He has served his time. He is tired. His spirit is dying.

"Sasuke… Sakura… Sensei… Hinata…"

His people are saved. He has succeeded.

"This is it guys."

He is no longer needed. He is too dangerous to be here.

"I have brought peace, not through swords and blood, but through courage and trust."

All his time has ended. He is… gone.

Interlude end

How long has it been? Three years? Four? Maybe five? He doesn't care. He stopped caring about himself after some time. Now, he's nothing but a travelling sage. A man who has no place to stay, not even a place to belong. This is his choice, and he choose this from his own consent. Him living in a place where people exist will be… harmful to both him and them. He's a bad omen.

Yet, the thirst of meeting someone is there somewhere inside of him. He grew tired of walking, he grew tired of counting the stars. It has been for so long… thinking back about his past isn't so helpful either. He needs to forget, but he needs to learn on how to let go first.

As a man, he desires. As a human, he wants. All he wanted was for a second chance, a chance for him to be back to that world of saving people, back to the world where he could get all the recognition and praise he deserves. But what are the chances? Not that high. Time… is not so forgiving. He wondered the Lands, travelling through continents, seeking for that one thing. But he did not find it.

He is still waiting, yet he is also searching for it.

He is nothing but a stranger in a strange land. A land that is different from the ones he used to visit. Dressed in a black and orange jacket that is matching for him, he has his red and black haori to cover him from the cold night wind. His hair has grown longer, no longer short and spiky, he even tied them into a small ponytail. He can't say anything about his face, all he knew is that he'd definitely grown older over the past years. Maybe as old as a certain scarecrow. His eyes are a beautiful cerulean color, with pupils that is just waiting to shine again. His cheeks still bear his trademark feature, the three whisker marks on each side of his cheeks, has grown rougher and possibly thicker due to some unexplainable circumstances.

On his right hand is a shokujo, of course, it is but only a staff formed from his Gudodama. It's handy to have these; one would not expect a staff wielding stranger to be that of the uncommon kind. His appearance could be considered unique, considering his attire and looks. His looks itself is something that the people here is not common to.

Speaking of which… he is walking to a village. A village that is simply named Human Village. Why? Maybe it's literally as the name stated, a village filled with humans. He knew the directions thanks to the nature around him. The birds are kind enough to tell him the way there. He's not far from the place actually, he could already sense multiple life sources coming from the way he's heading.

He can't help but feel excited at what he will possibly find. But he will still distant himself with the folks there, maybe he won't be here for too long, so there's no real reason to get too attached to people.

His walking went on for some time, quite the irate for him. But thankfully, he's nearer than what he expected. A sign post with an arrow pointing up ahead stating that the human village is a few miles away is posted on the sidelines. A small smile formed on his lips. It's time to rest his tired feet and get some food, maybe there are shops there that could provide him with a light meal. Not eating for three days isn't something he's good at…

The walk that has been going for what seems to be an eternity ended. He stood on a small hill that allows him to overlook the entire village in one seating, what he saw draws in a rush of nostalgia. For the first time in his exiled life has he ever felt like this, the last time he felt like this was a long time ago, and in a place he doesn't want to recall at the moment. It is still morning. The bright sun shines allowing all things underneath it to see and live… he missed viewing people in such ways, too bad that his eye sight isn't as good as it was before.

The trees surround the village proved how much of a beauty this place is. He has a connection with nature, a strong one. Senjutsu is useful, and using it from time to time is like a form of meditation for him. Constantly he would talk to the animals around him, trying to understand them. Of course he could not hear them talk, but he can understand them. It is as if nature has become a way of him to connect to others.

"Hm… I guess I better get down now." He simply willed for his body to be at the spot he wants it to be. A simple teleportation technique that every ninja knows. He reappeared somewhere deeper into the forest, but nearer to the village. But instead of trees, bamboos are surrounding him. His eye caught sight of a wooden sign. "Beware, bamboo forest of the lost. The human village is north…" he read what he's seeing out loud.

