Chapter 12: Purpose

A/N: Well, after last chapter, this story has become my longest story.

I will probably not finish this story, and this chapter is not complete. I am posting this because I do not want to return to this due to obligation but only because I would want to from passion, if that ever occurs in the future. I came back to this story and wrote snippets multiple times, so there will be many issues. No edits, unclean, and unfinished, I present you this chapter.

I feel uninspired for this story. For many readers, this probably is a 'good riddance' moment, especially with how it played out. You finally got your wishes. But the problem is that I'm no longer affected by these reviews or messages. That doesn't show thick skin; that shows a lack of care. I've come to realize that this story doesn't necessarily mean all that much to me anymore. So I'm going to leave it as permanently on hiatus.

Chapter 12 START

"When was the last time you smiled? An honest smile, hm?"

A warm, calming tone lifted through the space. Naruto was in twilight again, drifting through the edges of his mind and in a world that wasn't quite a place called sleep but drifting ever closer. He squinted to look around but only caught the edges of the sunset. It was beautiful. It was as if an artist had dripped paint oils of a myriad of colors across the edge of the world, only to realize that it would soon fade and had smeared it angrily, yet creating another masterpiece out of their irregardless.

"I don't know. Since her, I guess. Who are you, anyway?"

Naruto was dreaming again.

A chuckle reverberated. It wasn't harsh, but had the same uplifting kindness and warmth. "Who I am does not matter, really."

"But I want to know," Naruto told the speaker decidedly. "At least for the sake of my sanity; I've been in prison for months and just recently have seen sunlight. Perhaps I've suddenly gone crazy and am trying to find a way to cope."

Another laugh, one filled with mirth. Amusement lilted the tone. "That's a rather interesting mindset you've got, as pessimistic as it is. Nothing wrong with a bit of realism, I suppose." A groan, and then a few pops that sounded like bones cracking into place. The satisfied sigh released after only made Naruto assume with greater certainty that there was an actual person he couldn't see in his mind, which equally made him believe he was eerily close to losing his mind. If he had conjured a person this well in his head, who was to say he wasn't actually crazy.

"I've gone insane," he deduced. "That's the only explanation." Pausing to let his chin rest on the butt of his right palm, Naruto looked at the ground, which was made of clouds that continued to shift. His mind...he never had dreams like this, nor were they ever so vivid and full of life. No...lately, all he'd been having were nightmares. Visions that had repeatedly shown him terrible sights that left him crying and angry at first. However, show a man the same shocking sight one hundred times, the senses would dull. Akame dying in his dreams in his arms every night did wake him up, but it no longer made him cry. It just made him angry.

He was fine with that. It meant that he still was human and had feelings, however warped they had become. As long as he still cared for somebody, then he wasn't completely gone, right? As long as there was something in his heart that he believed to be of importance, and wasn't just roaming the earth and walking without a goal in sight, then he was still alive. Not alive, in the sense that he was breathing and eating and shitting like everyone else. No. He was alive in the sense that he had purpose and used this purpose as motivation to continue to live on and to see the next day.

Every day, he woke up a little upset, angered at his captured state. No matter how comfortable the bed nor delicious the food, the shackles on his wrists that held back his power and the constant surveillance on him did nothing to suppress the truth. He couldn't leave, and he was caught in the Capital until Budou and Esdeath made a mistake.

'Fat chance of that. They're generals for a reason.'

There was no way that Night Raid or the Revolutionary Army would save him. It was far too risky, and there were too many key players in Night Raid to risk such an insane play. None of them knew, from what he knew, that he had a Teigu. Hell, he hardly knew he had one until the fight at the Cathedral. Maybe Najenda had presumed, but if there was no real evidence, then Najenda wouldn't go for it. Even if she did know...she wouldn't. The risks did not, at all, favor the rewards.

So he lived, day by day, angrily waking. Yet, he calmed daily at the sight of Wave and Kurome, talking to them with few words, yet they seemed to understand that he had wanted his own space. He had been more surprised about Kurome's interactions with him than Wave's. Naruto knew the disposition of the Grand Chariot owner, but he hadn't expected the sister of Akame to be so...composed around him.

The day would pass, and he'd sleep, calm. And dream of terrible visions. And wake up disturbed and ready to punch a wall all over again. It was the same thing, day after day.

Perhaps he was insane. Insanity was the action of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. Here he was, living through each day, hoping to escape and get away from the clutches of the Empire, but he was hardly doing anything to make that result a reality. Training and recovering his body could only do so much. There had to be something drastic done in order to achieve it, but his logical mind kept saying that there was no way for this to happen. He just wasn't strong enough.

"You seem quite disturbed."

And the reminder that he was losing his mind voiced its observation. Naruto shrugged his shoulders, dropping his right hand so that both hands were at his side.

"Not disturbed. Just an insane person trying to find a way to live. And also trying to understand what's going on. There's a person I constructed in my dreams, and I'm unsure whether to call myself a genius or a paranoid idiot that jumped too far into the deep end. Both options seem readily acceptable at the moment."

A feeling of understanding washed over Naruto. How, he had no clue, but he could literally feel the emotions of the other party extending over to him as if emotions had suddenly become a physical, tangible object.

"Then just choose both options. After all, I heard a saying recently that said 'why not both'. At least, something akin to that."

"...Because I don't want to be considered the latter?" Naruto reasoned with irrefutable logic and facts. "Who wants to be a paranoid idiot with insanity as a disorder?"

"Depends."

Naruto stared blankly at the space directly in front of him. "Honestly, I have zero clue where you belong in an alignment chart, 'ttebayo. And I still have no clue who you are. You're invading my dream. Get out."

Another mirthful laugh.

"Why would I leave when the host is giving me such an interesting experience. I've only seen another person once in this state." Naruto paused at that information. What was that supposed to mean? "Or maybe I'm just a conjuring of your imagination that had gone off to the deep end and am your own mind playing tricks on you to hold onto sanity. Who knows."

The annoyance set in quickly. The ashen-haired teen felt his eyebrows sharpen as it angled downwards.

"Leave me alone," was all he had to say to that. The boy turned around, but only saw the same scene he saw before. A rolling hill with a horizon filled with a sad twilight. He wasn't sure what made it so melancholic, but just like how the feelings of the other being felt tangible, the horizon and the hills and even the plants in view seemed to have feelings that he could easily recognize. It told him tales of mistreatment and a lack of care. Roots told him stories of anger and rebellion. Destroyed houses on the hill said that lives had been destroyed, but once existed.

It all painted an image of sorrow. What kind of dream even was th-

"Why do you live?"

Naruto caught himself silently pondering, not expecting that question. That...was a loaded question, if he ever heard one. Why did he live? It could mean a lot of different things though. For now -

"What do you mean by that?" A little bit of clarification wouldn't hurt.

The sound of clothes shifting. Naruto swore he could see a man with blond hair and blue eyes cross his arms and fall deep into thought, humming to himself. The man's eyes burst open a moment later, light filling those orbs with realization.

"I mean, what is your purpose."

He was right. Whatever the being was, it wanted to know what he lived for. Strange...he had just been thinking about it, too. Naruto stepped forwards and looked into the distance as sunset slowly began to fade over the hill far at the end of his vision, where it would no doubt disappear and pull on the curtain of darkness.

"I...personally, I didn't even know if I existed for myself. But..." Naruto looked down and raised his right hand. He clenched it. Eyeing his fist, he continued, "I believe in another person's dream. It's given me purpose, and a reason to live on." He looked up, beyond the sunset and where night was slowly falling. The stars winked at him. Raising his open hands, he covered part of the sky. "Recently, I just remembered who I really was. My parents, my life before I had lost it all, and my tribe. I had wanted revenge initially, but I kept hearing my mom telling me it was the wrong way, and the necklace that my dad gave me kept warning me. I didn't even recognize those voices back then, but I guess somewhere deep down...I knew.

"I lived each day like it would be my last. I was alone...all alone. For years, I would roam alone. Imagine what people would think." Naruto chuckled. It was a laugh that held no humor. It wasn't meant to be amusing, but he laughed anyway. "Can you imagine what the Empire would think? Nothing, probably. I was just another insignificant child that was the victim of their wars. And yet...now...suddenly I'm so important because I own something they called an Imperial Arms: Teigu.

"But fuck the Empire!" The boy's thoughts focused on a single point, and his voice carried determination. Naruto closed both fists in the air. The night sky scrunched up, the stars pooling together until an unnaturally dense mass of light and space merged together. Slowly, the mass grew larger and larger, and the light became brighter and brighter until a sun in the night had become more than a thought. It had become a reality in his mind. A bright, singular shining star breathed out. "Before the Teigu, I was just Naruto without his memories. Without Chelsea as my sister, and without purpose! I was just another person living day to day, not knowing why I existed but feeling that I had to survive. So I survived, scavenging and killing the occasional weak, unsuspecting Danger Beasts to survive.

"Eventually, I found Night Raid. Or..." Naruto's expression softened considerably. "...maybe they had found me. They were nothing to me...at first, at least. But they quickly grew on me. So quickly..."

A tear rolled down Naruto's cheek at the thought of Sheele. A grave. Ramen for her memory.

Bulat. Another grave. A bow and a crying Tatsumi, who became his living legacy. Naruto didn't know what to say to the other teen, so he chose not to speak.

"I wanted so badly to protect the ones that I felt a weak tie to. I had never felt something like friendship before, but they extended it to me. How could a person not want to protect something that they have never had before? It's only natural. It became natural. Those three girls at the Capital who would've become slaves to a corrupt aristocrat. The girl that I had saved from her leader eating away at her life force..."

"Lubbock."

"Tatsumi."

"Mine."

"Leone!"

"Chelsea!"

"Najenda!"

"Susanoo!"

"Akame!"

Naruto clutched his shirt directly in the middle of his chest. His heart pounded away without abandon. Tears flowed freely as his body shook with sadness and anger. "I care about all of them, and I'd protect all of them if I could. I'd give my life for them!" he yelled, looking up at the star. Tears streaming, he muttered, "At least, that's what I believed."

"..."

Naruto continued to look up at the star, growing and growing, becoming hotter and hotter by the second. It had turned red a long time ago. It would only be a matter of time until it reached a size too large. His dream would end soon.

"Akame has a dream. She wants to see a Capital that is filled with smiles. True, honest smiles. A child's dream, really. A naive, unrealistic dream. But I loved that dream because she loved it. She wholeheartedly believes in her dream and wishes to make it a reality through her doing. And nobody would know she would be the one to pull the strings in the background, but she's okay with that. Only a select few really know that the assassinations and killing in the Capital, however frightening they are, are actually meant to help the people."

The star grew larger.

"Acceptance isn't something I'm looking for. I haven't needed it for over a decade. I don't need it now."

The star expanded, reaching its bursting point. The entire world was colored in an angry red. Heat stripped the lakes of water and oceans of its life. It had become a dry earth, and there was no sunset in the horizon. It would only be a matter of seconds before the dream would end.

"I love Akame. I love her and her dream. She loves Night Raid and the people, so I protect them. She loves food and the unexpected things in life. I cook and bring things to her. She'd be sad if anyone she knew close to her died, so I protect them with all of my will."

A blinding white light, one that lit up the entire universe flashed. All existence would be wiped away. Nothing mattered. Not in the face of this merciless phenomenon that held no care for anything, not even itself. After the event, it, too, would die.

"My purpose is Akame. And I would gladly give my all for her."

