A/N: Here we go again.

A Most Unlikely Assassin got panned because of a twist in one chapter.

Excuse me for trying something new. Jeez. Consider this my answer. And enjoy your double update day.

REVIEWS FEED OUR ETERNAL ENGINE OF CREATION~!

Not that I'm forcing anyone to do anything, it just helps me churn out chapters faster.

Fair warning, this gets really heavy REALLY fast.

Now I debated long and hard about this, longer than you might think. I didn't want to go back to the events of Fate Stay Night. I've done that already for this series. Thrice now.

Caster. Saber. Lancer.

Three separate stories taking place in this realm, one for each route. Master is another matter entirely, a blend of the three. I have plans for Apocrypha and don't want to tip my hand there for Berserker, given its popularity. "A Most Unlikely Ruler" will likely take place there sooner or later. Still doing my research on Fate Prototype and Fate Strange Fake, but neither are complete as of this penning. A Prisma Illya story is already on the way in the form of "A Most Unlikely Archer" Thus I spent the better part of a YEAR deliberating on this one, eight months in the making.

Now, then. Back to Zero we go. Once more. One last time.

A Most Unlikely Assassin takes place in this time period already of course, but this...this is a different beast entirely. Pardon the pun, but unlike that story, this one approached Heaven's Feel levels of dark. The Servants here are different beasts those we've seen in the true route. A Most Unlikely Assassin at least keeps to the tried and true formula with some semblance of order, a mask of sorts to cover the chaos. This?

THIS DOES NOT. Think of it as a free-for-fall.

As another matter of clarification, this iteration of Naruto regards himself as a shield. Someone who would do whatever was right, no matter what. He never met Kaguya. He died converting Obito and killing Madara; meaning that wretched goddess never came back into the world. Never threatened any man, woman, or child with her madness. She stayed good and dead and sealed where she belonged.

Bit of verbatim regarding the summoning words here.

Game of Thrones references are obvious and I own nothing~!

This is an experiment of sort and will be gone in two days if folks don't like it.

Well, I'm off to work a double shift now, looking forward to hearing from you later tonight~!

"Love is more powerful than reason. Love is the death of duty.

Sometimes duty is the death of love itself. But what is honor compared to a woman's love?

What is duty against the feel of a newborn son in your arms? Or a brother's smile? We're all human in the end, are we not?

We all do our duty when there's no cost to it. Honor comes easier then. But sooner or later, in every man's life, there comes a day when it is not easy.

Find the strength to do what needs to be done. Kill the boy, and let the man be born. Swing your sword. Raise your shield. Stand fast. Fight. For today. For tomorrow. For the light. FIGHT!"

~A Shield.

Your Shield

What unites people?

Armies? Gold? Flags? Love?

Some of these? None of these?

For me? Stories. There's nothing in the world more powerful than a good story, I've found. Nothing can stop it. No enemy can defeat it. A tyrant's fist cannot strangle it. You can try to lay siege to it. You can try to burn it, you may even wound it, but you cannot kill it. You see, to kill a story, you must kill the people telling it in the first place. That, my friend, is quite impossible. Stories live on in legend. Through time immemorial. They live in tales told 'round the campfire. In the hearts and minds of men and women; of all peoples large and tall, great and small.

The world is full of stories. They are what me make of them.

Some could say the same of a shield; at the end of the day its not all that different from a good story.

Shields protect us. Stories embolden us. They inspire us, make us strive to be something-someone!-more than we are.

What is a sword without a shield? What do you see when you imagine such a thing? Something that protects people. A bulwark against danger. That's the long and short of it. But a shield isn't something you simply use to block an attack. A shield isn't some flimsy piece of wood or metal or even flesh. Its not just something that you tie onto your arm, grip with your hand, and hold onto for dear life. A shield is so, so, SO much more than any of those things. I learned that when I was small.

What is a shield then?

A person or thing providing protection. An ideal. Be it a man or a woman, one or many, any who stand fast in the face danger. That is a shield. Someone who fights to protect those near and dear to them; not only from those who would seek to harm them, but from their very selves. Shields can also lash out and give you a good smack if you're not careful. Yes, at the end of the day a shield is a conceptual truth. The physical may bend, may break even, but nothing can destroy the ideal, nor what stands behind it.

THAT is a shield!

