AzureKing: HELLO~! Everyone and once again I broke my old word count limit; this series is making me go all out! I mean 21 thousand words?!

Well in all seriousness, I should set some things straight; Lelouch is a male in this fic. Tha harem is changed and will be revealing when canon starts but hints will be dropped. So please review and enjoy this especially lengthy chapter~!

CHAPTER START!

Under the orange sky of the setting sun three figures could be seen running towards the Great Temple of the Palace, a young blond boy and two noble knights right behind him. "Li!" Called out the boy when he spotted some of the temple monks looking at him with serious looks. They mostly likely already heard the of the princess's kidnapping. "I need transportation." The boy ordered while the monk nodded and briskly left. " Chen, quickly get me weapon! Any available weapon will do! Just get it fast!"

"Sir…" Bowed a female monk and quickly left while the remaining monks continued to listen to Naruto's orders.

"I'm not letting those bastards get away with this." The blonde growled. "Let's go! Move out!"

The two noble knights, Monica and Alois, where a bit shocked at how quickly the monks obeyed the Naruto's orders. There were no hesitations when they listened to the commands. The said teen then looked over his shoulder and gave the knights a cold stare. "You guys best be ready. The second you two start slowing me down, I will leave you behind."

The female would-be knight, Monika, glared at the boy for a moment before taking a breath to calm herself. "I know you are greatly worried for Princess Tianzi safety, but rest assured we will do our best in fulfilling Prince Schinezel's orders to save her."

"….alright, but you better keep up." Naruto stated before he quickly left to get other preparations done, he was not going to waste any more time. He will save Tianzi no matter what or he'll die trying!

"Naruto." The first monk came back holding a ring of keys. "I got you a ride and some intel. Some of the monks guarding the walls managed to spot the kidnapper and know where he is heading…. he's taking the princess towards the place where Shifu found you all those years ago."

"The Wasteland? Why there of all places…?" Naruto muttered before shaking his head to clear unnecessary thoughts. "Move out! Quickly."

"Where is this place?" Alois, the male knight asked as he followed Naruto into a garage looking building and noticed a run down jeep in it. "Well? Are you going to answer, monkey?"

"*sigh* Before I became a member of the court and was barely...i dunno seven? I was lost in the wasteland and had to kill people for survival." He recounted a memory that now seemed like it was a lifetime ago. After getting inside the jeep he quickly started up the car, enjoying the sound of the engine roar as he floored the gas paddle into its highest gear. "It takes nearly two hours to reach the wasteland from here, but I know some short cuts."

"You killed when you were a kid?!" Monica cried out from the annoyingly loud engine. She could barely hear Naruto's voice!

"Didn't have much of a choice out there. It was either kill or be killed." Naruto answered, revving the engine before speeding off. "That's where Shifu found me. He took me in and made me what I am today."

"What about your parents?" She asked, ignoring the glare she got from her teacher. "I rather hope you didn't just run away from home because of something stu-"

"I never had any parents… or at least I think I don't have any!" The boy roared back while trying to remember which sand dune had his makeshift landmark marking the shortcut. "I can't recall any memories before I was seven, nor how I even ended up in that sandy wasteland in the first place. All I know is that when I woke up out there, I was spotted by some bandits who were willingly going to sell me off to be some Chinese lady's little boy toy on the side. I wasn't going to let that happen."

A few moments later the boy's eyes shone in recognition. There!

"Hold on…" Naruto turned the jeep sharp left onto a rocky road while Monica grabbed onto her seat as the sudden force nearly flung her away. "We should be coming up soon." He informed, knowing that at top speed it wouldn't take them more than an hour to reach their goal.

"That was rather quick." Monica commented appreciation.

"I told you, I know shortcuts." Naruto reminded.

"Alright Chinese boy, since we still have some time, tell me who would want to hurt your little fake princess." Alois said in a condescending tone and then smirked at his clear insult towards the royalty.

*SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!*

Naruto suddenly hit the breaks, stopping the car almost instantly and afterwards grabbed the man by the throat while giving him a death glare. "Don't you dare call her fake!" He snarled, making the knight flinch slightly at the sight of barely suppressed rage within the boy's eyes. "Just because we're working together doesn't mean I won't hesitate to kill you if insult Tianzi's name like that ever again." He stated and then released the knight. Few seconds later, they were speeding down the road again.

Alois coughed hard as he held his throat. "Fine… then who do you think would dare to kidnap her highness, Tianzi?"

Naruto sighed as he still detected some mockery within the knight's words, but decided to ignore it… for now. "I don't know, can't be anybody from our side. Tianzi is still a kid, not to mention Emperor Yao is still alive so she doesn't have any political power or say in regards to ruling the country. But they clearly need her alive or they would have killed her the moment they attacked the castle. Meaning-"

"Meaning that they most likely want to use her as a hostage." Monica finished Naruto's sentence as she understood that much. "Then radicals maybe?"

"Unlikely, Yao has not done anything crazy to warrant enemy uprising from within." Naruto shook his head at her suggestion.

"Then perhaps disgruntled terrorists from the outside?" Alois stated as he knew that quite a few 'Number' countries that had far too many of those criminals. "That would add up."

"No, that can't be it since Shifu and the Emperor have eradicated every terrorist cell close to our borders. The terrorist groups that are further away are already surrounded by too many enemies and to provoke the dragon would be the same as signing your own death warrant." Naruto stated as he tried to think of any enemies that would want to kidnap Tianzi. "Plus, would terrorists even bother taking hostages after successfully infiltrating the castle?"

The blond girl gave a look of confusion at Naruto. "What do you mean?"

"Think about it. They managed to sneak into a ceremony where some of the country's most important figures, including Prince Schinezel, were gathered at one place. Why take hostages when you could have easily caused another explosion and take them all out." Naruto informed while staring hard into the distance. "Why kidnap the princess when you have a clear shot at taking out most of China's ruling body?"

Alois nodded at that knowledge. "That does make sense. Terrorists are extremists and they would jump at the chance to kill that many important people. Kidnapping the princess would more trouble than it's worth."

"Maybe they plan to kill her later to set an example?" Monica suggested.

"Did you not just hear us you idiot?" Alois said angrily as the girl cowered at his tone. "What kind of an example would that set besides paint bigger target on their backs? Why go for small fish when the lake is full of bigger prey. No, these people knew what they were doing."

"That is… true." Monica agreed, albeit meekly. "The enemy most likely knew that Royal Guards would prioritise Emperor first and the princess would be less protected."

"Then once again we're back at the main question: who did it?" Alois sighed as he looked behind the car. "Are you sure this is the way where the kidnappers went?"

"Positive." Naruto stated resolutely.

Alois snarled at the boys answer and tried to grab the wheel. "I don't think you do! There is nothing but dunes of sand around us so they could be in any direction! Let the experienced one guide u-hugh!?" He cried out in pain when Naruto twisted his hand in one quick motion.

"Back off asshole! We still have payments left on this baby! Do you have any idea how small a monk's salary is?!" Naruto shouted before gasping in pain when Alois grabbed his hair. "Really?! You fight like a little girl!"

"Stop!" Monica grabbed the two and with amazing strength separated them. "I think I see them!"

Naruto smiled as he indeed saw a large armored vehicle creating a large dust cloud ahead. Alois himself clicked his tongue in annoyance. 'Dammit, he actually did find them.'

"Alright people, hang on!" Naruto exclaimed before revving up the engine up to the maximum. The tires screeched while the engine roared loudly from the increase in speed.

*VROOOOOM~!*

"Shit!" Alois cursed as the jeep came up to the side of the enemy vehicle. Once close enough, Naruto pulled out a rod and stuck it in between the wheel to lock it in place.

"What are you doing?!" Monica cried out.

The blonde's only reply was standing on top of the jeep's roof and then leaping from it to grab onto the armored vehicle. He quickly climbed on top of the machine's roof and pulled out a large blade that the monks had previously placed in the jeep for him. With a quick thrust he stabbed the armored roof and surprisingly it went through! "Hope this works…" Naruto stated as firmly grasped the handle of the blade and let go of his footing. The instant he did so he was hit with the full force of motion sending him back, but despite that he did not let go of his weapon as it sliced the metal top like a hot knife through butter. Afterwards, he did a quick spin-around while still firmly holding the blade and opened the roof like a can opener.

"What the-!" The enemy driver looked back and gasped upon seeing the roof cut off.

"Found ya!" Naruto shouted as he looked down to see nine members, including the driver, staring dumbly at him while Tianzi herself was bound, but other otherwise unharmed sleeping in the passenger seat. The men themselves were dressed in a manner one would expect of typical desert bandits: raggedy pants, shirts, overcoats and thick shawls wrapped around almost the entirety of their heads except for their eyes that were left uncovered, but Naruto's sharp mind easily discerned that these men were not mere criminals. From the shape of their eyes, body structure and what little skin he could see, Naruto concluded that these men were definitely not of asian decent, but caucasian. The biggest giveaway of their false impersonations were the weapons they had. These were almost brand-new guns and swords, and from their shape and form the blond can tell that they weren't made in China… or any other parts of Asia for that matter. Those were western weapons.

"As a kind gesture for not harming my lady, I will make sure your deaths are quick!" Naruto threw his blade at the back of the driver's head, killing him instantly. The now dead driver slumped forward, causing the brakes to hit all at once and turn over the car. While the rest of the fake bandits were panicking, Naruto smiled as he grabbed his charge in midair and held her tightly. By some miracle they landed on the sandy ground as the armored vehicle still tumbled down the rocky road.

"That… shouldn't be possible…" Monica could not help but mutter in awe after taking control of the jeep wheel. Despite witnessing the whole experience… she still couldn't comprehend it.

"Thank goodness…" Naruto sighed in relief upon seeing the young heiress unharmed and sleeping peacefully in his arms. "Alright, my lady, let's get you home."

His relief was short lived however, when he had to quickly lay her down to dodge an incoming blade. After rolling a few feet backwards and taking a defensive stance, the blond stares menacingly at five, still alive kidnappers with the closest one guarding his liege. All of them had their blades drawn and were standing in formation with proper sword stances, ready to attack at any moment. Yeah, these guys were definitely not some simple bandits or hired mercenaries. They were well trained and skilled soldiers. Thankfully Monica and Alois came to his side and drew their own swords. "Out of curiosity, how good are you two in a fight?"

"I can handle myself." Monica answered curtly while getting into her own sword stance.

"Against these ruffians? This is nothing." Alois added, before pulling on his collar. "If all they are capable of knocking out a defenseless girl, then they won't stand any chance against a Knight of the Round."

"Good, because we're ending this now." Naruto stated as he pulled out his blade and rushed forward.

XXXXXXXXXX

IMPERIAL PALACE OF THE CHINESE EMPEROR

BEDROOM OF THE ROYAL FAMILY

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"Jin…" Yao silently called out while frowning heavily.

"Yes, sire?" Jin answered his king and friend. The two were on the balcony that was part of a room that once belonged to Yao's beloved late wife.

"Am I at fault for selfishly choosing her as my one true wife?" The Emperor asked while staring at the beautiful star filled night sky… a sky that he once shared with the love of his wife.

"What do you mean?" Jin asked confused. "Were you not happy with her?"

"Of course I was… and still am… but as beloved by the commoners she was, we both know that many of my ideas of change for our country were mostly conceived because of her. By hearing of her painful past, of how she was used by her own parents to escape the poor lives they lived, it made me realize how sheltered life of a royal member really is." Yao stated while remembering how much of an influence she was on him.

"And… you believe that all bad that has happened to her… and is now happening Tianzi is part of some sort of punishment for the choices you made?" Jin questioned in disbelief.

"You know… I always hated my father." Yao gave a small smile despite his words. "He had bedded a lot of women in his life and had never done anything good for either his people or the country... and yet… he loved me more than anything and considered me as his only true child... just because I was able to outclass all of my siblings when it came to the succession of the throne."

"Sire…" Jin gave a saddened look. "None of this is your fault."