The flames ripped the dreams seams away, destroying all in its path. It tore away the earth, leaving nothing in its wake. It was naked, then shattered, and then reduced to atoms. All of the planets in the system shared the same fate, eclipsed by the lights and rays until nothing remained. So were the other planets and stars and systems, thousands of light years away.

Naruto was gone.

And yet, the voice remained.

"...And sometimes, it's the purpose for only one person that creates the strongest will."

Naruto woke up. For the first time in months, he woke up without a feeling of hardly contained resentment. He opened his eyes and looked at the wall. Nope; he didn't feel like punching through it. That had to be a good sign.

Right?

He threw the covers off him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. A moment, he was opening a double-door closet with more clothes than he had during his stay with Night Raid. He grabbed a purple shirt that was made of one of the most expensive materials in the known world. The fabric literally glided across his fingertips. Choosing a gray hued jacket that lined with fur, with puffs larger at the hood, Naruto pulled on the sleeves and basked in its warmth in surprise.

"That's nice," he commented.

Finishing off his outfit with black pants that tapered off at his ankles, he looped a belt through the holes.

Seriously, what was Budou thinking, giving him this kind of treatment? Wasn't it far too extravagant for a simple prisoner? He had brought it up earlier, knowing that it could possibly result in him being thrown back in prison, but Budou's simple response was -

'You are an assassin, but you are still a child. The Empire's actions are as guilty for creating assassins; injustice is the enemy of all.'

What was he supposed to make of that? Was the general on his side, or was he simply implying that the empire was corrupt - no shit - and that it was so flawed that Budou wanted to do what he could to make it just a little better, even if it meant helping the enemy of the entire Empire? If that was what he believed, Naruto sincerely didn't know what to make of the general. Not that he did before, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

How did a person like the General lead men to their deaths and to conquer, to shut down any rebellions for people that wished for a better life without any hesitation, yet helped him. He, who was the enemy and was just like the other rebels that had wanted a better life, either for themselves or for their loved ones. He, who was just another boy that hardly deserved the treatment from the Empire. Budou made no sense; was he self-righteous? Was he a good person?

Hardly. Naruto shook his head, his bangs swaying from side to side. He sat at the edge of his bed, tugging on his socks before slipping on his old shoes. He had been offered shoes, all of which were in better condition and obviously from more expensive origins than his own, but the shoes on his feet were his favorite. It was the most comfortable, and not at all stiff like what everyone else wore in the Capital.

Naruto opened the door of his private room and exited, closing it quietly behind him.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Ah...kinda." Naruto looked over his shoulder. Kurome smiled when they made eye-contact and skipped over to him. Once they were side by side, they moved as one. She continued to skip, just at a slower pace to match his. "How about you?"

Kurome let out a cute hum as she brought a finger to her chin. "Hmmm...I had an alright rest. I dreamed of something strange, but that's about it."

A dream?

"Say, do stars explode?"

Naruto stopped walking.

'What?'

"What?"

Kurome turned her head over her left shoulder to look at him, one eyebrow raised with a wrinkle in her forehead. Then, she pouted, her cheeks puffing out and her eyes narrowing.

"You're making that look that expresses I said something stupid."

"Ah -"

"I'm not stupid, Naruto." Kurome told him harshly. He agreed.

'I never said you were...' he thought, unsure of how to approach the situation. Her pout left, a smile replacing the slightly down-tilted lips.

"Just kidding! I forgive you!" As free as a bird, she turned to face forward and skipped along, jumping and humming to the beat of her own drum. Naruto continued to stand there, both hands held up with palms upturned and fingers half-bent.

"What?" he let out. "Does she forgive me or was she joking?" He dropped his arms and muttered, "I'm never going to understand her, am I?"

A hand clapped on his right shoulder. Looking at the hand, and then up the arm to the face, Naruto caught Wave smiling down at him.

"Yo!" the older teen cheerfully greeted.

"Ah...yeah. Good morning, Wave," Naruto politely greeted in return. The blue-haired teen laughed and clapped Naruto's shoulder again, the thump a bit more aggressive than the first.

"No need to be so polite! But then again, that's what I liked about you. And what you said about Kurome and understanding her...you'll be fine!" Wave looped his arm behind his neck and over to Naruto's left side before pulling the boy closer. Leaning against Wave, the older teen grinned impishly and raised his right hand to reveal a big thumbs up. "Just keep talking to her and you'll get her eventually!"

Naruto sputtered, pulling away from the chest and arms. "Ye-yea...sure." He scratched the back of his head, his eyes roaming the stone grounds. "I guess so. But that sentence could be misunderstood, 'ya know?"

Wave let out a laugh that started from his chest as he threw his head back, his hands on his hips. It made for an interesting picture.

"Of course I know that! I'm just messing with you!"

Naruto was unsure if he'd ever understand Wave either.

XShuyaX

(Time Skip: Noon)

Breakfast had been a quiet affair. A simple stack of waffles with fruits and some jerky had been the sustenance for the morning. Naruto ate everything available, as he had done in the past week, thanked the cooks, and waited patiently as Kurome ate her third plate of desserts.

After, the three had gone out to the Capital marketplace to pick up some weapons and fruits. They were followed by a dozen of the Empire's best soldiers, one of which had a Teigu. Naruto could smell it, but he wasn't exactly sure what had caused this new ability. What he was sure of, however, was that it was accurate, and that it had occurred in prison and had only gotten stronger since he had left the cage underground. Esdeath smelled like ice. Cold like the arctic. Budou smelted of ozone and electricity. It didn't make sense what electricity smelt of, but the owner of the Founder could just tell that's what it was.

He had to excuse himself when Kurome came near him that day.

'Deathdeathdeathdeathdeathdea-'

Naruto shook his head fiercely, as if the forcefulness of his actions would clear his mind. It did, partly. The recollection stayed. He had hardly made it to the bathroom before he had thrown up his breakfast. The nauseating feeling persisted. It was hard to talk to Kurome that day; the smell did not disappear, no matter how hard he tried to ignore it or attempt to turn something he had just discovered off. However, he was able to lower the sensitivity, letting him ease up the vertigo he received and the sensation of prickling death approaching him. After that, it was only a matter of schooling his features to not let the younger girl know that he was deeply affected by her choice of weapon.

'How the hell did that Teigu choose her?'

Another smell wafted through his nose. He sniffed once. It was enticing.

"Is there a ramen restaurant around here?" he asked curiously, looking around to see if he could see where the smell that drifted from. Kurome and Wave, who were silently walking side by side, looked around as well. "I thought I smelled something...but I don't see anything."

A flash of recognition.

"Naruto, the nearest ramen place is nearly half a mile away," Wave started, his eyes filled with concern suddenly. Waves upon waves of brotherly worry pooled into his ocean-like orbs as he turned around to check on Naruto, grabbing the boy's cheek and chin to turn his head so that Wave could check vital spots. "Are you feeling alright?"

'Half a mile away? But I swore I smelled ramen just now around the area...does this smell also extend to specific foods or just enhanced senses for my olfactories in general?'

He put a hold on his thoughts to pull Wave's invasive, yet not entirely intrusive, hands away from his body. "I'm fine," he replied. "Just feeling a bit under the weather; not to really worry about." But still...half a mile? That was far further than he had expected. It wasn't unheard of for Leone to be able to track someone from their scent from miles away, but that was due to their Teigu and also her training with that specific ability. It was something that she had been using for years and he sincerely doubted that it was something that came so easily.

Wave took a step back to make some space between the two, then turned to make eye contact with Kurome. Her eyes were filled with the same concern that his were, albeit more muted and subdued. Heh, she really did care for him, even though he was never in their lives just a few months ago.

"Do you want to go get ramen?" Kurome proffered. Naruto unconsciously nodded. As if realizing what he had just done, the white-haired teen's cheeks reddened as he stuttered to say phrases like "it's fine" and "Don't worry about me; we can just do whatever you guys want." Kurome was having none of that, and Wave was more than happy to see this thing through. Especially since Kurome was determined to make it happen.

"Please, it's really fine."

"Shut up."

Naruto's jaw snapped shut at the order directed straight to him.

Wave chuckled, his eyes brightening at the interaction. "Righto! Let's go get some ramen!"

"Ah...yeah, sure," Naruto mumbled unsurely. A lukewarm sentiment surged through him. With it came a feeling of gratefulness, and Wave and Kurome were the subjects of this disposition. He followed them, the smell of ramen becoming stronger and stronger as they continued on their path. The soldiers stayed close behind, ensuring nothing suspicious occurred, their eyes every vigilant on the white-haired teen's back. Naruto grimaced.

'I'll have to fight them one day...when this war restarts.'

He turned his head away to look at the passing stores, eyeing each for anything interesting. Nothing was able to catch his attention for long enough, leaving him ruminating in silence until they were in front of the ramen restaurant. It was small, traditional. Plain was the best way to describe it, with its meager paint and bland coloring. He stepped through the white door hardly large enough to fit a person after Kurome and Wave, and before the soldiers.

"Welcome!" A receptionist at the front welcomed the party. It was a male, easily identifiable with his young facial features and rather short stature. The ramen uniform filled out poorly, as it was a bit too large for him. The lithe server smiled professionally as he grabbed enough menus and bowed before spinning and walking off towards the tables.

Inside was a similar situation to the outside decor. Drab. Lame. Hardly decorated. There were three sets of tables, each able to fit about six people. Directly outside of the kitchen was a counter where people could sit and eat, allowing for about fifteen more people. It'd be enough to seat them all for the meal.

Kurome and Wave sat on one side of the table, and Naruto sat on the other end. When one of the soldiers - the Teigu user - walked over to sit down, Kurome gave him a withering glare. Scoffing, he reached for a seat, but he quickly found his wrist unable to move. Looking up, the man found it held by a hand, which was owned by none other than Wave.

"Sit somewhere else, Gabriel," Wave told him. The man Naruto now identified as Gabriel donned a glare of his own.

"Why? Just so you can sit with this rat on your own?" A gleam entered his eyes. "Are you working with him? Traitors to the Empire?" His voice was thick with enthusiasm, tone supercilious, and a sneer on his face. "You know what we do to traitors to the Empire, don't you Wave?"

The grip on Gabriel's wrist tightened. Wave's expression never shifted, a hard line on his lips. "Sit somewhere else with you mean," Wave repeated, nodding to one of the empty seats on the other tables. Gabriel looked down at his wrist, then at the tables. Huffing in annoyance, he none-too-kindly pulled his arm away and turned to sit down at another seat. Wave made sure the man was seated before sitting down and adjusting his chair again.

Naruto stared at Gabriel, the man's back open to attack. He smelled of metal and wood. There was no other indication of what the man's abilities or Teigu was, but Naruto swore -

'I could kill him so easily.' The assassin whirled his head away to stop those thoughts. He was here for ramen at the treat of determined Kurome and an equally casual Wave. That reminded me - why were they doing this? He couldn't brush off the topic any longer, so he asked -

"Why humor me? Why offer me ramen?" He was downcast, hands on the table politely - with his shackles clear in view - when he finally spoke. Kurome gave him a cursory glance before looking at the menu in front of her.

"Is there a reason why we shouldn't?" Kurome countered as she opened her menu. "I think I'll take Miso," she decided quickly, already closing the menu and placing it on the table.

Naruto couldn't accept that as a reason. It didn't make sense. "Was that a rhetorical question?" There were far more reasons not to than to allow him to go eat ramen. The heaviest of reasons: he was a prisoner. Esdeath's prisoner. Under Budou's charge. The enemy of the Empire. The more he thought about it, the less he could understand. His head hurt - he reached for the glass of water that the waiter had prepared and took a sip.

