A/N: I was originally planning to do a different Challenge... but I hit a wall and it wasn't working out. So, my friend, XXX777 gave me a different one. Hope you enjoy and please don't forget to review. Feedback is a big help. And word of warning, I'm not exactly an expert on the fate series... largely because Emiya Shirou kept on killing it for me and making me lose interest. I hate wimpy MCs that do not try to improve themselves and the whole White Knight complex doesn't help either.

Now then, inspiration for this fic was drawn by greyblueflames98 and his fic 'Deck of Heroes'. (Thanks friend.)

Chapter one: The beginning.

"GOD DAMMIT!" screamed the voice of one Naruto Uzumaki as he began punching a wall in rage, his face a deep crimson while crimson droplets formed around his knuckles, and deepening cracks forming the wall his fist kept on hitting. The reason for the blonde's rage? Well, one Iruka Umino had failed him... again, for the third time in a row. Once again denying the boy a chance at being a Genin.

For the past three years, Naruto had toiled and endured, he studied as hard as he could to get his grades up, he trained and trained to get stronger and faster, and he tried his best to master Chakra control exercises, but still, that damn Clone jutsu just kept on fucking things up for him. And that damn Iruka wouldn't do a single thing about it. Every time he asked what he was doing wrong, the scarred Chunin would shrug his shoulders and say 'Just keep on training, you'll get the hang of it eventually.'

"That bastard. He knows what's wrong. I know he does! He's just holding me back! He's trying to ruin my chances! The other villagers, all they do is glare at me or whisper crap behind my back, some stores treat me unfairly too... but of all the people I hate right now... I hate that goddamn Iruka the most!" Naruto ranted angrily as he punched the wall once more, creating an intricate web of cracks, some of them filled with blood.

"And that's your answer? Punching holes in walls?" spoke an unknown male voice, prompting the blonde to turn around and see a man wearing armor that seemed to be made out of solid gold. The very air surrounding him filled with pride and arrogance, very similar to that of a certain self-proclaimed avenger.

"Who the heck are you supposed to be?" The blonde asked with a raised eyebrow. His question earning a large and bulging tic-mark on the stranger's forehead, until the man took a deep breath and gave a cocky smirk before answering.

"Well, I suppose I shouldn't blame you for not knowing me, given the state of this backwater country. How about this? I was born part god, and dubbed the King of Heroes, I collected and claimed treasures from all over the globe. I had a ferocious battle that lasted for days on end with an entity that became my best friend. I spurned the affections of a goddess who then sought to punish me. Who am I?" the stranger asked, almost as if he were playing a game with the boy.

The whiskered teen had heard that story once before, and then the name quickly came to him after remembering the reference of those hints the man dropped. "Gilgamesh. You claim to be Gilgamesh?" the whiskered teen asked as he nursed his injured hand.

"I don't claim to be. I AM the one, the only, Gilgamesh. The King of Heroes. I didn't expect to meet one so strong in my bloodline, but here you are." The king spoke with a grin, his arms crossed over the breastplate of his armor.

"Your bloodline?" Naruto asked feeling suspicious of this newcomer, over the years, Naruto had quickly learned that blind trust was a good way to get yourself killed in the realm of Shinobi. So it was always a good idea to take things with a pinch of salt. And this guy may have had a few screws loose.

"Ah. I am your ancestor, from the distant past. I suppose that makes you part god just as well." Gilgamesh answered prompting the blonde boy to raise an eyebrow, but before the whiskered teen could ask further, he was interrupted by the form of Mizuki approaching from almost out of nowhere. The silver haired Chunin gave a fake smile though for some reason... he didn't even look in the direction of the man wearing golden armor, much less even acknowledge his presence.

Naruto glanced to the side a bit towards the man claiming to be his ancestor. Gilgamesh smirked and then tapped the side of his head, likely hinting that he was inside the boy's mind and thus could only be seen or heard by him. "Sorry if I snuck up on ya Naruto-kun. Got a minute to talk?" Mizuki asked, prompting a reluctant and slow nod from the boy.

"I am sorry that Iruka had to fail you again. He's in a tough position and he can't go around passing kids that aren't ready to be Ninjas, you know what I mean? He just wants what is best for you." Mizuki spoke, trying to sound sympathetic to the boy, though Naruto couldn't help but scoff.

"If that were the case, then maybe Iruka could help me figure out what I was doing wrong with the Clone Jutsu." The whiskered teen harshly pointed out, earning a small chuckle from his ancestor. Mizuki's smile faltered for a bit, but perked back up as he regained his composure.

"I guess you aren't wrong about that. But anyways... I'm here to give you an alternative exam to become a Genin. It's simple, all you need to do is sneak into the Hokage's office, steal an item called the Forbidden Scroll, learn a jutsu from it, and you pass. Easy, right? The drop-off point is in a clearing next to an old shed." Mizuki explained and handed a small map over to the boy with the needed directions, though this immediately made the blonde boy glare at the Chunin in suspicion.