"Really? Do you remember what he did to my siblings after announcing me as the heir to the throne? He disowned all of them, threw them out to the streets and those tried resist… had met even sadder fates. After he passed away and my time to rule had arrived, I did everything I could to not end up like him. I dedicated my life towards the betterment of our country and instead of continuously gaining more wives just for the sake of pleasure, I singled out one out of many and made her the Empress… I thought I did all for the right reasons as from the bottom of my heart I truly loved her and love her still… and yet…" Yao gave a soft sigh at the twisted sense of irony of trying to become a better man, but losing so much more in return.

"..." Jin became silent as he knew what his friend was going to say next.

"Yet… I still failed to resist one of the most important of temptations…. after all…. Tianzi is not my true first born…"

XXXXXXXXXX

SAND WASTELANDS

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"Grr…" The blonde warrior gritted his teeth as he barely managed to get some ground against his opponents. At first, Naruto thought that these pretenders were on a level of skilled soldiers, but he was wrong. These guys were clearly elites! Out of five of them Naruto managed to kill two, but at the cost of some injuries and exhaustion. He was lucky that most of the wounds he received were either short, but deep cuts or long, but shallow cuts. No disabling or fatal injuries so far, but that might change as he prepared to engage the third kidnapper.

"Note to self, make sure to bring plenty of back up next time… and better weapons …" The blond muttered to himself. He then looked towards Monica and Alois to see how they're doing.

The female Britannian was doing surprisingly well. She might only be facing off against one opponent, but out of all kidnappers he was the biggest size and judging from his swordsmanship, the most skilled one as well. Naruto spotted numerous wounds on the kidnapper and it was clear that Monika was on the winning side. She really does prove her mettle as an apprentice for the Knights of The Round.

Alois on the other hand was facing off against two opponents and from the looks of it, was stuck in stalemate. He was clearly skilled, but his enemies chose to use the surround and bait tactic. While one of them engages Alois in front, the other one goes around and tries to attack from behind. The male Britannian knight would have no choice but to disengage and create some distance to doge the sneak attack. It seemed that Naruto had been lucky in regards that the two opponents he had killed before, had both engaged the boy in a frontal assault, allowing Naruto to track their movements more easily.

After catching his breath Naruto decided to assist Monika first. Once they kill off the big guy, the two of them will be able to assist Alois in his battle. But just as the boy was about to make his move, Alois did something unexpected.

"Gah!"

Naruto was in disbelief as Alois suddenly got behind Monica and before she could turn around, he hit her hard on the head with the pommel of his sword, knocking her out. Afterwards he smiled darkly at the bodyguard of Tianzi. "Well, that certainly took longer than expected, even lost some good people." He said while chuckling lightly. Soon after, the smile disappeared and was replaced by an intense, hate filled glare. "I must commend you. I sincerely thought that you wouldn't be able to catch up to the escape vehicle… or even best some of my best men."

Naruto clutched his blade harder as he glared at the traitorous knight. If looks could kill, then everything in his line of sight would have been incinerated.

"Bastard! You're part of this kidnapping?" Naruto growled.

"Well of course, how else we were supposed to create a peaceful resolution?" The man sighed as if explaining something easy to a young child.

"You call this peaceful?" Naruto muttered darkly. "Why would kidnapping Tianzi lead to peace between our nations? What would you gain from this!?" At this point his eyes were about to shoot beams of flames at the traitor.

"*sight* That's why I hate dealing with backwater countries such as this, you people will never understand." Alois frowned while shaking his head.

"What's there to understand? You kidnapped Tianzi, plain and simple." Naruto stated, slowly positioning himself in front of the body of the princess so he would be able to protect her better.

"The strong need to shepherd the weak so that everyone could live in peace." The knight smiled kindly. "Your nation is full of scheming and corruption, old outdated ways of life. Only the holy light of the Great Britannia Empire can set you on the right path…. otherwise… you all will be left behind."

"Says the guy who comes from a royal family that marries its own cousins and often kill each other, despite the blood they share. Oh, and let's not forget about the giant asshole you call the Emperor who has a severe superiority complex. I mean, that hairstyle makes him look like a monkey… ohoh ahaha." Naruto insulted the knight's country while making monkey sounds. If he were to fail and die today, then he will at least ensure that he got some kicks in. Both physical and verbal.

Alois felt a blood vessel in his vein pop while his eyebrow and the corner of his lip twitched madly in anger.

"I always wondered why he marries so many women, but doesn't have as many children… guess that's just his way of compensating-." The blond started before quickly jumping back to avoid a wild sword slash from Alois. "Oh~ struck a nerve, did I?"

"How… how dare you insult His Royal Majesty!" Alois fumed. "I will have your head on a platter!"

"That monkey eats brains? I thought they eat- whoops!" Naruto tried to mock, but was forced to duck in order to avoid a wild slash from a big Britannian soldier in disguise, the same one who previously faced off against Monika. Naruto then quickly spun around while still crouching, with his blade extended. The big Britannian cried out in pain when he felt one his legs get cut off. Before he could fully crumbled to the ground, with a quick slash Naruto cut his throat.

One down, three more to go.

"I thought you would be more educated due to your upbringing by Master Jin, but all I see is yet another savage that needs to be put down!" Alois snapped after witnessing another one of his men dying to the blond bastard. With a roar of a beast he charged forward, lunging his sword at Naruto again.

However, Naruto showed no fear and instead was smiling. It was true, that when Naruto was around his Shifu he always had to fight in a more "honourable" way so his teacher wouldn't lose face. But on the inside, he was a dirty fighter. Someone who is willing to create and use any advantage by any means necessary. When it comes to protecting his lady, Naruto will never hold anything back. "Savage am I? Well, you're in for a terrible shock when you find out how savage I can really get." He declared while moving away from another slash. Then, when the noble knight prepared to deliver a downward slash, Naruto grabbed by the hand a silently approaching disguised Britannian and pulled him forward, making him take the hit instead!

Alois eyes widened as his face was splattered by the blood of his ally and barely managed to block in time some incoming throwing knives… but the last remaining Britannian soldier standing behind him wasn't so lucky. Now it was just him and the blond bastard left standing. After wiping his eyes clean of the blood, he glared with pure murder at Naruto.

"Damn you! You disgusting savage, is there no low you won't sink to!?" Alois raged.

"I don't know, is there? I'm always prepared to do a lot worse than this." Naruto stated and it was true, he did remember killing people in their sleep when he was still all alone in the desert.

"Bastard! It's about time someone teaches you how a real warrior fights!" Alois snarled before rushing in and thrusting his sword in quick successions, surprising the young man at the power and speed behind them.

"Whoa! Watch it! Missed me! Try again!" Naruto mocked while dodging every swing, purposely insulting him to-

drip… drip…

After quickly creating some distance, the blond glanced down slightly and saw a small wound appear on his chest. "Okay, you nicked me. Good for you." He said jokingly… but inwardly he was panicking. It seems that Alois was slowly regaining his focus and was no longer making simple mistakes. While the Britannian warrior might not be on the same level as Jin, he is still a fully fledged veteran who fought in major wars. Whatever experience Naruto had accumulated up until now is nothing compared to a battle-hardened Knight of The Round.

"Hmph, there is no point pretending. You may act confident, but your posture betrays you. I will admit, taking out a small group of elite soldiers is not an easy task, especially for someone so young, but you have reached your limits. The accumulated wounds are starting to take their toll on your body and the more this fight drags on, the more exhausted you get. I, on the other hand, have plenty of strength to spare. Surrender now and I might just spare your life." Alois smugly declared.

"Man, you sure do talk a lot when you are off the leash, huh? Is your tactic to talk me to death." Naruto jokes. Before the knight had a chance to retort the blond rushed at him with as much speed as he could muster. For a fraction of a moment Alois was slightly surprised at the sudden burst of speed from the boy, but then quickly recovered and made a horizontal slash, hoping to bisect the blond… and again was surprised when instead of ducking under the swing, the boy jumped high in the air with his feet just barely avoiding the edge of the sword. Not wasting any time Naruto quickly swung down his blade, hoping to cleave his enemy's head in two… unfortunately the knight was able to react in time brought up his sword to parry. The two weapons collided and that moment Naruto's luck seems to have run out as the next moment, his blade snapped!

After landing on the ground Naruto quickly jumped back and put some distance between himself and his opponent. He then looked at the remaining handle of his now broken blade and tossed it aside.

Alois smirked at boy's action. "So, what are you going to do now, boy? Your weapon has failed you and your strength continues to fade. I will once again offer you the chance to surrender as it wouldn't feel quite right to kill a defenceless child… but I'm prepared to make an exception."

"Yeah yeah," Naruto sighed as he looked at the bright full moon. 'Damn, this is taking too long… I gotta finish this fast before my body finally gives out… hang in there just a bit longer, Tianzi.' He looked back to see his charge still sleeping silently and smiled kindly at how peaceful she looked. After a few moments passed the boy approached one of the dead bodies of the disguised Britannian soldiers and picked a short sword from the ground next to it. "Tch, western weapons are so heavy." He slightly complained at the fact that they had no real beauty or elegance, but… "My nation's pride is second to my duty as Tianzi's protector. Weapons are only for killing after all, so who cares about aesthetics?"

"What makes you think you can protect her all on your own?" Alois questioned as he slowly approached Naruto with his sword poised to strike.

"...I met someone, a long time ago… back when I was still surviving alone in the desert. She had been the strongest person I had fought before I met Shifu." Naruto said while smiling at the memory. "Even after all this time I can still clearly recall her exact words after our battle ended in an overwhelming victory for her. 'Those who want to achieve their goals must get rid of anything in their path or less they should never dream of it.'" With those words Naruto leaped forward once more while throwing the short sword at the knight, causing his opponent stop is his track to block the projectile. After landing in front of him Naruto quickly grabbed the fallen short sword and sent dozens of strikes and kicks at the man who had no choice but to block the attacks as parrying was not an option.

'This brat… how is he still able to move like this?!'

Alois was slightly stunned at the sheer skill the kid kept showing him… it was a damn shame he wasn't born in Britannia. He would have achieved a far greater status there, than anything he could've ever gained in this backwater country. With great force the knight used the pommel of his sword to knock away the blonde's weapon. Now all he has to- "Gahh…"

Naruto smiled as his fist broke through his chainmail clothing. Surprise barehanded attack, success! "Sorry… it appears that I'm still lacking in technique, Shifu…"

XXXXXXXXXX

FLASHBACK - LAST YEAR

XXXXXXXXXX

"Dammit… I lost…" Naruto gasped out while glaring at Jin who was towering over him. To the side Tianzi was looking at the blond with horror filled eyes… but that is to be expected since he was heavily bruised and covered in his own blood. Today was one of the days Jin decided to test blonde's progress and to see if he was ready to graduate from being an apprentice. Needless to say, Naruto had failed… miserably.

"You're not ready yet, Naruto." Jin sighed. The boy was certainly improving, but he was still far from becoming a true warrior.

"One… more time… I can do this…" Naruto grunted, struggling to his feet. But before he could fully stand, his legs gave out from too much strain and the young man collapsed to his knees.

"Enough." Jin ordered, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "No need to overexert yourself. You're simply going to hurt yourself more."

"But It's not fair!" Naruto shouted while looking down. "I trained day and night to master the style you taught me, yet you were able to beat me so easily! I wasn't able to land even the smallest of hits!" He ranted before exhaustion finally got the better of him, his vision getting blurry. Tianzi quickly rushed to his side and gently laid him on his back while being mindful to not touch any of his bruises.

"There's more to this style than meets the eye." Jin stated mysteriously, his eyes gaining a far off look. "Something that you must discover on your own."

"Jin… I think it's time to tell Naruto the truth." The three were startled when they suddenly heard Emperor Yao's voice. The monks that had gathered to spectate the match quickly bowed in respect. "I know you like to put on the act of an ancient master from a far off land, but this is starting to get old…. Your fighting style… isn't of Chinese origin."

"Your Highness." Jin frowned with a slight pout on his face. It was surprising that a man with such advanced age could to that and actually pull it off.

"What do you mean, father?" Tianzi asked… and the answer she received was a mere pet on the head. Now it was her turn to pout in childish annoyance.

"Yeah, what do you mean it's 'not of Chinese origin?'" Naruto furrowed his brows.

Jin looked sternly at the gathered monks and all of them quickly vacated the area. "Sigh… I suppose I've have waited long enough. Naruto ... unlike Emperor Yao, I am not a full-blooded Chinese. If fact, I have some Japanses blood in me just like you, from what I can tell."

