AN: Sudden inspiration once again! Here I am, kiddies, with the next chapter which wraps up the Ferox arc and begins the true story! Not much to say, other than onwards to the main event!

Chapter 4: Wins, Losses, Future and Time

"Arena Ferox…" Gasped a woman. "So grandiose…" She soon reined in her still slightly skittish pegasus as she clopped along

"Feroxian politics are centered around conflict." Pointed out one of the men who rode beside her. "It'd make sense for their colosseum to be as big as it is." He shifted upon his horse and seemed to crane his neck backwards, as if looking over his shoulder. "Chrom? You're lagging behind."

"Sorry, Robin." Chrom shook himself out of his reverie and spurred his own horse on to match pace with the now identified Robin. "I caught a glimpse of Khan Basilio's champion before we departed…" He sighed after stopping himself short.

"And?" Robin asked as he pulled his hood down to reveal short, messy silver hair and purple eyes that looked upon the Prince with curious worry. "I already have my analysis of him, but what do you think?"

"At only a glance, he seems quite the fighter." The Prince fixed his eyes forward, towards the approaching gates of Arena Ferox. "I have every confidence in my own prowess, but he radiates confidence and resonates with a power that I've never felt before."

"I've heard of him." Piped up a tomboyish redheaded woman wearing red plate armor. "Naruto Uzumaki, from Chon'sin. He ran a mercenary company that disbanded a couple years back when he and his top lieutenant were both handpicked by Khan Basilio to join his court."

"What's his track record like?" Chrom regarded the woman as she trotted up with her horse.

"No specifics, but I know he and his merc band were involved with a few high-profile jobs and were highly regarded among both the underworld and the legitimate channels." She continued. "I know that Naruto himself was personally involved in a number of duels with reasons ranging from honor to money and back again…" She paused for a frown. "There were even a couple of rivalries ended at sword point."

"Regis, Leonardo, Faust, Xavier and Katherine." The object of their conversation jaunted up on his black stallion. "Regis was a former member of my company who was dissatisfied with how I ran things, so he challenged me and failed. Leonardo was one of our benefactors who one day sent us on what we assumed was a legitimate lead, only for us to be ambushed by both him and a rival merc band headed up by Faust." Naruto's eyes flicked from the redhead to the Pegasus Knight. "We dealt with Faust and then I turned my katana on Leonardo when he opted for a last stand."

"Disgusting." The Pegasus Knight scowled.

"Xavier was Faust's brother who took exception to me killing his flesh and blood, so he challenged me to the customary duel. He joined his brother in the dirt." At the last name, Naruto actually cracked a smile as his eyes fell upon the Prince and Robin. "Katherine was the most memorable. She joined my company as a replacement for Regis and for a time really pulled her own weight… and eventually began to warm my bed on these cold, unforgiving Feroxian nights." He then sighed, though kept both hands on the reins of his horse. "Turns out she was an assassin sent by one of my many enemies that seduced her way into my good graces. After surviving a poisoned goblet, I took her on in my weakened state and still persevered, even with her toxin still flowing through me."

"And such brutality is what garnered the notice of Khan Basilio?" Chrom couldn't help but glare at the blonde riding beside him. "While I understand that these were duels and that most of them challenged you, it just seems so… ruthless of you."

"To so casually toss aside old allies, friendships and enemies alike." Robin shook his head. "Such ruthless efficiency is a trait to be feared for sure."

"The moment they turned their swords on me, they stopped being allies of mine." Naruto glared right back at the Prince. "I was betrayed once and by good grace and my own naïveté alone is the reason why he survived." His grip on the reins tightened and his stallion whinnied softly after feeling the emotions of his rider. "I swore on that day that I'd leave no spilt blood unpaid in kind nor any loose ends untied. Call me ruthless if you want; I'm long done being toyed with by those who claimed to be my 'friends'."

Immediately, Naruto spurred his stallion forward as they passed through the gates of Arena Ferox, craning his head backwards as he did so. "Look to your Shepherds, Prince Chrom! Any one of them could one day turn on you and the moment they do will be the moment you most need them!"