If there really was an alternative exam... why offer it to him only now? And if something were stored inside the Hokage's office then it must be of importance. It was obvious that the Chunin was up to no good and if the boy did something stupid... there would be consequences. "Play along for now." came the voice of Gilgamesh with a knowing smile. Naruto raised an eyebrow at this piece of advice... and then like a light bulb blinking on, he got an idea on how to play this to his advantage.

Putting on his most excited grin, the whiskered teen shouted gleefully "That's awesome! You just wait Mizuki-sensei! I'm gonna pass this exam in no time flat!" at this statement, the silver haired Chunin smiled, believing that he had just played the boy... but all along he was the one getting played. After their exchange, Naruto dashed off to the Hokage office, the form of Gilgamesh floating behind him.

"Nicely played. And if you're thinking what I am thinking, then things are going to go well for you." The golden king spoke as his form followed closely, his descendant not bothering to answer him in case that Mizuki may have been following him around as well. But that wouldn't be a problem once he was inside the Hokage tower.

"Forgot to mention something. I can only maintain the connection between us for a bit longer, and it is rather fortunate that little weasel brought up the Forbidden Scroll. Before we were interrupted, I was going to tell you about a certain object that could help you... the Deck of Heroes. It's sealed away inside of that scroll he was talking about." The king spoke lazily with a shrug, though the mentioning of that object earned his descendant's interest.

"What's this about a Deck of Heroes?" Naruto asked quietly, double checking over his shoulder to make sure his invisible and self-proclaimed Ancestor was the only one following him.

"Well, it is a deck of cards that one can use to Summon all manner of heroes, better known as Servants, to aid you, including myself. Three hundred of them total. You could say it is, in many ways, similar to your Ninja Summoning contracts. One slight problem, and this is why I decided to speak to you... of the three hundred hero cards... one is missing." Gilgamesh explained, his voice becoming increasingly bitter and angry.

"Which one?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow prompting the golden king to answer "My own. At some point of time, my card was stolen and sealed away. I want you to find it for me." The whiskered teen thought for a moment wondering what Gilgamesh would have to gain from his card being returned to the Deck of Heroes, but his thoughts were cut short as the king's form seemed to be fading and glitching out.

"Damn. Thought I had a while longer. I won't be able to hold the connection for much longer. So you better get a move on brat." Gilgamesh warned his descendant, prompting the whiskered teen to nod as he hurried into the Hokage tower, quickly marching up to the office door and harshly banged on it with his fist. A quick shout of 'enter' was heard, allowing Naruto entry inside.

When the boy entered inside, he found the Sandaime sitting behind his desk and smoking from his favored pipe, apparently taking a short break from the paperwork. "Ah. Naruto-kun. For a moment I thought you may have been Kizashi. I heard that you failed the Academy exam again. I'm truly sorry Naruto-kun." Hiruzen spoke in a sympathetic tone, and unlike most people, his was actually genuine. For years the Sandaime Hokage had been akin to a grandfather figure to the boy, and was one of the few he actually trusted.

"Yeah... about that... Mizuki-sensei offered me an alternative test to pass and become a Genin." Naruto spoke, deciding to play dumb and tip off the Hokage to the Chunin's plot. While Naruto was indeed smarter than people believed... he had to damn well make sure that they didn't view him as a potential threat. Hence why he often pretended to be a retarded ramen addict that constantly screamed 'Hokage' of 'Believe it'. Though sometimes he wondered if he played the dumbass card a little too well at times.

The Hokage gained a confused expression as he asked "What alternative test? Such a thing would have to be approved by me first before being implemented. What exactly did Mizuki tell you?" He asked at the end, wanting to be absolutely certain on what the boy was told.

"Well... He said that I had to steal something called the Forbidden Scroll and learn a Jutsu from it." Naruto answered bluntly which caused the Hokage to suck in too much from his pipe and started coughing violently, smoke escaping from his mouth all the while.

After recovering from his coughing fit, the Sandaime finally spoke up "Naruto-kun, the Forbidden Scroll is an object with many dangerous jutsu techniques. Some of them being personally invented by the Hokage themselves. It is an extremely important treasure of Konoha... I can only guess that Mizuki is planning to steal it and use you as a convenient scapegoat. You were wise to tell me about this." when he had finished speaking... he noticed that Naruto already had the Forbidden Scroll strapped to his back, making the Sandaime look towards the office safe and find it wide open.

"Ummm... what are you doing? Didn't you hear what I just said?" Hiruzen asked, wondering how the boy popped open the safe without him noticing. And how did the boy know the combination anyway?

"Stealing the scroll. Mizuki expects me to be dumb enough to bring it to him right?" the blonde boy stated as if it were the most simple thing in the world, in the background, the invisible King couldn't help but chuckle in amusement... until his form began glitching again making him growl in annoyance.