"I don't - ?"

"Get it?" Wave finished for him, chuckling at Naruto's expense. "There really is nothing to it, you know? Yeah, you're a prisoner." The weights on Naruto's wrists never felt heavier. "But to us, you're just a person. Misguided, maybe. Lost, for sure. Not in your element. But you're still a kid, despite your upbringing and the fact you're an assassin."

"I could kill you in your sleep, and no one would know," Naruto supplied helpfully, a frown forming slyly. Wave's grin appeared to widened.

"See, you could. But you didn't. After the first night when Budou gave you roof and bed, and you didn't try anything, it pretty much told us that it would be fine. At least, to me and Kurome here." He glanced at his own menu, leaning over to Kurome so she could get a look at it. She nodded at his choice before going back to sitting still and drinking water with class. "I'm just trying to say that even though that you're an enemy, why can't we just enjoy our life before all things just go to hell? It's painful otherwise, no?"

Naruto frowned. "Of course it's painful. But...it's worse if I'm treated well."

Wave smiled good-naturedly. "It's not only hard for you, you know? It's difficult on us two as well, but all people are people. We all deserve to live and be at our best, even if we make mistakes." He leaned forwards, voice dimming. "I'm not entirely on the side of the Empire, but who can help it? I'm doing what I can so my people back in my village can survive and have enough money to pay for food and their lives. I'm doing it so the people back at home can smile."

"You're wrong," Naruto cut into Wave's speech. His white hair swayed from side to side as he physically showed his disagreement. "What you're doing is a short term, band-aid fix to the problem. The root of the issue, the heart of the disease, the core of the issue...they all point to the Empire." He caught Wave's uneasy expression, daring him to say otherwise with his eyes boring into those of the elder teen. "So your village can smile...I'm glad you're that person, but it's not large scale enough. You're here in the Capital, Wave...and can you tell me you see everyone smiling?" Naruto snarled, his brows furrowed.

"Naruto, Wave didn't mean to - " Kurome started.

"Don't!" Naruto hissed. Kurome pulled away, startled by the hostile tone that had taken over the boy's inflection. Her eyes widened with sadness. "People fight for whatever reasons they want, but if you're going to fight for something, at least be consistent with your ideals and why you do things! How can you say that you fight so that your village and smile and live their lives so casually when all you're doing is delaying the inevitable? What happens when you can't work for the Empire anymore? What happens when the war ends? What happens if you die? What happens to your village?

"They'll all die, Wave." Naruto clenched his fists, struggling to calm himself. Wave was frowning, his unease long gone. "They'll all die, and it'll be your fault. Not because you were already trying to help them, but because you had to power to change the way they saw life itself, and you did nothing about it. You're satisfied with so little, using your skills to help the very being that is whittling away at your precious village, sucking away their lives with their tainted hands. Crazy thing is, your story isn't so unique. Tatsumi has the exact same story, you know that? True, he may not have had a choice to follow Night Raid, but he's fully committed now to their cause. He's trying to make the difference in the world that he wants to see!"

"Naruto really, you shouldn't be talking about this kind of stuff here. Just order your food and eat and we can talk later," Kurome spoke, trying to break up the conversation. This time, her interjection seemed to work. Naruto looked at her. She flinched, but remained resolute in her stance. He leaned back in his chair and sighed, all of the anger leaving him as he deflated like a balloon.

"Fine. You're right."

Just in time, too. The waiter walked over and took their orders. Fifteen minutes of silence at the table later, their steaming hot food came out. Unlike the decor of the restaurant, it was clear that the owner and cook both cared grandly for the food they presented. Well-prepared and cooked to perfection, Naruto took a bite and - if circumstances were better - he would've cried and thrown praise after praise. But that was if the mood wasn't so bad, and if he wasn't a prisoner of the Empire. That would be if he was here with Night Raid, introducing them to his favorite food. They'd go off and tell him to eat something healthy, he'd tell them to fuck off. It'd be beautiful.

Akame would be there, eating the ramen ignoring the whole argument in the background. He could see it...

Looking down at his finished bowl, he admitted it did taste good.

But eating ramen with Akame after Sheele died still tasted better than this.

It had been another week since Naruto reached his breaking point and had called out Wave for his hypocrisy. The conversation had continued when they had returned to the soldier's living quarters, and it became heated quickly. Naruto continued to defend his position, and Wave bull-headedly continued to defend his. Kurome sat in the middle, attempting to keep both sides civil. It was a spectacular attempt, but it ended in failure nonetheless.

The tension in the air had been taken to an all time high when Naruto called out Kurome as well.

"Are you seriously fighting for the Empire just because your sister is on the other side? I already know you have people you care about here, like the child soldier group that you were a part of when you were younger. It's why you eat those candy all the time. But is it really worth it to fight your sister just because your sister left you? You would kill the person that you love and miss because she's trying to create a world that's better?"

"I would! And you don't know anything about me and Akame!" Kurome shouted, hand already at the hilt of her blade. Naruto glared at the sword, smelling death invading his mind.

Wave stepped forward, staring down at the blond. "You can insult me all you want, but lay off Kurome," he ordered.

"Or what?" Naruto growled, eyes challenging. "Or fucking what, Wave? A village that you love smiling, while others drown and an entire empire suffers. A girl that wants to kill the sister she loves because she realized that the world was cruel and unjust. All the while, the cogs of the empire keep turning, and nothing you're doing is stopping it. You're just doing everything in your fucking power to keep it going!"

"Enough!" Wave shouted, throwing his shoulder back and throwing a punch with his right fist. Naruto easily tilted his head to the left, letting the fist whistled by his ear by the slimmest of margins. "Why do you even fight? What's the reason why you live for Night Raid, huh?" An uppercut. Naruto stepped backwards with his left foot, smoothly sliding away from the range of the strike.

"I fight for Akame, you asshole!" Naruto yelled as he threw a counter. Wave caught the fist but was unprepared for the amount of force behind the punch. Blown back to the edge of the training arena, Wave stood shocked; what kind of strength was that? Wasn't Naruto shackled to prevent his ability to use Chi and his Teigu? Then what the hell was that strength? He knew Akame could run faster than the speed of sound, but she was trained from a young age and she also wasn't the only person able to.

"You hypocrite," Wave hissed, eyes blazing with anger. "You call us out, but you have all this strength to make a difference. Why even get captured in the first place?" His eyes sparked. "Are you still acting as an assassin, or a spy?"

Naruto shook his head. "You're wrong. I was too weak when I fought against Esdeath to escape. Kurome knows that." His expression turned dark, his body bristling. "But how am I the hypocrite, when I'm the only person here that actually does what he says he does? I'm fighting for Akame, who wants to see a world where the Empire has its people smiling. Where we don't need the existence of Night Raid! Where your village could be happy without drowning in taxes and separate entities that like those that Kurome was a part of wouldn't need to exist in the first place!

"So shut the fuck up, you asshole! You're a coward! All of you are fucking cowards for seeing it and knowing and not doing anything about it, and I know you know exactly what I'm talking about!"

It had been a long week between the three. Kurome and Wave were stuck together, as per usual, but Naruto was never seen with the two. At least willingly. Sometimes, Budou called for Naruto's presence, which meant that Wave and Kurome would go and pick him up. They never spoke a word to each other whenever this happened, however. Both parties were more than happy to keep words to a minimum.

Naruto had insulted both of them, and called out their very being and purpose. Their reasons for living had been questioned, and Naruto had found fault with their answers. So they didn't speak to each other; whatever friendship there was slowly forming, it was severed now. Cut to threads and ribbons.

Naruto was fine with that. He needed a clear line between blacks and whites for, even if he knew that this was gray and the whole world was a gray zone.

But at least -

It wouldn't hurt as bad this way.

They were supposed to be enemies...right?

"Don't have your bodyguards on you lately?"

Naruto released a breath and let go of his form, standing up straight. Fixing up his shirt and pants, Naruto turned around and saw Gabriel leaning against a post, arms crossed and tapping his right index finger against his bicep.

Looking at the man now, Naruto realized something. Gabriel was beautiful. He was a mix between perfection to a point that it wouldn't be unfair to say he had been personally touched and crafted by a god. His face was chiseled, but was still soft on the eyes. It was more likely for someone to spend time searching for imperfections on the man's face, yet never find any due to the strangely unmarred complexion. Indeed, he was beautiful.

Except for the bloodthirsty snarl that was permanently etched on his face, drawing on the skin around the mouth and pulling it taut. It didn't have the same fullness aspect.

"They're around...somewhere," he replied, his eyes roaming the arena.

Gabriel pushed off the post and stepped towards him. "But not here. I checked already, so don't bother lying, assassin."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. It was clear that the man had a plan, and it was by no means friendly. Gabriel seemed to notice him tense. The man stared at him, and then began to giggle. The sound was like knives scraping against plates and metal.

"What's wrong, assassin? Afraid?" He pointed at Naruto. "You should be, you enemy of the empire! All of you dogs shouldn't even waste your breath with this war. Fools, the lot of you. It's apparent that the Empire will win this war. After all, never have I failed to pick the winning side, and it's lead to me rising the ranks with hardly any trouble." Gabriel lowered his right arm and pulled out a knife. Twirling it deftly, he flipped the blade in his hands with the same care that one would have with chopsticks during a meal. "We'll win this war, defeat Night Raid and the idiotic Revolutionary Army, and I'll rise the ranks again.

"Maybe I'll ask to be a general? Perhaps then General Esdeath will look my way? Or perhaps - "

"You aren't being a very convincing villain," Naruto spoke out harshly. Gabriel stopped his knife acrobatics. "If you're going to threaten me, at least do it correctly, lapdog of the Empire. Otherwise, you are hardly a factor."

Naruto shifted his feet slightly against the concrete, watching closely as metal flew right where his right eye was a moment ago. Tracking the blade, he watched it blur past his body and continue its flight until it struck the wall on the far end of the circular arena, nearly two hundred feet from where he stood, the knife sinking itself hilt deep into the wall. He turned his neck to bore his eyes down on Gabriel, the man's right arm extended forwards.

"Maybe I should just kill you now and get rid of you as a threat...no normal person would be able to dodge that. Even General Budou would have to understand what I'm doing is a good for the Empire." Gabriel casually procured another knife and started to spin it. Without focus, the man turned to his right and sedately walked as if he were taking a stroll through the marketplace.

"And what purpose does that serve?" Naruto also stepped to his right so that the two were circling each other. "What gain is there to be had; all you're doing is killing a helpless prisoner."

"Oh really?" Gabriel laughed wryly. "Helpless, you say? I've killed a few Teigu users with one knife, even when they were prepared. And you dodged it and watched my knife go by. That's just insulting." A predatory smirk caught onto Gabriel's lips. "I can't just let that pass now, can I?"

Naruto ducked under another knife, the blade shimmering inches over his head. Immediately after, he rolled to the right, putting the brunt of his weight on his right shoulder before flipping off his hands, dodging another flying blade that had been thrown immediately after he had dodged the first. Using the momentum from landing, he skid over the sand ground a couple of feet, jumping when his speed began to die off.

He couldn't even see Gabriel release the knives; they were already singing through the air by the time Naruto had a chance to even notice that it had left the man's grip. However, his instincts were warning him to move, so he followed whatever his body told him to, reacting immediately his senses screamed at him to dodge. His eyes caught a flicker from the man's form. He stretched his hand forwards and -

"No way!" Gabriel breathed out, a crack in the man's calm facade showing. "That shouldn't be possible! You're hindered by the chains on your wrist!"

