A/N: Sorry for the wait my faithful readers. Lately though, I have been on a Kingdom Hearts binge after borrowing the PS4 collection from my brother-in-law and have kinda gotten into it. I hope you enjoy this little fic. Suggestions and constructive criticism welcome. To all flamers and abusers of the Guest review: Zero fuqs given.

Chapter one: Prologue. (Part One.)

"King Mickey, Queen Minnie, I bear grave news." Spoke the form of Ansem the Wise, a disheartened look on his face as he looked away from the two rulers of Disney Castle, unable to look them in the eyes due to the news he was about to give them.

"Speak plainly Ansem. Please. We need to know what is happening to the realms." Mickey requested in an urgent manner, aware that strange happenings had been occuring throughout the realms. And if Ansem knew what was happening then maybe they could repair the damage before it was too late.

"Very well. To be put in the bluntest terms, the Barrier seperating the realms is disappearing. Soon... it will cease to exist entirely and the worlds shall all converge upon one another." Ansem explained briefly, stroking his beard slightly.

Both Mickey and Minnie gasped in shock and looked to one another. The former then crossed his arms and spoke in as calm a tone as he could muster "I see. That is terrible indeed. Are the Heartless responsible for this? And what would happen when the Barrier vanishes?"

Ansem the Wise crossed his arms behind his back, almost hesitant to share the news with them, but they had to know all the same. "Possible, but extremely unlikely. I firmly believe that the Heartless have nothing to do with this. And what would happen, you ask? If, and when the Barrier is extinguished, the world's would soon come together and then violently collide. The loss of life... would be nothing short of catastrophic." He explained earning looks of pure horror from the two Monarchs.

"Can anything be done to prevent this? There must be something we can do." Minnie asked almost pleadingly, looking for any possibility of hope.

"The Barrier itself is beyond the scope of repair. And attempting to tamper with it to fix it may accelerate its degeneration. There is, however, one solution. I propose that we leave way for one world to become the main existence within Creation, and all the rest shall be sealed away into books. Much akin, to Winnie the Pooh's Hundred Acre wood. Thus all the realms would be kept safe." Ansem spoke in a calm manner, earning nods of approval from his hosts.

Such an undertaking would be difficult but if it meant protecting all the Worlds from danger, then it would be worth it. "I see. I agree wholeheartedly with this plan. I shall summon the best magic users in the realms to aid us. But then... if the Worlds are all sealed away, who will guard them from the Outside world? And which world will the books be kept in?" Mickey asked as he began pacing about in thought, many questions and uncertainties filling his mind.

"I have selected one candidate already. A realm predominated by humans, and is filled with Ninjas. It is referred to as the Elemental Nations. Remarkably, there are no signs of any Heartless ever appearing there for reasons unknown and it is one of the few realms unaware of the collapsing Barrier. As for our guardian, I have already made some arrangements." Ansem replied and gestured towards a figure that was standing quietly in a corner, watching the proceedings between the monarchs.

"Keyblade master Aqua. At your service." She spoke giving a small boy. Mickey then slapped himself on the side of the head, who would be better to guard the Realms than a keyblade master?

"Excellent! It seems we're mostly set and ready. We must get underway immediately to prevent the coming cataclysm!" Mickey shouted gleefully then immediately left to write the necessary letters and send word to various magic users about the situation. For the safety of the Realms, they must not fail.

Five years later.

The plan had worked, it was a complete success. And all the realms remained blissfully unaware as they all continued their seperate yet connected existences within their respective story books. Meanwhile, in the Shinobi realm, Aqua lived a quiet life of semi-retirement working as a librarian. What better place to hide a number of world containing books than a library after all? Plus she had them tucked away into a hidden area of the library only she was aware of.

It was soon getting difficult to remember the last time she needed to bring out her Keyblade since there was no Heartless in this world. She soon came to enjoy the quiet and found herself utterly at peace. So long as the books remained undisturbed then there was no reason for her to do anything. She occasionally checked in every now and again to ensure nothing was amiss, but so far... all was really and truly peaceful.

"So, when do you get off? I'd be happy to treat you to dinner." Spoke a masculine voice that was attempting to be charming, it was just the opposite since it made her feel quite ill. That was perhaps the only thing wrong with being a quiet and reserved librarian. Men constantly hit on her, almost every day. And this guy? Some teacher named Iruka was perhaps the most persistant of them all.

"No thanks. I prefer much younger guys." She replied in a disinterested tone as she pretended to read a book, hoping that acting the part of what's called a 'Shotacon' would turn off any males that would try and flirt with her. And in most cases, it did.

"I'm not that old Aqua-san." He retorted, his smile not faltering as he attempted to smooth talk her, complimenting her on her shimmering blue hair. This only annoyed the Keyblade master further as he kept on trying to butter her up.