If he goes north, he'll be at the village… does that mean that if he went deeper he'll be lost? As amusing as that sounds, he's not looking to get lost anytime soon. Maybe he'll do some exploring later, but he really needs to eat something like right now.

Okay… he did get into the village. Now… finding food. Oh, look, food stands. Well, guess his task is done. Walking to a nearby stand, he caught the aroma of something cooking. Whatever it is, it's tasty. Upon arriving closer, he was delighted to see a stand selling grilled… lampreys? Lampreys… what are lampreys? Are they even something edible? But he went in anyway, feeling the hunger getting the best of him.

He went inside the small stand, more like a cart but whatever. A girl with short pink purplish hair is fanning on a grill, cooking these lampreys. It's his first time seeing a lamprey and he was quite surprised to find out that they are actually eels like things… and it looks like he's not the only in the bar. He thought that being alone was bad, but looks like he get a little company now.

"Hello there! You're a new face here." That was not a question. The girl who is cooking the lamprey asked him, she's still fanning on those eels like a professional. On her face is a friendly smile, and on her back are a pair of feathered wings. Over all, she looks-

Wait, wait, wait… wings?

He opened his mouth, and then he closed it again. He simply replies with a smile of his own, while grabbing a seat next to sleeping customer. "Yup, I'm a traveler. What do you serve here?" he knows it already but there's no harm in asking someone.

"Lampreys! Would you like some?" the cook asked.

"Yes please." He replied. He's still focused on something that interest him greatly. Wings… someone with wings aren't… normal, right? There're no people with wings over his last few journeys, people with weird sense of fashion sure, but wings… he needs some answer. While he's having his inner moment, he did not notice that the customer beside has awaken.

"Who're you?" he looked to the side, where he came face to face with a girl with a very long white hair with ribbons tied to it. She's dressed weird, almost like those clowns on that circus that he visited when he was still doing escort missions, but like he's one to speak. She looks like a tomboy, trust him, he knows it when he sees one.

"No one special, just a traveler." He answered her halfheartedly. He's glad that he is conversing with someone, but all he can focus now are those wings and the food that he is going to eat. A hand slung itself right over his shoulder, and he was not surprised to see that this stranger is the one doing it. He smell something familiar coming from the girl's mouth. sake to be exact.

He felt her leaning closer towards him, shoulders touching and all that. "Aw come on, don't act like that." She's drunk alright… "Mysty! Give us sake!" she is referring to the cook, who returned with a plateful of grilled eels, lampreys, his bad…

"Coming right up!" well she's excited to serve alright…

The girl with the white hair grinned drunkenly at him. She picked up one of the sake cups that Mysty placed on the table for them. she offered one of the cups to the male. "Want some? I'll tell you, you'll be fine, it's not like you'll die drinking sake right?" she laughed at her own joke, something that made the man feel awkward.

The man smile wryly at her, since he's really hungry, he decided to play along. "Well, before we start drinking, name's NarutoUzumaki. What's yours?" he asked.

"Me? Fujiwara no Mokou. Remember it man." She chugged down a cup in an instant. Naruto is having fun watching someone getting drunk, he hadn't had this much entertainment in years. If only granny is still alive… he quickly shook his head to discard the memory.

He took a cup for his own, as well as a lamprey on his other hand. Though it might be a little bit too soon to be drinking… but… aw, oh hell, just like she said, it's not like he'll die when he drink. He chugged the cup empty, feeling the backlash in almost an instant. He was bad with sake, and this one's no different. Unlike most sake that he tasted, this one is way stronger. "Whoa… that was quick…" he muttered out. His head's dizzy in an instant.

"That all it takes you to get drunk? Psh! I drunk three gourds and I'm still good as hell!" Mokou boasted, patting him roughly in the back.

The man twitched, he grabbed another cup and dunk it all down quicker than before. The man's eyes has started to develop a drunken glaze, something that the girl noticed. He grabbed another cup, and he did the same step for two more times. That's five cups down along with his first one. Mokou erupted in a serious of laughter. "Hahaha! Not bad punk, but you still can't drink better than me!"