Naruto dropped his left hand, holding the knife he had seen and caught in midair. Inspecting the blade, he noted its innate sharpness and durability. It was well-crafted, but the weight felt partially off to him. The kunais he was used to had a different weight distribution, as those could be used in hand to hand as well as be thrown. These knives only seemed to be useful as a ranged weapon. True, it could stab and block if the situation called for it, but that didn't seem to be the purpose of the weapon. Still...it was a weapon he could use.

Keeping his eyes peeled open for any other attacks, Naruto lowered his stance as he pocketed the blade. "I thank you for the first weapon I've held in months. It was very kind of you."

Gabriel snarled, marring his features further. The beautiful face that had attracted thousands of the fairer sex would hardly get the man a partner in a pub at the height of the night now. Naruto grinned, his blood singing as the thrill of battle rushed through him. There was the threat of bodily harm, and for some odd reason...he liked it.

"Come and get it, dog."

He moved before he saw anything, but he trusted his body. Naruto's form flickered, his right hand catching another knife before flipping the blade in his hands so that he held it in a reverse grip. Then, in the same motion, he deflected another knife that was aimed for his chest, swiping his right arm across horizontally and killing the momentum of the blade. His left hand surged forwards, catching the flipping weapon in the air by the hilt.

Oh yes...he could work with this.

"Are you still aiming to kill me?" Naruto released his stance and held the two knives up to his eye level. "You know, every single member in Night Raid would be able to block, dodge, or deflect your attacks. You're nothing special really."

"What did you - " An incensed Gabriel cut off his retort when a knife an inch away from his throat suddenly made itself known. He looked down, gulping carefully so that the knife didn't pierce any skin. His own weapon of choice was held at a vital point. Switching focus between where the kid had stood before and where he was currently, his eyes widened. Nearly forty feet of distance had disappeared when he had blinked before shouting.

"You know...Akame said that she could sprint faster than the speed of sound. You can't even throw that quickly, despite your quickdraw technique," Naruto commented, pronouncing each syllable and taking his time. He leaned forward, almost touching the other man's body with his temple, his eyes looking straight at the target's neck. "Sure, the arm travels quickly, but you have no speed to follow it up for abnormal people like us. Wave could ignore you completely with his armor, and Kurome could just block the attacks without looking at you. What makes you so special?"

"..."

"The answer is you aren't. You are not special. In the sense of the war, you may be with your ability to finish targets before they notice you, but to anyone that has, you're just another person with a lot of knives that you can summon and that we can easily dispose of on our own. Did you really catch those Teigu users in a fight or were they unaware - or were you just lying altogether about fighting Teigu users."

"I don't lie!" Gabriel growled, finding spine within himself when his pride was on the line. "Those Teigu users found knives to their eyes, and then I killed them easily."

Naruto nodded slowly. "I see. So you had good aim and they didn't see how quickly you drew your arm. But see, isn't that telling of someone that was unprepared for what your ability was? You ended the fight before it even began; well done on your part. You would've made a fine assassin. Alas, the fight already began, and now I know what you can do and what you're capable of. I'm right in front of you as well, and I know how fast you can draw you knives and throw them. The moment I see a flicker, you'll already have a hole in your throat, and I'll stab both of your wrists to the ground, rendering you immobile and rob you of your usefulness in this war.

"There are ways you can deal with Alchemists and amazing healers. Ways to mangle body parts and limbs so that they don't heal normally or ever heal again, despite the incredible powers given to healers. I can grant you this lifetime of an opportunity. What say you, Gabriel-san?" The knife touched skin. "How would you like to be the third person unable to be healed even with the power of a Teigu. Sounds incredible, no?"

Gabriel's expression had shifted from anger to fear rather quickly during Naruto's short speech. "You wouldn't...I have a dozen guards around the grounds."

Naruto knew that already. "You do. It's the same dozen guards from before when we went to go get ramen. You made your rounds, noticed that Kurome and Wave weren't with me, and kept checking during your rounds during the week to make sure that that wasn't a one-time thing. Once discovering it to be the case, you decided that this was your chance, no?" Gabriel's increasingly frightened visage almost made Naruto feel sorry for the man. Almost. It also made him know for certain, however, that he was correct. Which meant that there were only a few ways to go about this situation.

The easiest of the methods would simply be to have no mercy. Kill the man now. However, that came with the results of possibly being thrown in prison again or dying. Executed by the Empire, and his Teigu taken from him, despite how much more information the alchemists and researchers could get from him alive. Especially now since he was in a much healthier physical state. The Empire would see him as too risky to leave alive, so they would kill him. That ruled out murdering the man in front of him.

The next choice could be to threaten the man and make him fear for his life at all points during the war. To make sure that Gabriel knew who was top dog, even with the chains. But that still allowed for the possibility of letting him attack unsuspecting people in the future, and that could not be allowed.

The last choice would be to follow through with had he had planned earlier, which was to remove the man's nerves from the wrist and make sure that it would be impossible to fix the severing by any means. It was the most foolproof method that Naruto could think of. All he had to do was to convince Budou that it was self-defense and somehow not get thrown back into prison. Or killed. After all, the man did have a Teigu, so this option was still not ideal, but the best of the three in terms of risk and reward. It removed Gabriel from the equation for the war, and it allowed for Naruto to have a chance to survive. He liked the odds of having a chance.

"And what could this be?" a supremely amused tone echoed throughout the entire arena. Naruto looked up and cursed to himself. Gabriel's fear completely disappeared the moment he heard the voice and backed away with all the confidence of the world. It was as if the bully had called for reinforcements and brought on the most excessive show of power available to him, and he was now hiding behind the legs of that said power.

Esdeath's heels cracked and clapped on the concrete until the footfalls disappeared once she stepped onto the sand. "Were you having a friendly spar without any supervision or guidance? Oh Gabriel, you know better than that. You'd learn so much more if any of the superior chains of command were here watching over the battle."

'Bullshit' Naruto thought. 'Although this does...provide me with another option.' He let of Gabriel, who gruffly scuffed his feet and walked away, his eyes on Naruto at all times, flickering between his eyes and his hands. Looking down -

"Oh...here's your weapons." The ashen-haired teen tossed the pair of knives he had caught earlier. Gabriel's visage softened hardly enough to be considered a change.

Syura took this as his chance to step in. "Yeah, weakling. Maybe I could have shown you how to actually fight against the prisoner, you weak sack of shit," Syura gloated, his face uncomfortably close to Gabriel with a sneer. "How'd you even end up a knife point, dumbass. So fucking weak."

"My apologies, sir," Gabriel managed through grit teeth, not sounding apologetic at all. Syura noticed this and grinned ravenously.

"You could show us how to fight against the prisoner? That's what you said Syura." She turned around, deliberately making her back open to Naruto. "I'd like to see that. Yes..." she continued, her voice salaciously. "Show me your worth, and perhaps I'll consider something of worth for you if you can prove vital."

"Oho...something like...you?"

The air turned frigid immediately. Esdeath's eyes lost all humor as she stepped towards the Prime Minister's son, who was currently surrounded by sharp icicles, threatening to pierce him through every inch of skin he had.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. If you want a girl, go to a whorehouse or a brothel. The only person I'm willing to give myself up for is Tatsumi."

Syura, seemingly unbothered by the impending painful end he would face if he spoke the wrong words, said, "But he doesn't even want you. He's with another girl, remember?"

For some odd reason, Esdeath let the icicles drop before her furrowed eyebrows were cast away for a sad, forlorn smile. "True...but at least he's here with me. And I have some time before anything happens. That should be enough time." She whispered the last few words, but Naruto heard them all.

'Tatsumi got caught? That's...a problem.'

"What do you mean by that? Where is Tatsumi?" he spoke without a hint of concern for his own well-being. All of the major players in the arena shifted their focus to him with varying expressions. However, Esdeath's was the most vile of them all. She smiled without any restraint, one with love and affection. It scared him to the point he wished he had never asked and could run away.

"Tatsumi...he's here. So is his friend, Lubbock." Her smiled weakened slightly at the mention of the string-user, but it returned full force immediately afterwards. "He was so daring, trying to gain information on the Empire by entering by himself. So courageous, and so stupid. I'll work on that aspect of his, and he'll be a perfect soldier with me at his side! It'll just take some time. Some coercing...after all, there's nothing that love cannot do!"

Naruto frowned. For a moment, he almost believed her. She was so adamant in her belief in the power of love that he almost was pulled along for the ride. And then he remembered the monster he was truly facing, and however far she had drawn him in, he pulled away double the distance immediately. This was no kind, benevolent soul. This was a war-trained individual who had no qualms with using soldiers and sending them to their deaths if it was considered a worthy trade. The one who didn't realize how much a life meant to a person, only because of her belief in the strong rule.

It's too bad for her that rule didn't take over the entire world. Obviously, strength comes in different forms, and corruption is always to run deep. But corrupting true love...those were contradictions just begging for rejection. Back when he was with the group, Mine had laid her hands on Tatsumi and declared him her own. At least...that's how he saw it. If that were the case, it was unlikely that Tatsumi would be swayed over to Esdeath, regardless of how much she declared her love for him. Bless that boy's soul. He wouldn't sway to the empire for a piece of ass due to his loyalty to another.

Well, that and the fact he was a part of Night Raid, a part of the Revolutionary Army.

Esdeath saw Naruto's displeasure and tilted her head lightly. "What seems to the be the issue, Naru-chan? Do you disagree?" There was nothing about that question that was asked lightly. The air was steeped in cold in a split second.

Naruto gave zero fucks and crossed his arms as his frown deepened. "Of course I do. As his friend, I would punch him - " He felt something slice his cheek. His eyes dipped to the right corner as his right hand reached up and gently tapped his cheek. Blood. Naruto slowly raised his eyes and met Esdeath's murderously smiling grin, daring him to speak further.

Looking behind him for a split second, he saw...nothing. There was no thrown projectile of any sort. Nothing to indicate why his cheek had a split right in between his whiskers. It would no doubt scar and result in what would look like four uneven whiskers on his right side of his face.

But that detail would be something for him to mourn another day - if he managed to survive today. In order to do that, first he had to get out of Esdeath's kill list at this very moment. If that failed...well, he was working on it. Starting with figuring out how the hell he got a cut. All he had felt before the split in his cheek was the air thickening and cold -

"Ah..." he breathed out in realization. Naruto narrowed his eyes. That made Esdeath far more dangerous that she had been in any point in time, and she was frightening before already. She had gone way past nightmare fuel at this point. "So that's what split my cheek," Naruto grumbled, as if uncaring for the increasing signs of the general's power spreading further and further out, threatening to choke him at any moment. The problem was that now he was certain that she actually could literally choke him.

Absolute control over ice. He couldn't even fathom what type of insane level of power that was, but her imagination was certainly the limit here. Absolute. Control. Splitting his cheek by using finer particles of ice in the air that she had spread. Certainly, she could cut off his head right now since he was currently in her domain of frigid snow. When winter came...she would be too much to handle. Not that she wasn't before, but the army assumed that they had a chance with numbers and maneuverability. But that was under the assumption that Esdeath used her abilities before she had evolved into the subtle arts master that she was now. If she could attack without anyone seeing the hostile strike other than a slight moment of cold, then it was already over. And when winter came and one could not differentiate between Esdeath's Teigu and winter, the war would end before it even began.