"I trust each and every one of my Shepherds with my life!" Chrom shouted back after the blonde, a fierce scowl marring his royal features. "Not one of them would ever betray my trust! They all have earned the right to stand with me as equals!"

"Then which one will taste defeat at my blade and lie prostrate at my feet come the end of the day?" Naruto returned the heat of the exchange. "I've never lost a duel in the time that I've been in Khan Basilio's service and come commoner, knight or Prince, I will not lose!"

As the blonde warrior rode off, all Chrom could do was stare at the person he would most likely be fighting for Feroxian support against Plegia. The uneasy feeling returned again, which had him growl in annoyance as he tore his gaze away from Naruto.

"This boy seems an upstart, milord." Frederick spared a glance at Naruto also. "It would be my pleasure to teach him proper respect for foreign royalty."

"He's an arrogant sociopathic murderer as far as I'm concerned." Sumia huffed as her hateful eyes bore into the back of Naruto's head.

"He's been shaped by the circumstances he found himself in, Sumia." Robin counseled the young flier. "He has trust issues undoubtedly stemming from being betrayed by someone close to him. Would you claim to be the same person if Sully were to betray us right now by literally stabbing one of us in the back?"

"Hey!" Sully exclaimed indignantly.

"She would never—"

"But what if she did?" Robin pressed.

"I believe his methods are at the heart of Sumia's issue here." Chrom mediated. "While I don't particularly agree with them myself, it's not my place to pass judgement when I also have blood on my hands."

"Regardless…" Sully shrugged. "He's gonna be one tough cookie, boss. Will you take him yourself?"

"Of course." The Prince nodded. "It's my responsibility to…"

"It's my responsibility to ensure your well-being, sire." Frederick interrupted. "I shall take this battle on your behalf."

"All hail Frederick the Wary." Robin chuckled. "In all seriousness, though, it'd be better this way, Chrom. Naruto may have never lost a duel, but this is the Grand Tournament of Ferox and the crowds want to see a fight. If Frederick loses, then we continue challenging him until…"

"… Until you have a plan in place." Chrom suddenly smiled as he got the plan. "Very well. Frederick, I'm counting on you."

"Your faith is not misplaced, milord." Frederick bowed his head at the praise. "This blonde upstart shall face a hardened knight and be cast down within the embers of his own pride."

(With Naruto: Minutes later)

"You ready?" Lon'qu questioned his brother in all but blood as he watched him inspect his katana.

"Ready to kick some princely ass?" Naruto smirked. "Hell yeah."

"They seemed rather put off by your presence when you sized them up." He noted. "What did you say to them?"

"The redhead was regaling them of what she knew of me." He shrugged as he stood and sheathed his katana. "Got to the part about the duels and I told them of the five."

"The five most memorable duels you've been in?" Lon'qu let out a quick laugh. "So that's why their flier was cursing you with her glare."

"She was rather cute." Naruto admitted as he slipped his duster on. "You think…?"

"You're asking me for advice on women?" The stoic myrmidon deadpanned.

"Was testing the waters; thought you grew a sense of humor for a moment." The blonde champion waived it off as the announcer outside was hyping up the crowd. "Wish me luck!" He threw a wave over his shoulder as the portcullis in front of him opened.

"Break a leg!" Lon'qu called after him. "Literally this time!"

As he entered the arena, Naruto was met by a roaring applause from the present crowd that damn near deafened him. The entire place was on their feet at the sight of their champion and he returned their affections by unsheathing his katana and holding it aloft as he made his way to the center of the arena, where he sheathed his weapon and rounded upon the rider that was slowly trotting his way from the opposition's bunker.

"And so the knight shall do his duty to protect his coward of a Prince." Naruto shook his head disapprovingly. "What a waste."

"Your confidence is misplaced and your pride shall be your undoing." Frederick tightened his grip upon the silver lance he held in his hand. "Upstart little wretches like you need to be put in your place."

"Then come." Naruto settled down into an Iaido stance. "Come put me in my place if you dare."

