down. Had the archer run or have a different expression, she would have continued charging and quickly ended his life.

But something told her not to kill this one. She couldn't explain it, but she just knew that she had to keep this one alive. That, and now that she got a good look at him, she found she kinda liked him…It would be a pity to get rid of him…at least in her mind…

The archer stared into the deep crimson eyes of the beautiful war maiden just as she stared back at him whilst holding her sword less than a foot from his neck.

"Throw down your bow!" she said. Now that he has the time to get a better look at her, he couldn't help but compare her to one of his friends, who in his mind was far more pretty than her. "My name is Eleonora Viltaria." She introduced herself.

'At least she follows the rules of introduction…' he thought, slightly relieved. There may be hope for him yet.

"What is your name?" the now named Eleonora asked.

For a moment he didn't answer.

"Tigrevurmud Vorn." He said.

"Very well." Eleonora said, pulling back her sword a bit. "From now on, you belong to me."

It took a moment for her words to fully sink in and alarm bells went off in his head…but it was not because of her words.

With a burst of speed that greatly surprised her, he jumped over her sword and threw her of her horse. "Get down!" he shouted as something crashed into the ground a few feet from where he had been standing earlier. Small pieces of debris struck the horse and Tigrevurmud's back, with the latter galloping a short distance away due to fright.

Tigrevurmud stood up and looked at the object that had set of his alarm bells…and froze.

Eleonora forgave him for not helping her up…after she saw the reason as to why he was in that state.

Lying in a crater that measured around 6 alsins across was a young man who was covered in cuts and bruises. His clothes were also badly burnt and he looked as though he had just come from a intense battle. His face was covered in bruises as well, so she didn't really much in the way of uniqu characteristics…except for one thing…three whisker-like birthmarks adorning each of his cheeks.

"Who…is that?" Tigrevurmud asked.

"Nobody that I know…" Eleonora said. Neither of them heard the four remaining knights, two of whom were giving the two knights whose mounts were killed earlier a lift, approach them. The knight in blue plate armor was spewing KI at the archer, but quickly joined everyone else upon seeing the injured male.

Tigrevurmud was the first to recover, timing it nicely with when the KI suddenly stopped. He jumped down into the crater and landed next to the injured person.

For a moment the person opened his eyes slightly, before closing them again.

"Hey…you alright?" Tigrevurmud called out.

"He is alive?" Eleonora asked, surprised and even more surprisingly (for her) relieved.

"And in need of immediate medical treatment!" Tigrevurmud said. He used what medical supplies he had in his belt pouches to treat the worst of the male's wounds, which included a large stab wound on his abdomen. By the time he was finished the others had built a makeshift stretcher out of spears and clothing, taken from the deceased soldiers.

A few days later

Tigrevurmud was dreaming of his evening just before the attack happened, the moment when the least favorite person he knew, Zion Thernandier, tried to smash his bow; how Sir Mashas (Read Mas-has) made Zion leave; his conversations with his friends, him sharpening his arrows and generally having a good time with the other troops…at least those who weren't on Zion's side of things…

He woke up feeling something sharp entering his mouth. Opening his eyes, he looked at a tall woman with long, platinum blond hair, blue armor that reminded him of the war maiden's armor, red ribbon keeping the hair in a ponytail and deep blue eyes. She didn't seem bothered by the fact that she almost was giving him a clear view up her miniskirt.

"Are you finally awake?" she asked.

'Beautiful…' he thought before realizing it.

"Is it morning already?" he asked.

"It is already noon." She said stoically.

"That is an interesting way of waking people up…" Tigrevurmud told her

"It's a first for me, too…waking someone up in this way." She told him. "My goodness, how can you be a prisoner and sleep so soundly?"

"It is one of my special abilities." He answered.

She gave him a 'I am calling that Bullshit' look.

He ignored the look and turned his head to the side, closing his eyes again.

"Lady Eleonora is calling for you." The knight told him. Sighing, he got out of bed.

That moment, a far away Village

"Huh?! W-What do you mean, captured?" a young girl wearing a maid outfit asked, leaning against the table.

"Our forces were routed by an enemy sneak attack." Mashas said. "Tigre did not get away in time and was taken prisoner." Behind him, Tigrevurmud's (now shortened to Tigre) old friend and father figure, Bertrand looked ashamed of himself.

"B-But…you outnumbered the enemy five-to-one in this battle." The maid said. "There is no way you could have lost, is there?"

"It's true, we had 25,000 men against an enemy force of about 5,000." Mashas said. "As Prince Regnas' first campaign, his Majesty put together a mighty force."

"And even after Lord Tigre went all-out, it was all he could so to put together a hundred men." The maid said.

"Of those hundred men, 7 are dead and 30 are injured." Mashas said, making the maid gasp.

"Then again, they were trampled by their fleeing allies." Bertrand said.

"The demands from the enemy leader are as follows." Mashas said. "Unless his ransom is delivered to Zhcted within 50 days, Tigre will become the enemy's property."

The maid looked slightly hopeful.

"How much is it?" she asked. "Even if it's a lot, if we have everyone in the village help…" she was interrupted by Mashas shaking his head.

"Titta, please understand…" he said. The now named Titta felt her spirit plummet somewhat because of the tone in his voice. "The enemy's demand is for three times the revenue of Alsace, or something of comparable value."

Titta's spirit went straight to bedrock at that.

In Zhcted

"It's too high. Can't you bring it down by at least a third?" Tigre asked. He was standing in front of Eleonora's table in her office.

"No." she answered. Tigre slumped slightly at that.

"The deadline is within 50 days of the kingdom of Brune receiving our ransom demand." The knight who woke him said.

"If your ransom is not delivered to me, in accordance with the treaty, you will officially become mine." Eleonora said. "In the name of Radegast, god of honor and contracts.

It was slight, but Tigre's expression took on an outraged expression.

"So, you sent her to stick a sword in my mouth and bring me here just to make me listen to this outrageousness?" he asked. "And what about that boy you brought along? What is to happen to him?"

The knight tensed up at that.

"For the second and third, we are keeping him here until his wounds heal and he wakes up…if he ever will…, then his home country will also be given an option to have him returned." Eleonora said as she leaned her chin on her folded arms. "As for the first, there's something I want you very much to do for me."

Shortly afterwards

Tigre was standing at the shooting range, ready to shoot an arrow. Standing to the side are several men who were laughing.

He released the arrow and everyone watched as it flew far over the wall behind the targets.

"And the second one was unsuccessful!" someone gloated.

"Are you taking this seriously?" the female knight asked.

"Yes I am." Tigre said.

"I'd sure like to take his place…and show him how it's done!" a man with long black hair sneered. His buddies laughed at that.

"Rurick, that's harsh." One of them said.