Finally she snapped her book shut and turned to him, adjusting a pair of reading glasses as she spoke "Enough. I am sick and tired of your advances. Let me put this in a way that your undeveloped brain can understand: I do not want to date you. I am not interested in dating you. And I think you are a selfish, annoying, and much too clingy man with no respect for my personal space or my feelings. Now, go away, and don't ever come back here if you're just going to flirt with me." She ranted in an irritated tone, then she began making a shooing motion as she opened up her book and resumed reading from it.

With a disappointed and angered growl, Iruka left the library much to her relief. Time passed on as the frequent visitors and Academy students came and went since Aqua's library was amongst the most popular ones in Konoha due to it's size, selection of books, and convenient distance between a number of homes and the Academy itself. Although this also attracted the loathsome sorts like Iruka when they learned that a young, beautiful and single woman was in charge of the whole thing. Still, it had it's upsides to say the least and overly flirtatious men were one of the few if only issues she had in daily life.

Soon, it grew darker outside and the last of the visitors left the library, prompting Aqua to flip the door sign to 'closed' and lock the doors for the night. She then went over to her desk and switched off most of the lights, save for the dimmed backup lights so she could navigate the rows of shelves and books as she made her way towards her office/bedroom on the second floor.

Turning the key into the lock, she opened the door then locked it back behind her as she lazily flopped onto the couch. Feeling a little exhausted after that outburst against that Iruka guy, hoping that maybe he will have gotten the message and will leave her alone now. Her belly rumbled slightly in hunger, prompting her to begin preparing some dinner for the evening. Maybe something quick and easy since she wasn't interested in anything time-consuming. Unknown to her... she forgot something in the library.

Meanwhile.

"Holy crap... how long did I sleep for?" Asked the form of one Naruto Uzumaki as he had just recently woken up from a nap that was apparently much too long. The last thing that he remembered was reading up on some history of Konoha, for an upcoming test, but as he flipped through the pages he couldn't help but hear Iruka's boring ass lecture voice playing inside his head, reciting the words he was reading and thus put him to sleep. It was weird to say the least.

Guess that's what happens if you fail the Academy two years in a row, and are forced to listen to the same lectures day after day. With a sigh, he got up from his seat and headed for the front doors to leave. Only to find them already locked up. "What the hell? I slept past closing time? Wait... so I am stuck inside of here until morning?" He asked himself, unaware that the owner herself in fact lived inside of the building.

Grumbling slightly, he gave a light kick to the door in frustration and marched back to his previous napping spot. Only to find something off... the books he was reading before were all missing now except for one. Where had the others gone? His jaw then dropped when he saw a small girl about a foot in height fly over to the table and pick up the book, giggling to herself as she flew off with it. "Just gotta put this last one back and the day will be... uh oh." She spoke at the end in worry as she saw the blonde staring at her open mouthed.

"Holy sheeeeyiiiit. Are you a fairy?" The blonde muttered as he pointed at her with a shaky finger. The tiny girl then dropped the book and flew away, screaming that she shouldn't have been seen. Without even thinking, he chased after her. He chased her up and down the stacks, weaving and turning left and right to keep up with her. Surpised that she was so quick but he often outran Chunin after a pranking spree so this was nothing for him.

"Come on! Come on! Open! Open!" the fairy yelled as she pushed on a asection of the wall which was actually a hidden pressure plate which then opened revealing a passageway and a flight of stairs.

"No Rikku! Don't lead him down there!" Shouted another fairy prompting the blonde to look up at the top of the stacks to find two other fairies looking down on the scene in horror. This made Naruto wonder what was down there in the first place, something they didn't want him to see obviously. Perhaps an entire Fairy kingdom hidden underground? Whatever it was, his own curiosity got the better of him and he began running down the stairs without any thought to his actions other than to see their big secret. The passageway closing behind him.

"This is bad. Very very bad. Somebody get Master Aqua now!" Yelled the second fairy as she began to panic and flew off towards the Keyblade user's private quarters to warn her of the vault's discovery.

Meanwhile, as Naruto descended by the torch-lit tunnel he at last found himself in a room with a series of books, all sitting on ornate pedastals. He raised an eyebrow and wondered why these particular books were seperated from all the others and hidden down here. And why did those fairy's not want him to see them? Was there something special about them?

He skimmed over the titles and found some recognizable titles. Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Alice in Wonderland, to name a few. It seemed a number of these were classic fairy tales, though what made them special was still a mystery to him. He touched one titled 'Lion King' and opened it to see it's contents... but then he saw a flash of light and vanished out of existence, and then the book shut itself.

After a few moments, Aqua appeared, glancing frantically about for the young intruder. Her eyes widening when she realized that he must have opened one of the books and entered into a Realm. But which one!? Seeing no choice, she would need to search the Realms one by one until she found them.

"I am soooooo sorry Master Aqua, I... I made a huge mistake. I led him here too... I am a horrible assistant." The fairy called Rikku cried as she hanged her head in shame, tears falling down her face since she felt she had failed her friend and master.