With a grunt, Frederick spurred his horse forward into a charge, lance in one hand, reins in the other. As he approached, the thunderous sound of hooves against stone was drowned out by the crowd, who were expecting nothing more than a complete wipe in their champion's favor. With the crowd on his side, Naruto couldn't help but smirk as he drew his hood up, obscuring his face within its shadowy confines and then… Frederick saw them. Red eyes peered out of the darkened hood back at him and as soon as he made eye contact with them, a heavy pressure surrounded his entire being, halting his horse's charge and nearly losing grip upon his weapon.

A gust of wind licked at the back of his neck, followed by what felt like a warhammer being rammed into his right temple which sent him careening to his left off of his horse, his lance clattered to the ground and his horse whinnying frantically after being spooked. As he shook the cobwebs out of his head and blinked a few times to restore his blurry vision, he saw Naruto standing before him as he sheathed his katana, red eyes still visible amongst the void that was the inside of his hood.

"I…" Chrom gripped the railing in front of him tightly. "I didn't even see him move…"

"Is he using magic to enhance his speed?" Robin theorized to himself aloud. "It's certainly possible, but I doubt he has the capacity for that level of self-enchantment."

"Frederick, get up!" Sully screamed. "Kick his ass!"

"Stay down, sir knight." Naruto warned. "You've lost."

"You insult not only my honor, but the honor of my Prince!" Frederick snarled as he stood. "You must fall!"

As if anticipating his next move, Naruto rushed forward and bent low to swipe up the knight's discarded lance, then shot forward once again and with a spinning flourish brought the heavy silver blade up and across Frederick's armored torso in a diagonal arc from left hip to right collar bone, then spun it around and caught his chin with the blunt end of the shaft and spun it once more so it was resting in both of his hands, poised for a straight jab.

This was when, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed something tumbling through the air from his flank. Turning sharply to his right, he swung the lance in an upwards arc to deflect the axe that had been thrown at him, whereupon he rounded upon Frederick once again and delivered the knockout blow via a straight heel kick to the face. As another axe was thrown, Naruto once again deflected the offending weapon to the side as he dashed forward towards the new musclebound opponent who seemed to favor these axes. Just as he neared his new opponent, however, an off-the-mark javelin imbedded itself into the stone in front of him, immediately drawing his attention skywards towards the cute flier girl from before, and following the missed javelin were a pair of hoof beats upon the stone floor of the arena. To his left was the redhead cavalier from before and to his right another cavalier wielding a sword who had a mop of brown hair.

'Four opponents; three on the ground and one in the air…' Naruto mused to himself with an excited smirk splayed across his face, which only grew when he saw a woman hop off of the sword-wielding cavalier's horse… and this woman was a mage. 'Count another opponent who will be their magic support. Oh, this is going to be fun!'

With his supply of axes out, the axe thrower switched to the iron axe which hung from his belt and charged in headlong, where Naruto all too happily met him with his stolen lance still in hand and brushed aside the first chop but found himself backpedaling to avoid another javelin, where he then found himself rolling out of the way of the redhead's charge for fear of being trampled. As he rose from his roll he spun his lance with a flourish and then threw it, knowing that it wasn't meant to be thrown, at the charging brown-haired cavalier, who ducked under it at the last moment but met the bottom of Naruto's boot as he raised his head right into a flying kick which sent him careening off of his horse.

With one of the two riders unhorsed, Naruto leaped off of the horse and grabbed one of the flier's thrown javelins out of the sky as it flew and in turn threw it at the axe wielder, who barely managed to lean out of the way of the weapon, but in doing so took his eyes off of a still airborne Naruto who came flying back to earth and scored a downwards axe kick to the man's cranium which he followed up with a nasty uppercut that, despite the protective wards, damn near cracked a tooth or two.

"This is insane…" Robin clutched the earthen railing in a vice grip as he watched the blonde mercenary before him mop the floor with the Shepherds like they were third-rate squires. "How can he be this good?!" He bit down on his bottom lip, which was now threatening to draw blood. "At this rate, we're going to have to step in personally, Chrom."