"So you are of mixed heritage, but does that really matter?" Tianzi stated honestly, surprising others by how honest her opinion was.

"Haha, well said, Lady Tianzi." Jin comment with a wide smile. The next moment his expression turned dead serious. "Unfortunately the same opinion is not shared among the rest of the nobility, the corrupt part to be more precise. If the Eunuchs were to learn of my heritage, they would use all available ancient traditions and laws just to remove me from your father's side. It would also create a perfect opportunity for them to place one of their own people in my position instead. I cannot stress enough how important it is that this knowledge remains a secret… now, enough of this serious mood and let's get to the reason I was kicking your ass so easily."

"Jin/Uncle Jin/Dick…" An exasperated Yao, a disappointed Tianzi, and snidely pissed Naruto complained at the same time.

"You see, before I became the Emperor's guardian, I used to live in Japan and had spent most of the time there learning and perfecting various martial arts styles of ancient Japan. When I finally moved to China, I started incorporating various Chinese materials arts so no one would be able to recognize my mastery at Japanese techniques." Jin explained while stroking his beard.

"But what does that have to do with anything?" Naruto crossed his arms in annoyance… only to wince in pain the next second after his body reminded him that he is still injured.

"Naruto, what I have been teaching you?" Jin asked.

"How to turn the human body into a tasty paste?" Naruto said in all honesty.

"Ew…" Tianzi turned slightly blue after remembering how much Naruto bled during the test.

"That's… a bit of an extreme answer, but looking at your current state I can sort of understand why would you think that." Yao sweat dropped.

"Hmph, cheeky brat… no, Naruto." Jin stated and afterwards pulled out his sword. "In today's world, almost all battles are fought with some sort of weapon always being used. But did you know that the most traditional Chinese martial arts did not rely on weapons? No blades, no lances or any other types of weapons."

"Don't forget about the rage. One of the deadliest weapons of them all." Naruto said with a peaceful smile. The two older men looked at blond oddly.

"My point being…" Jin cleared his throat. "When it comes to battle, what you need is not honour... but options. It's the reason why the monks here don't just train in materials, but also learn various other things like poison making, engineering, and other useful skills. If used right, each skill gained can be used as a hidden ace against your enemy." He elaborated. He then took a few bricks and stacked them all into a small tower. After taking a deep breath, the old warrior split the small tower in half with a single, but fluid chopping motion using his hand. "Japanese, Chinese, Britannian, all fighting styles can be used as long as they help you in achieving victory. Do you understand?"

"So… what you are saying is, that the reason I lost was because I focused too much on a single aspect of combat instead of trying to find other ways I could have improved myself." Naruto answered after thinking for a bit.

"Exactly. It's just like that old saying, 'fight smarter, not harder'." Jin quoted. A moment later, a savage smile appeared on his face. "Now, my young student, go get yourself cleaned and healed. For tomorrow your real training begins! First, I will teach you how you can kill someone using a simple pencil!"

XXXXXXXXXX

CURRENT TIME

XXXXXXXXXX

"Shit, that hurts…" Naruto complained in pain while his left arm fell lifelessly to his side. His right hand gripped the now useless limb. "Gh… I knew that there would be consequences for pushing myself like that, but still, it hurts so much more than I expected."

"Damn…" Alois wheezed in pain after spitting out some blood, shocking Naruto at how the knight somehow survived his trump card. "If I hadn't leaned back as much as possible at the last second, your fist would have completely shattered my ribs, piercings my lungs… and possibly my heart as well."

"That was the idea." Naruto answered calmly despite his surprise attack failing to deliver death. But the protector of princess is not out of options yet. "From the way you talk, I can only guess that you already knew about this technique, right?"

"We were given a full dossier about you and your abilities before our mission began… yet your strength is much greater than I had anticipated, but it's still not enough. But rest assured, your princess will know that you died fighting like a man."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I'm not dying here today ... but I can't say the same about you!" Naruto declared as he threw a round object at Alois. "One bomb coming right at ya!"

Alois scoffed as he gently slapped away the throne item. "As if I would ever fall for…" The man's eyes slowly widened in horror when he realized that he actually slapped away a grenade. "Shit…!"

*BOOOOOOOOM!*

After rolling away from the explosion the knight's eyes squinted as he was nearly blinded by sand and black smoke. "Damn kid! Where did he get that explosive?!"

"Die asshole!"

Alois smirked as he turned in time to where Naruto's voice came from. "Fool, when you try to launch sneak attack on someone, always keep your mouth shut!" The knight quickly sliced the shadowy figure behind him! "Good bye, monkey!"

But when the smoke cleared his eyes widened at what he had actually cut… and few milliseconds later, he felt an increasingly stinging sensation. He looked down and spotted a silver blade stabbing into his chest. "Damn brat… and your savage tricks…" Alois said as he fell back onto the ground, motionless.

What the knight saw during his last moments was a bisected body of a disguised Britannian soldier with Naruto standing not too far behind it. During the chaos caused by the blast, the blond took the nearest enemy corpse and used it to take the hit. Alois instincts were too sharp and an open sword attack would have definitely failed… but the knight couldn't have predicted the blond stabbing him through the corpse . The guardian of the emperor's daughter visibly shook after realising just how close to death's door he was during the entire battle. He literally had to pull out everything just to kill one man. That-

"W… Why?"

Naruto's eyes widened in shock and he quickly turned around to see a horrified Monica standing a few dozen feet away, eyes filled with fear from looking at the scene before her. Her teacher, Alois, laying dead on the ground… and a shaolin warrior holding a blood dripping blade. "Y-you bastard! He was my teacher… and you killed him!"

"N-No, this is not what it looks like! He-" The teen tried to explain.

"Naruto!" The blonde heard his teacher's voice and turned to see the Chinese military and Britannia forces quickly surrounding them while Jin along with Emperor Yao walked directly towards him. "Don't say anything."

"But-"

"Not. A. Word." Jin stared hard at his student before directing his stare at the smirking corpse of Alois. "You don't need to explain anything. We already know that this man had a hand in kidnapping our Emperor's child."

"Alois… did… that can't be right… it's not possible…" Monica muttered in shock. The Knight of The Round might have been an arrogant man and often hateful towards outsiders… but he was also a fair teacher and would have never betrayed Britannia's allies.

"Monica…" The girl's head snapped to the side to see her prince walking towards her. Once he was close enough, he placed his hand on her shoulder and spoke in a concerned voice. "Are you well? I… I am terribly sorry for what has happened to your teacher. Don't worry, I swear on my name that justice will be served!"

A murderous aura surrounded Jin as he wanted to kill the prick of a prince right there and then, but he stayed his hand as he knew that repercussions would be far too severe. "What. did. you. just. SAY?! Alois was conspiring to kidnap Princess Tianzi!"

"What proof do you have?" Schneizel's smile was the dictionary picture of a perfect prince charming. "In fact, the surrounding evidence points towards Naruto being the main culprit. Of course, it might have also been an accident. Naruto could have fatally wounded Alois when he bisected the kidnapper and not expected the honourable knight get caught in the attack." The prince explained kindly as Naruto's heart dropped at the fellow blonde's words. "Then again… it is quite possible that Naruto himself might have the mastermind behind this whole-"

The schemer quickly shut his mouth when he felt an invisible heavy pressure befall upon him, it's as if he was being pressed down by an entire mountain! He shakily tilted his slightly to the side and what greeted him were the glaring eyes of Emperor Yao, no longer soft or hard… but just ice-cold eyes with barely restrained fury behind them. "I would advise you to keep that possibility to yourself, Ambassador. An official investigation must be conducted first before coming up with conclusions. The investigation will be carried out by Britannia and our own people, just to ensure that you will be doing a thorough job. The dead bodies will be taken to our city so we can run test as quickly as possible." The Emperor commanded, leaving no room for objections… and also ensuring that Schinezel wouldn't be able to take advantage of this situation.

After recomposing himself, the prince turned away. "Fine…" He said before taking a moment to regain his perfectly calm smile. "Lady Monica…" He got the attention of the female knight. "Please come with us and give your statement. We need everything to be fair and true."

The blonde girl gave a silent nod as she walked away with the prince.

As for Naruto, things have turned grim. Not only did he kill a member of the Round Table, his credibility to prove that he was in the right, was in jeopardy. It didn't help that Monica only saw the last moments of his fight with Alois, making it much more difficult to prove his innocence.

"Naruto?"

His mind snapped out of his despair inducing numbness to see Tianzi waking up with a soft smile, despite the tired state she was in. "You saved me…"

The blonde's eyes widened in shock… before softening and a kind smile graced his lips. Quickly walking up he reached out and placed his hands gently on her own. Seeing her smile became even brighter, filled his heart with warmth. "Lihua… my princess…" He softly called her name. Despite everything that happened today… and no matter what might come next… this moment of warmth between them was worth it all.

"Naruto…" Lihua whispered and gently grasped his hands. The stars of the night sky seemed to shine a bit brighter just for the two of them.

XXXXXXXXXX

IMPERIAL PALACE OF THE CHINESE EMPEROR

ROYAL DINING ROOM

A FEW DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT

XXXXXXXXXX

"Still nothing?" Naruto said as he, Lihua, Jin, and Emperor were dining… well the others were eating, while the blonde barely touched his peking duck.

The emperor shook his head. "Yes, the investigation has revealed no evidence that can be directly used against us… nor Britannia, unfortunately. Which now leaves the question will they let the death of Alois go…"

Tianzi stopped eating as she looked down in shame, knowing that she was the reason why the mood in the palace was sour as of late.

"Princess, this is not your fault." Jin assured. "You have done nothing to cause any of what had transpired yesterday."

"Indeed. *sigh* If we only had some proof to show that Britannia was involved in the kidnapping, it would have shown the world how dirty that country really is." Her father stated as he knew that Britannia was full of itself due to their numerous conquests. "But as it stands now, we're at a stalemate. It's to the point where we might even have to go to war."

Naruto nodded as he took a small piece of his meal and chewed on it slowly. Jin and Yao never thought they would see the day where the blonde wouldn't be his energetic self… and this made them hate Britannia even more.

"N-Naruto, lets go to the city! I want to see the city like last time." Tianzi suggested with a smile and shook Naruto's arm in an attempt to get him excited. But he didn't budge and just continued to slowly eat with a despondent look. It seemed that the events from few days ago were weighing down heavily on his mind.

"Lihua… let Jin take you. I need to talk to Naruto. It's… important." The Emperor said. Tianzi was hesitant to comply, but from the serious look in her father's eyes she knew there was no room for argument. She felt Jin place his hand on her shoulder and looked up to see him smiling reassuringly. She worriedly glanced at Naruto for one final time and then let herself be escorted out to the room.

"My Emperor… what's gonna happen to me?" Naruto asked slowly, ever since he returned to the palace the slow feeling of dread was continuously building up inside him. He desperately wanted to know what will be done with him… if only for the peace of mind.

"Naruto… before we talk, there is someone I want you to speak with first. As much as I wish for it not to be true, but this person is the one who is responsible for placing this heavy burden upon your shoulders…"

"Huh?" Naruto looked confusingly at The Emperor. Before could ask more, he heard someone enter the room and slowly approaching the table. Naruto turned his gaze towards the unknown newcomer and wondered how is this person responsible for his plight?

XXXXXXXXXX

IN THE HOMELAND OF BRITANNIA

A FEW DAYS AFTER THE INCIDENT

XXXXXXXXXX

"Schneizel…"

The blonde prince lowered his head as he was kneeling in front of his father, Charles Zi Brittania, the 98th emperor of the Holy Land. The man sat on his grandioze throne and at the sides stood few members from his family and the military, who were called to witness this meeting. "Yes father?"

"Is it true that Alois is dead?" The white haired man asked in an authoritative voice. The Emperor had read the report in regards to the incident in China… and needless to say, he was not happy about it.

"Yes father." Schneizel confirmed while lowering his head even more.

"So, because of your actions, we have lost one of our elite knights." Charles stated in even tone.

"...I have planned this…" The prince said, knowing full well that his father was always aware of his schemes. The blonde clenched his firsts hard and if one were to look closely at his eyes, they would see traces of burning anger within them.