For a moment, the Sandaime seemed like a deer stuck in the headlights before it finally clicked in his mind what the boy was planning out. "Ah. I see. A sting operation then. Very clever of you. But I will need to make arrangements to ensure..." The Hokage tried to speak but was cut off by the boy.

"No time. Longer we wait, the more suspicious Mizuki will get that something's up. Then we might lose our chance to catch him red-handed." The blonde boy stated impatiently and then grabbed some blank papers and a pen off of the desk. From behind him, Gilgamesh smirked and asked "What color are his hands now?" the joke earning a stifled laugh from his descendant.

"Naruto! Mizuki is a Chunin. You won't be able to beat him on your own." Hiruzen tried to argue, but the boy had already run out the door. The Sandaime cursed himself since the boy was as reckless as his own mother Kushina and was likely going to bite off more than he could chew. With a growl, the Hokage grabbed his telephone and dialed a number into it. After waiting a few moments, someone on the other end picked up, prompting the aged Sandaime to speak "Get me Neko. I don't care if she's off-duty, she's the only one I can trust with this. It's an emergency."

Minutes later.

"Huh. Fast moves brat. You were in a pretty big hurry to get out of there." Gilgamesh noted since his fellow blonde left the Hokage's office in a rush. All the while, the whiskered teen was furiously scribbling down any jutsu he came across on the papers he had retrieved earlier.

"If I didn't, then the Old man would have gone into grandpa mode and kept me under lock and key. And right now, I am literally holding a potential gold mine. No way am I going to miss a chance like this. Now where's this Deck you told me about?" Naruto asked, noticing that his ancestor's form was... glitching again. And the spasms seemed to be coming faster too, it seemed he didn't have that much longer.

"All the way at the end. Gold lettering. Can't miss it. I'm curious though... you have copied down numerous Jutsu from that Scroll and you're about to get a veritable army of Servants. What are you going to do with all that power? Conquer this village? Establish an empire? Take revenge on all who have wronged you? You are my descendant after all. Your potential's limitless." Gilgamesh questioned, a cocky smirk forming on his face.

"Mmm. Haven't decided just yet. Revenge seems likely, though it wouldn't be fair to punish the whole of the village for the actions of a few. After that? Maybe I'll have figured something out. Till then, I'll keep my options open." The blonde boy spoke in a dismissive tone and then at last found the entry he sought, finding that the so-called Deck of Heroes within a seal, finding some kind of message there.

"Only the Blood of the Heroes can awaken this mighty army?" Naruto asked as he read the entry over... then it clicked in his mind why HE was supposed to get the deck and nobody else. It seemed that only an individual bearing the blood of one of the Heroes within could undo the seal. But still... there were so many questions he needed answered. Like, why was it so important to Gilgamesh that his card be returned to the Deck? What did he have to gain in all of this?

Before Naruto could question his Ancestor... he noticed that the Golden king's legs were disappearing from under him, flecks of golden light flowing into the wind before flickering out of existence. "Time's up mongrel. Undo the scroll. Now! I'll tell you how to make the contract." The blonde king instructed, and not seeing any other option, Naruto obeyed. He bit his thumb hard enough to draw blood and rubbed some of it onto the seal, and in a puff of smoke, a small black leather case with a golden clasp appeared.

"Open it. Make a cut on your hand to draw even more blood and bleed onto the cards. Then channel your energy into it to seal the contract. The blood will ensure the Servants acknowledge you as their Master and to ensure no one else may touch the cards without your permission." Gilgamesh instructed, his form fading more as his left arm glitched before vanishing as well.

Naruto nodded as he pulled the clasp off, exposing the deck of cards within. He pulled one of his kunai from his ninja tool pouch and sliced open the palm of his hand, his face cringing in pain as he placed his injured hand onto the cards and his blood flowed down into them. Golden light shined brightly around the boy and then he channeled his chakra causing the light to fade and a pentagram seal formed on the deck. Signaling that the contract was now complete.

As the boy turned to his ancestor, he found that only the disembodied head and a lone arm was all that remained of Gilgamesh. "Well done. I look forward to seeing what you make of yourself. Don't forget to find my card. Now, one last thing... I give to you, the Gate of Babylon. Make use of my treasures, and be grateful that I'm sharing some of my power with you." The golden king spoke, and his lone arm held out an open palm towards the boy. For a moment, Naruto felt a rush of power flow through him before it faded... and at last the form of Gilgamesh vanished entirely from his sight.

Naruto was now all alone, just him, that deck of cards, and the Forbidden scroll. Turning his attention to the Deck of Heroes now in his possession, he picked it up and drew the card on the top deck. "Lancer. Artoria Pendragon." Was the name of the card he had drawn... and for some reason he could sense a powerful entity within, along with strong feelings of loyalty, chivarly, and... shame?

Deciding to give it a try, he held the card into the air and poured his Chakra into it. Bright and dazzling light filled the clearing as a woman in silver armor and a blue dress appeared, carrying a spear. For a moment, she seemed confused by her new surroundings, she then turned towards the blonde boy and stared at him for a brief moment. She then bowed to one knee, a hand over her chest as she spoke "Greetings to you, master. I am Lancer. Has the Holy Grail war begun?"