"Do you have a strategy yet, Robin?" Chrom turned his attention from the fight to his strategist.

"It's as if he has a sixth sense; he knows what they're about to do even before they do it. From what I can gather, he's a combat genius. He knows when, where and how to strike, how hard to strike, when to give ground, when to push, all at the exact perfect time. Moreover, he's a master of subterfuge and masking his own moves with misdirection and distractions…" Throughout his analysis, Robin couldn't help but admire this opponent of his, despite how utterly terrified of him he was at the moment. "If we're to win this, Chrom, our teamwork has to be perfect; moreover, you have to follow my instructions to the letter."

With the axe man out of commission, Naruto finally turned his attention to the only remaining horsed cavalier, who was spurring her horse into another charge. As she did so, Sully had unknowingly just made the same mistake Frederick before her did; she peered into the glowing red eyes which were still silhouetted within the shadowy confines of Naruto's hood and just as with Frederick, a heavy pressure halted her charge, which gave Naruto all the time in the world to cross the distance between them and kick the redhead off of her horse as he did with the other cavalier prior.

As Sully clattered to the ground before him, Naruto turned his gaze skyward towards the Pegasus knight and after but a moment's consideration, he zoned back into the fight just in time to process the fact that there was a fireball hurtling towards him at top speed. With but a smirk, he held up his right hand and with a bit of added Chakra rotation around his palm effectively caught the fireball midair, then added a bit more rotation to his left palm and separated the once whole fireball into two swirling vortexes of flame, then shot forwards to meet the first unhorsed cavalier toe to toe by ramming his left hand fireball into the man's gut where the mix of fire magic and a heavily toned down Rasengan was too much for him to bare as he was blasted back a few feet and landed on his back, out cold.

With his right hand fireball, he turned on a heel and delivered unto Sully the same attack just as she was rising from her previous prone position and like her comrade before her, was sent skidding back a few feet whereupon she impacted back first against one of the arena walls, solidly knocked out. He then turned and regarded the female mage who was preparing another fire spell to no avail for as soon as she had the fireball ready, Naruto had dashed into her guard, grabbed the fireball out of her prepared hands with an upwards swipe of his right hand while also driving his right boot into her gut, doubling her over where everything then went black for her as he delivered another downwards axe kick to knock her out.

With no other opponent left but the flier, he turned and with a hefty swing of his arm, threw the fireball skyward which prompted Sumia to urge her Pegasus downwards while she prepared her lance for a strafing run. Naruto merely stood there, waiting and watching Sumia as she dove for him until just mere moments from impact, he leaned to his left out of the way of the stab coming his way, grabbed the haft of the weapon with both hands, causing Sumia to fly off of her Pegasus with the sudden backwards momentum exerted upon her.

"You like to fly, girl?" He called out to her, taunting her as she rose, unarmed and unhorsed. "I'll gladly send you airborne once again!"

In a literal blink of an eye, Naruto was before her once again as he delivered an upwards kick to her chin which send her flying upwards, where he shadowed her movements and ended up behind her as she flew. Immediately upon shadowing her, he sent a left kick into her left side, followed up with a left backhand to her right temple, then a right hook to her gut as she continued to fall, where just before impact with the ground, he used the spinning momentum of his right hook to spin himself back around for a final left heel drop to her gut just as she impacted with the stone beneath her.

'Copying your Shishi Rendan (Lion's Combo) here, Sasuke. Damn if it's not effective.' Naruto mentally mused to himself as he finished the combo and hopped away from Sumia's prone and unconscious form.

"Most of my Shepherds…" Chrom grit his teeth in anger. "Humbled by a lone man. At this rate, we won't get the alliance we need!" He then slammed his fist down upon the railing. "Dammit!"

