I do not own Naruto, Dragon Age (minor, not to a degree warranting a crossover status (in my opinion) nor any other element that may arise in this story. I'm fairly sure that has well been established at this point...In any case, this story is for entertainment purposes only.Why else would it be in FanFiction?

Answer me that, I dare you! (Supreme glare (OF DOOM)!)

Of consequences: From it an Empire

Chapter Seven: Changing of the seasons

Naruto's abode, Yonzo Province, fifteen years ago

Throughout it all Fujiko was not terribly pleased in having to play the mediator between Naruto and the Banten shinobi in a bid to get his crap back. Thankfully however her ire was more focused on the hidden clan than it was on the hermit of a squatter but that didn't mean he wasn't going to push his luck any more than he already had. To that end he did his damndest to avoid the desperate house wives and singles, helped out more than he usually did as the villagers collected the harvest as the seasons changed, and to further lessen any at all grievances he may have unwittingly accrued he deposited the first harvest of his pumpkins at her home... whether or not they were ripe yet was another matter entirely left for someone who actually knew anything about farming pumpkins.

But that was another story for another time, if ever.

At any rate, in the end while he did get his more humble belongings back much like his bedroll and his cookware he didn't get his equipment back, the jerks... Sadly, as much as he tried to be the better man about this, it did color his relationship with his shinobi stalkers and his increasingly reluctant dealings with their base; he may have not much left but they were as much mementos of better times for him. That and the old merchant who occasionally drifted along the faded road was not that keen on accepting pumpkins as a means of payment. Meat from whatever he had caught? Yes, depending how fresh or cured it was. That and thanks to that raid on his supplies the following skirmishes with bandits were made all the harder till he began to keep some of the weapons for himself. The swords namely. Especially since he kept breaking them... but that was neither here nor there.

On an unrelated note that elderly merchant wasn't keen on transporting obvious weaponry. Knives were one thing: easily concealed from uncaring eyes and arguably and marginally acceptable defense given the roaming bandits in the event they were found should the possessor have a sly enough tongue, or were sympathetic enough to soldiers who didn't even want to be soldiers. Swords, spears and so on however... were punishably by death by order of the daimyo however, no exceptions should those loyal to him found the offender in question; Fujiko had unfortunately confirmed that.

At any rate...

After awhile thanks to this change in dynamic he ended up having to seclude himself from the village more so than he usually did in order to train with his newfound weapon of choice. That and... modify his traps to keep the really unwanted guests out, but that wasn't as important... so to speak. Still though, he wasn't sure if he was making any substantial progress in regard to his private and improvised kenjutsu lessons. Especially since it seemed that the bandits didn't really seem to take good care of their katanas, a shame really even to the runaway from the Land of Fire. If they weren't chipped already then they were when he struck the logs for firewood to better his grip and test his technique. That or broke off entirely with little warning. Then again he also chipped a few in even trying to maintain them, where his knowledge of swords stopped at "they're better when they're sharp" from his experience with kunai. Low quality blades perhaps? Sadly Tenten wasn't here to supply him with an answer...

... Or Kakashi-sensei for that matter. Nor the Bushy Brow duo... Hell, even Yamamoto... Neji. Iruka. Shikamaru. Ino. Choji. Kurenai. Kiba. Shino. Sakura. Sai. Teuchi and Ayame. Granny Tsunade... Hinata.

He had long since stopped practicing his swinging as the will to do otherwise slowly departed from him as his eyes turned sky ward, a bitter frown on his lips. How long had it been since he fled his home and was forced to leave the Elemental Nations? Months for certain, it wasn't like he paid that much attention to a calendar back when he had the luxury of which... Despite the circumstances, was everyone doing alright back there? ... did they miss him as much as he was missing them?

"Damn it," he muttered to himself before he forced himself to pick up where he left off.

It wasn't like it would matter much thanks to the bounty on his head. The most he could hope for during his bouts of homesickness was that they were still as upset with this as much as he was. That and maybe clock the jerks responsible for this whole mess. Other than walk the earth once more, the most he could do in the meantime was... live. Live, live well and out of trouble for their sakes and his own till he was vindicated in the end.

With that in mind however, he couldn't help but ponder his situation once more...