"Don't worry. We can fix this. I just need to find the boy, make him drink a memory loss potion and our problems will be solved. It's not too late. But we'll be having a discussion about this later." Aqua spoke as she gently patted the Gullwing's head. The Bluenette's librarian attire vanished and was replaced by her armor.

With a deep sigh, Aqua selected 'Cinderella' as her first Realm to search for the boy. Hopefully he didn't end up anywhere truly dangerous. It'd be bad if he went to Wonderland and ticked off the easily offended Queen of Hearts and thus lost his head, for example.

Elsewhere, in the Pride Lands.

"Oh shit." Were the only words that escaped the Jinchuuriki's mouth. Now finding himself amidst a herd of Elephants, peacefully eating and ignoring his presence as he slowly inched away, not wanting to startle them for fear of being trampled to death by the giant animals. An angry elephant was one animal you wouldn't want to contend with after all. But thankfully it seemed like they didn't have any interest in him.

Once he was in the clear, he let out a sigh of relief as he took in his surroundings, he saw lush green plains and grazing herds all across the lands which made him smile at how peaceful everything looked. It was actually quite beautiful and breathtaking to say the least. And this was supposed to be a world inside of a book? If this one was like this, then what other wonders did the other books contain?

"This is... neat." The blonde muttered as he smiled, unsure whether to be in shock or ecstatic at this discovery, despite the fact his mind was running a mile a minute at this point. His ears twitched slightly as he heard something move behind him, his hand cautiously reaching down to his Kunai holster... then a yellow blur appeared out of the corner of his eye. Using his free hand, the blonde snatched the blur from the air and pinned it to the ground... only to find a lion cub?

"Okay! Uncle! Uncle! You win!" The cub yelped in a female voice as she squirmed under his grip. His eyes widened as he released her and he made some sputtering sounds, realizing that the cub had just spoken. It then clicked into his mind that perhaps she was some kind of a summons, so then it wouldn't be that strange if she could talk.

Clearing his throat he smiled sheepishly and spoke "Sorry about that. You kind of surprised me there. You shouldn't sneak up on a ninja."

The tan colored cub got up on her feet and groomed herself a little, replying back with an adorable smile "It's okay. I guess I kinda deserve that for pouncing on ya. And... what is a ninja?" she asked at the end, tilting her head in curiosity.

"What's a Ninja? Well... it's a kind of warrior I guess." The blonde replied, trying to put it in the most basic of terms for the lioness to understand.

"Really? That sounds so cool! My name is Nala! What are you supposed to be anyway? I thought you were some kind of weird hairless monkey." She asked him innocently, circling around his legs and sniffing at him a bit.

"Wha? No, I'm a human." he replied, and quickly realized that perhaps if she was asking, then humans never came into the territory of her Pride.

"Human? Huuuuuman. Never heard of those before! Wow! I must have found the only Human in the Pride lands! My friend Simba is gonna be soooooo jealous." She exclaimed proudly and started bouncing around on her paws with glee.

"Pride lands huh? This your turf or something? To be honest... I think I'm a little lost. I opened up a book and... well... ended up here I guess." He tried to explain. Come to think of it... how was he supposed to get back home now if he was stuck inside a book?

"Yep! Our king Mufasa rules over these lands! If anyone can help you get back home, I'm sure he can lend you a paw! And... what's a 'book'? Is that some kind of cave or a den?" She asked as she tilted her head again, causing the whiskered teen to mentally slap himself since there were a lot of human terms, names, and objects that would be alien to her and the other lions.

"How do I explain? Well, a book is a type of object that we humans use to tell stories." He explained as best he could making Nala's eyes widen in amazement. She then giggled and rubbed against his legs like a common house cat.

"That sounds cool too. You have got to tell me more about humans! Oh! We can talk more on the way to Pride Rock! I can't wait to show everyone my new human friend." she spoke with a toothy grin showing off her fangs. Naruto returned the smile and then scooped Nala up and put him square on his shoulders, with the upper half of his body resting atop his head.

"There. Now I can give you a ride. Which way's your home?" He asked, smiling as the cub giggled gleefully at being so high up now.

"Not far. See that big rock formation over there? That's Pride rock. Can't miss it." She replied and pointed it out to him. If there was anywhere for a lion Pride and their king to make a home, that would definitely be it. Naruto then marched forward and began to whistle a merry tune. All the while Nala started asking him random questions about humans, to which he answered as best he could or simply say he didn't know if he had no answer to give. Nevertheless, it felt good... to make a new friend. Even if it was a spunky lioness cub.

After some walking, Naruto soon came to realize exactly how large Pride rock actually was, and wondered if it may have been formed somehow during an earthquake if it stood the way it did. But he didn't really bother asking his new friend since she was so full of questions and he actually enjoyed trying to answer them. At last, he was greeted by some Lionesses who were all whispering amongst themselves about the new arrival.