"Not only does he have preternatural senses, lightning quick reflexes and above average strength, but he knows enough about the arcane arts to at least bring up his own barriers and catch spells out of the air…" Again, Robin bit down onto his bottom lip. "Chrom, I'm not sure that I can come up with any viable counter against this force of nature before us…"

"When in doubt, follow your instincts." Chrom turned on a heel and made for the stairs. "And my instincts are begging me to fight him, so fight him I will."

"I'll watch your back." The silver haired strategist followed his Prince closely behind, trying desperately to tune out the applause and cheers from the crowd.

"Is there no one else?!" Naruto challenged as he glanced among the arena. "Your pawns have been laid low, Prince! I think it's about time you come down here and face me yourself!" He then rounded upon the opposing gate leading into the arena. "Face me here, or surrender and be forever known as the Coward of Ylisse, the Prince Who Knelt!"

"Looks like I'm winning the Tournament again, Flavia." Basilio sat down the tankard of mead he had been nursing throughout the entire battle royal. "Good showing this time, though."

"It's ain't over till it's over, oaf." Flavia scoffed. "The Prince and his tactician have yet to fight."

As if on cue, the gates opened and in strode a scowling Chrom and a neutral Robin, both of their cloaks fluttering slightly as they marched the length of the arena before facing him in the center.

"After seeing what I did to your soldiers, you still wish to face me?" Naruto hummed in respect. "Perhaps I misjudged you, Prince."

"I was first fighting for the future of my halidom…" Chrom growled as he narrowed his eyes at the blonde before him. "But now this is about honor."

"Perhaps you'll find both your honor and a favorable outcome for your halidom at the end of this fight." Out of respect, Naruto lowered his hood, whereupon his eyes returned to their normal blue color. "Or perhaps I'm destined to add another win to Khan Basilio's name. Only fate knows for certain."

"Then let's not keep her waiting."

With that declaration, the Prince of Ylisse grabbed his sword by the hilt and unsheathed it with practiced grace, revealing to Naruto a sword that he had already seen, though not in the hands of Chrom.

"That sword…" The blonde eyed the object in question, studying its every detail.

"The holy blade Falchion, wielded by the Hero King Marth himself." Chrom spun his blade in a flourish into a battle ready stance.

It then suddenly hit him.

"Dear Gods…" His eyes widened in realization. "No…"

Needing no other motivation than a distracted enemy, Chrom struck out in a straight stab while Robin came around Naruto's flank with his own steel sword drawn and poised for a follow-up slash which Naruto, after barely zoning back in just in time, sidestepped the stab from the Prince and jumped away from Robin to create some distance between them.

"The legendary Falchion, huh?" Naruto smirked, deciding to keep the revelation he just had to himself for now. "To face such a timeless blade is an honor." He then slowly unsheathed his katana as his smirk grew. "My blade may not be near as illustrious as yours, but I consider my Oblivion to be up to the task of meeting your Falchion blow for blow."

Unbeknownst to all parties involved, within the bowels of the arena was a panicking and sprinting Lucina as she hurried through the maze of twists and turns in an effort to make it to the arena floor, to try and salvage the situation.

"Gods preserve us!" She prayed under her breath as she ran. "Please let me get there in time!"

In so much of a hurry was she that when a figure rounded the corner in front of her, she nearly careened right into them. Luckily, she had shifted to the right slightly to avoid them, then stopped to apologize for her rush and rudeness.

"Going somewhere, Lucy?" The cloaked and hooded figure interrupted her apology before she could give it.

The figure before her was wearing a blood red hooded cloak, a black half-mask which obscured the bottom half of his face, a sleeveless black shirt, matching black pants which were tucked into a pair of black boots whose soles were colored red, black leather bracers upon both forearms, steel reinforcement upon his boots, black fingerless gloves adorned his hands, a belt upon his waist which held numerous pouches and two slots on either of his hips which in turn held a katana on the left and a smaller notch for a dagger on the right. Around his neck was a golden amulet which held a large, round diamond-like crystal as its centerpiece, as well as a silver signet ring which seemed to bear upon its face the image of a fox with dragon wings sprouting from its back.

Lucina's blue eyes bore into the man's equally blue orbs as he stood in her way. "Let me through, Kizuna!" She demanded.