It's at times like these that he would curse his weakness against alcohol, pride and most importantly his brain. He glared at the girl, taking up the offer. "Oh yeah!? Then I'll show you…"

Time may have passed… but hey, old habits die hard.

He felt like shit.

No, maybe lower.

"Ugh… where am I… the last thing I remembered was- whoa…"

"Damn… drinking again in the morning? Hey, you okay there?"

Mokou knows better than to get drunk. But as always… she learns it the hard way. She has no problems in getting drunk but it would always cost her something. Like time, money and maybe even a few sack of knuckle sandwich. This time, none of those, but instead she got a tourist to help. They're in an alleyway by the way, right next to a freaking trash can. She got up and stretched up. Looking up, it's still morning. Then that means…

"This is the first time I ever got so drunk that I actually got up in the day after I got drunk."

Thank you for answering her thoughts, some random dude that she can't quite remember. Mokou got a good look on the man, and she must say, he's definitely a newcomer. "Look, now I know that you're new and you probably lost your wallet but-"

"Nah, I don't bring any wallet with me. And yes, I'm new. Name's Naruto by the way… I don't remember if I ever introduced myself to you..." the man gave her a sheepish smile, he rubbed the back of his head expressing clear embarrassment.

"I see. Then that's good. So… got any questions, like where the heck you are right now, or how did you get here, or why the hell are you talking to someone who got you so drunk in an alleyway?" Mokou asked him in a comical manner.

Naruto got the point. Basically, she's offering him some answers, and he just need to pick the right question. "No thanks, I know where I'm at, at the moment." He said to the white haired girl who is wearing suspenders.

"Really?" from her look it is safe to say that she is not expecting an answer like that from the man. She honestly expect him to ask her a barrage of questions that even she herself can't answer. Hearing the man's reply, she shrugged uncaringly and walked out the alley.

He followed the girl out of the alley, returning to the village area. This is a familiar sight for him, albeit nosier. There are many people here. From men to women, children to teenagers. Some are happy, some are having a rather bad day and some are even walking around for no reason at all. But it's still refreshing to see this lot of people, seeing trees isn't exactly the type of comfort he's into, despite the fact he loves nature.

"Anyway, Mokou, right?" asked the man to girl, in case if he got her name wrong.

"Yup, what?"

"Can you tell me where I can get information about this place? Perhaps a library of some sort?" he's going to ask her for the baths but it looks like comfort needs to wait a little bit longer. He's not going to stay in a place he has no apparent knowledge just like that.

"Hmm…" he saw Mokou making a thinking face. From the looks of it, she's seriously thinking. She dropped the look later, and said. "Library? Well, does it only have to be a place where you can get books to read?"

"Huh?" what is this girl saying? Of course it is. "What do you mean? A library, you know what that is right?" he's seriously getting confused here. It's either he's still drunk or this girl is messing with him in some ways possible.

Mokou nodded. "Yeah, I know what a library is, I used to work in one for hell's sake!"

"…Really?"

"Fooled you there."

He knew it.

"Anyway…" Mokou dismissed the earlier statement. "Let's go before this 'library' moves from one place to another." She did not even wait for him to speak, she already run towards a particular direction.

Wait. Move? Library?

…

…

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm not taking you to a library."

"I expected as much."

"I apologize for my friend's behavior."

"No, no… it's fine. She did get me here after all."

"Still… it was still her who caused you all of your trouble on waking up in an alley."

"I ain't done nothing…"

Naruto made a small glance. On his right is Mokou acting as if she got nothing to do with this conversation, in front of him however, is Mokou's friend. She's a woman about his height, maybe slightly shorter. She is beautiful, even he has to admit. Her hair is long but not as long as the suspender wearing girl over here, it is also a unique gradient of silver and blue. On her head is a… a… what the heck is that? Never mind that part, she's dressed in a blue dress with designs that are too much of a bother to describe. But overall, she's normal.