For a moment, Naruto was confused by her question and answered her "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. And as far as I know, I've heard nothing of a Holy Grail War. I am the descendant of Gilgamesh and came into possession of the Deck of Heroes." At the end of his explanation he presented the aforementioned deck, causing Lancer's eyes to light up in recognition.

" refer to me simply as Lancer for the time being. And that is a powerful item you carry. Take care not to lose it. Now then, is there a particular purpose for which you have summoned me?" She asked him as the whiskered teen began to gather up the Forbidden Scroll and the jutsu he had copied down.

"Truth be told, you were the first Card, err, Servant I drew and I decided to give it a test run. Seems easy enough. But since you asked, I may indeed need your help. See this big scroll I'm carrying? It's a treasure of the village we are in, Konoha. And a man called Mizuki intends to steal it." He explained, giving her a simplified version of the situation.

"I see. So we are to catch a thief then?" Artoria asked, readying her lance and gave a sweeping motion, as if to prepare herself for any potential threats they may encounter. Which was a good thing too since the sounds of bushes rustling could be heard, signaling that something was on the way here at this very moment.

"An enemy?" Lancer asked as she pointed her spear in the direction of the noise, her body poised to strike in case it was the thief that her master had mentioned. From the bushes emerged the form of a man with a scar across the bridge of his nose and he seemed to be absolutely furious for some reason.

"Halt! Identify yourself!" She shouted at the man, though he seemed to ignore her in favor of staring angrily at her new master. Turning to the blonde boy, she asked him "Is this man friend or foe?"

"That's debateable." Was Naruto's cryptic reply as he found it odd that the Chunin came looking for him. Was he working with Mizuki?

"Naruto! Are you out of your mind?! Why the hell would you steal the Forbidden Scroll?" Iruka demanded, his face a bright crimson color due to his apparent outrage. Though his statement only made the boy more curious as to his presence.

"Funny you should ask. How did you know the Scroll was stolen and how I am the supposed thief?" Naruto asked with a blank stare, his fingers tapping against the side of the Scroll while Artoria slowly stepped between the two, keeping her master behind her to keep him safe from this man.

"Mizuki sounded the alarm. You're lucky that I'm the first Chunin that found you. You have a lot to answer for this time! This is too far for one of your pranks!" Iruka shouted angrily and prepared to storm up to the boy, only to find the tip of Lancer's spear pointed at his neck.

"Not one step further. Master? Is he the enemy?" Artoria questioned the whiskered teen who seemed to have a thoughtful expression on his face as though he were thinking on how to best answer her question. The Chunin finally seemed to take notice of the blonde woman standing in front of him and tried to push the tip of her spear away from his neck, only for her to press the blade directly against the flesh of his neck, drawing a tiny bit of blood as a warning to him.

"Naruto? Who the heck is this woman? Tell her to back off!" The Chunin demanded, with sweat dripping down his face from fear since the woman had an almost soul-piercing glare directed at him. Before Naruto could even give his answer the sound of metal cutting through the air was heard, and a giant Shuriken cut through Iruka's side. The scarred man let out a soundless cry as he fell to the ground, clutching at his injury while standing atop of a tree limb was Mizuki himself.

"So... you revealed your true colors then Mizuki?" Naruto asked with a small growl, nodding to Lancer who understood that the enemy had arrived and had just made his presence known. The Silver haired Chunin sneered slightly since things hadn't gone according to his plan... but at least the Forbidden scroll was still within reach.

"Gotta hand it to you, I suppose you aren't the dumbass everyone thought you were. When you left with the Forbidden Scroll, I found it odd that an alarm wasn't sounded... so I decided to improvise a bit and alert everyone myself." Mizuki spoke, giving a slow and mocking clap of his hands.

"The jig's up. I told the Sandaime about your fake test. He knows you're a crook." Naruto spoke triumphantly which earned a deep scowl from the silver haired man.

"So that's why... whatever. Doesn't matter. So long as I get the scroll to Orochimaru, it'll be fine." The Chunin spoke to himself as he unclasped another of the giant Shuriken on his back, preparing to throw it at the boy. However, Artoria appeared in front of the Chunin and raised her lance, preparing to cleave the silver haired man in two. With a panicked yelp, he leapt off the branch to avoid her attack, but the spear still tore through his Chunin vest, a splash of blood came as the blade carved into his flesh.

"I don't understand what's happening here. But I will not allow a thief to do as he wishes, much less bring harm to my new master." The blonde woman spoke, glaring at the silver haired man as he clutched at his wound. He growled angirly, not expecting for this strange woman to be here, and from what he could tell she was very powerful. He coughed a bit causing blood to spill from his mouth, making him think that he must have suffered some fairly fatal damage.