Unknown to everyone, a person was watching everything. Nobody, not even Eleonora, who was sitting in a location where she could have easily seen him, noticed his presence.

"Why would the war maiden take this guy prisoner?" another man asked.

Tigre pulled another arrow out of the quiver, then plucked the string of the bow he was holding. It gave of an uneven sound.

"What a ridiculous farce this is." He muttered.

Only three people heard him: The female knight, whose eyebrow rose slightly; Eleonora, who barely heard him; and the unknown figure, whose ears were trained to pick up such low sounds.

The unknown figure also fully agreed with Tigre.

"The first shot was too short, the second one was way off the mark." Someone commented. "The count doesn't seem to be feeling well." All the while, three pairs of eyes were studying Tigre closely.

"I've gotten the feel of the bow now." Tigre muttered, again for only three to hear. "All right."

He was about to draw the arrow again when he saw a dark figure racing across the top of the wall and onto an overlooking turret. The man lifted what looked to be a crossbow and took aim, not at him, but at the war maiden.

"Look out!" Tigre warned just as the assassin fired. His warning, as well as Eleonora muttering "Arifar…" were unneeded however, as a cloaked person jumped a ridiculous distance and caught the bolt halfway between the assailant and its target.

The cloaked person landed at the bottom of the wall, then jumped again clearing the low wall with ease.

"After them! Don't let them get away!" the female knight shouted.

As the men began to scramble, Tigre asked her, "Can you take the assassin alive?"

"You do not have the luxury to ask that!" she said.

"Alright. I'll make it his foot." This made everyone stop what they were doing and watch as he drew the bow and took aim, releasing the arrow in a steep angle.

The assassin looked back, having a bad feeling suddenly, but couldn't see anyone following him. He turned back just in time for the arrow to pierce his right foot, going all the way through.

Those still on the shooting range were shocked to hear his shout of pain, none more so than Rurick.

"That's unreal! Using that crude bow?!" he said in utter disbelief.

The three men who didn't see Tigre shoot the arrow had caught up to the injured would-be-assassin and were surprised to the arrow sticking out of his foot.

"It's more that 300 alsins between the range and here!" the tallest one said, turning in the direction of the shooting range. The only person holding a bow that he could see there was Tigre. "Just who is he?"

Meanwhile with Tigre

Tigre turned to Eleonora. "So, do you still want me to shoot?" he asked.

"No, that's enough." She said. The gem on her sword seemed to shimmer as the wind picked up, waving her hair around. "You did well, Tigrevurmud Vorn."

A bucket full of some powder suddenly fell onto Rurick's head, much to the surprise of everyone. Coughing, he pulled it off, revealing that his entire head was covered by some yellowish powder. Grumbling, he went to his private chambers to wash the stuff out of his hair. His buddies also left, feeling were sorry for having badmouthed Tigre, when his skills with the bow were considerably greater than Rurick's, who was widely known as a master archer.

Once they were gone, Eleonora called out, "Just how long are you planning on hiding?" she asked. Suddenly the crossbow bolt from before dropped down at the feet of the female knight, making her jump slightly.

"About time you found out." A new voice said. They all looked up to see the cloaked figure, standing on one of the balconies. To their surprise, he just jumped down and landed safely.

"I hope, for your sake, that was only colored chalk you put in there." Eleonora told him.

She saw the figure smirk. Her eyes widened to their max when she saw the whiskers.

"How?" was all she asked.

"Later." He just said, stomach growling. "First, could you get me something to eat?"

Before she could answer, a loud, terrified scream echoed through the castle.

Next day, Eleonora's office

"I deeply apologize for yesterday!" Eleonora told Tigre, who stepped back in surprise. Naruto was leaning against the wall while the female knight just stood there, stoically.

"What are you talking about?" Tigre asked.

"The bow you were given. I never imagined you'd get one that bad." The white haired war maiden explained. "That pathetic excuse of a bow shouldn't even have been in the armory."

"Yet, that 'pathetic excuse of a bow' was used to help capture the unknown assailant." Naruto spoke up.

"So, that really was a poorly made bow, even in Zhcted." Tigre said to the war maiden before turning to the cloaked man. "I don't think we have been introduced, have we?"

"The same could be said for both Eleonora-sama and myself." The female knight said.

"Actually, Tigre, he is the one who fell from the sky." Eleonora said, startling both Tigre and the female knight.

"That would explain why I woke up with a fractured spine…" Naruto said, scratching the back of his head. "But I am all better now."

"And just who are you?" the female knight asked.

"Isn't it common curtsey to introduce yourself first, Ino?" Naruto asked.

"I-Ino?" the female knight stammered.

"You have the same color of hair as a friend of mine called Ino." Naruto said, not thinking about WHAT that name meant. (Ino translated into 'Pig')

"Her name is Limlisha, Lim for short." Eleonora said. Lim was still furious at the cloaked figure.

"My mistake, Lim-san." Naruto said, bowing. "I am Uzumaki Naruto. And you are?" he asked.

"My name is Tigrevurmud Vorn. Nice to meet you, Uzumaki-san." Tigre said.

"And I am Eleonora Viltaria, usually called Ellen by my friends." Eleonora (now Ellen) introduced herself.

Naruto removed the cape of his cloak, then turned his head in a confused manner.

"Why did you create a nickname for your surname?" he asked. Now it was the others' turn to be confused. "Isn't your given name Vila…Vitl…Via…Vitlira…" Ellen began laughing at his attempts to pronounce her surname.

"I'm sorry, but my given name IS Eleonora." She said between laughs. "Though I how you came up with that."

"Where I come from, he introduce ourselves surname first, given name last." Naruto explained.

"Still, that doesn't allow you to call me a pig!" Lim growled.

"Then you should have introduced yourself first, before demanding my name." Naruto said, smirking.

"Why you…"

"Now, now, Lim. He has a point there." Ellen told her friend. "Why don't you take him over to the dining hall? I am sure that he is hungry." Lim agreed slightly too fast for Naruto to believe it was because she was doing it because she was ordered to do it…

After they had left, she turned to him.

"Now, how is it that you are already up and jumping around?" she asked, serious expression on her face. Naruto interpreted the expression as the business-serious type, when in truth it was the concerned-serious type.

"I have always been a fast healer. Wounds that would be lethal to most other people will heal within a day." He explained.

"I am calling Bullshit on that…" she said, reaching out and pulling his cloak off. Her eyes widened seeing that his skin, whilst being covered in numerous scars, was clear of bruises or wounds. "No way…" she said. Her eyes would have strayed below the stomach, where a strange, spiral-like scar was located, had Naruto not been wearing a make-shift loincloth.

"Anyway, why did you have Vorn-san…no…Tigerwormed-san shoot with the bow yesterday anyway?" Naruto asked, retrieving his cloak from her.