Limited though it may be, news was trickling that Wakai was on the march for home at long last. Apparently it was time to shore up the defenses lest their country was decimated and burnt to the ground if half the rumors of incensed rivals openly snarling at them were true. Regardless, even if he were somehow completely deaf to the whisperings of the residents of Yama whenever he was in town, there was a feeling in there air that could even be felt in the surrounding forests. The feeling of tension of a brewing storm about to be unleashed. It was only a matter of time now... and he was still undecided.

He could fight for a country not his own out of good will for the sake of protecting those who could potentially get hurt, an idea he couldn't help but like, but there stood a strong possibility of being chased out or made to live like a social pariah that could make his childhood days seem pleasant. Sadly if push came to shove he wasn't terribly keen on blind meandering once more even if he was less likely to be ambushed at every turn now.

Hiding on the other hand simply didn't appeal to him despite learning the hard way of its occasional necessity. As was mentioned, given his abilities he could make a difference and he knew it. But again there was a good chance he would be forced to leave in the end if he was found out.

As for leaving... While 'attached' wasn't quite the right word, being here did make him feel like he had something of a home. One he wanted to defend no less despite his clandestine habits borne by admittedly paranoid necessity. Yet, again...

He groaned, stopped swinging once more and hung his head.

It was a dilemma that he's been running in circles with ever since the news became common knowledge for the village and it was slowly driving him up a wall.

SNAP! Plink!

"Huh—OH COME ON!"

Along with the crappy swords too of course. He knew for a fact that he hadn't used it for jack beyond practicing his swings! That was the third one too!

With a grumble he knelt down, picked up the borken blade and tossed both it and its handle into a growing pile that was meant for the Banten. Spiteful? He wouldn't argue with that. But, again, at this point neither were exactly trying to get into each other's good graces. The jerks...

"Bing-Bing!"

For a brief moment Naruto tilted his head in confusion at the sound emanating from his house until his eyes widened in surprise at his recollection: the perimeter alarm! FOR THE RESIDENTS OF YAMA!

Poof!

Both arms flailed wildly in a rapid and vain attempt to disperse the already dissipating smoke even as he tore out of it to the semi-abandoned stache of weapons he kept out in the open for convenience's sake. In a heartbeat he shunted both the (relatively) good weapons and their broken counterparts behind a bush growing against his abode and threw a brown canvas over it for good measure. Just in time too as the moment he whipped himself around he was face to face, albeit some distance away, with Akiko's curious frown.

"I'm not interrupting something, am I?"

"Nope! Nothing!" 'Jiraiya' practically cackled out of stress as he gave her one of his best winning (read very strained by nervousness) grins. "So what brings you out here?"

Her frown deepened for a moment in quiet irritation. Thankfully however it seemed like she was willing to ignore his piss poor attempt to convince her that she practically caught him with his pants down. "Grandma wants to speak with you about something."

At this the disguised rogue frowned...

"No you aren't in trouble over something this time," she flatly answered him.

"I didn't say anything..." he quickly murmured as he jolted himself from his spot with a bit of a stiff stride.

"You didn't have to," she deadpanned with a roll of her eyes before disappearing into the brush bordering the shinobi's backyard. Naruto was soon to follow with an indignant huff escaping his lips. It was several moments after they had left the rogue's home that a figure finally deemed it safe to emerge from the shadows, his stiffened joints popping at long last from what seemed like an eternity's worth of silent observation. The local shinobi then marched into the clearing, revealing himself to be of the Banten and a little worse for wear thanks to successfully navigating the traps without setting off the perimeter alarms nor being hit by the outlander's more paralyzing traps.

He paused long enough to give one last swivel of his head in all directions to ensure he was utterly alone before he made his way to the very pile of discarded weaponry Naruto stuffed out of immediate sight. He then knelt down and partially removed the canvas covering to inspect the pile of weapinry, both 'good' and ruined, before covering it up once more, grabbing the edges and making a makeshift bag out of it which he soon hefted over his shoulder. Once he had what he came for he got up and made for the forest behind him. He stopped himself however and looked back to the house he was just leaving behind. A wicked gleam entered his eye that was soon matched by a grin. He next set the sack back down so he could reach into the folds of his garb. Soon enough he found what he was looking for in the form of a box barely bigger than half of his palm. As soon as it was opened it was revealed to be carrying a rock, a piece of metal and dried grass.

XVX

Yama (... after dodging the stalkers)

"Hey Granny!" 'Jiraiya' called out to the chieftain with a cheeky grin on his face, his eyes closed for but a moment. When they opened his smile promptly faded at the serious yet neutral frown on her face. "What's wrong?"