"I am Keine Kamishirasawa. I am the teacher and protector of this village." She introduced herself briefly at the man. She is still giving her white haired friend some glares though…

Protector? Kind of like a profession that he always wanted to be when he was younger… and a teacher? What a unique combination. Naruto smiled. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. A traveler and a Sage." She has a title so he sees no reason as to why he can't have one.

Mokou raised an eyebrow. "You're a sage…? You sure don't look like it though."

"Mokou!"Keine scolded her friend. She knew that her friend is… not normal but that doesn't excuse her from acting impolite like that.

"It's fine." Naruto waved Keine's worry off. He really needs to start learning on how to talk to women… "I came here to know more about this place, and Mokou said that you know what I'm looking for." He began noting on how much of a worrywart this woman is. He can't blame her though, Mokou looks like your ordinary troublemaker for him. but hey, like he's one to talk.

"I see. Then come on in, Mokou, can you please kindly show him the living room?" Keine began taking them inside the house. Her house. Upon entering, he could already tell that this is a normal house, and the way Mokou act so casually made him come to a conclusion that she's been here a lot of times.

"Yeah, yeah…" Mokou waved Keine's statement away. She then glance at the man, motioning him to follow her. "Follow me. If you're gonna be here then it's best to tell you about some things that you should know." Mokou raised a finger. "First, Youkais are bad, the wild ones at least." She raised another finger. "Second, beware of places that gives you the creeps immediately, they're probably as bad as your instincts tell you." She raised a third, along with an irritated look. "Third, meet that whore Kaguya, tell me immediately, I'll show her royal ass a good flush…"

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Kaguya? Someone you knew?"

Mokou huffed, an indignant expression on her face. "Someone I wished I never knew." She shook her head, opening a sliding door that shows a normal sized room with a square table in the middle. "Just… don't get too close to her. She might look fine but she's a real tramp, trust me." The way she speaks is of pure malice.

Of course, he knew that Mokou is just irritated by this Kaguya person. And it's no strange fact that she has a bad history with this Kaguya person. Mokou motioned him to take a seat on the floor. He did just that and he rests hi arms on the table. "Well… I don't have a really good relation to a certain Kaguya from where I came from either…"

"See? It's almost as if that every Kaguya in the world is so annoying. And bitchy."

"…I can't say anything about that last part, she was my great, great, great grandmother after all." He shrugged. In truth, Kaguya Ootsutsuki was in fact the mother of the Sage of the six paths, who happened to be his ancestor, and the father to Elemental Nation's most recognized clan founders, who, one of them, also happened to be his great, great grandfather. Still, he shares blood with a certain somebody…

Mokou blinked rapidly. "Wait, for real?" then that blink turned into a curious look. "Great, great, great grandmother? Just how old is she? Is she a Youkai?"

Well, he can't start sprouting things that will confuse her, but it looks like Mokou beat him to it already. There she goes with this Youkai thing, he began to understand that whatever a Youkai is, it is probably a being or species of the sort. And Kaguya being Youkai… he's not too sure about that. "No, she is not a… Youkai. But she's very strong." Not a lie there. He can't just blurt everything out.

Mokou's interest died down. She falls on her back, to the tatami mat floor. "Hm. She must be a bitch eh?"

"You have such way with words."

"So I've been told."

The opening of a sliding door startled the two in an instant. They turned towards the direction on where the door is. Naruto saw Keine coming over carrying a bunch of scrolls on her hand, and it seems that she's carrying more than what she could handle. "S-Sorry for the wait, here are some things that will…" she's struggling to keep her balance. Naruto glanced briefly at the girl lying on the floor, it looks like she's making no effort in helping her friend.

He stood up and approached the woman who is struggling on what she's carrying. "Need some help, Keine-san?" he asked.

"Thank you." Keine let him carry half of what she's carrying. Naruto helped carry the scrolls back to the table, where he placed them directly on the table top in a neat arrangement.

Now that all of them are seated, Mokou too, Keine could start explaining to the man. "This place is Gensokyo. A place which exist inside a boundary that isolates itself from the outside world." Naruto started paying attention, Mokou is just chilling right next to him. Keine continues. "as you might've noticed, Gensokyo isn't your normal place."