"Explain yourself." The emperor ordered. "If everything went well and according to the original plan, you would have been spared the embarrassment of this shame. Why do this now? What could you have possibly achieved from this?"

"I believed that we could have ended the fighting with the Chinese Federation… by taking away something that the Emperor values the most..."Schneizel answered, trying his best to hide his true intentions… but the imposing glare from Charles's still forced the truth out of him.

"You would have put the Chinese Emperor's daughter into our custody and held her hostage?" Charles questioned with narrowed eyes. "And you would let the shame follow us-"

"The shame… would have never been ours if someone else was accused of the plan." The blonde prince explained with a smile. "I was assured that a patsy would have been found to take the blame."

"A scapegoat. And who, pray tell, is this person who helped you with the plan?" Charles asked as the prince shook his head.

The blonde stood up and stared directly into his father's in the eyes. "I promised to keep my accomplice's name a secret, in the off chance the we were to be caught."

"I see…" Charles said, his eyes still narrowed. "So how do you propose to fix this problem? Because of you, our two nations will face inevitable war." He stated, but on the inside, he wasn't really worried since that outcome wasn't a problem for him and his empire. They are the strongest in the world and will defeat any opposing force. The main problem in that formula was that if they do invade, then truth regarding the incident in China will be exposed, destroying his country's image and might even cause revolts in already conquered nations.

"Simple… we take away one of their greatest future assets." Schneizel answered with a smirk.

"What would that be?" The Emperor raised an eyebrow in inquiry.

"We take away the apprentice of Master Jin." Schneizel elaborated. "It is well know that while Jin has many students, he never truly had a true successor… until now. By taking away his apprentice, we are effectively removing the future replacement for their greatest warrior and the guardian of their future ruler. This will also have an effect on their morale as well. I've seen how people look at him there." The young man explained, remembering Naruto's strong relationship with royal family… even though the boy himself said he wasn't close to them. "The soldiers and guards treated him with respect, while some of the nobles were already wary of him."

"All this for a mere child?" Charles frowned, having a hard time believing that a mere child could pose that much danger.

"I assure you that looks can be deceiving. He may be a boy… but underneath all that is a killer. He was even able to kill Alois." Schinzel reminded his father who nodded at that accomplishment. "While the boy did use tricks and deception to achieve victory and Alois was the most arrogant of the current knights, he was still very talented and there was no questioning his might. Yet a child nearly two decades younger was able to best him."

Charles stared hard at his son, taking in all the information he was given. After what seemed like forever, he finally said. "And you are sure this will benefit our country?"

"At first, no…" The skillful schemer stated. "We need more than him simply staying here as a prisoner for us not to invade. So if I may suggest a plan…"

XXXXXXXXXX

BACK IN CHINA

XXXXXXXXXX

Naruto's eyes widened at the sight of the woman in front of him… and despite his best efforts he was not able to stop himself from blushing. She was that beautiful!

The woman was somewhat tall, possessed lithe fair skin and a body figure that even models would be jealous of. She had beautiful shoulder length black hair that was styled in a bob-cut. Her eyes were of beautiful light purple colour and were so clear that anyone could easily get lost staring at them. Her breast were "C" cup in size… and Naruto had to mentally reprimanded himself for recognizing her measurement. (Damn those personal attendants that Shifu had assigned to him. They put weird ideas in his head!) Another thing that caught his attention was that despite her legs being slender and beautiful, Naruto saw slight outlines of leg muscles. This woman can definitely unleash some mean kicks if she chose to

Her clothes were untraditional as well. While most women of Chinese nobility and royalty liked to wear either extravagant and gaudy robes or beautiful chinese dresses, this young woman chose to wear more modern clothes. Starting from the top she wore a dark blue short jacket with long sleeves and underneath it she had a dark grey cashmere sweater. The skirt she wore was long and black in colour. The skirt also split just before her thighs, and if Naruto's eyes weren't deceiving him, she appeared to be wearing tight shorts underneath the skirt. Finally, to complete the look, the woman wore high heeled, knee length dark boots.

"Who… are you?" Naruto asked after finally recomposing himself to ask coherent questions.

"I am…" She looked at the emperor who nodded reassuringly at her before leaving the room. "I am... Emperor Yao's firstborn daughter and Lihua's older half-sister, Lenalee Lee."

Naruto looked surprised. "Lihua's… half-sister?" That couldn't be true, right? Jin told him that being the emperor allowed Yao to have many wives, but the photo in the Yao former bedroom showed hid with only one wife… and from what Naruto had observed, the Emperor showed not even a remote interest in any other women.

"Yes…" She answered. She then caught the blonde off guard by bowing deeply. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… all of this is my fault… none of this should have happened. Because of me... my little sister was put in danger…"

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Naruto looked confused as she took a seat and sighed softly.

"I guess… I should start explaining things from the very beginning. You see, before Emperor Yao met little Lihua's mother and made her his empress, my mother was chosen and later made as one of the concubine wives for the Emperor." She began… Naruto felt his mind slowly drift as her words were painted a vivid scene in his mind.

"A long time ago," She continued as Naruto in his mind saw the palace from a few dozens years ago. Not much had changed, perhaps a few of the decorum were missing here and there, but he then saw a younger Emperor Yao. While he seemed to be a few decades younger, he still retained some of his present features. "Yao was recently crowned as the new ruler of the Chinese Federation after his father's passing. He took the title like a true emperor and despite having a big harem of women set up for him, he showed no special interest in any of the them. The only thing he cared about was running his nation and supporting its people."

Soon the scene in Naruto's mind changed and he saw Yao sitting on his throne. The crowd of people in front of him were praising him as one of the greatest emperors to ever grace their nation… but members of the nobility standing behind him showed nothing but contempt. "Despite the many achievements and the love of the people he gathered during his first years as an emperor, the traditionalist and the eunuchs from nobility started pressuring him to sire a child as soon as possible. They sent him their most beautiful daughters to be wed as concubine wives in hopes that one of them would catch his fancy and would be made an official wife… and an empress as well. But unlike his father, Yao never slept with any of them and made it resolutely clear that he is not interested in any of them. In the end, most of the wives gave up in trying to woo the Emperor and simply enjoyed the luxuries they received from being his concubines."

The scene then changes to show the Emperor Yao meeting one of the wives at the gardens of the palace. "But that was until he met my sister's, Lihua's, mother… Fen Yanhua…" Yao eyes softened for the first time in years when he spotted a beautiful, white haired woman with red wine colored eyes. The woman watched as Yao slowly approached her and once close enough, the two gently embraced each other.

"She was the one woman he had truly fallen in love with, and she repricoated his feeling with equal love. The days they spent together were pure bliss… but… while she was his one and only true love… she wasn't the first one to bare his child."

"Wait, Yao… had…" Naruto's voice broke through the story and the young woman made a small sound of confirmation.

"Mh, yes. Before Fen Yanhua was made part of Yao's many concubine wives, he was intimate with another woman… well it was intimate for them, given his years of pent up-"

"Ah-dadada~!" Naruto shouted comically. "No details please!"

"Yes. Of course." Lenalee cleared her throat, but a small mischievous smile had graced her lips. "Moving on… when my father was first given his unwanted harem, he made sure to keep us much distance from the wives as possible, rejecting all of their advances… but my mother was different. Instead of throwing herself at him like a common bimbo, she offered him friendship."

Lenalee then stopped her story for a moment and started giggling. "hehehe… I remember laughing when my mother told me that after she was married off as a concubine wife, one would normally expect that the groom and the bride would "consummate" their marriage after the wedding ceremony… but mother and father instead spend the whole night talking and drinking!... Hehehe"

Despite knowing how serious the story is, Naruto himself couldn't help but chuckle. He can only imagine how Yao's and Lenalee's mother's honeymoon would look like if they had one. They would most like simply spend the whole day playing chess in the palace!

After recomposing herself, Lenalee continued with the story. "After a couple of years their relationship grew, but it never got passed the friendship stage… that is… until that one fateful night. Both mother and father didn't give me many details… but from little they told me, I know that father was in a very bad mood after a meeting with some particularly nasty nobles… and after having a bit too much to drink that night, his control over himself… slipped. That night, farther and mother did the "deed". It was during the same night that I was conceived."

After processing what he just learned, Naruto motioned for her to continue. "The next day mother and father had a deep talk about their relationship, during which my mother confessed her love for him… but unfortunately, he could not return those feelings. While he treasured her dearly, the spark for intimate love simply wasn't there, so he decided to be honest and told her how he truly felt about the matter. For the next several days my mother cried a lot while father did his best to comfort her. Eventually, she accepted the reality of things and decided to remain as his friend. Her love for him might never fade away, but she would not force it upon him."

Lenalee looked down and wiped away a stray tear drop from her cheek. Naruto wanted so bad to jump from his seat and embrace her in comfort, but he resisted the urge and instead offered handkerchief. She accepted it with a small smile and after a few minutes of silence, she continued with her story. "Nine month had passed since that night and I was finally born. While mother and father weren't a true couple, they still loved me like every parent should and made sure that all my material and emotional needs were met. Since my birth a few years had passed and little Lihua's mother, Fen Yanhua, had finally arrived at the castle. Out of all the noble families, Fen Yanhua's family was the poorest and on the verge of collapse. One could even say they were on the verge of becoming beggars. Sending Fen to be married off to the emperor was the family's last-ditch attempt to save themselves… and they succeeded ... partially." Now that definitely peeked Naruto's interest.

"When father laid his upon Fen Yanhua, for him it was love at first sight. That love only grew deeper the more he got to know her and only after a few short months since her arrival, she was turned into his official wife and made Empress. Fen Yanhua's parents at first believed that with their daughter being made an empress, they would be able to wash away all their troubles and curry favours by manipulating her, but what they didn't expect was for how deeply Fen would fall in love with the Emperor. Fen refused to abuse her station to help her family and this led to the family trying to force her to obey. That, in the end, proved to be their greatest mistake as father descended upon them with the fury of a war god. I'm not sure how he punished them exactly, but last I heard, Fen's parents were seen working in some remote farm while the rest of the family was "erased"." Lenalee stated with a smirk. Naruto shivered at that, something told him that he really didn't want to know the full details of what exactly Emperor Yao did.

"After the troubles with Fen's parents were settled, her relationship with farther began to blossom even more. To the nobles, Fen's and Yao's relationship was like an eyesore that no matter what they tried, would never go away. To the common people their relationship was like a match made in heaven… and because of that belief, the support to the throne had increased. As for my mother… well, despite seeing the love of her life taken away by another woman, she never held a grudge and was happy to support their love. Mother also told me that she even became best friends with Fen and the two of them liked to pull pranks on stuck up nobles." The girl said with clear delight in her words.

In his mind, Naruto saw the image of two women pouring laxatives in the meals being prepared for the nobles… Hmph! Bush league! He will give A+ for effort, but C- in creativity….. why the hell is he suddenly thinking about pranks?!

"Several years later, Fen gave birth to my little sister and she was so CUTE! I remember how I, mother and Fen couldn't separate ourselves from her the day she was born. Even farther didn't dare to interrupt our moment. I also remember that Fen was so happy that day, that she promised father to have a threes-" "Oi!" "Ahem- sorry, got a bit too excited at the memory. Anyway, the next day a huge crowd had gathered outside the palace to hear the Emperor announce the birth of a future heir to the throne. It was amazing!"

Naruto nodded in agreement. "Heh, I bet it was… wait… if you are his first daughter… then why was Lihua named as the heiress to the throne? Shouldn't the firstborn inherit the throne by royal tradition?"

Lenalee sighed before explaining. "Normally you would be right , but that only applies IF the firstborn was conceived between the Emperor and the Empress. Despite being close to my father, mother still possessed the title of concubine wife. For me to inherit the throne, she would have to be made empress."

Naruto then looked even more confused. "Than what's the point for the Emperor having a big harem? Wouldn't that cause infighting?"

The blonde sweat-dropped when he Lenalee's sigh became more like a white cloud of exasperation. "The harem existed… as sort of like a backup plan. I don't need to remind you that the lives of royal family members are almost constantly in danger. Assassinations, accidents, war and many other factors could lead to the death of the royal family. What if in the off-chance the entire royal family turns up dead? If there is no Emperor, Empress and heir to rule, then who would lead the nation? That's where the harem plan steps in, so the emperor or empress would leave behind several children of royal blood, in case the worst-case scenario happened and someone needed to step up as the future ruler."