Fujiko quickly glanced over to her granddaughter whom seemingly understood the message she conveyed. "I'm just going to go make my rounds in the village before searching for more ingrediants," Akiko excused herself before jogging to the house behind the chief, nabbing a provisional sack Naruto seen them wear for such a mentioned excursion, and then swiftly jogged back to the village below.

"... did something happen?"

"Nothing, thankfully," the older woman sighed before contemplating frowning. "At least nothing to immediately worry about." With a level yet stern gaze to convey the seriousness of the situation she looked him in the eye. "The Princess, however, wishes to speak with you."

XVX

Woods, elsewhere

Even with a living shit of a daimyo who would sooner set his palace on fire than to part with his hoard of gold the villages were protected just enough to have an angry mob of villagers pretending to be soldiers nipping at their heels should they basically butcher the peasantry and burn their village down; dead peasants weren't worth a single coin after all if the rumors about Wakai were to believed, nor could they grow food to feed anyone for that matter. While they certainly could beat them in matters of martial might, numbers were their own value in a fight. Especially when the loss of one man with a good sword practically spelled doom for them in such an encounter in a land where they were on their own. Thus for anyone who was keen on living without either dying in a ditch as part of a sadist's idea of fun or having their faces mashed into the dirt much like those they robbed discretion was the better part of 'valor.' It was a hard life however when certain luxuries of their old lives practically taunted them at every step of the way if no one was lucky enough to find a new lord to serve or, if they were really desperate, join the Wall. A prominent and constant reminder of their new lot in life being the decisive loss of ample supplies and skills that were now denied to them for want of coin or food at the very least, namely in the form of weapons maintenance.

Rocks did not make great anvils no matter how smooth or large they were. Doubly so when the hands forced to make use of them were either barely experienced or utterly inept when forced into such a situation. For that matter campfires, no matter how well attended to by some bellows, made for poor smithing implements as well. It was thanks to these factors combined that what didn't break was warped or made brittle. As such there were very few weapons in their collective supplies that were properly maintained while the rest were only good for another skirmish or two at best... including the faulty ones, these were the only weapons left for the increasingly agitated bandits as the number of those left without a weapon were only growing with each shattered sword and bladeless spear. Soon enough over half of this particular camp in question would be forced to use their spears as staves or to tear down branches to use as clubs, and only one of which could be considered intimidating to a farmer on most days. Even so, the staves notwithstanding and ignoring the fact they came to a country that couldn't easily pick them off at their marginal leisure, this was nothing less than both undesirable and shamefully embarrassing to those who were once samurai. Because of this the remaining weapons had quickly become a point of contention, old bonds and pragmatic necessities be damned...

As it was however it was a mixed blessing when one of those bastard shinobi showed up with a bag of semi-usable weapons in hand. Mixed not only because it was from one of the bastards that been hounding them from the shadows but because it was accepted as payment for a job that may as well doom them with the very fate they were hoping to avoid if they didn't move fast enough to avoid being connected to a newfound pyre. It wasn't glamorous either, but a job was a job if it meant more weapons for future endeavors. Otherwise it meant either throwing away the last vestiges of their pride to join their lessers in plowing the field... or dying like dogs with an arrow in their back.

XVX

Meanwhile, Banten fortress

It was always relatively more pleasant to visit the place during the day. It made it so much easier for him for those times where he could match each glare sent his way by the numerous faces that tended to poke out of whatever hole or wall they were previously hidden by. It also made pot shots aimed at him all the harder to deny when a gleaming metal knife was stuck fast to either the dirt or piece of wood he happened to be next to. Sadly they wised up and used the crappy knives after he looted a few on his merry way out... Regardless, the usual and marginally rising animosity between them was subdued for now out of respect for not only the medicine woman Fujiko but of Princess Rei as well. Especially in the presence of the latter who was dressed to the nines of royalty receiving a guest, complete with tea and snacks available for an audience of one besides herself.

Needless to say he felt nothing less than awkward given his own lack of fancy attire... which was made even more weird considering he never once had that much of a sense of decorum in the first place!