"Nala, not even into adulthood and already bringing food for the Pride?" Asked a lioness whom Naruto assumed was Nala's mother, he chuckled since it was obvious that she was just teasing him and her tone held no threat or malice to it. Deciding now was a good time to put Nala on the ground, he placed her gently in front of the lioness, the cub seemingly disappointed that she couldn't ride on him anymore.

"He's not food mom! He's my new friend! And he's what's called a 'Human' he's actually super nice and let me ride on him on the way back." She spoke happily as she introduced him then pulled on her mother's leg a bit to try and bring her closer to the Ninja in training.

"My name's Naruto. Nice to meet you ma'am." He greeted politely and gave a friendly wave, the lionesses all giggling and whispering things like 'he's so cute' and 'what a sweetheart' and other such phrases.

"Sarafina, nice to meet you too. What brings you to the Pride lands? We have never had a... Human before." She asked him, sniffing curiously at his clothes since he was covered in strange foreign smells that she had never experienced. He must have come from a truly interesting place.

"Well, that's the thing. I think I'm a little on the lost side right now, and I have no idea how to get home. Nala here, mentioned that maybe your king could help me out?" The blonded asked almost pleadingly earning some sympathetic 'awws' from the lionesses.

Before Sarafina could reply, a deep masculine voice beat her to the punch by speaking "I can certainly try." from above inside the Lion's den, came a massive lion with a deep crimson mane, and at his sides was another lioness that was likely his mate. And a second lion with a mane as black as night, and a scar across his eye. The second male lion's scowl gave Naruto a sense of unease.

"Mufasa. At your service." The king politely introduced himself and gave the boy a nod of respect.

"Naruto, at yours. I am sorry if I'm intruding on your turf. I've had... kind of a weird day." The whiskered teen replied with a small sigh.

"I'm sure. Regardless, I welcome you to Pride rock as my personal guest. Please, make yourself at home. At least until you find a way home." The king offered with a small smile, immediately sensing a pure heart and spirit emanating from the lad.

"Now just a moment, are we really allowing a stranger to stay amongst us? We know nothing about him or his kind. He could be a threat to us." Spoke the black maned Lion, his voice alone making the Ninja in training feel like every word the scarred lion spoke was coated in venom. Much like a scheming politician with pink hair that he knew.

Mufasa let out a brief 'hmm' then asked Naruto directly "Are you a danger to us?" To which the boy replied point-blank while looking the king directly in the eyes with a curt 'No'. Nodding in satisfaction, the king replied to his brother "There you have it. I doubt he came all this way with young Nala just to cause us harm. And if he did... then there are plenty of Lionesses to keep an eye on him." The king half-joked and half-warned at the end, earning only a nod of understanding from the boy.

The blonde then felt something tugging on the sleeve of his jumpsuit and saw it was the lioness accompanying the king. "Come along now. Let's join the others. You must be tired." She spoke in a kind of motherly tone, so he chose to follow her without protest. She guided him towards a cool and shady spot to the side of Pride rock where other lionesses were lounging about and... cat-napping.

"My name is Sarabi. Mufasa's mate and Queen." She introduced herself and sat down, with the grace and poise befitting of a queen.

"Good to meet you too. Who was that other lion with the black mane? Has he always had a stick up his ass or something?" The blonde asked, temporarily forgetting his manners. His question earning several snorts and giggles from the other Pride members that heard him, even Sarabi had to stifle some laughter but still managed to keep her composure.

"He is Scar. The king's brother. Pay him no mind, he is always like that. I recommend that you give him a wide berth though. He isn't the most welcoming member of the Pride." She warned him, making the boy nod. Then with a smile, he reached over and started to scratch the queen behind her ears, admiring the softness of her fur and believed that she must groom herself daily. Sarabi's eyes widened at the alien feeling, and a deep rumbling purr came from her throat.

"Mmm. What is this? Is this how you humans show affection?" She asked him as she relaxed at his touch, it was a strange feeling but definitely a pleasant one as she felt his fingers rub into her fur and flesh.

"It's called petting. And... yeah. I guess it is. You want me to stop?" He asked her, hoping that he hadn't offended the queen.

"No. Keep going. Would you mind doing that a little lower please?" She asked him, and he happily obliged... then he quickly found himself surrounded by other curious lionesses. All wanting to experience the 'petting' by his hands. He then looked up and saw that Mufasa was watching from a short distance away, smiling and almost laughing at the scene.

"Umm? King Mufasa? A little help? I think I just bit off more than I can chew." Naruto almost pleaded as the Pride members drew closer to him and started to nuzzle him from all sides, almost demanding his attention.

"Hahaha! You're on your own now!" The king called out in amusement and then let out a full blown laugh when the boy was 'lion-piled' by the Pride members. This was definitely going to be amusing to say the least. But then he scowled as he wondered where his cub Simba was. And his brother Scar seemed to have gone off to spirits knows where, likely berating his mate again. It might be worth checking in to see if his son had gotten into any undue mischief. Still, after that encounter with the Hyenas the cub should now know better than to wander where he shouldn't. He was likely playing somehere nearby and the king would see him on his usual rounds.