Mizuki knew he could have handled his now ex-partner Iruka, the man had spent so much time teaching snot nosed children that he had grown as soft as a marshmallow. Naruto, he was hoping would have used a powerful jutsu from the scroll and ended up killing himself, but he could still handle the brat... but this woman he wasn't expecting. "I was hoping to save this for later, but I guess I don't have much choice at the moment." The Silver haired man spoke as he pulled out a bottle of some blackish purple liquid, after popping the cork he quickly drank back some of its contents before Artoria used her lance to smack the bottle out of his hand.

But it was too late as Mizuki's body began to change, gaining a more muscular and animalistic form. "Stay back Master. I sense a foul energy coming from him." Artoria warned her master, making him nod in understanding as he took a step back. The whiskered teen wished he had taken a moment to learn at least one of the jutsu he had copied down, but for now, he'd have to place his trust into the King of Knights.

"So this is the power Orochimaru gave me... exquisite." Mizuki muttered as he cracked his knuckles, a savage grin on his face as he picked up a pair of Giant Shuriken in his hands. His bulky Beastman form almost towering over Lancers.

"That stange potion may have made you stronger. But it did not improve your skills. Typical of cowards and bullies to rely on fake power." The King of Knight spoke, clearly not intimidated in the slightest. Mizuki bellowed and charged at her in a blur of motion, but she anticipated his reckless charge and pivoted to the side, her lance seemed to almost dance in her hands as the blade scored a large slice in Mizuki's abdomen followed by a cut on his back.

With a war cry, Mizuki began to wildly swing his arms about, trying to rip the Servant apart with the giant shuriken in his hands. "Watch out! He's a Chunin for a reason." Iruka wheezed out as he clutched at his side, watching this fight... if it could be called that since Lancer seemed to be doing perfectly fine as she danced around or batted away each and every blow from Mizuki.

"You sure about that?" Naruto asked in an unimpressed voice, with Artoria sharing his feelings since the silver haired man was already running out of breath. Naruto wasn't sure if it was because Mizuki's skills had declined from working as an Academy teacher, or that strange drug had messed with his ability to think properly, but either way... it was kind of pathetic how he was swinging his arms around like a primate instead of fighting like a trained ninja.

After a few more moments, Mizuki was now riddled with cuts and slash marks as blood flowed down his body. Artoria couldn't help but give him a look of pity as she spoke "You have lost. Surrender now and your life may be spared. There is no point in continuing." Before the Rogue Chunin could even speak, he collapsed to the ground as steam left his body, his muscular form shrinking down into a a scrawny husk as his body atrophied at an astonishing rate.

"Wow. Now that... has got to be one of the most pathetic sights I have ever seen." Naruto commented in a mocking tone, staring down at the form of the now broken form of Mizuki. From the looks of his body... it seemed that breathing alone was painful for him.

"Shut... up... brat. You don't have... the right to judge me. You... you fucking Nine tailed fox. You killed... so many people all those years ago." Mizuki groaned out, trying to act defiantly by attempting to reveal the truth of the Kyuubi attack to the boy... only for the whiskered teen to scoff.

"Yeah. Whatever. I stopped caring ages ago. I already know the story. Yondaime couldn't kill the beast, so he sealed it inside of an infant, me. A lot of people died during the Kyuubi attack and so everyone hates me for containing it. Big whoop." Naruto spoke in a dismissive tone of voice, Lancer raised an eyebrow at this news, but she said nothing since she didn't fully understand her master's situation. Regardless of the case... she could sense that he wasn't a bad person. And if he wished to tell her about all of this, then that was his choice. Regardless, he was still her Master, and it was her duty to serve.

"You... you know?" Mizuki coughed as the light began to leave his eyes.

"Yeah. I was born October tenth. I have whisker like birth markings. People call me things like 'demon brat' when they think I'm out of ear shot. Doesn't take much to put two and two together. Though if I were a retard, that may be different." Naruto spoke with a shrug, and then he noticed that Mizuki had stopped breathing entirely. Hard to say if it was from his injuries, or the effects of that potion, or maybe both. But it didn't matter since the man was now dead.

"Nice job. And thanks for the help." Naruto spoke to his new Servant, who only gave a brief nod.

"Thanks and praise are not necessary. I was merely doing my job in protecting you." She replied bluntly. The two blondes then heard more groaning and looked in the direction of Iruka Umino who had now propped himself against a tree, trying to put pressure on his wound.

"Naruto-kun! Please... I need help. I need a medic." Iruka pleaded as the whiskered teen and his Servant approached. The Jinchuuriki glaring down at his long-time Academy teacher, making the man perplexed by the boy's behavior.

"What are you waiting for? Go! Get help." The Chunin spoke almost pleadingly, wondering why his student hadn't rushed off to find much needed aid.

"Not so fast there. I'm actually curious about something. You, like many other adults of this village, were perfectly aware of my status as the Kyuubi container... is that why you wanted to ruin my chances of being a Ninja?" Naruto asked and gestured for the Servant to back away. Artoria nodded since she could see that this was likely a personal matter for her master, and that this was up to him to deal with, so she wouldn't interfere for now.