... then again most of the royalty he did meet tended to be pretending to be someone else before he realized they were in fact royalty in disguise, at which point he was either already familiar enough with them or, more often than not, too annoyed to have any more reverence farther than he could throw said noble without a power boost of some kind. The same could also be said of those who he met that were up front about it... before being punched in the face, often because they were trying to kill him/kill the often runaway royal client. Or because they were just flat out jerks. Either/or. Never mind then.

"Thank you for coming to see me on such short notice," Rei peacefully murmured as an attendant quietly poured them a cup of each and served them. Rei naturally received hers first whereas the servant was subtly but stoically glaring at him as she handed him the remaining cup.

"It's not a problem!" Naruto practically shouted with a bit of an embarrassed smile following afterward. "It's not like I have a lot of things to do out there anyway! It's kind of like watching paint dry when you're waiting to harvest your crops."

Rei only raised her hand to cover her mouth as she giggled, hey eyes closed for but a moment. "I imagine so," she pleasantly agreed, her smile lasting for a moment longer before disappearing underneath a carefully neutral crease of her lips. "But, if I may be so bold, I also understand that you have been taking more... proactive measures in defending Yama and the other villages from bandit attacks for some time now."

Naruto grimaced and reluctantly nodded. "Yeah... I have..."

In return the princess closed her eyes and nodded. "If you will pardon me, allow me to be blunt." When she opened her eyes she looked him in the eye, her expression as close to steel as it could be with such delicate features. "As much as some would like to disagree, most agree that both shinobi and even samurai of the East have always are more powerful than any who had ever lived amongst our warring countries. When they do come, whatever their reason, very few have been able to defeat them in battle or even successfully assassinate them. As such what few that come here on their own free will are often searched for and recruited by any who can afford their often expensive services. Even those who are supposedly wanting have been known to turn the tide of battle with their mere presence alone." A slight yet neutral frown creased her lips. "Because of this I wish to employ you into my service as well."

Naruto clenched his jaw and drew a sharp breath as his arms crossed themselves along his chest, his fingers clutching at his arms as this seemingly age old argument he had with himself was forced to come to a head. As he was once again deliberating within the confines of his head the princess was patiently waiting for his answer...

"I'll be honest," Naruto finally spoke up after some time. "My home, the last village I served in, tried to have me killed after kicking me out of the shinobi ranks." He almost saw a twitch of sympathy cross her features. Almost. Regardless however he continued unabated. "As you can imagine I'm not exactly eager to join up with another country's Hidden Village... but," he armed himself with something of a worn smile, "if it helps the people in Yama, I guess it doesn't hurt to help you out."

Her features brightened as her lips fought to keep from smiling. "Then we have an accord?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I'll help you guys out."

"Thank you!" she softly exclaimed with a deep bow. "With your help we'll certainly win this war and save numerous lives in the process!"

Embarrassed, Naruto could only awkwardly grin as he scratched the back of his head. "I'll certainly do my best at least!"

"I do not doubt that in the least," she answered with a smile once she straightened herself within her seat on the floor.

SLAM! "MY LADY!"

All heads snapped over to a Banten shinobi who immediately rushed over to and subsequently knelt by the princess' side to whisper in her ear. It wasn't even a moment later that she turned to him, her eyes wide in both surprise and shock. "Yama?" she all but whispered, as if disbelieving it herself.

"Uh, what about Yama?" Naruto asked, his heart stopping for a moment in dread as his muscles tensed on their own. Still, he held out hope that it was some sort of mistake on someone's part.

It was dashed the moment the shinobi's head nodded in confirmation.

"Go!" she ordered the messenger before her gaze, her face a mask of righteous indignation of a wrathful ruler. "Defend Lady Fujiko's home!"

The shinobi almost snapped up onto his feet by the time Naruto dashed out the door before anyone realized it. Even he didn't realize he bowled over at least two servants without slowing down in the least as he tore through the maze of hallways to the only exit he knew of. Had he stayed longer however he might have stalled when the princess was suddenly assaulted with a coughing fit that immediately drew her attendants to her out of worry as she brought her sleeve up to cover her mouth. That same sleeve was slowly turning crimson from the point of contact with her mouth.

"GET LADY FUJIKO IN HERE!"