Later.

"What'cha doing there?" Asked Nala as she found Naruto in a secluded spot behind Pride rock, the whiskered teen sitting in front of a fire he had built and was using it to roast some meat from the lionesses most recent kill. The huntresses showing their hospitality by giving him a share as the king's guest.

"Cooking this here meat. Humans like me need to cook our food like this, otherwise we might get sick." He explained briefly. Chuckling as the cub pushed a stick into the fire and watched it burn in the flames.

"Really? So you use fire to do that? How'd you even make this anyway?" She asked him, still filled with an almost limitless supply of questions for him. In response he held out a pair of flint stones he kept on his person in case he needed them.

"These. I strike them together to make sparks which helps me get a fire going. Where's Mufasa anyway? Seemed like he went off somewhere." he asked her, hoping that the king would soon help him find a way back home.

"Well, he is the King. He's got to make sure the Pride lands are protected, that there is no over-hunting, and other such things. He'll be back before you know it. But... now that I think on it, I haven't seen my pal Simba either. He would have definitely loved to meet you. I'm starting to get a bit worried." She admitted, her ears falling flat as she worried about her best friend.

"Mufasa might be looking for him out there. Hey, want some of this?" He offered her a piece of cooked meat to help lighten her mood. She immediately perked up and accepted, snatching the meat from his fingers and munching on it.

"It tastes a bit weird like this and it's kinda hot. But it doesn't taste bad." She spoke after she swallowed it down, earning a quick scratch behind the ears making her purr in content.

"That's okay. You aren't used to cooked meat. If you want, we can go on a hike to try and find your buddy Simba and make sure everything is okay." He offered since he could tell that Simba's disappearance was bothering her, plus he could get to know the landscape better this way. Two birds with one stone and all that.

"Thanks. I'll go let my mom know that we're heading out." the cub replied in a grateful voice before scampering off to do just that, leaving her human friend to enjoy the rest of his meal. After a few minutes of waiting and eating, the blonde heard sounds of arguing. Turning towards the direction of the noise, he saw Scar and a lioness he didn't recognize yelling at one another for some reason. Then out of nowhere, the black maned lion swiped her across the face with her with his paw then padded off somewhere.

Growing concerned, the blonde got up and approached the lioness who was nursing her injured cheek, fortunately there wasn't any blood that had been drawn, meaning Scar hadn't used his claws. "Excuse me ma'am. You okay there?" he asked her in a gentle tone, but inwardly he was angry at Scar for treating a lady so poorly.

In response, she growled at him and glared as she spoke in an angry tone "What's it to you human? You shouldn't have been eavesdropping! Now go away!" she half roared at him, flashing her sharp teeth.

The blonde calmly took a step back to give her some space, but knew that she wasn't actually angry at him per se. "I didn't really hear anything. I just saw him hit you. So I came over to see if you needed a little help or something." He replied in as calm a tone as possible to help cool off her rising temper.

At his words she seemed taken aback that he was being nice to her, like the term 'kindness' was a foreign concept to her. "Why? Don't you have enough females swooning over you already? What do you want from me?" she demanded, obviously mistrustful of strangers.

"Nothing really. What? You think I'm some guy that wants something just for being nice? I'm not that shallow." He responded and crossed his arms, a warm smile crossing his lips. He then slowly approached her in spite of her growling. Kneeling down, he took her paw in his hands and lowered it down, then gently rubbed her stinging cheek making her flinch slightly.

"Looks like he got you pretty good. If you don't mind, what the heck was all that about anyway?" he asked her, hoping to better understand why the black maned lion decided to hit her.

"Personal business. Not for you to know." She responded coldly, refusing to answer him. Although the blonde saw one of her paws reach toward her belly for a moment. But he chose to change the subject instead.

"I don't think I've met you just yet. What's your name?" He asked her, then started scratching her behind the ears. A tactic that seemed to almost immediately win over every single lioness he had encountered thus far. At first she tensed up, but she slowly relaxed and turned her head to the side. It was as if she were trying to keep him from seeing her face, which showed her enjoyment.

"...Zira. Call me Zira." She responded begrudgingly, and then pulled away from him with an almost sorrowful expression on her face as she continued to speak "You seem like a nice boy... but you should stay away from me. I'm toxic to others." With that cryptic phrase, she then left Naruto behind and walked off someplace else, making him wonder what she meant by that. Sighing, the whiskered teen shook his head and decided that he should find Nala so their search could be underway.

A while later.

"Hey Nala? You know a Lioness called Zira?" Naruto asked as he marched across the Pride Lands, with Nala perched upon his shoulders again to give her a better look at their surroundings so she can find Simba easier. His question surprised her for a moment but she answered him anyway.