Her priority, simply put, just shot through the roof and hit the stars on its way. In this moment, Naruto realized, Esdeath was the most dangerous person alive. More than Akame. More than what Tatsumi might ever be. The ability to choke someone by affecting the way a person breathes air. Filling a person's lungs with ice, or just frozen air. Creating strings of ice and cutting through people without a moment's notice. She had the ability to split people in half without a moment's notice and there would be no time to react because the affected party would already be dead.

Fighting without oxygen was impossible. There was only so long that one could force one's body to its limits without inhaling. By simply making the air for the army too difficult to breathe, she would hinder the revolution and grind their movement to a halt. All of their work and planning would be for naught, and there was nothing to be done. But -

"Interesting power you learned, monster." Esdeath's eyes flickered to life. She licked her lips. The sound of steel rung sharply in the absolute silence that had taken over the area as the ice queen pulled out her favorite bladed weapon. Naruto eyed the tool - yes, that's what all weapons were...tools - as hardly a threat. It could pierce his organs, his eyes, his flesh...but compared to what the woman could do with her Teigu, that sharp, pointy blade had became obsolete. It was just there as a decoration or for the purpose of mere enjoyment. It appeared that she wished for the latter, based on the rather peculiar glint in her eyes.

"Did you notice something, Naru-chan?" She knew he knew. Joy.

Naruto shook his head. "Nothing of importance. I'd rather you didn't cut my cheek...you cut me enough in the past few months." He curled his toes.

"I'd say I didn't cut you enough," Esdeath countered as the temperature continued to plummet. Every breath he took now demanded fog to escape his lips.

"What...is wrong with you?" Naruto snarled heatedly. A haze of heat surrounded the boy's body. The ice that had him completely and utterly surrounded was no hardly a threat to his being. Any effort taken by Esdeath to push her ability towards the prisoner met an equally strong determination to stop all advances. "You are insane. That's all there is to it."

"Maybe the world - "

"Fuck this world! It's so disgusting to think about the Empire and its machinations every day. Screw the world's people, who think of no one but themselves, but even their own motives are dirty. But most of all, fuck you, Esdeath. Burn in hell. Die."

A strange smile graced her lips. "What happened to forgiveness, little Naruto."

"Don't even start that with me. My mother may have been a forgiving soul, but I hate you with all of my heart. Every bit of it."

'

"Are you insane?"

Naruto stopped walking to turn around and face the person who spoke to him. Looking at his left, Wave and Kurome were standing side by side at the courtyard, their figures brightly lit from the lamps and the night sky.

"We were there, Naruto," Kurome said, so softly that the wind could've taken her voice away. But he had heard. "You're going to die if you try anything like that again."

Naruto knew that they were both in the arena; he could smell their Teigus and they were - well - ...blipping in his mental radar the entire time he was at the arena. Hell, he knew the two of them had been trailing him the last week, never speaking to him but never leaving him alone. They still cared about him, even though he had wanted to push them away. Apparently, he had failed spectacularly in that front. Every time that something was about to happen that seemed fatal, like poison in his food or anything fatal of that sort, they had interfered. He had seen the food in the trash and recognized it as a meal he had asked for.

The only reason why they hadn't interfered with today's attack from Gabriel was that it was simply far too quick for them to react from so far a distance. By the time they had made their move, he would have been struck by at least a dozen knives.

If he hadn't dodged. After the first missed knife, they simply watched. It was clear that it wasn't an accident, and that Gabriel was simply outclassed.

However, that didn't stop them from being worried about him, especially when the general of the Empire came herself with Syura to make sure everything on the training grounds was meant simply for 'training'. They had seen what Esdeath was capable, and how close their friend had come close to death. It had pushed them over the edge and made them have the courage to speak to him, despite their differing views. It was too important for them to speak now then let him possibly die and for them to never speak to him again.

"And so what if I do? I'm just another person in this world, trying to do something. To achieve my own goal...but our goals are misaligned. They cross, and not in an entirely kind way." Wave grit his teeth at that response. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Did I say something to bother you?"

"Shut the fuck up, Naruto!" Wave stepped forward so that the two were hardly five feet apart. The taller, older male looked down at Naruto with his hard eyes locked onto Naruto's steel orbs. "Kurome and I are serious about this: you will die if you repeat something like what happened earlier today. You'll literally be asking for it."

And in those eyes, Naruto saw the emotions that had made him drawn to Wave in the first place. Concern. Worry. Compassion. All emotions that an agent of war should not have by all standard means, yet this man had in spades. Then again, Tatsumi did as well.

Squaring his shoulders, Naruto took a deep breath in with his eyes closed. Slowly, he revealed his orbs to the world, giving the two in front of him his full attention.

"If I die, then I was too weak to make my dream come true." He looked down at his closed fists - he didn't realize when he had clenched them. He locked eyes with Wave. "I was simply not strong enough to make this Capitol look at life at a different way." Then, he shifted his focus to Kurome. "And I lacked the resolve to make this place a safe enough world that didn't need the handiwork of assassins so that family could simply be family."

"That's not your responsibility," Wave said, his eyes slimming. "Anyone would admit that putting that kind of responsibility on you is more of a burden than anything else. It simply is impossible." Kurome nodded in agreement. It was mission that was so borderline difficult that all mercenaries would throw away the mission.

Instead of angrily refuting, Naruto let out a laugh that sounded so hollow and so...sad, Kurome and Wave were taken aback. They wondered when he would stop, but he kept laughing. And laughing. And it only became more sorrowful that the two had to wonder if he was laughing because there was nothing else he could do? Finally, the laughter ebbed away to chuckles, and when that died down, all that was left was a boy with no humor in his eyes.

"It is my responsibility," was the cryptic answer.

"Why?"

Surprisingly, it was Kurome to ask. Wave stood still with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, eyebrows furrowed. Instead of explaining, Naruto asked -

"What would you do if it was your friend that was captured?" Kurome, poised to answer immediately, opened her mouth, but Naruto continued. "You'd let them go, right? So would I. But...let's say there were strings attached to that friend, and those strings are attached to those you deem precious. Thing is, those precious people won't just sit back and let them die...they'll come in, either altogether or none at all.

"But leaving them to die all alone when they're an integral part of a mission they wish to complete isn't a choice. They've already lost one key part to the puzzle, which they only realized - possibly - at a much later time. And now they've lost two other pieces? You've essentially given up nearly half of your strongest members, the most integral, and you expect the rest to sit idly by?"

Whatever response that Kurome had gave way to silence. Naruto switched to Wave and stared pointedly at him, knowing that he'd have the response he'd want. Wave closed his eyes and sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I'd go in and save them. That's just how I am." He released his nose and matched Naruto's gaze. "But that still doesn't explain your purpose. You said you'd let them die, no?"

Naruto smiled with no real intent behind the expression.

"You're right. I did say that. But - " The smiled dropped, and all presage of friendliness disappeared. The person in front of the two Jaegers was not the Naruto they had known for the past few months. Sarcastic, kind, smart...that was who they knew Naruto as. Not this ashen haired assassin with steel resolution behind a mask of cold ice. " - my sole purpose is my dream, and that dream of mine can't be fulfilled unless all of my allies and friends remain alive."

"That's simply taking a goal to an extreme, Naruto. You're practically giving up your own sense of self for that goal of yours!" Wave countered. "What happens when you have to kill people that you consider friends that you consider precious?"

Naruto's eyes were wide, but not from surprise. It was the kind of unnerving wide eyes expression that gave any onlookers chills from uncomfortable shivers.

"Then I'll kill them, especially if they are a threat. Wave and Kurome...you have been kind to me. But this dream of mine that I wish to see fulfilled, you would be in the way of this dream."

"You'd kill us..." Kurome breathed out. For some reason, once again, she was the one to speak, and the one more surprised. Her expression darkened. "My sister...she's ruthless and cold, but she still has feelings of humanity. I hate her...but I may hate this version of you more, Naruto. At least she would show some empathy and sympathy to the person she was executing. But you're hardly even a human at this point!"

"I am informing you that if it came to battle, I would choose to eliminate all obstacles that would leave this dream unfulfilled."

"You're a machine!" Wave shouted. He walked up and gripped Naruto's shoulders. The man couldn't take it anymore; his feelings had been boiling over and the cap had topped long ago. "Naruto, listen to yourself! All of these obstacles and goals and staring at the world in black and white, you've lost a part of yourself since you've been locked up! You weren't this bad when we first saw you, but something changed ever since Budou allowed you out of prison. I knew about you before you were imprisoned. I heard you saved a member of the Empire's, even though that she was technically an enemy. You saved her and I've heard that she ended up joining the Revolutionary Army, all because of you.

"Weren't there also three girls that you helped prevent become slaves from the corrupt nobles? Where is that Naruto?" Wave shook his head angrily. "I refuse to believe that the one in front of me is the person that would state whatever bullshit is the same person that saved those people before. The list goes on, you know? I've heard way more than that, and every one of them, you killed to save. You even tried multiple times to create scenarios with no casualties, but someone always died. That's what the reports told us." Wave's voice shook, the man's hands and arms shaking in desperation. "Don't you fucking tell me that I'm a hypocrite when you want to save the Empire by killing all the corruption and forces of the Empire, but I just want to save my friend.

"Just let me save you!"

"..."

"..."

"..."

"I really can't tell if you're with the Empire or against it," Naruto finally spoke. He still wasn't sure how to react to Wave's heartfelt speech and the declaration that he was his friend. But at the minimum, Wave deserved a response.

Wave let go of Naruto's shoulders as he chuckled. "Yeah, well - I'm on the side of the Jaegers."

"Which is headed by Esdeath," Naruto replied, entirely nonplussed. He sighed. "But, I digress. You're right. It was wrong for me to call you a hypocrite when I go against my own values. If I try to make everything black and white and see the world in a simple manner, it creates the ability to make decisions far more easily, even if they are morally incorrect. But even so, I would still fight you two if you continued to side with the Empire. It's not because I want to, but because I have no choice."

"Is it for your dream?" Kurome asked. Naruto nodded.

"It's for her. Perhaps eliminate was too harsh a word, but I wanted you two to stay away from me. However, you two have made it clear that no amount of pushing away actually keeps you two away. So..." Naruto loosened his shoulders and let loose a gentle smile. The harsh and cold mask that Naruto had donned fell apart as the wind picked at it and whisked it away into the night. "...I suppose I have no choice but to accept your offer to save me, Wave. Explain to me how I can call someone on the side of the Empire my friend and smile with them, yet choose to fight them when the time comes with a conscious.

"By accepting that person, despite all their faults. Like how I'm trying to accept you."

'

'

'

'

"I challenge you to a duel! I demand it!"

The ashen-haired teen made no move to indicate any semblance of acknowledgement towards the demand made of him. Currently, he was tasked with doing his own laundry under the watchful eyes of Wave and Kurome. They, too, were doing their laundry.

Wave snapped his head up and barked at Syura. "Why? So you can lose to me and him as well?"

"Are you implying that he's stronger than I am?" Syura seethed back, hardly holding back a rash temptation to stamp his foot against the ground in defiance. Naruto continued to fold his laundry and passed one over to Kurome, who quickly placed the shirt in a new pile. The three - now four - were in the courtyard. They had chosen this spot due to the fact that it was generally peaceful. It was only in the morning and in the night that the area was bustling with soldiers and the Empire's military force. Otherwise, peace and quiet.

At least, that was the idea.

"I never implied anything. You're just too smart for your own good and planted that idea yourself. Into your own head."