"Just call him Tigre…and don't let him catch you calling him that." Ellen said, smiling at Naruto's attempts on saying Tigre's full name. "But still, your name…does it mean Fishcake? Or Maelstrom?" she asked.

"Maelstrom." Naruto answered. "And you still haven't answered my question."

Ellen sighed. The man was sharper than he appeared to be, yet clueless at the same time.

"Lim is around Tigre's age and she is far too devoted to me to consider spending her life with someone else." She began.

"And he is too concerned about the well being of his home town to concern himself with his own well being…" Naruto said. Ellen nodded.

"They may not see it, but they need each other." Ellen said.

"You may not see it, but there is something going on between those two." Naruto said.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"One of the first things I learned is to 'look underneath the underneath'. Also, I was trained to notice the slightest of changes in people and the surrounding area." Naruto told her.

"Care to share the rest?" Ellen asked, smirking.

"Blunt answer or long one?" he asked.

"Blunt for now…" Ellen said.

"I am a Shinobi." Naruto said…bluntly.

Ellen's eyes nearly popped out.

"That cannot be…" she stammered, before taking an aggressive stance and flaring her KI.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, confused as to her reaction.

"If you really are a shinobi, then you wouldn't have saved me or made yourself known." She said, eyes narrowing, intensifying her aggressive appearance.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked, really confused now.

"A shinobi is an assassin who doesn't care for collateral damage, who will remain undetected by everyone, even his/her target, and is cold down to the core." She told him. "They know no honor, show no mercy and feel no sympathy." Immediately upon finishing speaking, she was frozen by an immense amount of KI released by Naruto as he flared his silvery blue chakra.

"I am not like that!" he growled. His voice seemed to resonate inside her bones. "I grew up to be a warrior, a person who guards those he cares about…"

The pressure lifted and the KI disappeared.

"Yes, I have been trained to move around unseen. Yes, there are times I did more collateral damage than needed, but NEVER have I endangered civilians!" Naruto told her, anger just underneath the surface. "Yes, I have killed people before, but never in cold blood. Those I killed were all on the Battlefield, facing me and my sword head on. Yes, I have killed people by attacking from behind, but that was in order to prevent them from killing those I care about. Yes, I have taken uncountable lives, but I have left far more live and change. You say shinobi feel no sympathy…" his tone did a complete 180, "…well, for many shinobi where I come from, that would be true. True sympathy can only be felt by those who have experienced similar experiences." He looked at her, pity in his eyes. "Someone like you would probably not understand the pain and suffering I went through."

"Then prove me wrong!" she told him. "You say that I don't understand you. Tell me your life's story, so that I can try to understand you, so I can look at you better…" she blushed slightly when she realized what she just said.

20 minutes later she was already regretting her initial outburst. She was absolutely appalled by the treatment Naruto had gotten as a young child. Even though she knew that there were people who had lives that were harder than hers, she had never heard of anyone surviving that amount of abuse.

Yes, she is an orphan and grew up in a mercenary world. So too did Naruto.
Yes, she lost people close to her, but only one of them she considered family. Naruto lost at least 2.
Yes, she initially got bullied. But she never got abused.
She had distant cousins, though she never met them. Naruto was the last of his ENTIRE family tree.

She decided to learn more about him…maybe she could give him what he has always wanted…at least what he sounds like he has always wanted…

Naruto had finished his story and the room was silent. Ellen was about to respond to his life story, which she sensed was nothing but the truth…at least her heart sensed it…by telling him about her own life when there came a knock on the door.

"Eleonora-sama, there is a messenger here for you." Lim said, opening the door. She handed Ellen a scroll, which she opened.

"Why now of all times…" Ellen grumbled.

"Another Summons?" Lim asked.

"This time by the King himself." Ellen said.

"What does he want?" Lim asked, wariness in her voice.

"He wants a full verbal report on the Dinant Battle. Apparently there are some things in the written report that is being seen as lies by some in the royal council." Ellen said.

"If they are anything like the Council from where I come from, I can kill them if you'd like." Naruto told her.

"As much as I'd like you to do that…" Ellen began, "…I cannot allow you to do that. The council is not biased like yours. They just look at things in a different way." Ellen sighed. "They just want me to explain what I meant with there being someone falling from the sky." She turned to Naruto. "Meaning you are coming with me."

"Pass." Naruto said on reflex. He had enough dealing with the civilian council back home to know that it would likely be boring as hell.

"We are not going to the council…we are going to explain it directly to the king." Ellen said. Seeing Naruto was not convinced, she tried using his terminology. "In short, it is a summons by a Kage."

Now THIS Naruto understood. Lim face palmed.

"So, how was your time with the one who made you fall before him?" he asked Lim, taking her and Ellen completely by surprise…especially when the blonde one slightly misheard him, mistaking 'before' for 'for'…(Read it yourself with the change in words)

Flashback

With Tigre, shortly after leaving the room

Lim was keeping a stoic expression, but internally she was feeling slightly warm at the close proximity to Tigre. The feeling was also felt by Tigre…and neither of them knew why.

They soon encountered a bald man wearing light blue clothes.

"Good day to you, Limlisha-sama, Tigrevurmud-san." The man said, bowing.

Tigre didn't recognize him. Lim on the other hand…

"Rurick-san, since when are you going Bald?" she asked. If would have sounded like teasing had she not used her usual stoic voice. Tigre's eyes widened in shock and surprise.

"Since someone threw a bucket of dried and powdered hair remover on my head." Rurick said. "I guess it was the gods's way of punishing me for what I did to Tigrevurmud-san."

Realization dawned on Lim and Tigre's faces…the bucket, the powder, the scream…

Lim would have continued leading Tigre to the dining hall had the message from the royal court not arrived at that moment. Sighing, she asked Rurick to lead Tigre instead.

Flashback end

Naruto was laughing. "He calls a simple prank like that a punishment from the gods?" Ellen giggled and even Lim cracked a small smile, before his word fully sunk in.

"Wait…that was a simple prank?" she asked.

"Yeah. Sadly it wasn't as much fun as placing fart-bags inside teddy bears…" he suddenly found a sword at his throat. On the other side of the sword he saw Lim…with an absolutely murderous expression on her face.

"Any last words?" she asked.

'DON'T SAY THAT WITH THAT EXPRESSION AND A STOIC VOICE, DAMN IT!' Naruto mentally screamed.

"You may want to put that sword down, before I remove your underwear and throw it into the training yard." Naruto warned her.

Lim growled and pushed the sword forward. Ellen tried moving to stop her, but knew she wouldn't make it.

It happened in an instant. Naruto disappeared from her view and she was suddenly feeling her skirt lifting up.

She gave a girly cry and tried to cover herself up.