True shields do not bend! True shields do not break! True shields stand fast! No matter the foe. No matter the cost. I knew I had no chance of surviving. I knew my friends would mourn me, yet I threw myself into battle anyway. Perhaps that makes me foolish, but strategy was seldom my strong suit. Ha! I would've made a poor Hokage with that mindset. Doesn't matter now I suppose. Sasuke's probably scowling at me now. At the very end, I managed to one-up him after all. Ohhh that must've stuck in his craw. He never would've killed Madara without me.

I did not lose.

I did not falter.

I went with a smile!

Standing! With a thousand wounds in my chest! With laughter on my lips and my hands around that bastard's throat! I perished with no regrets; even with both arms battered and my legs all but tattered, I kept fighting! I endured blows that would've killed others and kept going, kept moving! I did the right thing, no matter the cost! I sacrificed myself for the new generation, and gave my life for them! When everyone else fell or faltered at the last, I bulled onward. I went into that dark abyss willingly, so that the final blow could be struck against Madara, so that he would be destroyed, that his madness would never threaten the world again!

I was content with that; dying to keep the world safe.

I never expected my exploits to become a legend, you know? I gave up everything for peace, and asked for nothing in return. For my service, I died in the arms of the woman I loved. Her hands in my hair, her lips on my forehead, her words and tears comforting me in my final moments as her tresses tickled my nose. There was no pain at the end. Like falling asleep. I ask you, is there any better way to go? I think not. I like to think that my death cemented peace in my time. Hmm. I'd like to see it for myself, but I suppose that's the wish of a boy...

I died as a lived. With a smile.

Regrets? I have none.

I am a Shield.

(...0o0o0...)

Someone was playing them.

It was the only logical explanation that made a lick of sense, but try as he might, Kiritsugu Emiya couldn't see how.

In hindsight it was almost...strange. Dozens of catalysts had simply gone missing out of the blue, or failed to materialize when sought after by Masters and magi alike. Nor was he the only victim in this matter. The other Masters he knew of were all reeling from this unexpected development, each scrambling for new pieces on a board that had suddenly been smashed askew overnight. They'd either been stolen, or another power-perhaps magical-was at work here. He was inclined to believe the latter. It made sense that someone would seek to sabotage others and thereby deny them their influential pieces, but why now? And why so many?

Thankfully there was a silver lining in this matter.

Although the Einzberns hadn't been able to secure the sheathe as a catalyst for him, they had been willing to part with another; though not without a great deal of prodding on Iri's part. Even now the Magus Killer didn't wholly understand why old man Acht was so loathe to surrender it. Supposedly it once belonged to man who gave his life to save his world. Surely a self-sacrificing hero like that would see the wisdom of his wish. Well. They'd know in a moment wouldn't they?

In this war there could only be victory or defeat.

Without a catalyst the Grail would, in theory, summon whomever was closest to their given Master's mindset. In Kiritsugu's case, one who desired peace above all else. He wasn't willing to leave that to chance. His idea of peace was more...skewed than most, so he might well summon a disaster without a catalyst to stabilize the ritual. Or worse, someone who clashed with his ideals so utterly as to turn against him. So long as this new catalyst did its part-so long as he didn't summon a troublesome Servant-he wouldn't have to worry.

"Is a simple ceremony like this really enough to summon a Heroic Spirit?"

Irisviel's gentle inquiry reverberated through he cathedral, echoing hollowly in his ears. The voice of his wife was enough to jar the hardened killer from his thoughts

He took a moment to glance at the item in her hands.

Such a small little thing.

"Surprisingly, yes." Kiritsugu conceded with a nod, painstakingly tracing the newly created magic circle before them. "The summoning ceremony doesn't require an elaborate evocation on my part. Its the Grail that does the actual summoning. As a Master, my job is to anchor the Heroic Spirit to this world once it appears and give it enough mana for it to take physical form." There. Everything seemed to be in order for the most part. If there were any imperfections in his design they were so minute that he couldn't make them out. Perhaps he should scrap it and start over-no, there was no point in delaying the inevitable.

Hmm.

Now or never, then.

With a grunt, the Magus Killer rose and beckoned to his wife.

"This should be good." he declared. "Iri, place the relic on the altar. Our preparations will then be complete."