Tell him something he don't know…

"Before I continue, is there anything else you'd like to ask?" The woman asked. Probably she wants him to do the asking so that he'll understand.

"Well… for starters, what are Youkais?" he asked.

Keine had a surprised look on her face. But she quickly dismissed the look with a professional nod. "Youkais are beings that are different from us humans. Mokou told me that you two were at Mystia's bar, I'm surprised that you haven't figure out what Youkais are."

"Hehe… sorry. My sensei always told me that I'm not the quickest of the bunch." He smiled apologetically. "So, Youkais are beings like Mystia-san? They have wings and all that?"

Keine hummed before shrugging. "Not exactly… while most Youkais took on the traits of a human, some of their beastly traits are what makes them easier to identify." She briefly explained. "For example, Mystia is a night sparrow, thus explaining as to why she has wings."

At the end of Keine's statement, he started to understand what Youkais are. Basically, they're human looking fellas with either animal ears or other traits and all that. Keine continues her speaking, explaining further. "Gensokyo's population consists of mostly Youkais, the human village is where most of the human population in Gensokyo resides."

"Does that mean there are some people who lives outside of the village?" he asked.

"Yes, but I'm afraid I can't tell you who those people are though."

"I live in the bamboo forest, so you can count me too." Moukou remarked from the sidelines. "Visit me sometimes, I'll show you a place where you could get drunker than an Oni."

She was shushed by Keine. "Ahem, anyway, where was I… oh," a look of realization dawned. "Though most Youkais are wild, there are also good shares of friendly folks. But please do not try to get on their bad side." Trust him, he's not looking forward to it. "But if you are in a pinch… perhaps you could have a duel with them- no let me rephrase that, most Youkais or people, will fight you."

Well that's not a solution he's expecting. He was expecting something like, flee on sight or don't fight back or anything like that. But instead this woman is encouraging him to fight back in case if something went wrong with him and a Youkai. "Duel? In what way?"

"Spell Cards duel." She handed him a scroll to which he took. "This scroll will explain all about what you need to know about what a spell card duel is." She handed him another scroll. "This scroll contains some information of some of the few places in Gensokyo, though I do not advise you to directly visit them."

He stared at the two scrolls he was given. He thanked the woman by giving her a warm smile. "Thank you Keine-san. This will help me in more ways you could have imagined." He then asked again. "When should I return this?"

"It's fine. Maybe when you've finished reading the whole thing." replied the kind woman to him.

He was about to stand and leave, until a certain girl appeared and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Now that the talk is done… why don't I show you around here? We'll get to see the few places in Gensokyo that are not even in that thing." She's obviously referring to the scroll he was given.

"Thank you Keine-san I- whoa, wait a minute woman!" he managed to say his thanks one last time to the teacher and protector of the village. Keine saw him being dragged away from her house by the immortal. She shook her head.

"Haah… I just hope that you won't get him into trouble Mokou." That girl is her friend, but she's a troublesome one. Though it's nice seeing Mokou socializing with other people instead of her. She would normally talk to some people but only after exchanging a few words. If anything, she hoped that Naruto will also enjoy his stay in Gensokyo.

"Okay, so what would you like to check out first." As soon as they exited Keine's house, Mokou took him somewhere to a place that is less crowded. There are still people but not enough to make the whole place crowded. He sealed the scrolls that Keine lent him inside a sealing, kind of ironic.

"I don't know, you're the one who's going to show me around in the first place." He stated, remembering what the girl said. After hearing the explanation from Keine, Gensokyo must have a lot of nice place to visit. Of course, the word nice also comes with danger.

"I know. I'm asking what type of place you want to visit first, my good sir." Mokou remarked in a sarcastic manner. "Like a mountain, a forest, a lake or something…" the white haired girl trailed off, looking away. He has no idea on what this girl is thinking. Only meeting him for a day or two counting today, she's already acting all familiar with him. Not that he hates it, but it might just get complicated later in the future.