Naruto meanwhile had appeared next to Ellen.

"I did warn her." He said.

"Where are her panties?" Ellen asked. Naruto pointed at the door, which was open.

"Where I said they'd be." He said.

"Y-YOU DEMON!" Lim shouted. Ellen saw Naruto visibly wince and wondered why that was. In his story he never mentioned anything about a demon…only that he was called one.

Unfortunately for Lim, the back of her miniskirt had folded over and revealed her ass…and she was facing away from the door, where a small crowd of males were standing. Their faces left little need for guessing as to what they were thinking…one of them was even holding Lim's panties…

Ellen just began laughing. "Lim, unless you start being less tense, it will always be too much fun to tease you." She then pointed behind Lim.

Naruto wondered how it was possible for Lim's hair to take on the same color as her face…

Anyhow, the doctors and nurses would be busy for the rest of the day after Lim got her panties back…

After Lim had disappeared in embarrassment

"So, when are we leaving?" Naruto asked.

"After we get you some decent clothes." Naruto began to sweat at that, remembering the times he was thrown out of the tailor shop.

Ellen had to drag Naruto through the market area in order to get him to the tailor shop.

(1): My interpretation of Alsins if feet. Therefore, 300 alsins is the same as 300 feet…

Chapter 2, The Troublemaker meets the King

3 hours later

Ellen and Naruto, followed by 14 elite knights, rode out of the main gate towards the Capital city of Zhcted…well…Naruto hung to the horses neck for dear life, unused to the feeling of having a living being between his legs.

"How on earth can you…" Naruto's wailing was cut short when his horse jumped, driving the saddle up between his legs, hard. "…ride…like…this…" he squeaked. The others laughed at his discomfort.

They rode until evening when they reached the capital city, where Naruto began complaining about not being able to walk properly for a whole week…in a squeaky voice.

Shortly afterwards

Naruto was looking around the room he had just entered with twitching eyebrows.

He had been in hundreds of bedrooms in his life, 99.9% of them to pull pranks on the residents. The other 0.1% included his own bedroom and that of Granny Tsunade when she invited him over for a cup of Tea, and the rooms in the hospital…if those counted…

But none of them matched the sleeping quarters he had been assigned by Ellen…with it being the same room she was sleeping in…

Apart from the fact that she was basically slapping him in the face with a 'sleep with me' sign, he saw and smelled several issues with it:

The bed was big enough to hold 6 people. Judging by the name, he guessed that every king had 5 wives, he means, it is called a 'standard King sized bed'.
The distance from the bed to the bathroom was longer than his old apartment building was tall, and he had to get through the nightmare known as a woman's wardrobe to get there.

Then there was the bathroom itself:

There was no shower, only a bath that was large enough to hold 12 members of the Akimichi clan (FYI, Choji's clan). And it was heated by an underground fire…
The washing basin was made from solid gold…Naruto considered sealing the thing in one of his seals.
The mirror was large enough that 6 people could look into it and still have space between them.
There were so many different scented soaps that they made Naruto feel nauseous…and he hadn't even gotten to the shampoos yet…

Then there were the security issues he had:

The main chamber (The bedroom) had four huge windows that held only 8mm thick glass…a green Genin could punch through that with ease…
Not only was the glass thin, the frames practically screamed 'break me'.
along the top of the room were several vents bring a supply of fresh, scented (stinky in his mind) air from who knows where. An assassin just needed to place a vial of poisonous gas into those ducts and they would never realize it.
The only strong part in his mind was the door: 3 inches thick solid Oak wood reinforced by bands of forged Iron, if the Iron rivets were anything to go by…

All in all, his opinion was…

"This is a bloody death trap." He said. Ellen looked at him surprised. He had been in the room for less than 2 seconds and he was already moaning about it.

'Well, at least he isn't complaining about him sleeping with me.' She thought.

"I mean there are more security leaks in the main room alone than I have fingers." He continued, not catching the smirk she was giving her. "The bathroom has definitely been designed to kill me by means of scent overdose…" she was finding his blabbering highly amusing, even though she was busy undressing a few feet away from him. "The bed is designed to hold 6 people…" Naruto paused at that, taking on a thinking pose. "That would actually mean we can safely share the bed with enough space for each of us…" Ellen paused, standing in her birthday suit, reaching for her sleeping clothes, with a completely shocked expression on her face.

His reasoning was bringing her plan crumbling down on top of her.

Her face kept the problematic expression even after she finished dressing. Naruto, seeing her expression, said, "I can sleep on the floor if you don't want to share the bed."

"Oh, alright…" Ellen said, not thinking about what she was saying. She was thinking about just how clueless and dense the guy was.

Despite all this, her Mercenary training allowed her to sleep soundly, yet lightly, for the entire night.

Next day, late morning

Ellen was kneeling before her king wearing a long white dress that was even more revealing than her 'battle costume', as Naruto called her armor.

"Your Majesty, I, Eleonora Viltaria, have come to answer to thy summons." She said, addressing the old king.

While the king and Ellen were speaking, with a huge crowd watching, Naruto was standing upside-down on the ceiling, waiting for Ellen to call for him to approach.

Getting bored very quickly, he looked around…and immediately noticed 3 other figures, all of them female, giving of far greater levels of strength and power than the average person, though all of them were a long shot away from Ellen.

One was a short blue haired girl with breasts that would already have made Sakura jealous (Even though they were still small). Nevertheless he got the same vibe from her as he got from Sakura…this girl had a short temper…

The second was a blonde female with a bombshell body that would have given Granny Tsunade a run for her money in terms of looks. Naruto just hoped that this package didn't come with the anger issues…

The third one reminded him strongly of Mitarashi Anko, the sadistic proctor of the second part of the chunin exams. She had the hourglass body and purple hair that were almost identical to Anko. Also, Anko would have been proud of the amount of fan service this girl allowed…her chest was barely covered at all. However, unlike Anko, Naruto could smell the stench of trouble on her, almost as though she was planning something outright evil…

With those bits of information stored away in his mind, he returned his attention back to the one who brought him here.

'She really is nice…did I just think that?' he thought.

"And have you brought this…warrior with you to the Capital City?" the king asked. The effect was instantaneous. The majority of the crowd broke out in whispers. The blue haired girl took on a skeptical expression, the blonde smiled brightly and the sadistic purple haired one gained an evil grin as though she was already planning on doing something.

"Oh, please." He heard the blunette call out. "As though someone existed that could jump more than 30 alsins in the air even existed. She must be lying to cover the sacrificial losses she received during the Battle of Dinant."

"A valid point, Vanadis of Ice, Ludomira Lourie." The king said, before turning to Ellen. "What do you have to counter this accusation?"