"A little. She kinda scares me. She's really mean and cranky all the time. Mom says it's because Zira's always hanging out with Scar." she answered in a half-distracted tone, straining her eyes to keep an eye out for her best friend.

"What, she Scar's girlfriend or something?" The blonde asked, wondering if the lioness was in what was known as a 'toxic relationship'.

"Or something." The cub replied bluntly, then looked off towards the nearby gorge. A massive dustcloud coming from it and a massive herd of Wildebeasts charging out of the other side. "Wonder what their hurry is." She commented, passing it off as the herd migrating to another feeding pasture. She hadn't noticed that Naruto stopped in his tracks and was staring out towards the gorge, a pit forming in his stomach.

"Hey Nala? I think we should check out the gorge there." He spoke and began marching towards it, much to his friend's confusion.

"Why? You think Simba might be down there?" She asked him, though she doubted that her best friend would be down there with those wildebeasts moving like that. He'd be crushed into mush in no time flat.

"Dunno. But... I get the feeling that if we don't go there... something very very bad is going to happen." He replied in an ominous tone and broke off into a sprint, forcing his passenger to cling onto him tightly to avoid falling off.

"Hey! Hey! Slow down! It's hard to hold on when you're running!" She yelled, wrapping her front legs around the top of his head to steady herself. He ignored her as he charged on ahead to the ravine, his eyes flashing a myriad of colors in the sunlight. He then skidded to a halt at the edge of the cliffs and looked down, seeing nothing but wildebeasts on the run, a dust cloud forming, and then his eyes caught a small cub dangling from a dead tree.

"There he is!" The blonde shouted, pointing towards the dead tree, knowing that the cub could only be the Simba that they had been looking for.

"SIMBA!" Nala screeched in terror, seeing her friend in mortal danger. But unlike in the Elephant graveyard... there was nowhere to run to. He was trapped, and if he or the tree fell then he'd be trampled to death. Tears streamed down her face as she felt so helpless, unable to help her friend and her heart thundering in her small chest at the peril he was in.

Naruto swallowed dryly then set Nala down on the ground and said to her "Stay here. I'll get him." at his words she instantly clamped her teeth into the legs of his pants and tugged on the fabric to get his attention.

"What are you crazy?! You'll be killed! I... I can't lose two friends in the same day!" She cried out, unable to comprehend that the Human was going down into the gorge with a herd of stampeding wildebeasts. It was a death wish!

"If I don't go, Simba won't have a chance. And hey, remember that I'm a ninja? We live to beat the odds." He replied and gave a wink, before jumping down the cliff and began sliding down the rocks, leaving Nala to nervously pace back and forth as she ground her teeth together in anticipation.

The whiskered teen stopped himself just short of the stampeding herd, and swallowed nervously. Silently cursing himself for playing the big hero. But, it was now do or die time. Literally. This was likely going to be a defining moment in his soon-to-be career as a Shinobi, so he may as well go all in. His mind set and made up, he rushed out in front of the charging animals, and made a bee-line towards the trapped cub.

"I'd like to see those assholes Iruka and Sasuke do this crazy shit!" Naruto yelled out as he weaved through the stampede. Trying his best not to get knocked over. If he fell then it would all be over for him. Gathering some chakra to his legs, he leapt high into the air and started to hop on the backs of the wildebeasts, somehow managing to use their backs like stepping stones.

Up on the cliffs, Mufasa, Zazu and Scar all arrived and bore witness to the scene, the king spotting Nala nearby who was pacing restlessly. And then his eyes averted towards the dead tree where his son was clinging to for dear life, and the human Naruto diving headfirst into mortal danger to save him. Growling slightly, the king wasn't sure to join in the rescue to save his son, or entrust it to the crazy human. For now, he chose the latter and would wait in the event that he failed. But in this moment, he turned to his brother and stared at him with narrowed eyes. It now seemed rather convenient that his brother had known that Simba was in danger... perhaps a little too convenient. He would have to deal with that later, for now Simba's safety would come first.

The king's heart then stopped beating in his chest when he saw the tree snap in half, from a wildebeast accidentally charging into it sending his cub flying into the air... until Naruto leapt up and caught him. "Gotcha little buddy!" The blonde yelled and clutched the young prince to his chest. The Ninja's eyes widened when he landed dead center in the midst of the stampede.

"Holy fucking asscrackers!" The blonde yelled as he barely avoided being run over, stepping backwards in a panic only to be grazed by a wildebeast and knocked forward.

"HELP ME! DADDY! PLEASE!" Simba yelled in a panic, struggling in the blonde's arms as his fight or flight instinct took over. Naruto then crouched down to the ground, trying to use his own body to shield the cub from harm. The ninja let out a sharp growl, refusing that this was his time to die right here. He still had so much to accomplish in life as a Shinobi. He wanted to explore the world, see the other Shinobi villages, fight the strongest people out there... but he was now trapped and unable to save a single lion cub.