"What'd you say!" Syura growled, now stamping towards Wave. The older teen stood and rolled up a sleeve.

"Oh. You're approaching me? Really?"

"I can't beat the shit out of you if I don't come towards you!" Syura explained. Wave grinned, gesturing with his finger 'come at me.'

"Oh, then come as you'd like. I'll just beat the shit out of you again!"

Naruto and Kurome made the decision to ignore the two as they became physical and threw their fists. He passed over another folded laundry and she casually placed into neatly into the same pile. They were supposed to be on break for the day. At least, Kurome and Wave were. So they were going to do their laundry, since Wave had burnt quickly through his clean clothes by training every single day. Kurome had just come to help and be of decent company, and Naruto was forced to join as he was still their prisoner.

Sometimes, it didn't feel like it anymore.

"Right hook," Naruto spotted. Wave instinctively ducked at Naruto's comment. Immediately after, a clean push of air went straight over his head, disturbing the hair on the back of his neck.

Syura didn't take kindly to this. "Hey, shut the fuck up, you nobody!" His eyes widened, suddenly remembering why he had come in the first place. "Hey, you piece of shit! Fight me!"

Naruto stood up, dusting off his pants as he did so, and with great leisure, walked up to the two fighting in the middle of the courtyard. Deftly, he flicked off the buttons on his shirt's cuffs and rolled up the sleeves so they were resting on his biceps. Rather than sliding into his stance, he closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. Breathing out heavily, he kept his eyes shut and remained still.

"Come at me."

Before the two could collide in a flurry of martial arts, it was put to a stop by a thundering, all-powerful voice.

"No."

Syura froze to a complete stop in the middle of a punch to look over Naruto's shoulder and saw Budou standing there. Menacingly. Just waiting for him to question his absolute order. Slowly, Syura looked back at the prisoner of the Imperial force and realized that he had to look past his shoulder, and not simply over his head. The boy's height was remarkably greater than just a few weeks before, and his muscular build was far better than what one should have been after such a long period of atrophy and lack of food. Something wasn't adding up in his head.

Before he could continue his mental pondering, Budou reminded him once more that he was still present.

"Are you going to fight? If so, I will gladly be your opponent."

(Fight during execution possibly?)

(Later on, add crowd reactions)

'

I can see him. This whole world...this is what you meant, The Founder. I can feel everything, and it's far more concentrated than earlier.'

Ducking under a side kick with ease and weaving through a set of punches that missed him by inches, Naruto lashed out with a punch that struck Syura directly on the stomach.

"So slow," Naruto muttered as he flicked away another punch casually with his wrist. Not only were his eyes closed, Budou noticed, but the blond was actually actively turning sideways and beginning to use only one hand to deflect every offensive attack.

A low growl began to rip through Syura's throat out of absolute irritation. As aggressively as he could, the aggressor threw out a punch, only to hit empty air and receive a harsh counter that clocked him right on the throat. Chocking, he was knocked back to the ground with a direct contact kick.

"Open your eyes! I said I challenged you! Face me!" Syura was getting off the ground, not even pretending to be unaffected. Class and royalty didn't matter at this moment. Only strength.

And Naruto was simply stronger, with only a portion of his strength at his disposal.

"Exactly. You challenged me. You called me to a duel, and I accepted. But you never said whether I had to try or fight with your rules. And since you only have the authority here to call it unless any of the spectators forcibly call it off, you'll never see me open my eyes this fight," Naruto said, the last words hardly a husk. It was a threat that practically told Syura to 'fuck off, because you're weak. And I know you won't stop fighting because of pride, but you'll lose anyway.'

Syura didn't like the sound of the prisoner's tone. He rushed in blindly, all forethought gone as brutishness and reckless brawling strength overtook his calm and slippery style in the beginning of the battle. Naruto wasn't even blocking the blows now, instead using his whole body as an instrument of battle and easily dodging each strike and kick. It was smooth and oiled. Each move was delicate, yet dedicated. And despite Syura's rough technique aimed his way, Naruto danced with footwork and upper body movement that chilled Wave's spine and leaked a drop of fear into Kurome's mind.

Naruto was strong.

Akame was right, Kurome realized. The teen had ridiculous potential and he was realizing more and more of it at an astronomical pace. And he was dangerous. Wasn't he a prisoner? An enemy of the Capital? Why were they letting him fight like this if they knew he was deadly and only becoming more so with each passing second that he was in battle? The last time she had seen him fight was at the Cathedral against Esdeath, and she would say that when he was in his released state, Naruto was beyond her capability to withhold. But she had thought that the feat was acceptable, as it had cost the boy a third of his lifespan.

But now, she was recognizing how much of a threat her sister had really meant. When she had questioned her superior on whether it was actually that dangerous to let the gray-haired teen to just walk around free and train whenever, Kurome had thought it was fine. How foolish. What a fucking idiot she was! If he ever was allowed out of his power-containing shackles, he would be beyond her capabilities and more. He was a monster, and the amount of people that could contain him now if he were to be released could be counted on a single finger.

She eyes the chains on his wrists and forearms and held them with disdain. "Those aren't blocking his potential enough," she said snidely. Wave chuckled, but he was thinking very similar thoughts. "Look at him," she whispered. "He's fucking using his own shackles offensively." Wave stood enraptured by the blond kept dancing, now adding his own offense. It wasn't with his fists, but rather mainly with his wrists and forearms.

'He was known for having combat skills in hand-to-hand. But there was no information on his able to use his wrists and forearms. Is he...compensating perfectly and evolving in this fight to use this different style? That's just impossible, right? That's literally impossible in a single fight, and he's doing it with his eyes closed!' Wave widened his eyes, completely engrossed and hard-pressed to not be gob-smacked when Naruto began to fight only with his legs. Except, the younger teen wasn't kickboxing, but was actually fight on his hands and was now completely on the offensive.

Syura actually stood no chance. Not against the boy now standing on his hands. Literally.

He was outclassed. He was far below the opponent's talent level. Something had sparked, and it had forced a blossom in the prisoner's growth in battle prowess to unforeseen degrees. In every way, Syura was insufficient. Naruto was evolving so quickly that if it was compared to a line traveling in space, the blond had shot beyond the horizon while most would be stuck in the first ten miles.

"We fought before," Naruto said, a clear scowl an indicator of how he felt about the memory. "You almost hurt a dear friend of mine." A heavy pressure broke out and pressed down on everybody in the immediate vicinity. Budou stood mostly unaffected, as did Esdeath, but neither of them could stop the furrow of the eyebrow or the slightly maniacal smile, respectively.

Syura scrambled away, suddenly realizing how deep in shit he had dug himself into. He tripped backwards and crawled like a crab before pushing himself to his feet in an uncoordinated mess. Naruto took a step in his direction. He took a step backwards in response.

A smooth step forward.

A hesitant step back.

A graceful, lithe step with his left foot.

An equally uncertain slide backwards.

If possible, the crushing burden that was on everyone's backs increased. It held no images or killing intent of any kind, but...only pressure. An incredible amount of will to do, and complete a task that was a necessity. Shocking azure orbs that glowed in the depths of Naruto's irises shone with dominance and absolute command as the teen stepped forward. He had a task. He would do so.

The prisoner locked eyes with the General that commanded over the hellish ice and saw her peering down at him with a vicious grin married with bloodthirsty eyes and an unnecessary blush to her cheeks. A sharp tingle traveled uncomfortably through his spine, ending only with light touches at the head that left minor reminiscent goosebumps and shivers throughout his body. That...was not what he was expecting. The bloodthirstiness and perhaps her excitement from seeing his growth, he had understood. But the blush to her cheeks left him confounded for moments before he shook it off mentally to return to the problem at hand. Still, was she that excited?

Irregardless, he would have to deal with her later...and he was still a prisoner. Perhaps he could not simply kill the leader of the Wild Hunt and pretend it was simply an accident. The result would likely be death.

Naruto made his decision. Syura was backing away in a fighting stance, but it was clear that he was the one that was pressured, and not at all was it to be misconstrued to be seen the other way. Naruto's gait was soft, light, and without any form of burden in his steps. The white-haired assassin had no hesitation as he continued to slide gracefully through the arena, shifting hardly any sand on the ground.

"Quit," Naruto commanded, his voice controlled and managed. It was only when the boy spoke that everyone realized that it had been absolutely silent as they watched on with bated breath. Syura gulped his saliva down, his Adam's apple pulsing violently, and forced his unwilling body to imitate any of the fighting styles he had trained in. His pride refused to allow himself to give in to the prisoner that was showing him a suicidal amount of lack of care towards the people that had him surrounded. Why was it that the peon in front of him did not give two shits about Esdeath and Budou immediately in the vicinity? Normal people would be quivering and bowing, their heads reverently on the ground if they were prisoners. Prisoners of war would hold their tongue, usually, but that tune changed all too quickly to begging once the torture and interrogation began.

So why was it that this boy in front of him showed no fear? Had the idiot decided to accept his death, and in doing so, was willing to die to take the life of the leader of Wild Hunt? Syura scoffed inwardly, but he couldn't completely disregard the frightening thought once it had entered his mind -

'The boy may be trying to kill me.'

And that thought also came with the unintentional realization that the predator had become the prey, because Naruto, simply put, had to the power to do so.

Syura's eyes sharpened when Naruto spoke, the voice exponentially cold, as his steel had taken over the throat of the boy. "I said..." and Naruto opened his eyes, both will and power expanding and compounding heavily into the air. Blue trailed brightly in the space his orbs existed in before he moved. An explosion rocked the earth and a cloud of dirt and debris shot up in the air clouding the training area.

Wave coughed into his fist and covered one of his eyes with the same arm's sleeve, but kept an eye on the epicenter of the destruction to see the final result. His jaw unhinged and his eyes nearly bulged out at the sight of the destruction.

"Holy shit," was all he could breathe out when the dust had settled. His mind couldn't even comprehend what was happening. "Did he just..."

On the training grounds, Naruto wore a masked neutral expression. Belying the outward indifference, the pressure that had been nearly suffocating originally had now become the equivalent of death's hand physically choking through a vice grip. Even Budou felt a bead of sweat form on his temple, despite his experience in counteracting bloodlust and killing intent.

In front of Naruto was Esdeath herself, holding his fist with her right palm, a calm yet hungry grin on her face. She, herself, was unharmed, but the ground underneath and behind her cracked from the pressure from where she stood. A voracious grin slithered on her lips at the sight of the pair of trenches she had created on the ground. She had been forced back nearly twenty feet until the momentum had finally died away, and what remained was a beautiful image of shattered earth, an unrefutable display of power, and a frightened Syura with all pride somewhere else as he sat on his ass and eyes wide and fidgeting.

She looked down at the beautiful, beautiful boy in front of her and her hungry grin stretched to her cheeks. This was the boy she had imagined to fight at the Cathedral, not the slightly optimistic boy that was so self-sacrificing that he'd give up his chances at survival so that his friends could live on. True, the boy was the same now in attitude and worldview, but it was clear that something had changed. Her ice chipped eyes filled with curiosity and a bit of something...else...searched into his narrowed slits steeped with a lack of emotion.

Naruto growled and tried to pull away. The grip on his closed fist tightened, keeping him in the spot. Esdeath narrowly dodged a kick to her chin by tilting her head back, but she was forced to let go when Naruto used her hand as a hold to pull down and bring an ax-kick that would have struck her on the neck. She jumped away and the boy in front of her copied her movements.