After hearing her explanation and thinking over for a bit, Naruto gave Lenalee a serious look.

The young woman only smiled kindly at him in return. "You don't need to worry about me trying to create an assassination plot to claim the throne. I would never do anything that would place little Lihua in harm's way. I don't care that she is the future empress of our nation, she is and always will be my dear little sister whom I love dearly! I would do everything to ensure her happiness and the prosperity of our nation!"

Naruto raised his eyebrow in inquiry at her last words. Lenalee didn't hesitate in answering him. "I love this nation almost as much as my parents and little sister. I want to see it prosper and its people become happy. That is why I dedicated my whole childhood for studying and training. Economics, social affairs, military affairs, governing, I learned it all with the help of my father, who provided the best teachers available. I even made sure to receive combat training as well. Unlike the nobles who like to sit on their asses all the time, I would rather help our nation grow!"

"Damn right!" Naruto wholeheartedly agreed, moving his hand in front of her with the palm open. At first, she was confused by his action, but then quickly understood what he wanted and with a smirk gave him a high-five.

"And that's not all! My mother also shared my views about our country and she actually became a spy for my father. She mingled among the nobles and the other harem wives and reported any suspicious behaviour directly to father. She even spied on her parents who are… well, to be more accurate, they "were" my grandparents. You see, my mother's family used to be one of the top noble families within China. In fact, they possessed so much influence, that they actually planned to stage a revolt and overthrow my father. They wanted to use my mother as an assassin against the Emperor! But we couldn't accuse them of treason without evidence so me and my mother pretended to be on their side, but in actuality were gathering proof to use against them. It took a while, but eventually we gathered enough incriminating evidence to declare them as traitors."

Naruto leaned in so he could hear better in what happened next. "The very same day after my grandparents were declared as traitors, father's soldiers raided the family compound… and I was the one who led the raid! We arrested everyone who was inside and sent them straight to prison. With that done, I thought that the "Lee" noble family would be erased from the records permanently, but father had other ideas. He instead offered my mother to become the new family head and reform it… but she refused and passed on that title to me instead. I was hesitant to accept, but with the encouragement from mother, father and Fen as well, I accepted the position as the new head of the "Lee" family." Lenalee declared proudly.

"So what happened next?" Naruto asked.

"Weeelll…. it took some broken bodies, broken buildings and lots of canalops…"

"Canalops-?"

Lenalee only smirked at him. "Once again, you really don't want to know… Anyway, it took me several months to flush out the remnants of my grandparents supporters, and with that finally done I was able to cement my position as the new family head. Also, becoming a true member of the imperial court gave more freedom in taking action for the betterment of our country. I rebuilt my noble family from the ground up and changed many of their old policies. Of course, the other noble families didn't like (and still don't) how I don't conduct myself as a true noble… well, that is at least according to their standards. But it didn't matter how much they complained as they couldn't do anything about it, I had the Emperor's full support. Through my efforts, the "Lee" family once again became one of the top nobles families in the Chinese Federation."

"That's amazing! To completely fix your family mistakes and to achieve such a high position while still being so young is nothing short but incredible." Naruto praised as the young woman mumbled a silent thanks for his words. She felt a bit embarrassed at being praised like that.

"For all of my contributions to our nation after I became the family head, I was allowed by father to attend the Imperial meetings where the most loyal and most influential leaders gathered. Ranging from various military generals, to our brightest scientific minds, each of them were allowed to say their thoughts about country matters and provide suggestions or ideas to the emperor. The meetings were so exclusive, that I was actually the very first official noble allowed to attend them. The other nobles even now aren't allowed to attend these meetings… simply because it's clear that all they care about is expanding their own influence."

Lenalee than smiled brightly at Naruto."Life seemed to be so perfect back then. After I became the new family head, my mother was relieved of her duties as a concubine, but that was something she herself wanted. She instead was assigned as one of the ministers of foreign affairs. She always had a knack for diplomacy so she adapted quite well to her new position… another thing I should mention is that her job as a spy is still ongoing. During her trips to other countries she always keeps an eye out for any suspicious activity that might bring harm to our country."

"As for Fen Yanhua, because of how popular she was with the common people, father allowed her to become the spokeswoman for the people. She would often organize festivals and charity events with backing from the throne. As for little Lihua… *sigh* despite how much I wanted to, I wasn't able to spend much time with her. My duties as the head of the family, plus some extra duties that were assigned to me by farther, kept me extremely busy. During the years, the number of times I actually interacted with her can be counted with both hands. Honestly, I don't think little Lihua even realises that she has an older sister. Nonetheless, I still love her very much and watch over her very carefully, making sure that there are always other guards close by to protect her besides you. Not only that, I'm also the one who selects her classes so she would be properly prepared for when it's time for her to be become Empress of the Chinese Federation."

"Wow, you really love her don't you?" Naruto commented with a smile… and then looked directly into her eyes. "Alright, now I believe is a good time for you to explain how you're the one at fault for the kidnapping event from several days ago."

"Yes… I'm about to… answer that." Lenalee's voice was filled with clear sadness as she began explaining. "After… after Lihua's mother passed away… my whole world came crashing down. It created scars within our family that will never heal." She then looked away in shame. "And out of all of us, little Lihua was the one most devastated. She became extremely reclusive and insecure, as if all life was sucked out of her."

"Yeah, that's exactly how she was when I first met her…" Naruto softly agreed, remembering the scared girl Tianzi used to be, before she opened up to him as Lihua.

"I tried everything I could to help her, but with the Empress's death, the nobles saw this as a perfect opportunity to take control of our nation's future."

"They are trying to manipulate the future Empress into becoming a mindless pawn for them." Naruto stated. During social gatherings he would always stick close to Lihua and wouldn't allow for the stuck-up nobles to surround her.

"I had to redouble my efforts to ensure that those damn eunuchs didn't do anything stupid that could endanger the Empire… but… I have my limits, Naruto… there is only so much I can do. Time is running out and my little sister is nowhere near ready to lead our nation. Even worse our father's, Emperor Yao's health is declining… and she might be forced to take the throne early. Whether she likes, or not."

At that statement Naruto looked at Lenalee with slight anger in his eyes. "You… don't believe Lihua will be able to lead us, do you?"

The older sister nodded with a defeated look on her face. "She's too young, Naruto. The eunuchs would take advantage of her the moment she sits on the throne. I had to do what I could to protect her. But… things started to change after you came along… the dirty ragtag child that Jin had brought from the desert." She said, remembering the day when the Grandmaster of the Shaolin monks returned from his mission carrying a sleeping boy… a boy who looked like he hadn't cleaned himself in years.

"Because of you… Lihua's condition has improved and she is slowly returning to the energetic young lady she once was." Lenalee stated gently.

"If you say so. Personally, I don't believe I did anything that much." Naruto honestly commented, missing the older sister's dumbfounded look that clearly said 'Really?'

"Despite what you say, your arrival here had a positive effect on her. So, you must have done something right." The young woman shook her head in disbelief before regaining her calm composure. "But unfortunately, her recovery is too slow and time is still at the essence. So… out of desperation… I made a big mistake…" At those words she clenched her hands into fists. "Thanks to mother and my own network of spies operating outside our border, I came across a very distressing piece of information. A certain country has slowly started mobilizing it's military."

"Let me guess…" Naruto gave a knowing look. "Britannia."

A solemn nod was his answer. "Britannia is preparing for war against us. I've received reports that they started increasing production of weapons and military vehicles. Small scouting units, day and night, watch our borders closely, probing it for weakness. We even caught some their own spies trying to infiltrate us, but we couldn't extract any information out of them as they committed suicide upon capture." She frowned heavily at her next words. "I was pressed for ideas on how to protect our homeland since Lihua is not ready to take the throne from our father, who's health is slowly declining. So, in a desperate attempt to buy us some time, I organized a meeting between myself and a representative from Britannia. To my surprise, the representative turned out to be someone who I had never expected… Schneizel El Britannia." With a voice full of venom, she said prince's name.

Naruto was surprised to hear it, but then quickly remembered how good at sweet talking and acting the prince charming was. He only started showing his true colours after Alois's death and when he tried to put all the blame on Naruto.

"He… he told me that Britannia's nobility wants to invade China, claiming that we are a threat to Britannia's status as the most powerful country. So, Schneizel proposed me a deal... which for me felt like it was a deal with the devil…" Considering the guy's character, Naruto could not help but nod in agreement. "I would lower security during the annual meeting between the Britannia's ambassador and Emperor Yao… and during the event, he would send in Britannia's most elite soldiers disguised as bandits to… kidnap Lihua Tianzi."

"And you agreed to that!?" Naruto shouted out in outrage.

"Unfortunately… there's more…" She said. "Tianzi would have been taken out of the country and then would have been "rescued" by conveniently placed Britannia's soldiers. Afterwards, she would have been moved to Britannia for her own "safety and protection"… but in reality… she would have been held as a hostage to keep the Chinese Federation in line. Britannia's nobles would lose their excuse to invade China… and with no heir present…"

"You would have been made heir to the throne by default…" Naruto finished.

"It's not like I want the damned title… but at that time I saw no other way out. He told me that if I didn't accept the deal, Britannia would declare war after the annual meeting between Britannia's ambassador and the Emperor. They would unleash their full military might, bringing destruction and death to the nation we bled and sacrificed so much for. So… I agreed." Lenalee stated, her eyes becoming misty as she tried to explain her reasoning.

"But you endangered your own little sister, your own family!" Naruto scolded. "How could you do this to her!?"

"Do you think I really wanted to do this!?" The older sister snapped. "Of course I was disgusted by what he proposed! I wanted to kill him where he stood, right there and then! But… I had no other choice. It was the only way to ensure China's survival. He promised me that Lihua would be kept safe and absolutely no harm would ever befall her during her "stay" in Britannia. Everything she would have ever needed would have been taken care of, along with continuing her studies when things died down. When I accepted the deal, it felt like I was ripping my heart out… I made the bastard repeatedly swear, with my hands squeezing his throat, that Lihua would be kept safe."

Naruto sighed as he gave a weak smile. "…He at least fulfilled that part of the deal. I mean, when I got to her the kidnappers practically held her like a baby. She even slept through the whole explosion and fighti-"

"EXPLOSION!?" Lenalee exclaimed in alert.

"Ah, sorry. Shifu told me to keep that detail a secret… or Emperor Yao would castrate me and afterwards slowly beat me to death with my own...tool. " Naruto shuddered as he really didn't want to see that happening… ever…

"Anyways…" The girl continued while glaring slightly at Naruto. "With me changing the guard shifts rotations and Schneizel's elite soldiers disguised as bandits, it was all too easy to kidnap little Lihua. I even made sure that city guard patrols would be arranged in a way that the kidnappers could escape without being interrupted." She then added. "…and… you were also involved in this plan."

"Wait, me?" Naruto looked surprised. "How?"

"I had my agents tracking you since the moment Master Jin announced you as his apprentice. I even had people watching you when you took baths with your personal attendants… and I must say, for a strong fighter you are quite easily subdued by those three ladies." The sister of Tianzi gave a small smirk upon witnessing Naruto's blush at that particular detail. "Still, despite gathering all available information about you and planning accordingly… it all proved to be for naught as you surpassed all of my expectations… probably for the best…" She shrugged, knowing that her miscalculation was a blessing in disguise.

"So… how was Alois involved in this whole scheme?" Naruto inquired.

"He was included as an insurance in case someone, in this case you, actually managed to catch up with the kidnappers. His mission was to stop the pursuers and then eliminate them. Schiniezel wanted to make sure that his plan could still be salvaged in case the worst-case scenario happened." The young woman explained.

"No wonder he tried to take control of the jeep back then…" Naruto muttered. "Wait, does that mean the Monica was also-?"

Lenally interrupted him as she expecting him to ask that. "No… and to be honest, I still don't know why she was included. I was thinking that maybe she was brought along as Alois insurance, just in case he needed someone to cover for him. Giving her sincere offer for help, I believe she was never told about the plot."