"That was a vague description of places Mokou." Naruto knows that this girl knows what she's doing. But he's still not sure on whether he should start following the girl or what, and it's not like he's looking forward on visiting the places Mokou just told him. A mountain, forest, lake… those are some of places that he would visit but not now. He needs a place where he could rest, a place where he could lay down.

He made a thinking face. A lake doesn't sounds bad, and so does a mountain. "Are those the only place you could show me? Isn't there a place where there are less… trouble?" he did not know if there's trouble or not. But something tells him that there will be as soon as he step foot in said place.

"Well…" Mokou trailed off. "There's this huge mansion near the lake, but I'm sure that the owner won't take too kindly with a stranger suddenly appearing like that." So that leaves it out of the option. Mokou made a thinking posture, then a light bulb went off in her head. "Aha! I know. The Miko's shrine."

Miko? As in Priestess? "A miko? As in priestess?" he actually asked that.

"Yup, the real deal." Mokou nodded. "If you're still looking for some answers or something, she's the one you could talk to, she's like the one responsible if an outsider gets transported here anyway. I bet she's just lazing around her shrine or something…" Mokou muttered the last part. "Anyways, can you fly?"

Now that's something he doesn't get to answer every day. Naruto stared unblinkingly at the white haired girl. "Excuse me?"

"Can you fly?" she asked again.

Can you fly… what an odd question. "No. not exactly flying. I can levitate but it won't be the same as flying though. Why?"

All he got for an answer is Mokou gripping his shoulders hard, before soaring for the skies.

It might just be a gut feeling but… something tells him that Gensokyo might not be a dangerous place.

"Thank God that was over…"

"Phew… that took a lot more than expected…"

He just landed back on sweet ground. Flying was a new experience to him, he never use his powers to use the sky as a method of travel, but he get the feeling that he must learn to change that anytime soon. He's back on solid ground, where he's climbing up stone stairs. The steps are steep, though not that much. He could use chakra to attach himself to the surface but he don't see the reason why. It's not like he'll fall anyway.

Still, Mokou is bringing him to this Shrine on top of a hill. It's not like something strange to him, he visited shrines before, and most of them are located at such remote places. Maybe it's a tradition or something, he wasn't paying much attention to the people who explained these things to him.

After a long walk up the stairs, he finally see the red Torii gate standing tall. And when he reached the top of the step, he could see a building styled in an oriental eastern manner with paper charms located in specific places. The shrine is actually… smaller than what he expect it to be, and it looks abandon too. Maybe Mokou's right on the Miko being lazy.

Speaking of Mokou, she casually walks over to the donation box. He thought for a moment that she was going to make a donation, but no, she instead ring the bells much to his surprise. Aren't you suppose to throw money first before ringing the bells?

He can already hear the sound of footsteps coming from inside the shrine. What is happening?

"DOOONAAATIOOONS!"

Holy Log! A girl went flying out of the shrine. He took a step back, his body on high alert. Who is this girl, she's dressed in a red and white outfit. Her sleeves are strangely detached and she has a ribbon tied to her head. Her hair's brown, and a closer look then one could see that her eyes are in fact brown.

The current expression she's having is a rare one. This must be the miko…? He knows that he isn't suppose to judge a book by its cover, but something… something tells him that his first impression of her went crashing down the stairs.

Mokou simply wave at the miko, saying. "Yo."

The miko paused at what she's doing. She stared at Mokou then back at Naruto. It took her three seconds to snap back to her normal self. She has an indifferent look on her face, a little similar to someone who is bored beyond her wits. "Ah, it's just you…" she focused her attention back to the male. "You here to donate?"

Well, first impressions are not so important here anymore…

"Ah… I see, so it's like that." This girl in front of him is Reimu Hakurei, the miko of this shrine. Apparently, she's a miko who is both working and living in a Godless shrine. He knows that shrines have an original deity, but this one, no. How did he know? The miko told him herself. He donated a gold piece earlier, making use of fallen leaves by changing them to gold coins, and was about to clap. But the miko stopped him, saying that there are no deities in the shrine and that he should donate two coins instead of one.