"Wha? You're crazy... I never wanted to..." The Chunin tried to speak, but the whiskered teen kicked him where he was injured, earning a cry of pain from the scarred Chunin.

"Three years. For three fucking years, I have been stuck in your class. And in all that time, not once did you ever help me. Did I ask for special treatment? No. All I asked you, was what I was doing wrong with the Clone jutsu. And not once, in all my time there... did you help me figure out what I was doing wrong with that one jutsu? No. You didn't. So tell me, tell me to my face... WHY?" Naruto demanded and once again kicked at Iruka's injury.

The Chunin teacher coughed blood and finally answered "Fine. You want to know why? Because the Kyuubi killed my parents."

"So what? The Kyuubi killed a lot of people that night. Men, women, children, sisters, mothers, brothers, fathers, cousins, drinking buddies, sex friends, and so on. What happened, happened. I was just a baby. That had nothing to do with me. Were your parents Ninjas? Died protecting the village and you? That's terrible, but they knew the risks and did their jobs. And if they were civillians... then they died in a tragedy same as anyone else.

At least you had them to lose though. At least you had a chance to make some happy memories with them. I never even got that much with my own parents. And people like you and Sasuke, that don't appreciate their blessings... really piss me off. Boo-fucking-hoo. 'Waaah. Waah. Waah. My parents were killed in the Kyuubi attack, so I'll take revenge on its prison who so happens to be in my class'. God... you're such a fucking baby.

Did it make you feel good? Seeing my face of disappointment with each failure? To see me struggle in school? Was your petty revenge worth it?" Naruto demanded as he verbally tore into Iruka, his ranting even made Artoria cringe a bit. Meanwhile the Chunin was at a loss for words as his mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, unable to come up with a response of any kind.

Finally, the Chunin glared back at the boy and asked "Don't you care about the people that died that night? About the people in this village? About their pain?"

"No. I don't. I stopped caring. Groaning and griping over dead people won't bring them back, and dwelling on the death's of people from an unexpected tragedy only brings more pain. There's only a few people I care for, and they all have one thing in common... they don't judge me for my burden. People like you do. And I am not going to be a goddamn retarded doormat." The blonde spoke and raised his leg up to kick at the Chunin once more, only for a calming hand to be placed on the boy's shoulder.

"That's enough of that. He's not worth it." Spoke a gentle voice from behind him, prompting Lancer to ready her spear once more... but then quickly lowered it when she sensed that this newcomer wasn't a threat. It was a woman in a cat mask with purple hair, that Naruto seemed to immediately recognize.

"Neko-san!" Naruto spoke and then hugged the masked woman's body, who quickly returned the embrace and patted him on the head.

"Sorry for being late. I was... busy elsewhere. Personal matters. It seems as though everything is now under control... to a degree." Neko spoke softly, gesturing towards Iruka's bleeding form and Mizuki's shriveled up corpse. The purple haired woman also looked at the woman in silver armor, her blue dress fluttering slightly in the wind before returning her attention to the blonde boy.

"That was reckless of you to run from the Hokage's office like that. Though, in the end, you served your village well. Return the scroll to Sandaime-sama and report what happened to him... I'll clean up this mess." She spoke while gently rubbing his cheeks. Nodding in agreement, the boy gestured for Lancer to follow him as they made their way to the Hokage tower.

Iruka's body had lost a lot of its color due to blood loss. "Finally... any more and that brat may have killed me." The Chunin managed to speak out before coughing a bit. He waited for the Anbu woman to apply first aid... but her gaze seemed fixated on the retreating forms of the two blondes.

"You wouldn't have been a satisfying kill for him." Neko muttered as sat down on the ground in a cross legged position and stared at the Chunin through her mask. Her behavior confusing him since she wasn't trying to apply any medical treatment to stop the bleeding.

"What is the holdup?! I am literally bleeding to death! Right here! In front of you!" Iruka exclaimed, his vision blurring and starting to dim. The Neko Anbu didn't even deem it necessary to give a response as the Chunin finally passed out and was soon to expire. With the Chunin knocking on death's door, she pulled out a pen and notepad and began scribbling down a report, detailing that at the crime scene, Iruka Umino was DOA from injuries sustained by his ex-partner Mizuki.

"There. One less problem for Naruto-kun in the future." She muttered before snapping her notebook shut. She would need to call a cleanup crew to dispose of the bodies since it wouldn't be good if this incident made the newspapers. Both for the sake of village security and the safety of Naruto Uzumaki.

Meanwhile. Hokage office.

"... And that's what happened." Naruto spoke who had explained what had happened earlier, only leaving out the parts about Gilgamesh and about copying down other Jutsu. He had explained his finding of the Deck of Heroes and summoning Lancer to aid him against Mizuki. For the most part, the blonde Knight remained silent, only giving brief 'yes' or 'no' answers to some of the Hokage's questions.