XVX

Yama

Even though the bandit raids haven't occurred remotely as much as of late old habits die hard. There was always, always someone on lookout in hopes of at least warning the village in time. Sadly it could only be so effective when most of what compromised as the village's defense had to work out in the field and as such were often out of earshot of whomever was acting as the town crier at the time should said crier be lucky enough to spot the raiders in time. They used to have a bell and a tower to go with it, but the bandits kept either destroying the admittedly flimsy tower that held it aloft or even stole the bell attached to it after destroying said tower for good of this it took them sometime to replace the bell with scrap metal they manage to barter for if the stolen bell wasn't recovered, which was never. Regardless, with the good fortune they had as of late and the crops still growing the village watch was considerably larger than usual though not as tense as it typically was. It was because of this that there was more than one witness to the encroaching horde of bandits on horseback thundering toward the village long before the hoof beats were heard.

The results were predictable: those who couldn't fight were evacuated to the forest as a precaution. Those that could fight were assembled into a militia to safeguard the storehouse, which unfortunately included both women and children strong enough to wield a sharpened stake for a spear if not the closest thing that could be used as an outright weapon like an axe or a particularly sharpened shovel. And thanks to a suggestion from Jiraiya, all but a token of the food stores had been hidden in a secret cache in the event that a group of raiders such as these ever came to take what they want; should they indeed get that far they would only see what they want to see, steal it and ideally flee with it long before the villagers rally. While the villagers didn't begrudge it and indeed enacted on it just in case with a certain amount of glee provided by the concept of its security, there was two flaws... Even though the taxes came and went, being the victims of these attacks over and over again, the villagers were not remotely keen on just standing by and letting those scavengers have their way with their village without contest. As much as they tried to convince the concerned otherwise that it was to 'lull them' into believing what was in the storehouse is all that they had, they all knew the truth: it was a matter of pride pure and simple. The second problem was more serious however...

No one entertained the idea that the bandits were actually out to kill them and burn down the village as opposed to stealing their crops.

Were it not for the spears to drive off the horse riders they might have been crushed under the initial charge by numbers the villagers weren't accustomed to in the raids. What really clued them in that things were different however was that these bandits were not only wielding torches in broad daylight but lobbing them at the houses! It was enough to frighten a good number of the militia into breaking off from the defenses in order to man the well and grab buckets to smother the burgeoning flames. It was also to their horror that thanks to this weakening in their battle line that gaps emerged in the sides that weren't fending off the bandits. Said horror was made manifest when it seemed like some of the bandits were only lying in wait for this exact opportunity to present itself to flank them without even a hint of resistance thrown their way, turning what was already a desperate battle into a terrifying one when friends and neighbors were dropping like flies from not one front but threeas their village was burning to the ground around them.

Any hope for consolation that this was simply retribution for putting up greater resistance than before died as violently as their kinfolk when they noticed something amidst the carnage: they weren't even going near the storehouse. They even set it ablaze during the fighting! They were targeting only the villagers themselves.

Regardless, what were once considered respectable swings and lunges by the villagers were now desperate and wild sweeps to keep katana and yari from not only rending their flesh but from ultimately ending their lives. While it did save them, sometimes, it forced them further and further back till what remained of the villagers were forced into a defensive circle, fighting back to back atop the backs of their fallen family and friends against their wishes.A last stand if there ever was one sans a sense of glory, only desperation and survival at its purist form.

"RASENGAN!"

BOOMF!

It was also when people were most grateful toward any break that could possibly extend their lives for but a few minutes more, for a given value of gratitude at least depending on the source. Either way the haggard villagers were enjoying the moment to catch their breathes for however long it would last as everyone, everyone paused just long enough to risk a glance at the unexpected commotion that seemingly decimated at least twenty of the bandits who were generally acting as a reserve unit for the crowd surrounding the villagers. Once all eyes landed on the blond figure garbed in somewhat familiar worn clothes all sense of cold blooded murder and solemn trepidation turned into hostile confusion and silent vindication.

"... Kill him too!"

"YEAAAAAA!"

The nearest ronin immediately charged him, four and more counting as the rest of the gathered horde return their attention back to the villagers much to their dismay.

"RASENGAN!"

"GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

That particular situation however was quickly remedied when the bandits were forced to bring their attention back to the stranger in their midst when bodies of their comrades were launched straight into the crowd, knocking quite a few over to the point that a gap was almost completed in their encirclement of the villagers. Their eyes were also quick to note that his hands and fingers were horizontally and vertically crossed with one another to form, as aptly stated, a cross.

POOF!

Needless to say their attention snapped onto the exact copy of the blond teenager standing next to him.

POOF!