Gingerly she laid the broken headband upon the surface as instructed, pausing just long enough to make certain it wouldn't tumble off of its own accord. Kiritsugu lingered a moment longer, considering the battered piece of metal. Just what was this going to summon? Even now the metal felt warm to the touch; merely brushing his fingers against the rusted plate and the cloth behind it set his fingers tingling. Almost as if it were alive. Odd indeed...

Still, with his beloved safely out of harms way, he could begin.

Steadfastly he approached the altar, and by proxy, the catalyst. Blood spilled from his opened palm into the circle. Five times. Stirred by his life essence the circle began to glow; a faint blue radiance resonating from within. Steeling himself, Kiritsugu raised his arm and began to chant. This was it. The moment his quest would begin. The Servant he was about to summon would play a crucial role in his plan to come; just not the role they might suspect. Regardless, concentration was key. He couldn't afford to slip up now. The slightest distraction might prove devastating.

"I hereby swear." he intoned solemnly, "I will be all that is good in this eternal world."

Stirred by his words the azure glow began to blaze, burning ever brighter.

"I shall be the disposer of all evils in this eternal world!"

A great gale kicked up, ripping through the room.

"Now come forth from the circle of binding...

The light seared through his very soul.

...guardian of the Heavenly Scales!"

Something on the other side must've responded to his summons; for circuits scorched his skin and sent stars shrieking before his vision.

"Well, alright then." the voice of a young man hummed pleasantly through the now-forged link. "I'll hold you to those words."

He sucked in a sharp breath through his teeth as the light began to change.

In place of that gentle blue glow a righteous crimson radiance enveloped the room, taking on the likeness of a great beast's skull with fangs bared at the world. A kitsune-some kind of fox-Kiritsugu realized as he gaped upward, watching spellbound while that vicious vermilion visage loomed large over him, fangs bared. For a fleeting moment the assassin wondered if this creature would swallow him whole. He held his breath. Then with a strange sucking sound that ethereal thing vanished, sucked back into the smoke as though it had never been. There one moment and gone the next, replaced by roiling red smoke.

"Servant, Shielder! At your service!" a chipper voice broke through the arcane haze as its owner strode into view. "Nice to meet you~!"

He stood tall and strong, bright blue eyes framed by whiskered cheeks and a messy mop of blond hair. He looked...young. Very young, all things told. A young adult at best. Draped in gold and black -or was that a shroud of some sort?-he stood tall and proud before them, clutching a long black staff forged of some unidentifiable material in his right hand. Emiya wasn't much impressed with him. He'd expected, well...so much more than this boy. While the Servant's arrival had been nothing short of grand, his presence left much to be desired. And the name he'd given...

"Shielder?"

He'd been hoping for a Saber. What class was that? He'd never heard of it before.

Perhaps sensing his concern, the Servant tilted his head.

"Just as I said. I am a shield Master." blue eyes twinkled merrily at him utterly without deceit or guile. "Nothing more, nothing less. My purpose is to guard you; to make certain you wish is granted. I have no other desire at present. If its my true name you're after, then you can call me Naruto." his staff clicked softly against the ground and that pearly white smile flashed out at him again. "Don't worry! I'll be sure to guard you well! You'll find no one more loyal than me!"

"We're glad to have you then, Shielder." Iri hummed. "But I'm the one you'll be guarding, for now."

"Oho?! Thank you!" The blond perked up at Irisviel's gentle commendation and Kiritsugu found himself reminded of an eager puppy straining at its leash. "I won't let you down!" Had he a tail, he suspected it would've been wagging full speed by now. Though his wife chuckled, the Magus Killer groaned quietly at his ill luck.

Ah.

Ahhh.

Shielder was one of those, then.

Far too earnest by half, but he didn't seem the scheming sort. That was...good? Wasn't it? Loyalty was something to be admired in any warrior, but anyone who clung to the idea of honor and ideals-as this one seemed to do-was fundamentally incompatible with him. Only time would tell if he could come to terms with this new...asset. He couldn't think of him as a person. Rather, he refused to. He was just another piece to be maneuvered on the ugly board that was the Holy Grail War. Friendship and attachment meant nothing when this Servant's sole purpose was to fight.

Well, perhaps he could make use of his strength, once he learned what it was.

"Can you fight?" It hadn't been meant as a challenge initially, just a simple inquiry yet Shielder bristled like a struck porcupine all the same.