"If... if only I wasn't so weak. If only... I was just stronger. Maybe I would've been able to do more. But now look where I am, only pretending to be some big hero... when all I am is just a class clown that's too big for his britches." He mused, then looked down into his arms, seeing that poor Simba had curled himself into a quivering ball of fur and flesh, trembling and waiting for the end.

Gritting his teeth, Naruto felt so angry for some reason. Why did this have to happen? Why was life so unfair to the young and the innocent? Why did poor Simba have to suffer like this? "Oi. You bastards. You're scaring Simba and making him cry. I don't like it." he muttered as a crimson aura flashed around him, the sky above starting to darken a bit.

The Wildebeasts suddenly halted their charge, grinding down to a halt as they all stared at the boy. "You're all... really pissing me off right now." the blonde growled out, his eyes now a deep crimson with a black slit pupil which stared down the animals, almost daring them to charge.

"WHY DON'T YOU ALL GO AWAY AND SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF SOMEBODY ELSE?!" he roared loudly, causing spider-web like cracks to form beneath his feet and a dread wind blew towards the Wildebeasts. They all trembled in terror, stamping their hooves as they tried to back away... then various bellows came from the remainder of the herd and they began to run in the opposite direction, fleeing from the human.

As they ran away, Naruto's eyes returned to their normal sky blue and he looked down at the cub in his arms. "Don't worry. They're gone. You okay there little buddy?" Naruto spoke in a comforting voice, not bothering to wonder why the wildebeasts ran from him. He was just going to count his blessings and appreciate the fact that both he and Simba were alive.

"I... I... peed." The cub replied with a sniffle, alerting his savior to a dark wet spot forming on the front of his jumpsuit, making the whiskered teen cringe a bit.

"Eh. Nothing a little water can't wash out. And given the circumstances... I think it was justified. By the way Simba, my name's Naruto in case you hadn't heard." Naruto muttered and lightly scratched the cubs head to help him relax.

"Promise you won't tell anyone Naruto?" Simba asked nervously with a small blush forming beneath his furry cheeks. It seemed like he was somewhat ashamed that he had just wet himself, and didn't want anyone to know of that embarrassing detail.

"Tell about what?" He asked in a fake tone of confusion earning an appreciative nod from the cub. It was not long before Nala, Zazu and the king came up to them, looks of relief on their faces. Mufasa picked up the cub gently from Naruto's arms with his mouth and nuzzled the cub affectionately, with Nala doing to same and began licking at her friend's fur.

The king then turned to the boy, with a visible tear streaming down his face. "I will never, in all my years, forget that you have saved my son. There are no words I can give, to describe how grateful I am to you." Mufasa spoke in pure gratitude, unable to fathom that the human had done what could be considered the impossible.

"All in a day's work your majesty. I'm just glad Simba's okay." Naruto replied modestly, smiling as Nala tried to help comfort her childhood friend.

The king nodded and spoke "Scar has gone back to Pride rock to alert the Lionesses on what happened. We should take the cubs home, most especially Simba. He's had a long day. Zazu, return to Pride rock and inform everyone that Simba's alive and well. And that we are eternally indebted to our guest Naruto." At his command, the bird nodded and flew off into the sky to deliver the king's message.

"Come. We should leave." Mufasa commanded then lifted Simba up onto his back, with Nala hopping over to her human friend, looking up at him expectantly for a ride. But instead he was staring in the direction where the Wildebeasts retreated.

"Hey... do you hear something?" Naruto asked in a 'Am I crazy?' tone of voice, wondering if the others could hear it too. Perking their ears up, the lions could hear a noise that sounded almost like... crying and wailing. Growing curious they approached the general direction of the noise, with it growing louder as they came closer to its source.

It was a Hyena, standing in front of two others who were definitely run down by the Wildebeast herd when Naruto somehow frightened them into running away. From the sound of the sobbing voice, it was a female. Squinting his eyes slightly, Mufasa instantly recognized the female Hyena. "You again?!" He half roared making her freeze up and look over her shoulder towards the group.

"Recognize her?" Naruto asked, getting the feeling that she and the lions had met before.

"Yeah. She and her two pals tried to eat me and Simba back at the Elephant graveyard." Nala answered, growling slightly as her fur stood on end... which would have been a bit scary if she wasn't an adorable cub.

"I hardly find this to be a coincidence. You, Hyena. Why have you been trying to kill my son? Was it you and your companions that started the stampede? Speak!" The king demanded and flashed his teeth, stalking towards her and threatening to pounce.

"We... We were told to okay?! Please just... please don't kill me. I don't wanna die." She pleaded for her life, shrinking herself into the ground to make herself look as small and non-threatening as possible.

"Told to? Confess and I might be convinced to spare you. Refuse, and you'll be taken to the black pits to die a slow and terrible death." Mufasa growled, his form towering over the whimpering Hyena as she tried to bury her face into the ground.