Ellen looked around the crowd for a moment, then stood up. "This." She simply said, snapping her fingers. Almost instantly Naruto dropped down beside her.

"Request permission to speak my mind to one in the audience, your majesty." He said, bowing at the waist. Many whispers arose from the crowd at his unconventional way of speaking.

"Granted." The king said. The whispers immediately stopped…everyone was waiting for the unknown figure to speak.

"Very well. Young midget war maiden, just because Ellen here beats you in almost all areas doesn't mean you have to go and call her a liar or accuse her of something she never did. Really, is your growth going to your head to fill in the gaps…" he didn't finish as a spear hurtled toward him. However, to her utter shock and that of everyone else, even the king, he caught it by the tip, before jumping high over the crowd and depositing the spear on one of the chandeliers near the ceiling. Then he jumped down.

"Your temper is as short as you are tall, young one. You clearly don't know what some humans are capable of…" he suddenly disappeared just as a whistling noise was heard all around the room. He reappeared at the same time the whistling stopped, standing in front of the king, holding a crossbow bolt less than an inch from the kings face.

"Really…what is up with the assassins in this place and crossbows?" he asked, walking off of the dais towards a guard who came running. "Here you go." He said, handing over the bolt.

He then turned back to the king.

"I know that you may have questions, but I tell you know that I will answer all of them. Also, I will not serve you…" gasps filled the air. "Nor will I serve the purple haired sadist with the giant grass cutting tool…" said purple haired girl felt her eyebrow twitch at her weapon being called a 'grass cutting tool', "…the blond bimbo with the monks staff doesn't appear like someone who would need my help in her line of work,…" the blond vanadis just smiled at that, "…everyone here already knows about my opinion of the blue haired brat over there…"Ludomira bristled at that jab, "However, I have yet to meet the other three Vanadis to get an opinion of them, so I cannot speak for them yet. So far, only Ellen here is the one who needs my help." Naruto said. Everyone in the room was stunned.

"Young Warrior, firstly, what is your name and secondly, why do you say you won't work for me, when you say you will only work for Eleonora Viltaria?" the king asked.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, Naruto Uzumaki if I were to use the local method of giving ones name." Naruto introduced himself. "I know Ellen technically serves you, but I will only follow her commands, not those that come from you or anyone else. Also, be warned that should any of you try to force your command over me, I will not hesitate to…" he suddenly disappeared, "…burn this city or any for that matter to the ground." He had reappeared behind several people with knives at their throats…and there were more than one of him…

As soon as they all appeared, they all disappeared again and the original Naruto reappeared next to Ellen, who was almost as white as her hair.

"But be as ease. As long as nobody tries that, I will stand down." Naruto turned to Ellen. "Sorry about the last bit. Had to bring a point across to some people here." With that he disappeared, only to reappear with Ludomira's spear.

"I knew an ice user before." Naruto said to her, holding out the spear. "He was a boy who had strong beliefs and lived by them to the end." Ludomira took the spear, eyes wide at his words. "You are currently having a debate about whether or not to do something that goes against your beliefs. Choose wisely." Naruto began turning around. "Your choice will have consequences that will be felt by hundreds, if not thousands, of people." Naruto disappeared again…returning to the spot on the ceiling.

For a while the entire hall was just silent. Then as one every non-militaristic person in the room began shouting protests at his behavior and demanded his imprisonment or even his death.

'And this is why I hate the god damn council…' Naruto thought.

The noise continued for a short while before a deep rumbling laughter echoed through the hall, effectively silencing everyone. They all turned to the king, who was the origin of the laughter.

"You all have seen his power, have heard his words, yet none of you see the warmth of his heart and soul." He said, much to the shock of everyone minus two others, the one wearing a white dress and standing before the king and the other being the object of his words.

"If he can move unseen and do even half the things Eleonora told us about, do you honestly believe that he will let himself be captured just like that?" the king continued. "Though I didn't agree with his little demonstration, it told me that he is a man who lets his actions speak for him." He turned to Ellen. "I accept his words to serve only you. Make sure he guards the people." He told her.

She kneeled. "Yes, your Majesty." She said, joy evident in her voice.

Afterwards, outside the Hall

"My, my, Ellen, you have made quite the catch this time." Ellen turned around to see a tall blond female wearing white and green clothing approach.

"Sofya! It has been a while!" she greeted her old(er) friend.

"It has been indeed." Sofya said. "So, where is that hunk of yours?" she asked.

Ellen smirked. "Right behind you." She said.

"You know, that one is getting ol…" Sofya jumped when she felt something touch the back of her neck.

Naruto stood behind her with a twig he had gotten from who knows where in his hands.

"Don't say I didn't tell you." Ellen said, giggling. "He has a habit of moving around unseen and undetected."

"So he is what?" Sofya asked, beginning to worry.

"Let's just say that he grew up in a way that required him to be able to move unseen and quickly…not due to training, but for reasons I will not disclose out of respect for him." Ellen explained. "He self-taught himself those skills."

Sofya sighed in relief. "Where are you from, young warrior?" she asked Naruto.

"Another world…" he said bluntly.

"Huh?" Sofya and two others said.

"Who is there?" Ellen said, going on the defensive.

"The sadist and the midget." Naruto said. "They have been following you since you left that oversized room."

"Oh, so the potato is here, eh?" Ellen smirked.

"How is it you were able to touch Lavias?" said 'potato' asked, stepping around from behind a column. The pseudo exhibitionist did the same, just from the other side.

"Simple. Most people see a sword or a spear as an object. This forms a mental barrier between them and said weapon. Every weapon has a soul, and your weapons take that a step further. They are sentient." Naruto said, shrugging. "I just treated the spear like a living being. As a swordsman, I can safely say that connecting with the weapon's soul will make it a lot less likely that it will fail you in battle."

"You never said you were a swordsman." Ellen said.

"That is because my sword was broken during my last great battle." Naruto closed his eyes. "The power I put behind the blade had been too little to be able to withstand the blow that broke her core."

"I could take you to a weapons dealer if you like." Sofya said, feeling sorry for the man.

"I doubt there is a weapons dealer in this world that can create a sword that suits me." Naruto said with a sad smile. "No. I need a certain type of iron ore and a special forge, as well as certain grinding stones." He turned to the purple haired female. "And I would very appreciate it if I didn't have eavesdroppers." He said. "The forging technique is far too complex for the blacksmiths in this world and one cannot be taught this method by conventional means."

"Very well…" Ellen said. "Sofya, why don't you come by soon? We can talk more then."

"Would love too." The blond female said.

Chapter 3, The Sword and the Bow

Two weeks later

Over the last 2 weeks Naruto had been working on forging a new sword. Ellen had at first tried giving him a normal forge, but Naruto immediately declined. He then went over to a nearby forest, some distance from the city, where he made several clones, much to Ellen's surprise, and had them start building the forge he needed. He then turned to Ellen.