... and the next one.

PO-POOF-POF—

"EASTERNER! RUN FOR IT!"

The nearest of the growing army of duplicates were already overrun by the vengeful mob that leaped at them with knives and glowing blue spheres. Those closer to the middle, surrounding the villagers, were subject to a more confused route as the outer shell of their encirclement were either fighting for their lives or had the luxury of fleeing as the inner circle either tried to flee like their comrades or were facing the brunt end of a rallied people whom they attempted to slaughter not even a minute ago. Those farthest from the scene, be they stragglers to the fight by right of enacting their orders to loot, pillage and burn or acting as lookouts, were a mixed lot: those who were witness to the events readily fled before they could be noticed. Those who were not however were either confused upon seeing some of their fellow ronin shamelessly fleeing and joined them or were completely unaware of this route at all till a unforgiving mob descended on them, by which it was too late.

XVX

Fields

He heard the stories much like everyone else. He also knew that, in combination of the previous statement, by the princess' order he wasn't likely to find any coconspirators to end that assassin's life before the demon finally found the opportunity to claim his lady's life. He also knew that by himself any attempt on the foreigner's life was likely to be futile... if he acted by himself that he needed was the one weakness every living being shared no matter how guarded or paranoid they were: the element of surprise; a distraction. Battle was and will always be the ultimate distraction.

If only it gone as he had planned however...

While some blood was to be expected, the demon was to act far quicker than he should have. With him surprisingly missing for some time the fallen samurai took to their... 'task' all the same as opposed to acting as fodder against the wretch, distracting him with their numbers before they realized they were in over their heads. A regrettable choice really, but how else was he to convinced war hardened butchers unwilling to serve another lord or else serve at the Wall of the Hojin? It was far easier to have them convinced they needed traitors to the Banten dead rather than to lure out something that struck fear into the hearts of the end though it didn't matter how many of the villagers were slain as his target finally deigned to show himself.

That was when it all fell through however.

He may not have personally witnessed it but he knew the Easterner could form some kind of magic ball within his palm that could propel others with great force. What he didn't know was how destructive it can be. Danger was to be expected though for this undertaking however, or else he had no right to be a blade in the darkness in the first place. No. What had unnerved him was the outright ability to duplicate !Not some trick of the light or a previously made dummy of some sort, a living, breathing copy of the caster! One that was very much real as it was quickly made evident with the sheer amount of bodies both the caster and his army of blood thirsty doubles tore, TORE, into the fallen samurai with exact copies of the blue sphere of doom and all too real replications of the same knife with utter ease. He didn't blame the bandits for losing their nerve thanks to this fresh and unrivaled onslaught. It would be hypocritical of him to considering that he didn't wish to strike at the demon to not only chance upon a copy but to have his plot revealed in the wake of the madness he was fleeing from.

Though the demon lived, he found that there was some solace amidst this mistake: he still long as his heart continued to beat there would be a second chance to correct this a third .Fifth, as many as it takes to bring down the beast in human such an opportunity arises though he would have to make sure to cover his—

His feet dug into the dirt in a hard stop just as he cleared the threshold of the forest at an unexpected and, sadly, nerve wracking sight of one of his clansmen standing before his, his arms cross and his eyes boring into him with steeled suspicion.

"While I can understand the outsider reaching the village long before us, never mind taking care of the bandits, but what are you doing here? For that matter, would you care to explain why you were fleeing from the village in the first place?"

Any sense of courage in either bluffing his way out of the impromptu interrogation or, if he was lucky, gaining another collaborator died with the words in his throat as he noticed he was surrounded by his clansmen. Not the entirety of the clan to be precise as some favored reluctantly charging into the open on horseback to either kill or corral the ronin in order to capture them or were in a panicked rush toward the still burning village itself.

"We're waiting."

XVX

Yama

... It was like the destruction of the Konoha all over again. This time however he didn't have the mild benefit of being able to direct either his anger or grief at a particular ringed eyed face. Or for that matter the revived compassion of said face to undo the damage done to the once living residents of the village... for better or worse he crammed the bile inducing horror and guilt back down where it came from in order to do the closest thing he could think of as a good idea at the moment between himself and his clones since he was out in the open: PUTTING OUT THE DAMN FIRE!