"How would you have me fight?" came the instant retort.

"However you wish." Kiritsugu shot back.

Reconnaissance would be ideal outside of battle, but one couldn't expect a lone Servant to conduct themselves as such. He could've explained as much to his new ally but chose not to; rather, he opted to test his temper instead. He wanted to know the measure of the man before him; before he chose to entrust him with any sort of task. Nothing personal, it was just business. He wouldn't reply.

He hadn't expected said jab to rile him that much.

Anger flashed through those merry blue orbs at this depreciation, but no caustic retort came to defend his honor, nor did the Servant make any attempt to rebuke his Master for that painfully disparaging remark. Instead, that same strange smile flashed out again and several events occurred at once. Shielder laughed, something pulled hard on Kiritsugu's circuits, and he dropped to a knee as white smoke flooded the cathedral. All this in a single breath.

When it cleared-when Kiritsugu recovered enough of his breath to stand-he found himself surrounded by a small army.

Irisviel gasped.

In place of the single Servant stood tens, no, dozens of the same Servant standing around him in a stoic semicircle. The sight stole her breath away. Or perhaps that was her concern for Kiritisugu, or the fact that her dear husband was clearly in pain, his aching magic circuits protesting the sudden and abrupt waste of prana. Regardless, they found themselves at something of a loss to respond. In more moderate numbers they might well be able to comprehend such a feat. But for this, no, through this...it proved baffling.

One such copy offered the magus killer hand. Then another. And another. Another. Each mirrored the movement miraculously, an army moving with one purpose.

"Satisfied?" there could be no mistaking the smug satisfaction lurking behind those sly smiles. "Or would you prefer another demonstration?"

After a long, ponderous moment, the Magus Killer accepted his proffered palm. "Glad to have you with us, then."

Naruto beamed back. "If you make me do something particularly dishonorable, I may have to kill you."

Kiritsugu arched a lone eyebrow. "Is that so?"

Shielder's smile didn't waver at all.

How little they knew.

A/N: Gods this broke me a little, writing this.

So we've got a Pure!Naruto who holds to the idea of a shield as a concept as a drowning man would a raft. More defense than offense, but that same defense is deadly. An ideal. He isn't afraid to die, and by his own admission, his "wish" is simply to see how his world fared after he gave his life up to protect it. He's not incredibly strong like some of his other counterparts, but in the same vein he's not afraid to give someone a good smack if he feels they're being foolish.

He also has the potential to absolutely batshit insane if someone makes him break his ideals.

We're talking Alter levels of dark, moreso than his Avenger counterpart. Lets pray it doesn't come to that, eh?

Oh, and before I go, there will be a Saber variant here of course. But not who you expect. The preview is a big sodding hint. It also means one class is going to get tossed in this war, seeing as we have a Shielder.

So lets clarify for all the confused readers out there:

Kiritsugu = Naruto (SHIELDER)

Tokiomi = (ARCHER)

Kirei = ?

Ryunosuke = ?

Waver = ?

Kayneth = ?

Kariya = ?

As ever, open spots are open votes~! Fire away with your reviews!

Again, this'll be gone in two days if folks don't like it.

So in the Immortal Words of Atlas...

...Review, Would You Kindly?

And enjoy the previews!

Potential ones at that!

Feel free to vote!

(Previews)

Battered and bloodied, Shielder calmly raised his staff. "You shall not pass."

Still the enemy came. And the staff came down.

"YOU! SHALL NOT! PASS!

The ground burst.

"Hello! I'm Saber!"

Naruto's jaw clicked open. Kiritsugu's joined him a heartbeat later. This girl...had walked right through their front door.

"Oh! That arm! You must be Shielder, then!" To their dismay the girl in the white dress only beamed at them and curtseyed. "Its so nice to meet you! Shall we duel, then?"

The Servant in question palmed his face. "I can't do it, Master. She's too pure."

"Tis I, Oda Nobunaga! Surely you recognize me?!"

Irisviel arched an eyebrow. "Do you know her, Shielder...?"

Naruto clicked his tongue in mild annoyance, raising an arm. "Never seen her before in my life."

Red eyes widened with genuine outrage. "You wound me, Naruto! How am I to interpret this betrayal?!"

"I don't even know who you are!"

Archer hissed. "You will~!"

R&R~!