The boy then finished with his telling of interrogating Iruka and Neko's appearance just minutes earlier. "I see. It utterly sickens me that Iruka would sabotage you through apathy and negligence for the sake of petty revenge. If he survives his injuries, I'll be sure to have his headband. Now, was there anything else? Did Mizuki mention who he might have been working for?" The Sandaime spoke while taking a drag from his favored pipe.

"Yeah. He mentioned Orochimaru. Anko-chan's former sensei and your ex-student right?" The whiskered teen asked more in the form of a statement, earning a nod from the Sandaime. Hiruzen then glanced over to the blonde woman accompanying the boy, her face a blank mask that was difficult to read. From her posture and body language, she was definitely a skilled warrior akin to that of a Samurai. Though for some reason, he felt that she also had the disposition of a King. Call it an educated guess from someone who also ruled over others.

Hiruzen returned his attention to Naruto and replied to him "Correct. Orochimaru has caused the suffering of many people over the years. Now then, Naruto-kun, in recognition of your service to Konoha and for usage of a Summoning technique, I hereby award you a Shinobi headband and dub you a Genin of Konoha. Arrangements for an A-rank reward will be made and I'll see about getting you a Jonin sensei for apprenticeship."

"Apprenticeship? You mean I won't be put on a team?" The Jinchuuriki asked out of curiosity. He had heard of Jonin's taking on single students as apprentices which was sought after by many Genin hopefuls, but if this was the case... then things may be easier in the long run for him.

"Indeed. When Iruka failed you, the student roster was imbalanced by one. So I needed to find another Genin without a team to fill in. A strange boy called Sai is on Team Seven, which would have been your team. Anyway, I think you will develop better with one-on-one training with a Jonin sensei than in an entire team." Hiruzen explained, though he left out the part that Team Seven also comprised of Sasuke Uchiha and Sakura Haruno, with their Jonin Sensei being Kakashi.

While Kakashi was a competent Jonin, his teaching skills are questionable. Not to mention his personal connection to his late teammate Obito could cloud his judgement in regards to Sasuke. And on top of that, putting Naruto and Sasuke together on the same team would likely be a recipe for disaster.

"Appreciate it old man." the blonde boy replied with a cheeky grin, his hands now clasped behind his head. From the background, the form of Artoria could feel her master's happiness through their bond. Warmth filling her chest which brought a thin smile to her face.

"Come back tomorrow morning at ten for your reward and your Headband. I need to make some phone calls to find you a suitable Sensei." The Hokage instructed earning a nod of understanding from the boy as he exited the office. His servant Lancer following close behind.

As the two walked back towards his apartment, Lancer finally spoke up "Master? You... haven't asked me to go back into card form." She noted since it would have been a simple matter. Of course she could do it herself, at any time, but she didn't feel it appropriate to change back without his say-so.

The whiskered teen raised an eyebrow and asked her "I guess I haven't. Why? Do you want to go back to being a card again?" At his quesition, the blonde Lancer's face scrunched up in confusion since he had asked her what she wanted. As if he actually cared about her thoughts on the matter.

"Erm. No... I don't." She replied with a somewhat downcast expression, currently unsure of what to make of her new master. He was so young, and there was so much that she didn't fully understand about him. But from what she could tell, he was connected to a certain incident involving a demon or a beast, and he was the creature's walking prison. And in doing so, he must have suffered immensely from a burden that was forced upon him. If she had pieced together everything correctly.

"Then you don't have to." He spoke as if it were the most simple thing in the world. "Your name is Artoria Pendragon... Pendragon being the name of the legendary King Arthur from the story of Camelot. You a relative of his or something?" The boy asked out of curiosity since he recognized her surname from when he had looked at her card.

"Don't speak a Servant's name so carelessly. We Servants go by our Class names to protect our true identities. If our identities were to be discovered, then one could discern our histories and legends for weaknesses. A key example being Achilles for his heel. And to answer your question, I and King Arthur are one and the same." She answered him while giving a brief warning about the names of Servants. Her statement earning a confused look from the Jinchuuriki as he looked her over.

"Erm... but you're a woman." Naruto stated as he glanced at her bust for a brief moment.

"I pretended to be a man while I was king and was dubbed as 'King Arthur'." She answered him bluntly.

"So... wait. Your wife Guinevere cheated on you... with Lancelot... because you were a woman?" Naruto asked recounting some of the infamous tale that led to Camelot's downfall.

"That's... not inaccurate." Artoria replied with a faint blush of shame on her face. Remembering that she had caused her wife a fair amount of pain back in the day when she served as a King. And since she was also a woman... she couldn't perform in the same manner as a male. And Lancelot could fill that void.

"... So how the fuck did you procreate with Morgan le Fay then?!" The whiskered teen demanded to know since the legendary King Arthur actually being a female, kind of screwed up that plot point.