So it's safe to say that this girl is not your usual miko.

"So, what do you want to know?" Reimu asked the taller male. She's been figuring something out earlier. Usually, outsiders who get transported here would end up somewhere near the shrine or the forest of magic. But she heard his story about him being a travelling sage. Which eases her, maybe it's because he knows how to deal with the nosy Youkais and that she doesn't have to look after him.

"In the village, Keine-sensei," he used the change in honorific. "told me about this spell card duel. What is that?" he'll be blunt if he has to. But he's still interested in what it is. He noticed the casual look on Reimu's face, maybe she's used to answering this kind of thing.

"Well, basically, it's the way how we folks here settle our differences." Now he knows why Keine is encouraging him to fight back when encountered by a Youkai. Having to do a duel in order to solve their differences? That's new for him. Reimu took a small sip from her tea. She pointed a finger to the immortal who's seating opposite of her. "You, show him danmaku."

Mokou stretched from her place, she stood up with a cocky grin. "Hmph. You don't even have to ask, I'll show you a nice show." But the miko's hand stopped her. Mokou looked at Reimu. "What is it now?"

"Do it outside."

"Oh yeah."

Girls and guy are moving…

So now they're outside, at the shrine's backyard. They're on a clearing, quite large, Mokou's getting ready to get the okay from Reimu. Naruto he's looking forward on what this danmaku is. Reimu took a seat under one of trees, from there, she explains. "Danmaku is a form of duel, we shoot at each other with projectiles that hurt but not lethal. Remember, hurt. Not lethal." She straighten the last point.

So it's a duel to the core. Not killing or fighting to the death…? What a… civilized way of fighting. Mokou is standing with her hands on her hips, looking at the shrine maide. She's getting impatient, is she that eager to show what she can do? Reimu ignores the look that she is receiving, instead she sip her tea, before nodding, signaling Mokou to start.

"Flame on!" Naruto was forced to shield his eyes and face from Mokou. What he's seeing is not what he expected. Mokou is surrounded in a reddish orange, flame aura that depicts the description of a large bird. A phoenix. She has wings made of fire due to the shroud that surrounds her. The heat is strong too, he's a good feet away from Mokou but he still can feel the heat. Mokou launched to the skies, getting on a good distance.

"Pay attention, she's going to show you danmaku." Reimu noted for him. His eyes never leaves Mokou's form, and she started to fire red flaming orbs of fire on random direction. Little by little, he started to see that she's shooting off these… flaming projectiles in a manner of pattern. Mokou swooshed to the left, firing a more complicated pattern for him to see.

"Mokou uses her flames as Danmaku, though it still burns, it doesn't hurt more than getting a rock thrown at you." Reimu explained. "Of course, her attacks are precise. I've dealt with her myself, and it's safe to say that she's capable on taking care of herself along with you if you're useless." That actually hurt him.

Though he did not took Reimu's comment seriously. Watching Mokou flying like a bird out of hell is… fascinating. The projectiles that Mokou are shooting off began to increase in number, slowly getting bigger and more at the same time. Beautiful formation started to form in the air, showing all kinds of colors from orange to blue. So this is Danmaku…

"Danmaku are simple, yes. But there are also ways on how to execute them." he turned to Reimu who is drinking her tea. "A spell card is used to let the user fire of patterns, if not barrage of bullets at their opponent." She paused. "Only two rules apply. One, it must be beautiful. And two, not too strong but not weak."

It's like watching a solo firework on display, Mokou, she's painting the sky with colors that comes from herself. He's in awe in what he's seeing. This way of fighting… it's brilliant. It's brilliant. He'll say that again if he has to. He saw Mokou coming down from the sky, landing a good distance somewhere away from him and Reimu. She walked back to the two people who'd watch her presentation, with her arms rested on the back of her head.

"Well, how was it?" she asked. Naruto gave her a thumbs up. Her look turned proud. "Hmph, tell you it'll be awesome."

"Awesome indeed." Naruto can't do anything other than to agree.