The semi organized mob were quick to surround the well with as many buckets as they could scrounge up on short notice. For the ones that couldn't find a bucket, spare clones henged themself into such for the others to use to fight the there that same mob bumrushed every single fiery building in sight till it was utterly soaked and, as equally obvious as it was important, not on fire any more. Unfortunately they couldn't get to every building in time however even with their greater speed and agility.

What few clones that weren't a part of the fire brigade as it were attempted to make themselves useful by coming to the aide of the villagers... unfortunately upon seeing their awestruck and wary faces, as well as the tightened grips of their weapons, was not only enough to give them pause but to dissuade them from trying to tend to their injuries. They didn't even dare try to go near the dead villagers barring dragging dead bandits off of them. Beyond that... he was grasping at straws. He ended up piling the dead raiders along the outskirts of the didn't bother taking the weapons this time around.

In the end he left without a word as his clones puffed out of existence, their memories of the carnage flooding his mind anew...

XVX

A few minutes later

He was halfway to the tree line when he realized that he was making a bee line toward his farmstead. He did what he could to dodge in a different direction but he couldn't be sure as to how effective it was. Even so his mind couldn't help but concoct something of a plan that basically involved him turning into 'Jiraiya' once more and promptly returning to the village under the premise of finally crawling out of his house for the day. That plan was washed away however when he came upon the charred remains of his house. For better or worse in his bewilderment he couldn't help but strike the fact that the very same building he had left from was now a smoking ruin as surreal even as he silently gawked at it...

... at least the pumpkins survived the apparent inferno. Going to be a pain in the ass to dig his kettles, for both cooking and tea, out from the burnt wood though if they survived... bed roll is most likely burnt to a crisp at any rate. Wait, his mind pondered as he circled around the remains of his house, did it survive? A quick inspection found that, yes, the flower that was originally in the house when he first arrived which he then planted by the front door had also lived through the disaster that struck down his home. But someone nicked that bag of swords he had it! He hoped each and every one of those swords broke during the thief's journey. Doubly so if they're the same asshole that set his house on fire!

...

Naruto sighed heavily to himself as he ran his hand through his hair as his mind drew a blank on what to do. At the utter most he could only think about what he had planned before:turn back into his henged self and lend a hand at the village.

"Oh My! What happened here?"

At that gasp and with a hitched breath of his own he spun around on his heel and came face to face with Akiko much like before earlier this day... minus his henge of course. On a semi-related note he couldn't help but take some comfort in that that she was as startled as he was. Whether it was more so by his undisguised presence or by his smoldering house he wasn't sure. Her gaze was upon him however.

"Huh. Is that what you really look like?"

"... uh, what?"

"You are Jiraiya, aren't you?" she asked. While her stance was rigid out of nervousness, her smile just as strained by it, but it was still genuine sincerity in her tone. At his flabbergasted expression her smile turned into a more indignant pout. "Hey! It wasn't like you haven't been leaving giant clues that you were something else!"

"... How?!" he desperately cried in utter shock.

At this Akiko's cheeks puffed as she frowned at him. "Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

"It would make me feel better!" Naruto practically screamed in self pity. "I mean—no offense—I was kind of going the extra mile here! And I almost never go the extra mile for stuff!"

Akiko blinked at him, her frown still in place albeit less playful and more neutral. "Because you're that good?" she asked rather innocently before her frown became more severe in indignation. "Or did you really think we weren't that smart?"

Naruto's jaw opened and closed like a fish as the last of his surprise gave way to near shell-shock-like apathy in defeat of his current situation. "No... I just never really plan that far ahead," he admitted in defeat.

She stared and blinked at him for several moments before her cheeks puffed up. A second later a giggle escaped her before her hand covered her mouth. When she calmed down enough to notice his newfound deadpan glare. "Sorry!" she chirped. "I guess, really seeing what you look like now I kind of expected you to be a bit more... different."

His stare didn't change in the slightest. Neither did her smile even as she turned halfway toward the forest and beckoned him to follow. "Come on. I'll tell you on our way back, okay?"

He stared at her for but a few more moments before sighing, relenting and following her.

"... this is going to suck, isn't it?"

"Hm. Maybe," she admitted with a couldn't decide if it was genuinely innocent in its gentle sincerity or devilishly puckish playing at being pleasant.

A/N: For those of you who are wondering as to when I'll be implementing more Dragon Age aspects into the story, it'll come after the Yonzo arc.

Monkeybandit2, making off with your attention! No refunds.