"The type of Iron ore I need specifically is Iron sand of very high quality." He told her.

"Well, that is very easy to get here…There is tons of iron sand that our normal blacksmiths cannot use due to not being able to forge it very well." She said. 'Why does he specifically request Iron sand of all things?'

"Alright, I'll need approximately 5 large barrels of that sand." Naruto told her.

"That much just to make one sword?" she was flabbergast.

"Actually that should be enough to make the required steel for 6 swords, but I will also be making a chunk of crude, soft iron that I can send over to your blacksmiths." He said.

Ellens head was filled with possibilities at what he was saying. If what he said was true, then he could make a fortune by turning the useless Iron sand into forgeable iron. But the concept was too foreign for her to understand so she didn't bother really. She left to get the rest of the things he needed, which included 10 large barrels of charcoal…

Also, Tigre had begun spending time giving the archers extra lessons and seemed to always be able to walk in on Lim when she was currently washing of the sweat after a long training exercise. At first she was embarrassed by it but gradually started softening up and came to expect it.

Tigre on the other hand never stopped being embarrassed by the sight and always apologized and turned around, waiting for the blush to disappear before walking off. During these times he got to learn more about the real Lim, who held up a stoic appearance in public but was very caring in private. He also was beginning to feel himself drawn to her…

On the 3rd day after returning from the capital, Naruto fired up the Furnace for the first and last time, feeding it iron sand and charcoal over the next three days and nights. (1)

Ellen came by to check on him, only to find him and several of his clones working on feeding said furnace. On one end she saw a hole where slag ran out and she wondered just how hot the furnace must be.

By the end of the third night, Naruto checked the core. Finding the color to be suitable, Naruto then began dismantling the furnace, making a wonderful mess out of the walls and still burning charcoal.

Ellen was there, along with Lim, Tigre and several blacksmiths to witness the unveiling of the lump of ex iron sand. The blacksmiths were skeptical, thinking that the iron would have remained in its sandy form because it wasn't hammered together like pieces of glowing metal. To their absolute surprise though out of the bottom of the furnace Naruto pulled a large lump of still glowing metal. Placing it on bricks he had laid out beforehand, he allowed the lump to cool down.

"Uhm, Naruto-san…" one of the blacksmiths began, "We heard that you can only make 6 swords out of this…just how big are the swords?"

"About 4 feet…alsins each plus a foot long handle." Naruto said, studying the cooling mass of iron.

"Then what will happen to the rest?" another blacksmith asked.

"Break it up, send it over to you." Naruto shrugged before fetching a hammer. He had been subtly using wind jutsu to speed up the cooling process.

The audience watched as he broke of small chunks of iron and then studying them, discarding some and placing others in a neat pile to his side.

"In case you are wondering, the steel I need can only be found on the outside of this lump, but some pieces have too many impurities in them." Naruto explained. Eventually he had a reasonably sized pile of steel chunks at his side.

"You guys can break this lump up and take whatever pieces you want." Naruto told the Blacksmiths, putting the steel chunks in a bag and heading over to his hut to sleep…the last three days had mentally drained him.

The next day Naruto began forging his new sword. Unfortunately for Ellen and the blacksmiths, who had discovered that the iron chunks they had gotten from him made for very high quality iron, were barred from witnessing his forging techniques.

"It is a spiritual and sacred event, forging a sword like the one I am making." One of Naruto's clones apologized to them.

For the next 6 days and nights Naruto hammered the steel. As he was free from prying eyes, there was little to hold him back from using chakra, so the forging process went by pretty quickly. By the end of the 2nd day he had finished the actual forging and went on to polishing and sharpening the blade.

At the beginning of the 7th day he opened the doors of his smithy, to find Ellen standing there with the usual crowd and some new faces.

"I still need something else before the sword is complete." Naruto said, locking the door behind him and disappearing.

20 minutes later he returned with a bundle of hard wood. He disappeared back into the building. Three hours later he came out again, holding a sword the likes of which none of them had ever seen before.

The sword was bent slightly and the sheath and the handle were both black in color.

Other than that, it didn't look like anything special to the blacksmiths. Unique, but not special. Naruto just shrugged, before drawing the blade less than halfway, sending the blacksmiths searching for their eyes, which had popped out.

"That…" Lim and Tigre began, but stopped when Naruto held out a smaller knife.

"Tigre-san. I think a hunter like you needs a knife like this." Tigre took the knife from Naruto and drew it. He marveled at the fine quality, then went to test the sharpness of the blade.

"Uhm…I wouldn't do that if I…" Naruto's warning came too late as Tigre's finger touched the edge, cutting deeply into his thumb. "…were you." Naruto finished.

"Is your sword as sharp as that knife?" Lim asked.

"Pretty much, yeah." Naruto said, nodding. "It's why I didn't draw it completely from its sheath."

"If it is that sharp, then there is no way you could parry a blow from a normal sword." Ellen said.

"Wielding a Katana requires a different fighting style than what all of you are used to." Naruto said.

"It can't be that different to ours…" one of the soldiers who had drifted over to see what the commotion was about, said.

"The Style I use cannot be taught to the likes of you!" Naruto told him bluntly. "Or anyone else here…except maybe for Tigre."

"Oh? And why is that?" another soldier growled. Naruto had unknowingly hurt their pride.

"From what I have seen, the fighting style most of you use is based more on strength than anything else, correct?" Naruto asked. He got several nods in return. "The style I am using belonged to my long deceased clan. It is based on a core fighting style that get ingrained into muscular memory from the day we could walk, and from there each of us either developed their own style based on the core style, or learned one of three main styles. Each of those styles cannot be taught without having learned the core style." (2)

Naruto paused to take in a breath. "These three styles, whilst having the same core, are completely different from each other. The first relies heavily on rapid counterattacking. The second relies on agility, dodging the enemies attacks. The third one is based on defense and is meant to wear the opponent down, then strike when there is an opening."

"And which one do you use?" Ellen asked.

"I have my own style." Naruto said. He decided not to tell them about his other style…which involved overrunning the enemy with large numbers…

"Care for a demonstration?" the soldier asked.

"A battle would be nice to refresh my skills." Naruto shrugged, making the spectators sweat drop.

"Why a battle?" they asked.

"Because my style can only be used at its fullest when used without restriction." Naruto said bluntly.

"Without restriction?" they asked. Even Ellen asked.

"My style is called the 'Blood spiral style' for a reason, you know." Naruto told them. Slowly the blood drained from their faces as the meaning of Naruto's words seeped into their minds.

"Didn't you say you preferred not to kill people?" Lim asked.