"No can do, Princess." He shrugged while pulling down his half-mask, revealing two symmetrical whisker marks upon both his cheeks, then pushed his hood down, revealing shorty, spiky and unkempt green hair. "The results of this encounter are out of our hands now; even if you were to go out there and take up arms against my old man, it wouldn't change anything."

"Father has to win this fight!" Lucina shook her head. "The fate of Ylisse hangs in the balance; you know this!"

"Time is a fickle thing, Lucy." Kizuna managed a chuckle. "If we dare to assume we know how it works, it'll just end up slapping us in the face with something unexpected. That's why I say let this play out; let's see what happens if either my old man wins or if yours somehow pulls through in the end."

"He can't win, Kizuna!" She continued to press. "At this point in time your Father is too much for mine to handle; I need to be there!"

"It's a battle for honor now, Lucy." Kizuna took a step forward. "Neither your Dad or mine would allow any interference from anyone." Another step was taken, followed by a couple of brief sniffs of the air. "Besides, did you really think I'd let you pass knowing full well that you have the lingering smell of my old man on you?"

"L-Last night was…" Slightly ashamed of herself, Lucina's gaze drifted downwards to the earthen floor. "A drunken misadventure."

"A drunken misadventure that ended up with you fucking my old man, huh?" He mock nodded in understanding before narrowing his eyes. "And by fucking my Dad you could very well be carrying ME in your belly given some time! Did you not stop to think about the ramifications of spreading your legs for someone you know damn well you shouldn't have?!"

"I'm not carrying you, Kizuna!" Lucina rose to the challenge. "Last night was nothing more than a heat of the moment fuck; nothing more!"

"Again, I reiterate; a heat of the moment fuck that not only took away your virginity but could possibly end up with this world's version of me being your son?!" A bit of red was seeping into his blue orbs now and it seemed as if his fingernails were growing into claws. "I hope you see where I'm slightly pissed off at you here!"

"I'm sorry, Kizuna, I really, really am!" She stepped around him. "But there are bigger issues here than who I have or haven't given my virginity to!"

A now clawed hand wrapped around her wrist as she tried to leave.

"Let this play out." Kizuna all but ordered. "Let this play out on its own without intervention; you've done enough harm already, Lucy. You're staying hands off from now on."

"And who are you to order me?" Her branded eye seemed to glow dangerously as she glared back into Kizuna's now red eyes.

"You know exactly who, Lucy." Kizuna's fangs were now starting to show themselves while the stone in his amulet began to glow. "You don't want to wake the dragon within."

Undeterred by the unknown conversation, the crowd of Arena Ferox cheered as the fight raged on. With Robin now standing on the sidelines, Chrom and Naruto locked blades once again and began a struggle for supremacy in which the latter blonde won by stepping into the Prince's guard and ramming his right knee into his gut while simultaneously parrying Falchion upwards. Chrom, however, backpedaled out of the way of the downwards slash that would have connected and spun his legendary blade in his hand, then lunged forward in a straight jab which was parried downwards.

Using that downward momentum, Chrom spun Falchion back up into both hands and struck forwards once again with three quick strikes which were all blocked, ending up with another blade lock that this time they both disengaged from in order to circle one another. After a scant few seconds, Chrom found himself batting away and weaving through a handful of thrown shuriken that Naruto had tossed his way, then followed up with a rising slash that Chrom back stepped out of the way of and followed through with a horizontal slash.

Naruto, who was still recovering from the missed slash used the remaining momentum of said slash and fell backwards into a one-handed handspring, where his foot on its upward arc connected with Falchion, knocking it free of Chrom's grasp and sending it flying upwards. As he landed and righted himself from his acrobatics, Naruto looked up and to his utter amusement, Chrom was pulling off the same aerial stunt that Lucina had tried on him just a day prior; he had leaped high and was now descending upon him with Falchion in hand, poised for a downwards slash.

'And thus the battle is mine…' He mused to himself victoriously as he sheathed Oblivion and crouched down into his favored Iaido stance.