"So she's ignorant of the truth, huh?" Naruto sighed before smiling. Monika seemed to be an honest girl and he did enjoy talking to her during the event… until he remembered that she might have unknowingly signed his death papers. "..."

His silence was all Lenalee needed for her to continue. "As you can probably tell, Schneizel is a master at hiding his true intentions." She stated, shocking Naruto slightly. Was that prick really that hard for others to read? It was kinda… odd… that Naruto saw and felt the negativity rolling off that asshole in waves. From the teen's perspective, that guy was practically screaming untrustworthy. "If anything, I think Schneizel used Monica's honorable nature as a tool to make her and Alois's offer for help more sincere."

After a moment of speculation, the you lady continued. "And now comes the part of the plan where I had to create a diversion for the for the Britannia soldiers."

"So you are the one responsible for causing the first explosion?" Naruto guessed.

"Correct. It was simple, really. I used a few extra loud explosive grenades in an empty hall next to the throne room and the loud noise covered the sound of explosives set off by the disguised soldiers. Their explosives were different as they only had enough destructive capabilities to make a small breach for soldiers to infiltrate. But what the explosives lacked in power, they more than made up in making less sound. With my help, their entry went perfectly unnoticed. Misdirection is always a powerful tool, if used right." She listed off with a proud smile, before fake coughing loudly after she realized that she was describing Tianzi's kidnapping plan and it was not the time to feel proud. "To continue from where I left off, I was in contact with the prince during the entire event via a small communicator that was hidden behind my ear." She explained as she placed a very small, almost see through earpiece. "We had received an update from Alois that you had managed to catch with the soldiers' escape vehicle and quite violently stopped it. He then reported that despite losing a few men, the plan was still on track. He pretended to fight against his allies while the disguised soldiers would knock out Monica and bring her to Britannia after dealing with you."

"That does explain why Monica was actually winning her fight against a clearly stronger opponent." Naruto commented. "So, her enemy was holding back. His attacks were aimed at incapacitating and knocking her out instead of injuring her."

"Exactly, and as the battle raged on, Alois realized that he had severely underestimated both you and Monica. You, Naruto, had defeated two of his elite soldiers while Monica was close to winning her fight. Her opponent might have been holding back, but he was still a very experienced soldier and Alois expected him to win fast. He stated that the sudden turn of events should not have been possible."

"Heh, and here we are now." Naruto said sheepishly, a wide smile crossing his face. "Showed him…"

"Indeed… and for that… I thank you. Not as a leader of a noble family… but as the older sister of the girl you swore to protect." She bowed respectfully. "But now… despite successfully fulfilling your duties…. I have terrible news to deliver…. My Emperor, you can come in!" Lenalee called out.

The said man entered the room with a solemn look on his face. "So, are you done? Have you told him everything."

"Yes, fa-… My Emperor. All that remains is to deliver the… news." She answered while bowing in respect. The Emperor himself looked at her sadly for a few moments before he walked up to Naruto and placed his hands on the teen's shoulders.

"My boy, this is not easy to say, but… even if the investigation of my daughter's kidnapping concluded that neither The Chinese Federation, nor The Britannia Empire were the conspirators behind the plot… retribution must still be paid from our side." Yao frowned sadly.

"What?" Naruto looked a bit scared. "What do you mean?"

"Brittania wants satisfaction… or it would be more accurate to say, the blood thirsty Britannian nobles and the Emperor's children are the ones who want to go to war for the death of one of their decorated Knights of The Round. Even if our nations were proven to be not responsible for the kidnapping plot, the investigation results showed that Alois was "innocent" as well, since no evidence was found linking him to the kidnappers." Yao's first daughter explained to the confused blonde. "The only one who is against the war from their side is none-other than Charles Vi Britannia himself, as odd as that may sound. He instead proposes an alternative solution… which entails with us handing over the murderer of Alois… and you know what this means, don't you?"

Naruto's eyes widened as his blood went cold. "Y-Yes…" The blonde shakily answered… and then became surprised when The Emperor started petting him on the head.

"You don't have to go if you don't want to." Yao offered while his daughter looked at him as if he went insane. "They are clearly at fault, even if they say otherwise. I'm prepared to go to war with them… but something tells me that you won't let that happen, will you?" He frowned when Naruto shook his head.

"My duty is to protect our country… and most importantly, our princess… no matter the cost." The blonde martial artist stated with an empty tone. Yao nodded firmly in acceptance as he walked away from his youngest daughter's only friend.

"Naruto… right now you may be thinking that you are nothing more than a mere tool for me to use… but I assure that you are anything but that. To me, you are not just my youngest daughter's bodyguard… but also a precious family member as well." Yao stated gently. As if triggered by the emperor's words, Naruto suddenly gripped his head as he was assaulted by a sudden burst of intense pain. Tianzi's older sister quickly rushed to his side in worry.

In Naruto's mind, an old memory had resurfaced itself… even if for a few short moments. "Zabuza needed me… I don't mind being used as a tool… as long as he can achieve his dreams…" An image of delicate boy, that could be easily be confused for a girl, flashed through Naruto's mind.

"I fought for no one else but myself… I regret… not telling him how much… he really meant to me…" An image of a dying man with razor sharp teeth, flashed through Naruto's mind.

Few minutes had passed and the pain inside the blonde's head finally subsided, much to his relief. While he really wanted to know who the two people were from those short memories, he decided to put that off for later and instead focused on the situation at hand. "When I do I leave?" He asked.

Despite clearly being worried over Naruto's condition, Lenalee still answered his question. "In two days time… Britannia will send Schneizel, Monica, and another Knight of the round with her squad to take you to their country." She said as Naruto gently grabbed her arm when she placed around his head, clutching it tightly for comfort.

… all of his effort… all the hard work… all the blood, sweat and tears he shed for his beloved nation and Lihua… will be taken away from him…

XXXXXXXXXX

ONE DAY LATER

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"One more day…" Naruto muttered while pacing back and forth around a room that looked like it belonged to someone of incredible wealth. For his last two days in China he was forced to live in a safehouse that was outside the main city. This was done to ensure that nothing happened to him until the representatives arrived. But Naruto knew it was more like a holding cell to prevent him from escaping. Of course, Naruto would never abandon his country, but some of the nobles thought otherwise and demanded that he be put under some sort of surveillance. As a compromise, he was placed in this house.

"Naruto…"

The blonde was broken out his thoughts when he heard Lihua's older sister call his name. He looked towards the safehouse entrance and saw Lenalee enter the room while carrying various food products, most likely for him to enjoy some fine cuisine before being taken away. "I'm back…"

"Heh, my last supper?" The blonde asked sarcastically.

The girl's lips became a thin line as she didn't want to answer the question. "...I'm sorry… I thought I would make your final stay here a bit more comfortable by preparing a home cooked meal…" She said while small tears started rolling down her cheeks. "It's all my fault… if it wasn't for my moment of weakness… you wouldn't have to go through such punishment… I should be the one sent away, not you! I-"

Naruto slammed his hand against a wall before quickly marching toward Lenalee. Said woman started backing away from him, but it wasn't long before she reached the wall behind her. Once the blonde was right in front of her, he placed both of his hands to the sides of her head and against the wall. "Enough already… if you want to continue the pity party, do it somewhere else." Naruto stated while looking straight into her eyes.

"B-but-" Lenalee stuttered while looking down.

"I said enough! Yes, you made a mistake by giving into your fears and it ended up costing us immensely." Naruto scolded as the girl looked up at him with regret filled eyes, with tears still rolling down her cheeks. "What you should have done is found another way. If you were that scared that Tianzi is not ready to rule, then you should've told the Emperor in the first place, instead of making a rash decision all by yourself!"

"..." The older sister's teary eyes widened at his words.

"Despite being smart as genius, you forgot one crucial thing. The Emperor values everyone's opinions! Yours especially! If you had told him sooner, you both could have worked to come up with a solution. Hell, he might have even made you teach Tianzi in how to run her country!"

"But I'm just-" Lenalee tried to protest.

"You. Are. His. DAUGHTER!" Naruto roared as the girl's eyes lit up with sudden realization. "So what if you have lower status?! So what if he and your mother didn't end up together?! You're still family, are you not!?" He proclaimed, reminding her of the strong bond she shares between her father and her little sister.

The girl's legs gave way as she slumped onto the floor, Naruto's words hitting back and forth in her heart and soul. 'What have I done…? Because of what I did… my sister will lose her precious first friend… someone who was helping her to regain her courage. Jin will be forced to find someone else to take Naruto's place… even though he already had the best apprentice one could hope for! And farther… father's health will continue to worsen due to stress from this whole ordeal…'

Before despair could fully consume her, a pair of arms gently gripped her shoulders. She slowly looked up and was surprised that the teen's expression was not longer one of anger, but of gentleness… and sadness. "What's done is done and can no longer be changed. Instead of wallowing in regret, focus on the present… and the future. If you really want to make up for you mistakes, then start by confessing everything to the Emperor and Tianzi. And I do mean everything!" Naruto repeated firmly. "If they choose to forgive you, don't let that chance go to waste. I will no longer be able to help our little lady grow… so you will have to do it in my stead. Teach her everything she needs to know about being a great leader… and make sure she is always protected…"

"Naruto…" Lenalee silently muttered. Naruto smiled and gently wiped away her tears.

"Lihua will be the future empress of the nation we love. Guard her well… so for when the time comes to claim the throne, she would be ready to face everything the world throws at her." Naruto asked. The older sister could only nod slowly as words failed to come out.

After a few moments of silence passed, Lenalee stood up and looked resolutely at the blonde. "I promise, Naruto. I promise that if I'm forgiven, I will do everything in my power to help Lihua Tianzi become the greatest Empress to ever rule the Chinese Federation! I will go tell them everything right now… but I won't be able to return-"

"Just go…" Naruto said. Then, for some unknown reason, he couldn't stop himself from grinning widely while petting her head. "Heh, I only just recently got to know you and I can already tell your quite a stiff… but I like that about you."

A slight blush dusted the girl's cheeks as meekly nodded at the compliment and then left the room. After exiting the building and beginning her trek back to the palace, Lenalee could not help but wonder…

What if… what If Naruto had been made her guardian instead little Lihua's… maybe she wouldn't have made all those mistakes… and her life would have been so much brighter...

XXXXXXXXXX

NIGHTTIME

IMPERIAL PALACE OF THE CHINESE EMPEROR

XXXXXXXXXX

Tianzi entered the throne room where her father and Jin were waiting for her. "Father? Why did you ask me to come?" She asked while scanning the room for Naruto, but was a disappointment when she couldn't find him. He was now gone for the whole day since she and Jin left for the city.

"There is someone who wishes to speak with you." The emperor stated before gazing at the front doors. "You may enter."

The doors slowly opened and to reveal Tianzi's older sister. She looked forlorn at the three while slowly approaching the young heiress. "Hello… Lihua…" She greeted respectfully. "I am Lenalee Lee, head of the noble Lee family."

"U-Um… I-I know who you are. I've seen you at the imperial court and during parties farther hosted." The white haired princess replied meekly as she wondered why this stranger is coming towards her.

Once close enough, Lenalee smiled kindly as she lowered her gaze to meet Lihua's. "I.." She started after taking a moment to recollect herself. "I am your sister…."

The younger female took a step back after hearing the statement "S-Sister? Y-you're my s-sister? B-but mother never told me I had one… even before she passed away…"

Lenalee continued to smile kindly. "I am your half-sister, little Lihua. I was born from a different mother… but we share the same farther."

The younger girl quickly turned her head to see her father, who for the first time in quite a while, looked embarrassed and ashamed. "She is… telling the truth…" He confirmed Lenalee's words.

"You're… my sister…" Lihua slowly muttered those words, still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she has an older sibling.

"Yes, I am your sister… and… I'm sorry… " Lenalee confessed while looking down at the ground in shame. "…for everything that had transpired a few days ago… all of it is my fault. If only I had been more wise and braver… none of it would've happened…"

"Wha… what do you mean? Please… explain…" Tianzi asked shakely.

The older sibling hesitated when she looked at her sister's worried expression. She wanted to tell everything, but the words just seemed to be stuck in her throat.