"Black pits? What are those?" Naruto asked as he crossed his arms, getting the feeling that it was something quite terrible if the king was threatening to use it.

"The Black pits is a small field where this black and sticky substance fills the ground. Once you set paw or hoof into it, there is no escape. And you are forced to endure a slow and agonizing death to die beneath the sun and later being picked apart by the vultures. It is a punishment reserved for only the worst of villains within the Pride lands. A fate that this Hyena may soon meet if she doesn't speak." The king directed the last sentence to the cowering female. From Mufasa's description, it sounded like it was in fact a tar pit. But the whiskered teen saw no point in correcting him.

"All right! I'll tell you everything! It was Scar! He told us to kill the cub! The first time, he said he'd lure him to the Elephant graveyard so we could kill him, but that didn't work when you came for your cub. So Scar then told us to attack the Wildebeasts to make them stampede! He said that it'd look like an accident, and no one would suspect! That's the truth, I swear! Just please don't kill me or send me to the Black pits!" She confessed as she covered her head with her paws.

"How do I know you aren't lying to save your hide?" Mufasa growled questioningly, glaring down at as he slammed a massive paw just inches from her face with his claws on full display, earning some blubbering noises from her.

"Umm... dad? I think she's telling the truth." Simba spoke as he nudged his father, earning odd looks from him, the ninja and his childhood friend.

"Why? What makes you believe her?" Naruto asked out of curiosity, getting the feeling that the cub had a reason to believe so, otherwise he wouldn't have said anything.

"Because... it was Uncle Scar that told me about the Elephant graveyard in the first place. And today... he brought me to this gorge, and said there was some big surprise waiting for me." The cub responded, earning a wide eyed expression from the king.

"Scar told you? He never said anything about the Elephant graveyard being the domain of the Hyenas?" Mufasa asked, making his cub shake his head negatively. Confirming the fact that Scar deliberately put Simba in mortal danger.

"I'll be damned. The bastard led Simba here, so that you would be baited into rescuing him from the herd, only to die in the attempt. With you and your heir out of the way, he'd be king. Isn't that right?" Naruto asked, quickly piecing together the scheme Scar had planned, his question earning a stiff nod from the crimson maned lion.

"And what did Scar promise you in exchange for your help?" The king asked the Hyena, although he already had a good idea as to what was promised, he had to confirm it.

"The Pride lands... Scar said that if we made him king, we could roam and hunt on the Pride lands whenever and wherever we wanted. We could even stay at Pride rock." She replied swiftly, her answer actually being something the king hadn't suspected. Mufasa thought that perhaps they were offered some hunting grounds or something... but the entirety of the Pride lands? And his own home no less? That was too far.

"What is your name Hyena?" The king asked with a small snarl, the female gulping nervously as she stuttered the name 'Shenzi'.

"Then Shenzi, we shall bring you to Pride rock for judgement. Since you have been cooperative, your life shall be spared. But you will still be punished for colluding with Scar. If you try to escape, you will be hunted down and killed. Is that clear?" Mufasa asked making Shenzi quickly nod her head, looking almost relieved that she wasn't going to be killed.

"Don't worry about her running. I got just the thing." Naruto spoke as he reached into his ninja tool pouch and pulled out some wire, he then grabbed her legs and quickly bound them nice and tight, earning a pained yelp from the spotted Hyena.

"Hey! Hey! Take it easy with that! That hurts!" She yelled out, cringing as she slowly lost feeling in her paws.

"It's supposed to hurt dummy. The point is to have it nice and tight so you can't bolt. Now to ensure you can't bite." He replied bluntly and wrapped some of the wire around her muzzle so that she couldn't try and attack him, all for the sake of safety precautions and all that good stuff. With a sigh, the blonde lifted her up, placing his head in the space of her legs and belly and kept her on his shoulders.

"Sorry Nala. No ride for you till we get this all sorted out." He apologized making the lioness cub nod in understanding.

"Nala, get on my back with Simba. We'll be able to go faster that way. Scar still thinks we're ignorant of his plans. We must cut off the head of the serpent immediately before he tries something else." The king spoke as the two cubs steadied themselves on his back, ready for the ride back to Pride rock.

"Hey Dad? Naruto called Unc... err Scar, a 'bastard'. What's a bastard?" Simba asked out of curiosity, wondering what it meant for the Human to have called his would-be murderer that.

"Somebody who should not have been born." Mufasa replied to his son, growling angrily at the ultimate betrayal. The betrayal of a loved one. And very soon, said Bastard would be held accountable for his sins, to be swiftly punished so that he may never again try to bring harm to Simba or the Pride lands. As King, and more importantly as a Father, Mufasa would see to it himself.

End Chapter one.

A/N: Just a little something I threw together and sincerely hope it was to your liking. If not, well... you can't please everyone so why bother trying? Part two is well underway, and I promise to see about updating the next chapter of Invincible. Just remember, my muse is a fickle bitch with a short attention span.