Kurome and Wave flinched at the sound of Esdeath's chaotic laughter echoing in the arena. It was packed with humor, ecstasy, and more than enough crazy for the entire empire. She laughed and laughed, her head thrown back and her hands delightfully pressing her cheeks. It seemed the laughing would never end. Finally, the laughter ebbed away to chuckles, then to intermittent giggles, until only a satisfied, yet no doubt predatory grin slipped onto the mask that was Esdeath's face.

"I can't let you kill him...yet," she finally said, almost remorsefully. Naruto would have believed her to be so, too, if he were convinced that the monster in front of him were capable of such feelings. Visceral anger exploded up like a volcano, retching and bubbling with searing heat and rage, but he forced all of his emotions down so that his own mask wouldn't crack. "After all, he is the Prime Minister's son. Terribly important. Superbly irreplaceable. However, seeing that this spar is taking off in a direction that now caught my interest, do you mind if I join in?" Naruto allowed himself a slight frown. He considered that a win, considering that his inner emotions only seemed to get worse and he was already beginning to see red. The type of red that only people that had fallen to a berserk state and would not stop until after they had demolished their enemy and possibly more. The type of hatred and anger that could result in accidental deaths of innocents and hundreds of individuals that had no relationship to the issue at hand that had resulted in their deaths.

Yeah. A small frown was a far cry from what he felt.

Syura's eyes met the general's for a flicker of a moment, and he knew exactly what she wanted. All sense of fear gone, the privileged adult stood with a smirk and began to walk away. "Next time though, don't expect me to save you. It's your own actions and this was a duel you called for, after all."

She made sure the spoiled child walked away from the fight between adults, if only to make sure there were no distractions. When the ignorant man-child had covered enough distance that she considered safe enough to allow for some accidental scares and possibly some icicles unintentionally piercing his body if he were not careful or aware, she turned her head and allowed the prisoner in front of her to take in her full attention. Immediately, Naruto was filling her entire field of view. She bit her lips with uncontrolled lust. She created this boy to what he was now, torturing him and making him suffer until there was only a fraction of him left. And yet, the one that she had enchained was standing in front of her unflinching, and far stronger than he had been before. And beyond that, there was one more detail that excited her more than anything.

Naruto had the eyes of a true assassin.

It was no different than Akame's when the girl had accepted her task with only one goal in mind: to kill. All other emotions were forced to silence, to remain tranquil while the only emotion to remain was cold, calculated determination. It was as they were completely different people from who they normally were, and it excited her to no end.

Tatsumi's eyes were kind and beautiful, filled with compassion and a kind of innocence only one not from the Capital could have. Even in battle, when his eyes were resolute and his face drawn with grit and sometimes anger, he was actually no different than when he was relaxing. He was still kind, and still a compassionate soul that would do everything in his power to deal justice. He would kill because it was the right thing to do. It was necessary. It was the correct course of action, and he'd feel regret nonetheless, and the windows to his soul would show this with no filters.

Naruto's eyes, she recalled, were never like Akame's. They were also compassionate, albeit muted compared to Tatsumi's, but they still had their emotions. They flickered with some life and hope and always had a lingering eye for his friends to make sure they were okay. In the cathedral, at least, that was what she had concluded. As a child, the boy's eyes were no different than what he felt. If he felt furious, his eyes would show fury of a child who had seen his parents killed by a murderer that stood in front of him. However, unlike most cases in which children would scurry away and cry in fear, Naruto had the power to do something about the murderer. Rage was his weapon that day until he suddenly stopped demolishing her and let her go.

But now, they were dead. Gone from the world. There was no emotion remaining in his eyes, and it made her realize that Naruto had become something else. And she realized, for the first time in a very, very long time, that she discovered something that was both refreshing and unnerving.

Akame was frightening in her own way, but Naruto...he had the Teigu and the power to change all.

Her grin threatened to split her lips.

"You're smiling," the boy in front of her pointed out. She didn't respond, her eyes shining with glee as she slid into a combat stance. Both her hands were raised to near chest height, with her right hand in a fist close to her chest and her left hand further out in front of her with an open palm facing her opponent. Her right shoulder was facing away from the boy.

"Make my day - or you'll perish!"

'I made more than a few of your days. Fairly sure I made you happy for a few months when you tortured me and left me to suffer in that prison, but fuck you.'

The snow-haired teen eyed the broken surroundings quickly and realized that there was no point: it was hardly different now that there was a small twenty-foot trench and an indent on the ground beneath where Esdeath stood. He knew that neither of them would make such a rookie mistake as to fall on accident from lack of awareness to one's surroundings. That would scream amateur, and neither of them were that.

He carefully crouched low as he breathed out slowly, channeling what Chi he could into his body through the limiter than was his chains. What felt like freedom coursed through his veins. A drop of sunshine, like stretching after years of solitude in a cramped space. His muscles sung as they were finally allowed to flex and tense to maximum potential through the physical energy spread through his whole body. It was liberating, and it felt like years of accumulated dust was getting cleared out of his system.

The Lazy Assassin allowed himself one more breath to compose himself and remove all thoughts. Nothing - not even fear of the person that could kill him where he stood - would deter him from this fight. He had no choice but to fight. If he fought, and surprised Esdeath, she would keep him alive. If he pretended to be a dead animal, she would kill him where he stood. He had succeeded by garnering her interest, and it was now time to keep up her locked focus on him. She was a predator. She loved fights that made her blood sing with adrenaline and uncontrollable energy.

He had to fight. Otherwise, he'd die. There was no other choice at this moment, other than to satisfy the monster in front of him so he may live another day!

A thump resounded in his ears. Naruto perked up slightly. Was it the necklace? He allowed himself the moment to tear his eyes away from Esdeath for a glimmer of a second and caught the ornament shining brightly in the sun, reflecting gloriously in the afternoon heat. The light - he recognized - was abnormal. It shone with a fervor that would do bonfires in the dead of night proud.

"...-re chosen t-...-ti -..."

'What the hell wa-'

Naruto ducked to the ground immediately, his instincts telling him to retreat immediately. A kick flew above him, right where his neck was a moment before. His hair flew wildly from the air force from the missed kick, but Esdeath was quick on her offence at took the opportunity to strike Naruto. He cursed at the disadvantageous spot. The prisoner of war raised his right arm when the general spun in place gracefully and executed a perfect spin kick.

'Holy shit!' Naruto cursed when the back of Esdeath's calf made contact with his forearm. The pressure from the kick was so heavy. But he didn't let up on his guard and pressed down on the earth to keep his footing secure; he would not allow Esdeath the happiness of forcing him to retreat. Naruto stood his ground, if barely. Esdeath's eyes widened in wonderment and amazement. He was really not enjoying that kind of recognition from her. However, her shock had given him a sliver of a moment. It was more than enough.

Stepping into her guard with his left foot, his body slumped and bent over, his right arm sliding against the rough pants of extended leg. At the last moment, he leaned to the left and swung wide and bent his elbow tight, aiming straight for the liver.

In a show of incredible flexibility, Esdeath bent her back in an impossibly sharp angle as Naruto's punch went hardly wide enough behind her to be considered a miss. A billow of air pressure rippled passed her clothes. A second later, she was taking advantage of the over extension by spinning in place and was reaching for Naruto's elbow with her own.

Going with the flow, Naruto dropped his elbow and close enough to the ground that his nose was just inches off scraping the dirt. His feet left the earth and he flipped before twisting to perform a kick at Esdeath's neck and temple. At the feeling of forearms blocking his legs, he pushed off of the legs and flipped backwards and back into a position to -

Esdeath's fist barely missed his face, but a scratch across his cheek was all he had to show for the dodge he made at the last second as his right shoulder twisted away from the incoming punch. His eyes darted low and caught the following knee coming for him as Esdeath jumped into the air to capitalize. In his own show of body control and flexibility, Naruto channeled his Chi in a burst and utilized the energy to push his body to its current limits and bent backwards. Looking up, he was Esdeath's knee pass barely above his chin. Her eyes met his. He glowered; she was smirking at him from above.

Flexing his legs, Naruto crunched forward and slammed his palms onto Esdeath's knees while she was at the apex of her jump and pressed down. The general, unprepared for this awkward engagement, once again let her emotions show on her face as she was suddenly brought out of her natural trajectory. A fist closed in on her chin from under, and there was no way she would be able to dodge. She did the next best thing. Esdeath blocked. However, she was unprepared for the absurd amount of force that Naruto produced from his awkward angle, halfway bent backwards, and was thus blown away in the air nearly fifteen feet.

Naruto hissed his air out, watching like a hawk as Esdeath flipped backwards and landed as if it was her intention all along to allow herself to get struck. It was too natural. The movement and her instincts all spoke of absurd talent and and equally upsetting amount of work she put into her craft.

'How did she block that? I swore her arms were at her side...is she even taking me seriously? Can I even wi - STOP!' Stopping himself before his thoughts caused him the loss before his body did, Naruto refocused and his eyes reflected his resolution as the orbs steeled with vigor.

Esdeath grinned at the display of self-control. "You've improved, however that happened. It shouldn't be, and in fact, it would be impossible considering the situation you've been in. And yet, it happened. Tell me," she growled huskily, bloodlust saturating the air, " - is it your Teigu, or are you finally taking me seriously now that your friends aren't holding you back?"

"They would never hold me back," Naruto rebutted without a second thought. What was she talking about? She made no sense...He shook his head, sliding into his stance again. Hardly fifteen seconds had gone by, since she struck first, and he had to accept that she was a far more frightening opponent than Susanoo when the Organic Teigu was his sparring partner. What he had in experience, she overcame through natural talent and hard work and her own flavor of unrelenting ruthlessness.

Esdeath's right eyebrow went up an inch, as if she knew something he didn't and he was the brunt of the joke. "Is that so?" Naruto almost growled at her tone. It dug into his skin and made it crawl. "Is that truly what you think? How...cute."

He couldn't hold reign himself in properly this time. Naruto growled lowly, his clenched teeth grinding with enough forced to shatter bones. "Shut up. I thought you wanted to spar with me, general." The assassin immediately regretted opening his mouth when he saw Esdeath's knowing look. She had gotten into his psyche, and she fucking knew it. It had been so easy for her.

"You really do wear your heart on your sleeve still, despite the eyes saying otherwise. Perhaps that's the next thing I should work on...

Kurome and Wave sat at their chairs, all of their muscles tensed in anticipation. Wave stared with all of his focus as his general engaged the prior blond, but the boy expertly held off the offense and following attacks his leader made before retaliating with his own strikes. Each back and forth attack had enough force to seriously injure the other, and yet neither seemed to care; in fact, they seemed to relish that both were attempting to incapacitate the other or even severely harm the other. His heart clenched and sped up rapidly when Esdeath's knee homed in onto Naruto's head, only for the prisoner to bend backwards and duck under the flying attack.

"He got stronger..." Kurome muttered quietly, but not silently enough so that Wave couldn't hear. He nodded; she was right. The general may not have been giving the fight her all, but she was certainly moving at a level that would force him to call out his Teigu and for Kurome to fight seriously. And yet - and yet Naruto was fighting against her after having been tortured and thrown in prison for months, atrophying in the dark and only recently recovering with proper nutrients in his body and fighting even more skillfully than before he was captured at the Cathedral. It made no sense. It boggled his mind and there was no facts for him to wrap it around his head.

A hand touched his clenched fist. Wave looked down to his left and saw Kurome's hand on his own. He sighed and let go of his fist, not even realizing that he had flexed in his thoughts. "That makes no sense...this makes no sense."