Seeing the hesitation with her older sister's eyes, Lihua surprised everyone in the throne room when she suddenly schooled her expression and in an authoritative voice asked her question again. "I want you to explain to me what you meant when you said 'all of it is your fault'…"

Upon hearing the commanding tone of her younger sister, Lenalee's hesitation had disappeared. For the next couple of hours, she explained everything and held nothing back. Lihua carefully listened and only asked questions when she didn't fully understand something. The two men in the room, who remained silent throughout the explanation, became slightly worried when the usually shy girl started glaring at her half-sister by the end of the story. "You're… the reason why Naruto is in trouble?"

"I am…" Lenalee confirmed without hesitation.

"And yet you have the gall to ask me for forgiveness? After everything you put Naruto through?" The white haired girl stated with tears welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"If I could, I would take it all back… but I can't… and now I will have to forever bear the consequences of my actions…" Lenalee added sadly.

The young princess turned away as her heart was riddled with various emotions. Betrayal… hate… sadness… so many conflicting feelings were twisting inside her chest and she wasn't sure how make sense from any of it. "Father… you never told me what Britannia wanted in return for Alois death." Tianzi suddenly asked her father who was sitting uncomfortably on his throne.

"For the death of one of their Knights of The Round they had asked only for one thing… to hand over Naruto to their custody. We're still not exactly sure what they intend to do with him… but it is quite possible that they might want to execute him in order to quell the anger of their nobles." Yao answered in an empty tone.

Tianzi's eyes widened in shock. "They're going to kill him!?"

PLAY Naruto Soundtrack- Sadness and Sorrow

"It is a possibility, yes." The older sister stated softly. "But… even if it did really come down to execution, he would gladly give up his life for us."

"What do you mean, Lenalee?" Yao inquired, confused at his eldest daughter's words.

"I have observed Naruto for a long time… and after finally getting to meet him in person, I now understand that he is a man that is not afraid of putting his life on the line for those who are precious to him and his country." The girl explained with quivering lips, doing her best not to break down. "He would rather sooner die than let any of you suffer."

"Stop it…" Tianzi requested as she too was about to lose her calm composer.

Tears started flowing down Lenalee's cheeks while her eyes remained focused on her little sister. "Lihua, you're welcome to hate me all you want, I deserve it all for what I did ... but please don't hate Naruto for his decision. He is the very definition of loyalty." The young woman then got down to her hands and knees and bowed her head so low that it actually touched the ground. "He might not say it outright, but we are all that he has in his life and he would rather die than let any of us suffer… especially you, Lihua."

'Me…' The white haired girl thought to herself. She remembered how from the very first day she met him, Naruto had always been by her side. Always there to pick her up whenever she stumbled… always there to comfort her when fear and loneliness closed in on her heart. When she finally started to gain more confidence in herself, Naruto would say it was thanks to all the effort she put in towards improving herself… and she wanted to believe that too.

…

…

…

But she knew she was only deceiving herself. He was the true reason for her getting stronger… and she wanted to continue growing stronger with him by her side! 'But now… now that dream will forever be lost… and I will never be able to see his smile again… no… no… NO!' She cried out in her mind.

Without a second thought, Tianzi turned around and ran out of the room.

"Lihua!" Yao cried out in worry. Where was she going!?

The Emperor's bodyguard's eyes closed as he walked towards the same direction Tianzi ran off to. "Yao, my friend, for now let her be. She needs some time alone to sort out the feelings inside her heart. Don't worry, I will follow close behind to ensure her safety... meanwhile, you have your own thoughts to sort out." With those words the Jin bowed curtly and then rushed after the young princess.

"I will also go!" Yao's first born daughter, Lenalee, cried out and then quickly left to chase after her little sister too.

Left alone in the throne room the Emperor fell into contemplation, try to process what he already knew and what had been recently revealed by Lenalee. At that moment, it felt like the whole world was placed upon his shoulders and the decisions he will be forced to make will have severe repercussions in the future.

XXXXXXXXXX

NEXT DAY MORNING

XXXXXXXXXX

"You ready?"

Naruto nodded as Li Wei, one of the few monks he trusted with any of his secrets, drove him towards the destination where the Britannia's envoys would meet him to be transported. "Yeah…" He replied somehow loud enough for Li Wei to hear him over the loud engine of the vehicle. "Li, make sure you-"

"I know Naruto…" The monk cut off the blonde while looking knowingly into the distance. "He or she most likely will never be as good as you, but we will do our best to find someone to replace you as Lady Tianzi's personal bodyguard… but just know that no one will ever be able to replace you as her friend."

"Thanks Li…" Naruto smiled sadly. "For everything."

After driving for several more minutes the transportation truck finally came to a stop and the driver's head lowered as he hated to say the next words. "We're… here." The monk's grip on the wheel increased so much that he could easily bend it he wanted to. As for Naruto himself, he jumped from the back of the truck before slapping it several times.

"You can leave… I rather be alone for this." The blonde said. After several moments the truck turned around and left without the blonde looking back to see it off. He instead faced forward and spotted a large, extravagant boat with two women standing in front of it and soldiers surrounding them. One of the women was Monica, someone he already knew, but the other one he wasn't familiar with. If the teen guessed right, she was almost a decade older than him and had short, pale green hair with long bangs on the sides of her face. The left bang was done in braid while the other was normal, she wore the same Knight of The Round outfit as Alois had, save for the cape that was light purple in colour and she had a leather belt and a gun holstered on her left hip.

The older woman crossed her as she looked at Naruto with intrigued eyes. "So that kid was the one who killed Alois? Heh, I should buy him a drink and have tell me all about it."

"Lady Nonette!" Monica exclaimed in a chastising tone while the soldiers surrounding them became a bit more tense.

"What? The guy was a prick and too stuffy. Always preaching about Britannia this and Britannia that, it's as if he was some sort of fanatical leader of an equally fanatical cult. I'm glad he's six feet under and rolling over…" The woman, now identified as Nonette, nonchalant replied.

Monica chose to remain silent as she didn't want to badmouth her previous teacher… although, deep inside she felt that the man deserved his fate. For now, she had to keep her inner thoughts at bay and show Naruto no kindness. She was ordered to bring him in no matter what… even the use of force was authorised. But she hoped it wouldn't come down to that as she really wanted to make a positive connection with him later on.

"*sight* Well, here I am." Naruto said after approaching the two women. The older one nodded while pointing at the boar behind her.

"Indeed you are. Well then, come aboard." The green haired knight ordered while Naruto did as he was told. "Don't worry kid, you will not be harmed in any way." She smiled at him in a friendly manner after placing her hand on his shoulder. "Alright men! Get that engine running! We're leaving in 10 minutes!"

After boarding the ship, Naruto moved to the corner with Monica following him a few feet away, just to make sure he didn't try to leave. "..."

"… I know I should be the last person asking this… but were you able to say your goodbyes to everyone?" Monica inquired, making Naruto look down slightly in shame.

"I did, but not to the one that really matters." Naruto replied, feeling terrible as he didn't tell his best friend about the departure.

"NARUTOOOOOOO!"

"No way…" Naruto looked absolutely shocked after hearing his name being called out by a voice that he knew quite well. He quickly turned his head to the side and spotted Tianzi running towards the ship with her older sister and his shifu following close behind her. A little further behind he spotted Li Wei waving at him while standing in front of his truck. "Lihua…" The blonde moved briskly towards the ship's edge, only for Nonette's arm to block his way.

"You can say your goodbyes… but not a single foot off this ship." She declared before retracting her arm. "Same goes for them, not a single foot on this ship… or we'll be forced to take this as a declaration of war." She stated, clearly hating the idiotic the order she was given.

Naruto nodded in understanding and quickly pushed his arms forward. "Tianzi, stop! If you come any closer, you will be declaring war on Britannia!"

"I don't care! I'll declare war on the whole world if I have to!" She shouted defiantly after reaching the ship. "Naruto, please… please don't leave! You're my only friend and I cannot lose you!"

Before she could step onto the deck Naruto took a step forward, placing himself at the very edge of the boat and only a few inches away from his friend... his little lady… his sole reason for living. "I can't… as much as I want to I can't! If I don't do this, Master Jin, Emperor Yao, your older sister Lenalee… and most importantly… you… will suffer for it!"

"But it's not fair, you never did nothing wrong!" She reasoned while grabbing his arm. Some of the Britannia soldiers prepared to take aim but were stopped when Nonette lifted her arm to hold their fire. "Please stay, Naruto… I don't want to be alone again… not again." Lihua pleaded with tears running down her cheeks.

The more he looked at her sorrow filled face the more Naruto felt his heart break. Despite all of this being Britannia's fault, Naruto could not help but blame himself as well. If only he hadn't been so brash, so full of himself… maybe this would have never happened. With a defeated look he tried to think of something, anything that could bring comfort to his charge… and then, like a ray of light an idea came to his mind. "W-What if I promise to come back? It might take years, but I will definitely come back! And you know me… I never break my promises!"

"Really? You promise?" She asked before Naruto nearly fell forward as the boat was about to move. "Ahh, Naruto!" She cried as she felt him pulling away bit by bit.

"Yes! I'll come back to you! I promise!" Naruto said as he held back his tears for a bright smile and lightly kissed her hand.

The princess of China nodded as she sealed the promise by kissing his hand as well. "I know you will!" As she lean forward as their grip was slipping...

Then… their hands finally let go as Naruto couldn't hold on anymore. The last thing both of them saw were their tear riddled faces full of grief.

"Naruto! I… I…" Jiang Lihua whispered softly before she fell to her knees and wept. Both Jin and Lenalee quickly embraced her, trying their best to comfort her. Both of them then looked towards the retreating boat and swore that for as long as they lived, they will do everything in their power to ensure that Naruto and Lihua meet again.

Back on the boat, Monica stared at Naruto who remained standing in the same spot. Knowing that his heart was in turmoil she slowly began approaching him, but just as she was about to speak up, her new teacher gently grasped her shoulder. "Don't. Give him time."

They watched as the young guardian just kept staring into the distance with eyes full pain. To him, losing his best friend was the same as having a big chunk of his soul ripped off… and all that was left in its place was regret and sorrow.

XXXXXXXXXX

LINE BREAK

SEVERAL DAYS LATER

XXXXXXXXXX

"Father, I'm going to take my lessons with older sister now." Tianzi informed after she and father had their morning tea. The leader of the country nodded in approval.

"Very well. If you need help with anything, don't hesitate in approaching me. I will always find time for you." Yao offered before Tianzi bowed to him and left. The Emperor sighed as he leaned into his chair. It's been a few days since Naruto left China. There was no word of him since his departure and as much as he wanted to at least check on the young boy, he couldn't. Lest he risked going to war with Britannia.

But there is at least one silver lining that came from this whole mess… his daughter had become more dedicated in preparing for her future duties. While she didn't slack off before, there was no motivation either. But now, she threw herself at her lessons with such vigour that her teachers were having a hard time coming up with a challenge for her. And that's where Lenalee would step in. His eldest daughter officially became Lihua's private mentor… and when it came to tutoring the future empress, Lenalee held nothing back.

Of course, at first it slightly worried him how his youngest daughter only seemed to work and study throughout the days and barely left herself any time for relaxing activities like tea brewing or gardening… well, gardening was more of a Naruto's hobby than his daughter's.

But his worries were put to rest when his oldest told him about the promise Tianzi and Naruto made during the day of departure. While most would discard promises made between children, but Yao didn't. He knew that once Naruto makes a promise, he would damn well make sure to keep it. The was no doubt in the Emperor's mind that the boy would crawl through hell itself just so he could see Lihua again.

"She has a long and challenging road ahead of her, but something tells that she will make it to the end, no matter what." Jin smiled softly.

"Now then, Jin… are there any news from Britannia concerning Naruto's wellbeing?" Yao inquired in an authoritative voice. "Also, any luck in finding a replacement for Tianzi's protector? We need to assign a new one fast, or else someone might try to attack us again by using my daughter."

"Unfortunately we have no news in regards to Naruto. As for assigning a new bodyguard for Tianzi… I believe I found several candidates that might be up to the job, but I will have to test them first to see if they are truly worthy of such honour." The bodyguard of the Emperor informed while stroking his beard.