Seeing his opponent sheathe his blade, Chrom's own sixth sense began screaming danger at him when, sure enough, the blonde shot upwards while very rapidly unsheathing his katana for what he was sure was to be the finishing blow. At the very last second, Chrom managed to bring Falchion in between him and the incoming blade, then tucked and rolled over the charging swordsman to end up behind him, standing and blade poised for a counter. He charged forward, meeting Naruto just as he landed from his missed strike and blindsided him with a slash that ran down the entire length of his back.

Dazed, but not unaware of what was happening, Naruto rode through the pain shooting through his back and rolled forward out of the immediate danger zone, then turned and faced a still charging Chrom, but was not expecting the weight behind the next strike, which sent Oblivion clattering to the ground out of his grasp which was followed up by a shoulder charge from the Prince and a harsh backhand delivered by his empty left hand. Now thoroughly knocked off balance and disarmed, Naruto only had the wherewithal to perceive the next and final strike from Chrom, which was an overhead two-handed cleave which struck the blonde and staggered him backwards into the wall of the arena clutching both his face and chest.

The sound of metal sinking into stone filled the arena and by the time Naruto shook the cobwebs out of his head, he saw that Chrom had imbedded Falchion into the wall to the right of his head.

"If this were a real fight…" The Prince took in a couple of good breaths. "You would be dead now." He then wrenched Falchion free of the stone and took a step forward so he and his blonde opponent were eye to eye. "I win."

Silence. Pin drop silence filled the arena as Chrom sheathed Falchion and brushed past Robin on his way out of the arena. Robin, however, lingered in the arena, his sole focus on Naruto, who instead of scowling… seemed to be smiling?

"The stories did him justice, it seems…" Naruto managed a chuckle as he retrieved Oblivion and sheathed it. "Prince Chrom of Ylisse… a worthy foe and someone I'm happy to have lost to." He then turned to the still shell-shocked crowd and regarded them. "Prince Chrom of Ylisse has finally dethroned me! He's won, fair and square! Was it not a fight worthy of this spectacular coliseum?!"

What was first a murmur then turned into a tidal wave of cheers, jeers and applause for the spectacle that was just witnessed. The entire arena was on their feet… save for Basilio, who was too stunned to even move.

"I'll be taking my throne back now, oaf." Flavia taunted him with a shit-eating grin. "And I'll also be needing your troops; Ylisse has a new ally!"

"See what I mean, Lucy?" Kizuna spared a sideways glance at his companion as they stood in one of the side halls that connected to the arena floor. "What did I say?"

"You're not mad?" Lucina glanced back at him.

"At the situation? No." He shook his head negative. "At you? Oh, hell yes."

"You'll get over it in time." She sighed. "I know you too well."

"One does not simply get over their best friend fucking their parent." He pushed himself off of the wall he was leaning against and began walking away. "If things hold up, then we should know what happens next. To the Plegian border?"

"… Yeah." Lucina decided to let it go for now and opted instead to follow her friend's lead.

(Flavia's Castle: Later that night)

"It's official." Chrom smiled as he addressed his Shepherds. "Ferox will be assisting us against the Risen, and us them."

"We sure went through hell to get this alliance." Vaike mumbled. "Damned blonde bastard cracked a tooth, I think."

"We were manhandled out there, every single one of us!" Sully slammed a bottle of ale down upon the table she was sitting at.

"Those magical wards barely did anything." Sumia clutched her bandaged torso. "He was brutally efficient in how he took us out."

"Gods willing, we're rid of him now." Frederick joined the conversation. "He'll be leading Khan Basilio's half of the army, but that shall be the extent of our interactions with him."

"Don't count your eggs before they hatch, Sir Knight." Came a painfully familiar voice as Naruto chose just then to enter the room, followed by Lon'qu.

"Say what you will, he has that 'bad boy' vibe about him…" Lissa seemed to swoon upon him entering.

"Naruto." Chrom stepped in before anyone could try anything. "What bring you here?"