"I did, but in Battle, it is a case of Kill or be Killed, as you and Ellen, being former mercenaries, should know all too well." Naruto told her. This shocked Ellen and Lim. Tigre had already been told by Lim and thought that it was common knowledge.

"H-how do you know that? I don't remember telling you any of it…" Ellen said.

"It is being practically shouted in your body language." Naruto told them. "You never walk around without a weapon of some kind at your side, the daggers hidden in your boots not included. Also, from the times I have seen you sparring, I could tell that your fighting styles are based on different ratio of the strength-agility-stamina triangle." Naruto explained. "That led me to conclude that you are either from another country, which seems unlikely due to you being ranked immediately below the king, or you your style has been taught by someone who is frequently in battle and has seen hundreds of styles in his/her life. Lastly, you never said that you hesitated to take lives, nor did you say that you don't prefer to NOT take them. That is one part of the basic mentality that is universal to mercs everywhere. Should I continue?" Naruto asked.

"No thanks…you know, you are smarter than you let on." Ellen said. Naruto shrugged.

"That was just common observation…" he was interrupted by the sound of several people falling to the floor… he turned to see everyone having face planted on the floor.

"What is wrong?" Naruto asked.

'I-if THAT was common observation…' Lim thought.

'…then he is either a genius with an idiot streak or a complete idiot with a genius streak.' Ellen finished the thought.

Timeskip, evening

Tigre was lying in his bed, thinking about the events that happened today.

First, in the morning, he once again walked in on Lim washing herself. Then he joined her and Ellen and the crowd of blacksmiths to go and visit Naruto, as he was almost done with his sword, only to find him leaving for a while to get wood.

But what held his mind for the longest was what happened afterwards.

"Common observation…" he muttered to himself. Now that he thought about it, Naruto was correct on everything he said. Ellen and Lim were definitely different to the average soldier here.

'And Lim sure has a nice…' He shook his head to clear his mind of whatever he was about to think. A sudden knock on his door certainly helped.

He opened the door to find Rurick.

"We have captured an old man with a Brunish accent." Rurick told him. "He was specifically asking for you."

Tigre blinked a few times, wondering who would come asking for him now of all times.

Shortly afterwards

Rurick and Tigre walked onto the archery range, where some of Rurick's men stood around a cloaked figure.

Despite the hood covering the man's face, Tigre immediately recognized him.

"Bertrand!" he called out.

"Young Master!" Bertrand said, tears in his eyes. "Thank goodness you are alright."

"Thank goodness YOU are alright!" Tigre told him.

"So you DO know him after all." Rurick said.

"Thanks, everyone! Bertrand has been my attendant for ages!" Tigre told everyone there.

"Young Master, there is no time for this." Bertrand said, drawing everyone's attention. "Duke Thenardier's force is marching towards Alsace!" Tigre's face went from confused to stunned… "They number at least 3,000!" …then to shocked.

"They're WHAT?!" Tigre shouted.

Very short time later

"Please come back, Sir Tigrevurmud!" Rurick called out. Tigre was currently walking towards the main gate, determined to go and save his home.

When he was in sight of the gate, he stopped.

Blocking his path was none other than Ellen, and out on the corner of his eyes he could see Lim standing in the shadows of the gatehouse. He could see no sign of Naruto, but his Hunter instincts told him that he was somewhere nearby.

"Where are you planning on going this late at night?" Ellen asked.

"Please let me pass." Tigre told her.

"That's a very pretty lady…is she really a War Maiden?" Bertrand asked.

"Yes, she is…and everyone here agrees with your first statement." Rurick told him. "Our mistress, Wind Princess of the Silver Flash, also known as the Danseuse of the Sword, Lady Eleonora Viltaria."

"Please let me pass. I must return to Alsace!" Tigre said.

"Have you forgotten where you stand?" Ellen asked.

"Thenardier is sending troops to Alsace!" Tigre said. "It will be too late to act once the town is in flames! So please, let me go!" The tension in the air began rising. "Once I have finished, I will return. I swear!"

"And what are you going to do once you get to Alsace?" Ellen asked.

"What am I…? Defend the fiefdom, of course!" Tigre answered.

"And how are you going to do that?" Ellen asked.

Naruto, who was sitting on the gatehouse, snickered…Ellen was practically grilling him.

"How…?" Tigre asked.

"I know of you skill with a bow. But what can you do all alone?" she asked. "You may have skill and resolve, but alone against an enemy of 3,000? It's a fool's errand." she looked at him. "Don't be shocked. I have pretty sensitive hearing and I heard Mr. Bertrand talk to you."

"I know that!" Tigre told her, raising his voice.

"You know that, and you're still going?" She asked.

"But I have to…I have to go and at least do something, don't I?" he said.

"What can a haphazard, unthinking person like yourself possibly do?!" Ellen called out, drawing her sword. To Tigre's shock, the cross-guard transformed.

"I told you, the penalty for running away is death." She continued. "If you wish to die that badly, you may as well meet your end here. Dying in Leitmeritz would be no different than dying in Alsace."

"Then you won't let me go, no matter what?" Tigre asked.

"Do you understand what it is that is bothering me?" Ellen asked. Tigre looked at her questioningly. "Why don't you use your wits? After trying to turn things to your advantage, however little, under the circumstances at Dinant, why are you now about to act on your emotions, without thinking, when there's nothing you can do?"

"I don't know what to tell you…" Tigre began, before noticing something. 'Why doesn't she just strike me down? She could easily order Rurick and the others to seize me, too.'

'Seems like he is finally noticing it.' Naruto and Lim thought…to the latter's surprise.

'Is she…trying to provide me with a chance?' Tigre thought. "I have a favor to ask."

"Hmm?" Ellen looked at him.

"Please lend me your troops." Tigre said out loudly. Rurick and the others looked like all hell was about to break loose. Lim had the wide-eyes-open-mouth level of surprise…as did Ellen for a moment.

Naruto…well…he congratulated the archer for being unexpected, yet also smart.

After a moment of stunned silence, Ellen began chuckling, then went into full blown laughter.

"Oh wow…that was so audacious, it was actually refreshing…I haven't laughed that hard in years." Ellen said.

Tigre felt his hair begin to be swayed back and forth by a breeze.

"You want me to lend you them?" Ellen asked. "Very well. But not for free, of course."

"How much?" Tigre asked.

"All of Alsace." She answered.

"If you will guarantee a fair government, and a safe way of life for the residents…" Tigre began.

"No hesitation, huh?" Lim asked herself. "Maybe I should try that with him…"

As she walked away, Ellen called out for a small army to assemble, and the cry soon woke up every single person in the city…many residents growled because they were awoken from a peaceful sleep…

With Naruto

'So…that sword can control the winds…' the shinobi thought, feeling the breeze ruffling his hair.