The Emperor frowned at his friend's answers. "I see. Well, all we can do right now is focus on the future and hope that Naruto is still alive and well. As for the bodyguard issue, I will leave that matter in your capable hands. Now, onto another agenda. We have received reports that someone has been visiting the area where Tianzi's rescue took place… or more accurately it's-"

"The place where I found Naruto…" The grandmaster stated softly before frowning in thought. The wasteland area was now sealed off for the local populace and guard patrols were increased to ensure that no one would try to use that place for suspicious activities ever again.

"We have yet to identify who this intruder is as our soldiers were not able to capture him/her during the last visit. Perhaps you should look into that matter personally as I don't want a possible enemy spy walking around our territory like it's their own backyard." Yao suggested.

Jin nodded in understanding before heading towards the Shaolin temple. He will need to gather some of his best warrior monks before the investigation can begin.

XXXXXXXXXX

WASTELANDS

XXXXXXXXXX

"Hmm…" A man hummed in thought while looking at a blossoming peach tree that was somehow growing near the border of the wasteland. "I was sure that I would find him around here." The man looked to be in his late 20's, possessed spiky silver hair that seemed to be oriented to his left-side, dark grey eyes and a relaxed, heavy-lidded expression. He wore a tan cloak around his body and light robes underneath it.

"Sir! Those Imperial dogs are coming here!" Two young men wearing rag tag armor around their bodies came rushing towards the man. "We shall hold them off while you get to safety!"

"Hmm? Well, that just won't do. Let's be patient instead and politely greet them, this is their land after all." The silver haired man said lazily. "Besides, it's not like we're doing anything illegal, right?." He chuckled with his eyes closing in almost the shape of a 'U'.

"….Uuuum, we actually are since we are trespassing… which is considered almost everywhere illegal! So, we should really-" One of the young men tried to reason.

The man's eyes opened up to reveal a kind, yet at the same time, stern look. "We'll be fineee…. I just want to ask them if by some chance they know the person I am looking for." As soon as he finished his sentence, a worn out truck pulled over a yard away from them and from the passenger seat climbed out The Emperor's bodyguard, Jin. "Hello~!" The silver haired man lifted his hand and kindly waved at Jin, like they were friends for years.

"Well, aren't you a polite young man? If you don't mind me asking, what is your business for being here?" Jin inquired calmly. "This area is closed off to the public and only Shaolin monks are permitted to enter."

"Oh, sorry sorry. You see, I got lost on the road to life." The man answered cryptically… and all he received in response was an empty howl of the wind. Even his allies were silent. "Wow, tough crowd… just like back home."

"Who are you exactly?" Jin asked while crossing his arms. If one looked very closely, they would notice one of his eyebrows slightly twitching in annoyance.

"Be careful who you address, old man! This the Silver Fang of the desert! He can beat you faster than you can blink!" One of the youths on the man's side boasted. "He has been protecting the weak left behind in the desert while you castle punks eat like kings inside your walls!"

"Whoa, easy there. No need to get hostile." The silver-haired man placated his subordinate, calming him down. "Sorry about that, he can be a bit of hothead sometimes." He apologized. "Anyways, there reason I am here is because I'm looking for someone. He goes by the name Naruto. Do you by any chance know or at least heard of him?"

Upon hearing his apprentice name, Jin instantly got into a defence stance. "How do you know the name of my protege?" The older bodyguard asked warily, while from the back of the truck warrior monks jumped out and pulled out their weapons.

"What?" The silver-haired man blinked in surprise. "I think you're confused. He's my student." He said before taking a step forward. "Either way, It's really important that I get to see him. Can you take me to him?"

"Even if he was here, which he isn't, the last thing I would want do take is take some unknown intruder to meet my student." The old man stated as he also took a step forward and continued to do so until him and the silver haired man stood at arms reach of one another. "Now I'll ask again. Besides having that fancy title, who are you, exactly?"

"Well, I suppose introductions are in order." The silver-haired man said before clearing his throat. "My name is Kakashi Hatake, teacher of Naruto Uzumaki… and currently the leader of this… uh… tribe of free men?" He lamely finished.

Despite the nonchalant introduction, Jin could tell there was no lies in the man's words. "Judging by your name, you're most likely from Japan." The old man observed. "Tell me, what is a Japanese man such as yourself doing here in China, besides the obvious?"

Kakashi chuckled as he crossed his arms. "Well, to you I may look… Japanese, but that does not mean I hail from Japan. I believe that's something Naruto would say, right?"

"He actually never said anything like that… the boy doesn't even know his last name." The grandmaster retorted, causing Kakashi's to widen in shock

"Oh dear… that's not good. Could it be because of the light that hit him back then? In that case, Sasuke most likely also… Alright, since Naruto is not here, can you at least tell me where he is?" Kakashi asked in the same manner a concerned parent would.

Normally Jin wouldn't divulge such information to someone he just met… but years of experience told him that this Kakashi person can be trusted… despite his odd quirks. "He was taken prisoner by Britannia… for a crime he didn't commit." Jin answered while frowning sadly. "The Britannian nobles demanded retribution for the death of one of their elite knights… or else they would go to war with China. To avoid that, Naruto had voluntarily agreed to be taken by them."

…

…

…

"I see... *sigh* oh, that student of mine. It seems that no matter where he goes, he will end up in interesting predicaments." Kakashi chuckled lightly after hearing the older bodyguard's answer.

Jin himself gawked at the man's response. "Are you saying that you are okay with this?"

"Ah, don't worry too much about it. Naruto always gets into all sorts of trouble." Kakashi waved off the man's concern as if it was a normal day. He then cracked his knuckles and lightly stretched his back. "Well, time to invade this… Britannia place."

"Now hold on just a minute! You can't just simply waltz into another country like you're going for a stroll! You will get killed before you even step a foot into their territory!" Jin chastised. Just how easy-going was this man?!

That statement caused Kakashi to pause and scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Whoops, I forgot that you can't cross the border here as easily as back home. Hmmm… need to adjust my plan slightly."

"Didn't you hear what I just said? You will get killed before you even reach their border!" Jin repeated while massaging his temples in annoyance.

Kakashi only eye smiled in return. "An experienced Shinobi always finds a way to get in without a problem… well, except for Naruto. He would just charge straight ahead and deal with the consequences later " He joked while Jin shook his head.

"The Chinese Federation and the Princess already suffered a severe loss when Naruto was taken away as a prisoner, but at least he was taken alive... But if you follow through your foolish actions, Britannia might be forced in reconsidering if it's worth keeping the boy alive… and if that were to happen…. nothing on Earth would be able to stop me from ending you."

"Whoa, again with the hostility. You seriously need to relax a bit." Kakashi tried to calm down the older man.

"And how am I supposed to do that when some wise guy in front of me is planning to put my student's life in danger. I would advise you to consider mine's and your situations better." Jin advised, but in a bit calmer voice.

"….Then how about we work together? I can tell that you're quite a reasonable man and really care for the boy's wellbeing." Naruto's first 'teacher' suggested while his two young allies gasped at the suggestion. "I'm willing to offer my experience as a "shinobi" and a "soldier" in service for your nation. All I ask of you, is to take in the people from my tribe into your custody and away from the desert."

Upon hearing the offer, Jin stroked his beard in consideration. "Hmmm… why should I? For all I know, your claims of being a ninja and a soldier could be false and by taking your people in, I would be putting China at risk."

The silver haired man cupped his chin in thought and after a few minutes came up with an idea. With the tip of his shoes he drew a fairly large circle and then stood in the middle of it. "Alright then, how about a test of skill then? There's an old saying that two warriors often get to know each other better through combat, so let's see if weather that's true or not. Why not also make a bet of it as well? If you manage to knock me out of the circle, then I will leave this place and never come back… but if I win, you will take in my people and accept my services. How does that sound?" Kakashi offered.

Jin raised an eyebrow at the proposition, but decided to accept either way. "Very well." Jin said before getting into a formal combat stance. Winning or losing this battle doesn't matter as he will still get something out of it.

The next day, at the Shaolin temple Jin was asked by the Emperor to explain from where the sudden influx of students came… and why did he accept a new apprentice without consulting him first. Jin only smiled in return as he and the Emperor watched Kakashi running around the courtyard with weights put on him and his personal attendants, who were once assigned to Naruto, chasing after the poor silver haired man.

Make no mistake, Kakashi had lost the fight and the bet… but Jin knows talent when he sees one and this man, who claimed to be Naruto's first teacher, was brimming with it. Only a fool would let it go to waste…. plus, he also wanted to torture the man a bit for claiming to be the better teacher of the two….

XXXXXXXXXX

IN BRITANNIA

XXXXXXXXXX

"Get up. It's time for you to meet the emperor…" The warden commanded as he looked at a chained up Naruto sitting in the corner of his 'room'… which, despite being called a room, was more equivalent to a prison cell.

The blonde boy slowly looked up the man with slight anger in his eyes. He wasn't able to eat much since they took him and what little food he was given, was just some water and stale bread. Another major issue was that there was barely any light in this 'room' and for the past few days Naruto was forced to sit alone in near darkness.

If he went back to time before he had met Tianzi and was still living in the desert, this kind of treatment wouldn't be much of a problem. But after living in a royal palace for several years and after gaining lots of friends, he now realized just how scary and depressing it can be to have no one to interact with. "Fine…" The blonde muttered while standing up. The weights connected the chains made movement difficult, so it took some time for him to exit the 'room'.

The warden then led Naruto through some small hallways before they finally reached what looked like to be the main hall which, if Naruto guessed right, leads to the throne room. The entire walk seemed to go on forever in the boy's mind as he had to almost constantly look down and check if the chains connected to his feet didn't get tangled up. After they finally entered the throne room, the warden stopped and called out to the blonde. "We are here. Stop and get on your-"

THUD!

"FINALLY! I thought the walking would never end." Naruto chuckled after collapsing onto the floor from exhaustion. "Seriously, if you're going to force people to cross that ridiculously long hallway, then at least make sure they are properly fed or install a vending machine! It's like trying to run a marathon!"

"Hmph, it seems my son was not jesting when he said that you have a quite humorous mindset, boy." A voice filled with pride and strength boomed throughout the entire throne room… and that wasn't even a shouting voice! It was very similar to Yao's, a voice that belonged to someone who was born to lead and had immense power to back it up. A true- "King…" Naruto muttered silently after lifting his head with some difficulty due to the chains around his neck and looked at the 'king'.

There he was, Charles Zi Britannia, sitting on a throne that looked like it was carved out and moulded from solid gold. On one side of it stood dozens of knights. The ones that were dressed as The Knights of The Round, like Nonette was, stood closest to the throne. Most likely since they were trusted the most. On the other side of the throne stood Schinezel with some very fancy dressed people. No doubt the king's children and family.

"Do you know why you were brought before us?" Charles asked, but to Naruto it sounded more like a demand.

"Simple, I killed one of your knights and now I have to die to satisfy some people with golden rods stuck up their asses." Naruto answered plainly… and was caught off guard when a smile crossed the king's face. It was kinda scary to see such an expression on a serious man.

"Do you really think I care what those people want? I am the Emperor of Britannia! I shall be the one to choose your fate!" He shouted and the people inside his room shook at the power behind his voice.

"Then why am I chained up like this?" Naruto lifted his arms to show the many chains that held and bound him from doing anything.

"I needed to see if it was r eally true, the immense strength Schinezel claimed you posses. You see child, Britannia isn't the strongest nation and kingdom just because of its superior technology, but also because it has gathered many talented people from both within its territory… and those it had conquered." Charles explained and looked directly into the blonde's eyes. "And that is why you were brought before me."

"What do you mean?" Naruto inquired. For some reason he had a really bad feeling about this.

The Emperor of Britannia stood up from his throne and extended his arm towards the blonde. "As a reward for defeating one of the Knights of The Round and proving your strength…."

"Will you join The Holy Empire of Britannia?"

CHAPTER END

AK: I hope you all like it and yes Naruto has left Britannia, but will he stay or not? I won't spoiler it but this pre-canon stuff is going to last another 5-7 chapters this long like this chapter. But please review for faster and, hopefully, longer chapters.

Hope you all like it and if you have questions leave them in reviews and I'll answer them in next chapters.