"A request from Khan Basilio." He clarified his purpose. "As part of his direct aid, he's offering my personal services to the Shepherds, along with my best friend and top lieutenant, Lon'qu."

"An honor." Lon'qu inclined his head to Chrom upon being introduced.

"He believes we'd be of more use on the frontlines instead of in the back ranks." Naruto continued. "Though if you have no room or use for us, then we stay here in Ferox."

Though a good half of the Shepherds wanted to speak up in protest, they all knew the final say lay in Chrom's hands, and as their Prince settled into a thinking pose, he turned to Robin and exchanged glances. Upon exchanging glances, Robin seemed to shrug while also nodding his head, as if an entire conversation had just taken place.

"We'd be mad to turn you away." Chrom turned to the blonde. "We all have seen and felt your power; power that could strike fear into the blackened hearts of the Risen."

"Welcome to the Shepherds." Robin stepped up an extended his hand. "I'm Robin, the tactician of the Shepherds."

"A pleasure." Naruto shook the man's hand with a smile. "Hopefully we all can put today behind us and start anew."

The silver-haired man seemed to squint a bit after shaking hands. "… Have we met before?"

"Not that I know of." Naruto furrowed his brow in confusion. "Why do you ask?"

"… Bah, I must be mistaken." He waived it off and turned to the rest of the Shepherds, then began pointing them out. "That's Sumia, Virion, Vaike, Sully, Stahl, Frederick, Miriel and…"

As Robin glanced his way, Kellam lit up with excitement.

'They're finally going to notice me!' He was mentally celebrating.

"I'm Lissa!" Lissa squirmed her way in between Robin and Naruto, planting a hand on the latter blonde's chest as she did so. "W-Wow…" She blushed. "You're even cuter up close…"

"Everything about me is better up close, my lady…" A mischievous glint shone in his eye as he took the hand on his chest into his own and planted a kiss upon it.

"AHEM." Chrom very loudly and pointedly cleared his throat. "Stay away from my sister in the future, if you please." He dragged a now madly blushing Lissa away from the new object of her affections.

"I'll try my best." Naruto snickered. "Though I think it'd be more reasonable to ask her to stay away from me. I'm irresistible, you know."

"And quite conceited." Lon'qu slapped his friend on the back of the head. "Keep it in your pants this time, will you?"

"If an opportunity presents itself…" He began, but got another slap to the back of the head for his trouble and a glare from his best friend. "Yeah, yeah…" He snorted.

He was a Shepherd now… under the command of the Father of the girl from the future that he had bedded. It was certainly a turn of events, but if it opened more doors to explore, he's gladly pass through the threshold. That didn't mean, however, he had to relinquish the knowledge that something else was obviously going on behind the scenes, which he was curious as hell about. Maybe by tagging along with the Shepherds, the mysteries would unravel themselves?

One thing he knew for sure; it seemed that Chrom's younger sister was into him, and he had only heard rumors of the Exalt Emmeryn's beauty. If they were returning to Ylisse, then he'd learn for himself… and he was looking forward to meeting Emmeryn for a number of different reasons.

He wasn't planning to charm his way into the bed of a noblewoman, honest.

AN: Will Naruto get his chance to have a go at Emmeryn, will she be too much of a challenge for him? Will Lissa get over her crush, is it something more than just base lust? WHO IS KIZUNA'S MOTHER?! I know all of this and my lips are sealed!

That being said, feel free to speculate on who Kizuna's Mom is; there's really only two possibilities, so speculate away! Now, onto the pairings proper. With the inclusion of Kizuna, he's the biggest hint for who one of the girls will be. For now, I think I'm going to limit the pairings at three, including Kizuna's mother. Who knows, though? I may just have it be a single pairing with that pairing being Kizuna's mom. Opinions are very appreciated on this front, as I've already settled on one girl of the potential three. Who should the other two be? My mind is almost made up on including Cordelia and the possibility of Olivia is also an enticing thought, but alas, I turn to you all for your valuable opinions! Make 'em good!

This is ZeroDivisionRaijin, signing off!