Thanks to the shadows he was sitting in, nobody saw that his eyes were no longer blue, but gold, with black horizontal pupils. Surrounding his eyes were orange markings.

He SAW the sword emitting a strange energy that manipulated the air current around it in a large area

Timeskip, an hour later

The ground shook as 1,000 horses galloped across the countryside, followed closely by another 2,000 unoccupied horses and more slowly, by roughly 3,000 foot soldiers and the baggage train.

Oh…and there was one person keeping up with the front of the riders…and he was on foot.

"You really don't like riding, do you?" Ellen asked.

"No way…the last time you put me on a horse, it nearly killed me." Naruto told her. Those who heard him chuckled. It was common knowledge by now that Naruto couldn't ride to save his life.

"They are almost like a married couple, aren't they?" Tigre asked Lim.

"I wouldn't know…never been married before." The blonde shrugged.

"Good point." Tigre said. Bertrand, riding behind them, and Rurick shook their heads.

'You and Lim are like a married couple…' they both thought.

Ellen then thought back to the aftermath of her discussion.

Flashback

"I was surprised. I didn't expect him to ask you to lend him your troops." Lim said. Naruto, who was standing on the other side of the spear head shaped dais, said nothing.

"He betrayed all of our expectations, huh?" Ellen said.

"If by 'our' you mean you and Lim's…" Naruto said. "I was expecting him to do the unexpected."

"Well, you yourself are that which is least expected from anyone, Naruto." Ellen said, before addressing Lim."You said Tigre would challenge me to an archery contest."

"And you thought he would ask you to make him one of his subordinates." Lim said. "Considering that you couldn't lead him to the answer you desired, you and me ended up losing this wager, Lady Eleonora."

"At least be glad that you don't have to pay up to anyone." Naruto muttered, too low for the others to hear him…that or they didn't show that they heard.

"It's not a bet if both of us lose, right?" Ellen asked.

A knock came from the door.

"He is here…" Lim began with great enthusiasm…before burning up in embarrassment when she realized what she did.

"Oh…Lim has an eye out for someone…" Ellen teased as she called for Tigre to come in.

"You're going into battle dressed like that?" Ellen asked after Tigre closed the door. "You are, ostensibly, the commander of an army."

"Well, this is all I have." He answered. Behind him Naruto was whispering in Lim's ear.

"What are we going to do about you?" she said after he finished whispering, stepping forward and handing Tigre her helmet. "There's no time now; you'll have to go like this." To Tigre's great displeasure, she began flattening his hair, enjoying every single second of it. "However, we can at least comb your hair, to make it a litte neater." She decided to thank Naruto for the advice later.

Before he could answer, Ellen joined in, smiling as she straightened Tigre's hair as well.

Naruto had to hold back his laughter at the sight.

Soon Tigre stood before both Lim and Ellen, hair nice and tidy…well mostely…a clump slipped back into its old position.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Ellen asked, seeing his eyes constantly switching between Ellen and Lim. "Are you perhaps stuck with admiration?" she asked.

"He's probably wondering why Lim doesn't wear a combat outfit like yours." Naruto said, leaning against the wall, eyes closed and hands behind his head.

Tigre's blush was the same color as his hair. Naruto had struck a bull's eye there.

"If she wishes, I could create a set of armor based on Ellen's that will have the same armor rating as light plate mail but will weigh a lot less." Naruto spoke up."Unfortunately, the individual parts will not be very flexible, so I won't make one for you Tigre. Someone who was raised as a Hunter needs all the flexibility he can get." Naruto added.

"And you are telling us about this now?" Ellen asked. She had been trying to get Lim to wear something a bit more revealing…actually A LOT more revealing than her plate armor that covered everything.

"I may take you up on that offer." Lim said, blushing slightly.

"That would definitely make him say, how pretty." Naruto teased.

Tigre didn't argue the point as his hair decided it had had enough about being neat and went back to its messy style.

Flashback end

Ellen smiled at the memory.

"The enemy numbers 3,000! We are 1,000! Do you think we can win?!" she shouted over her shoulder at Tigre.

"They don't know the lay of the land!" Tigre shouted back. "I doubt anyone from the House of Thenardier has visited Alsace in some time! I know most if not all of Alsace's countryside!"

"So we have the advantage of the terrain." Ellen said.

'Not much of an advantage…' Naruto thought. Theories and beliefs such as 'Home ground advantage' and 'Terrain Advantage' and 'a bend in a river makes for an excellent defense' meant little in the shinobi world. The first and second was shattered if an invading force knew how to fight in the terrain and the third was shattered by the basic ability of shinobi to walk on water.

"All right, let's win this!" Ellen shouted out. Loud cries of agreement greeted her.

'At least they have stong resolve and moral.' Naruto thought, unconsciously speeding up his sprint.

"How can someone on foot move that fast?" one of the knights shout-asked.

"At least he is on our side…if he moves that fast, he can definitely prove to be an asset against the enemy." Tigre shouted back. His words helped improve the moral even more.

The next morning, near Alsace

Several farmers paused their work as they looked at the passing army…or more precisely, the two dragons that walked at the head of the army.

Even though they have never seen dragons before, they knew that something big was about to happen.

Everyone knew that a great battle was about to happen.

What nobody knew was that said battle would light the fuse to the powder keg between two of the most powerful people in the Kingdom…

(1): I am talking about a Tatara, an ancient Japanese smelting furnace…

(2): Since Naruto in Canon isn't a swordsman, I am giving him a good reason not to teach others his style…

And done! Writing two stories at once can be a bit mentally taxing, having to make sure that the two stories do not relate in any way.

Message to you readers from the Author

Hi all. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me with something. I initially had planned on making Ellen make several attempts to make Naruto notice her attraction to him, spread out over the next several chapters. Unlike my first two stories where the romance began close to the beginning, I am planning on making Naruto and Ellen begin their romance more at the middle.

I would like you all to help me with this by sending me scenarios where Ellen tries to make Naruto notice her feelings and Naruto either doesn't get the message or something happens that makes Ellen's effort futile. Please Note that this is NOT a must, just a request for help.

Please Note 2: Sending Naruto's reaction is not required.

I'll make an exception to my rule of 'No Guests allowed to review/PM' for this, as long as the reviews from those who fall under that category are responses to this message.

My Ideas so far:

-In Alsace, the evening before the Battle on the plains; Ellen tries to seduce Naruto with her assets.

-Shortly after the battle Ellen pulls Naruto into her breasts.

-Ellen tries sneaking into Naruto's room, only to be caught in traps.

-Ellen tries using a love potion.

This is everything I have so far. Please help me come up with 4 others.

Yet another Please Note: I will not accept ideas that involve Ellen writing 'I LOVE YOU' on a board and slapping Naruto in the face with it.