Reimu merely rolled her eyes, obviously because she's used to seeing it. "Anyway, you," she refers to Naruto. "you're going to try and make your danmaku too?"

Now, he's being given a question he can't answer directly. While it's nice to learn something new, he's not going to waste time in doing so. He got his own arsenal right inside his head. He shook his head. "No thanks." He said to the shrine maiden. Then, something clicked inside his head. "You have shown me what you can do, and I think it's only fair if I show you what I can do."

"Okay, what you got?" Mokou asked, she's honestly interested in knowing what he can do. Reimu's not showing it but she's sure she's feeling the same way too.

Naruto smiled before looking calm. He closed his eyes. He has his arms crossed, and still standing. His silence caused the two girls to stare at him in confusion. He knows what they're thinking, simply because they're alien to chakra. Though it is everywhere, perhaps it exists in a different term. He opened his eyes, the cerulean pupils are no longer there, replaced by a pair of orange eyes with a crossed pupil. Both noticed the change in eyes, but nothing is happening yet. It was then when they find the man surrounded in a cloak of light, gently flickering like flame. There are nine floating black orbs on his back, floating forming the shape of a circle. His appearance does not change drastically, only that he's covered by golden flames and that balls are floating behind him.

Reimu was not affected by the appearance, but it's the power that radiates from the man that caused her to look surprise. It's like he's a completely different person. Before he's nothing more than a normal human, but now he's reek with energy. She's sure that she's not the only one who feels this.

Mokou was affected by the appearance. She snapped out of her staring and gave the man a solid thumbs up. "Nice look."

"Thank you." He replied with a grin. He approached the two female, maintaining his form. As usual, his body would always feel lighter when using Six Paths Sage technique. And what's more, he's grown sensitive to his surrounding. This form allows him to sense nature directly, basically, he can look for a specific item or person as long as they're present near nature.

After a few minutes of nothing but Mokou commenting on how the man looks, Reimu finally asked a question. "So, what can you do?"

Oh yeah, he's going to show them what he can do. One of the floating orbs on the back floated forward, somewhere to his side. He grasp the orb in his palm, as if holding a tennis ball. Then the orb elongated into a long rod, slowly it began to form a sharp pointy tip on the top. "These are Gudodama, or truth seeking orbs. These are my weapons, you could say. I can shape them into anything I want, form them into any form of weapon." Another orb flew forward, this time, it's taking on the form of a shokujo.

Then he let the two items return to their original form. "I can also use them like this." The two orbs floated on his sides, one on the right and one on the left. They expand slight larger, about the size of a human's head. Then, the two black orbs began firing off projectiles to a nearby tree, shattering the bark into splinters. If she was not interested before, now she is. Reimu was surprised. The way he used those orbs are almost similar on the way she used her ying yang orbs. But minus the weapon forming part.

He looked at the shrine maiden, giving her a questioning look. "What if I replace Danmaku with this? The people won't mind right?"

Reimu replied, "No, they won't… it's literally up to you on how do you want to deal against them. But most will fight through spell cards only." She then shrugs. "But don't try to do anything stupid, something tells me that there's more to what you can do other than doing those things."

She's unexpectedly sharp. He shrugged at Reimu with a smile. "Hey, what can I say? I love being unpredictable."

Reimu rolled her eyes, leaving the backyard for her shrine. Mokou approached the man who is still in his chakra shroud. "Dude, that was awesome. You'll be kicking Youkai assess in a matter of second." He took that as a compliment. Mokou studied him. "Is this all you can do? Don't get me wrong but, there's something more, right?"

"Maybe? Maybe not. You just have to find out." Naruto told her with a grin. He received a punch to the shoulder for that.

"Ya' jerk… it's fine. Anyway, you ever thought on where you'll be staying?" Mokou asked the blonde man.

"No."

"…Follow me, I'll let you crash at my place."

"Thanks a bunch."

"Don't mention it."

That's all for today, too tired. If you're looking forward to this story, show some love or support through reviews or even like and favorites. Criticism is appreciated, flames however are ignored.

It might be rushed in the beginning but it'll get better later on, I promise.