Naruto was an enemy, and he was showing unrecognizable potential. It made him happy, for some odd reason, to realize that the person he had gotten to know was strong and was physically in a much better place than before. But also...an unwelcome feeling clutched at his chest and mind and, like vines, spread green envy through his body and heart.

He was jealous. And he felt disgusted at himself for it.

Naruto was the enemy, the assassin that the Empire had captured, and also the boy he had come to know.

'So why do I feel like this?!'

Budou was a wall of iron with a heart of steel. His emotions hardly ever showed beyond a slight frown to indicate his displeasure and never a grin to show the opposite. That's just the man he was. Currently, he was frowning. He recalled how Esdeath had warned him that the boy was dangerous - deadly, even - and he had ignored her for his principles and let the boy out of his horrendous living conditions. Even a prisoner, especially a Teigu owner, should be allowed to stay alive. What Naruto was given as his living conditions should have killed a man within days. And yet, the boy had persevered and lived for months.

That should have been his first warning. Perseverance. The willingness to never give up. To keep fighting to see the next day. He should have known; people that had that will and iron mentality were the strongest individuals, simply because they would do whatever necessary to make sure that they saw the next day.

Like a fast growing root, Naruto's sunken cheeks and malnourished body quickly digested the nutritious food and had filled out. In fact, the boy looked healthier than the majority of the soldiers he lead as one of the generals of the Empire.

That should have been his second warning.

And then Esdeath had warned him. In his face, directly.

Strike three.

Budou's frown deepened. He should've known.

The male general remained silent, his eyes on the two figures standing in the arena. He could see that the white-haired boy was a danger to the Empire. Should he ever be freed from his chains, then he would be a difficult adversary, he had no doubt. However, was he that much of a problem that neither he nor Esdeath could handle it? After all, the two of them were accomplished individuals that could bring thousands to kneel on their lonesome.

His mind logically said yes; the boy hardly had any experience in battle. A year was nothing to his decades. He had years with his Teigu and more years as a general and leader of the Empire than Naruto since he was born.

And yet, his instincts said he wasn't sure.

And his heart said never.

The fact he was uncertain frightened him.

Uncertainty was not acceptable. Fear was not something he, as a general, had felt in a long time, and it was not a feeling that he would welcome ever. It had been a long time since he had been unable to assess a situation and his capability to deal with the issue at hand. Strength was hardly a question for him, and yet here he was, standing with the concept called uncertainty in heart and instinct.

Was Esdeath correct?

'Was this boy too much of a danger that I should have kept him in the jails?' Budou's visage darkened considerably. He was already second guessing himself...this was not a good sign. He'd have to have a mental reflection and possibly a talk with the boy at a later time. Not entirely in that order.

Esdeath casually lifted her leg to stop a kick that attempted to breach her defenses. Ignoring the pain that shot up through her leg, she raised her right arm to block -

'Dodge!'

A gust of wind blew her hair back as a black blur flashed across her face, the unidentified object almost making contact with her temple. It had been so fast that everything in that moment had slowed down to the point that the dirt floating in the air almost seemed like stationary particles.

She had leaned back, and not a moment too soon. To her, the attack had practically been instantaneous. She stood back up and saw Naruto nearly twenty feet away. He already made distance to reassess the situation. Looking down at the ground, she spotted blue threads of hair strands carelessly falling to the dirt. The pieces of hair weren't her usual length, she noted.

'Did he cut through with a weapon? No...even if he is an assassin, he didn't have weapons on him. Not for three months, and no one had given him a weapon to use.'

She stared at the blond, looking at his person. Then, it clicked, and she laughed again, cackling just as madly and as uncontrollably as before.

He had just used the same move on her that she had to open up the fight. The black blur she had seen was the shoes he was wearing.

This boy was evolving so much faster than he had with his time in Night Raid. Give him another month, and he'd be a monstrosity to face!

'But what had prompted this sudden surge in evolution? It's almost like Tatsumi but...greater?' She wondered, her mind delirious in happiness. Another opponent worth fighting this war. Now, she had no doubt in her mind.

"How would you like to go back to your friends?"

Silence.

...

That was the only way to describe the blanket that had been thrown over the entire place as all sound became muffled until only an abyss of noise remained.

"What the fuck are you saying? That little shit should just die!"

Until Syura hoarsely shouted, his voice cracking like a whip through the sheer blanket. Everything returned to life, and sound returned.

Budou was the next person to regain his bearings at the ridiculous proposition. "Even as a joke, I have my limits to certain punch lines."

"Is that so?" Esdeath nodded in acknowledgement. "I see. Well, it's good then that I took your character into perspective and I can tell you honestly that I do not lie."

"Esdeath," the man snapped. "Enough."

The woman in the clearing only seemed to perk up and preen at the fact she had also gotten under the skin of her accompanying general. "No," she replied with a sick smile. The more dangerous the situation, the greater her pleasure. This was...a dangerously strange position to be in.

"What's your game?" Naruto finally asked. Esdeath turned to face him armed with the same, grotesque smile plastered to her lips.

"I want to fight you at your best. As a Teigu user. Not like a the Cathedral where I had to hold back against you, but an all-out battle with no holding back. A fight where one of us would die for certain!" She raised both arms spread wide above her shoulders. "Cant you feel it, 'Naru-chan'? This war is coming to an end. Both sides have reached the point in which maximum preparation has been made and all that's left is for the chord of tension between the empire and the rebels to snap for total chaos to take over the Capital. And in that battle, I will do everything in my power to strike down every last one of you. And I want to be the one to strike you down that day. You staying at this Capital and being forced indoors is such a waste, I realized. Now I see your true potential, and all I can see is untapped power, far beyond that poor showing at the Cathedral.

"So I'll let you go. You'll be free to train. In fact, you can do whatever you want. Train, fuck, run away; but just know, the rebellion will still happen. And if you lost, the rebellion loses. I don't care much for the empire, but I know that you do. You wouldn't want Tatsumi to be with me, would you? And your sweet, sweet leader Najenda to die because you were too weak to do anything about it, now would you? And how could I forget the rest of your little crew that had been infiltrating the Capital and killing key members of the aristocracy. Leone, Chelsea, Mine, Akame...and the captured Lubbock who I will kill the moment you step out of the capitol.

"All of them will die at my hands!" she declared earnestly, no doubt in her voice. "They'll lose because this world is ruled by the strong, and I'm the strongest. That's all there is to it. The rebellion is too weak, even if Tatsumi evolves. He needs at least another year, and they don't have that time." She dropped her arms, placing one on her chest and the other at her side, summoning an ice rapier. "But you can change that future, can you not?"

"...You're truly, irredeemably insane. There's just no saving you. The strong rule the weak? The powerful prey? What's new from you..."

Naruto's bangs covered his eyes, hiding his emotions from the world except for the clenched teeth and shaking body. He trembled with unbridled anger. "Is...is this all a game to you? Some kind of sick joke?" Tears streamed down Naruto's cheeks, the first emotions that were true to Naruto's heart other than anger finally revealing itself since he had donned the mask. "The rebels fight for a new world that isn't as corrupt. This world, which is so steeped with darkness and sadness that threatens to snuff away life from everywhere outside of the Capital except for civilizations so far removed that not even the Capital's infected tendrils could take roots in those places.

Night Raid fights for a brighter tomorrow. So that none have to suffer like we did. For the civilians that we protect could smile without reserve. No fake promises, no more suffering caused by hands of injustice. We are hardly warriors of justice, but Night Raid does what it can to help the people in total. It's not clean, but it's the best we can do with the skill set we were given in life!"

The salty stream of water dripped off Naruto's chin and splashed on the ground, thudding quietly. "You...how dare you make light of us all? Make me suffer, fine. But to not care about the Empire, the people directly underneath you...to not even deem the people worth your protection and willing to allow them to suffer under the absolute chaos because you want blood and battle and are so fucking insane that it is all you know without even taking a second thought to try to prevent it -

"I hate you."

Rage.

"I despise you with all I have."

Rage.

"You are irredeemable to me."

Rage.

Naruto lifted his chin, and his red irises were exposed to the world. Kurome hardly raised an eyebrow, but it was the equivalent of her falling back on her chair. Wave instinctively called out Grand Chariot, already donning the armor. Budou flexed his arms, preparing for battle. And Esdeath -

"YES! Those are the eyes you had! Those are the true sign of the users of The Founder!" She seemed to be in heaven, joyously shouting. "And of course everything else means nothing. Other than my love for Tatsumi and victory in battle, nothing else matters. That's how life is! Dreams are nothing but a wish. A wish that I will squash without mercy, because this world is cruel."

It was small, but it was unquestionably there.

Power.

Restrained, as if a dam was holding back the floodgates of something far more sinister and overwhelming, yet leaking something phenomenal at an extraordinary rate. It was felt and made everyone stand on edge. All eyes were on the white-haired boy with the red eyes. His expressions shifted from fury, to recognition, to sadness, and finally a strange look that could only be described as pity.

"Dreams...are what make this world improve. That is our tomorrow. And you think it doesn't belong in this world. You're wrong; Tatsumi would be able to take you on in a month. Akame can kill you, because you only fight for yourself. But - "

The dam broke, and all bystanders called out their weapons as the metaphorical dam suddenly seemed very real. Two broken bracelets by Naruto hit the ground next to his tears. Naruto's bangs flipped up and all of his hair flew upwards as he released something within him. The dirt blasted away from where he stood as the energy that had been contained within him was finally let out of its cage.

Strangely, she felt her own Teigu drawn to the boy. Like a curious animal that had seen a new object for the first time and wanted to analyze it.

She set that aside in her mind as the blasts of energy continued to power up, blowing and kicking up more dust and sand. There was no doubt that the entire complex nearby full of soldiers would know that was something was happening. It would only be a matter of minutes until hundreds of armed soldiers and tens of Teigu owners would be at the arena. The boy had to know this; he knew the layout of the complexes and the military schedules. There was no way he didn't know about this.

And yet he stood there, his hair flowing without control as whatever energy he had within him continued to escape him at alarming higher and higher rates by the seconds.

"91%...92%...93%...96% compatibility. Engage?"

"No. Don't 'engage.'" The Teigu stopped immediately, but Naruto could feel that it was prepared to be used at any moment. 'Don't worry, because...I won't need it.'

"But the worst thing you did was to threaten me with the lives of those Akame call precious. You threatened me with Lubbock's capture. And most importantly - "

Naruto narrowed his eyes, his pupils hardly able to be seen. But all saw it when the resolution slipped in, made from diamonds compared to the steel from minutes prior.

"You said you'd squash Akame's dream. And for that, I will destroy you...without my Teigu."

As if Naruto had been holding back another set of limiters, the suffocating power exploded to uncharted levels. Once again, the world discovered a new power.

It recognized its Founder.

The Manta was closing in at the execution's location. But something felt off to Night Raid.

Akame narrowed her eyes at the sight of Esdeath, preparing for battle. However, something drew her attention to a boy that looked remarkably like Naruto, but with white hair.

"Naruto...that's Naruto..." Mine silently processed, her head pulling away from the scope of her gun.

Emotions flooded through the red-eyed assassin like waves, each one holding a different aspect of human expression. But the most powerful and consistent was relief. He was alive. And immediately afterwards was fear, because he was directly facing off against the General of the Empire.

Her grip tightened on her blade. This time, she'd save him.

Chapter End.

A/N: Naruto would be with Akame in the end. Surprise.