"Producing an heir of my bloodline was obviously a challenge given my... true form. So Merlin changed me into a psuedo-male for a time so that I may sire a child. Morgan took advantage of this and stole my seed, thus creating Mordred." Lancer clarified, though she now wished that she hadn't made those mistakes so long ago. Before the boy could question her further, he cringed as he felt a searing heat in his pocket that almost threatened to burn his flesh.

He pulled out the Deck from his pocket and found a singular card glowing a deep red. He pulled out the card and inspected it... and found it to be labeled 'Saber. Mordred.' from within the card, he could sense complex feelings of love, respect, and admiration... but above all a deep and unsettling hatred. Naruto then wondered what'd happen if he summoned Mordred. Would they fight? Would they try to destroy one another? Would they even listen to his commands if they were put together? Gulping nervously, he pocketed the deck again before Lancer took notice.

"Master? Forgive my curiosity... but... is this place not for harlots and thieves?" Artoria asked, realizing that they were now in the Red Light district. And off to the side were some women dressed in flashy or revealing clothes, which was further evidence of their location.

"Yeah. The Red Light District. My apartment's not too much farther." Naruto answered her, chuckling a bit as Artoria kept glaring suspiciously at any male passerbys that look in her direction.

"Will your parents not question my presence on our arrival?" Lancer asked as she sneered at a drunken man who walked by, her spear gripped tightly in her hands as though she were expecting someone to try something stupid in this area.

"Don't have any. I'm an orphan." Was all her master said, making his Servant remember when he had interrogated that rather pathetic looking man from earlier. ' I never even got that much with my own parents' were his exact words.

"Is... is that why you want me to stay by your side? Are you lonely?" She asked him as they approached a building with lots of graffiti painted on it with numerous obscenities that can't be repeated in polite conversation. Some of them even making the King of Knights gape in horror. Her question caused her master to tense up before drooping his shoulders.

He didn't even look in her direction as he replied "Would you be offended if I said 'yes'?" He fiddled with his apartment door for a few moments and then opened it with a click, inviting her inside. She stepped inside of his home and found it to be relatively clean and well-cared for despite the hideous outside of the building.

"Do you not have friends or other family?" Artoria asked as she took a seat on the nearby couch and looked to her master who was busy putting on at least half a dozen locks on the door.

"No family. Not many friends. The few friends I have do what they can... but they can't hang around 24/7." Was his answer as he sighed and took a seat next to her, the former King now sensing deep sadness and loneliness that was almost unfathomable.

"I... I see. I believe I have pieced together most of your story. The people of this village... were they cruel to you? Did they try to hurt you?" Lancer asked as she hesitantly reached out and stroked his cheek gently to try and comfort him.

"Hurt me? No. At least... not in the physical sense. Everyone would glare at me, whisper behind my back or just stay away from me like I had the plague. Parents would tell their kids to stay away from me, and shops would sometimes treat me poorly or kick me out entirely. But... out of everyone in this village, Iruka was likely one of the people who tried the hardest to ruin me. By doing nothing." Naruto replied somberly, giving a deep sigh.

"That is over now. That Iruka person lost a lot of blood, so his survival is very much in doubt, assuming he hasn't already expired. And your village leader acknowledged your efforts. I do not fully understand this village... but you are my master, and I am your Servant. And I will endeavor to serve you faithfully and dutifully. If you wish me to remain in this form for the sake of companionship, I shall do so." She promised him, giving a soft smile.

"I appreciate that Artoria. We might be Master and Servant... but that doesn't mean we can't be friends. I look forward to working with you." he replied back and then wrapped his arms around her in a hug. She tensed up for a moment, unused to such contact... but nonetheless returned it with a small smile. She then looked down and noticed the Deck of Heroes poking out from his back pocket... the card of Mordred sticking out slightly. The face of her bastard child almost glaring at her in hatred and jealousy.

While it is possible for a Servant to will themselves back into card form, they require their master's consent and energy to achieve Human form to begin with. So long as Mordred remained within her card, then she wasn't a true threat. But if her master cannot control such an unstable personality. Then as both a knight, and his servant it'd be her responsibility to protect him from danger.

As for Naruto, he couldn't help but smile now that he had this power. He still needed to learn about this 'Gates of Babylon' that Gilgamesh gave him, but that could be saved for later. For the time being, he was content to have found a new friend in Lancer, and perhaps hoped to gain other friends amongst the many Servants within his deck. And tomorrow? Well, that would mark the beginning of a new dawn for him, as a Shinobi and as a descendant of the King of Heroes.

End chapter one.

Omake: The many deaths of Emiya Shirou. (Part one.)

In a certain shop owned an uninteresting and unimportant fellow named Emiya Shirou, it is now closing time. The orange haired man was locking the doors, and about to turn off the lights as he remembered something. "Oh. Right. The cheese." He muttered to himself, looking towards a pot of hot and melted cheese used for nachos and some other snacks.

He walked towards the pot and then unexpectedly slipped on a small puddle, causing him to flail about wildly as he tried to regain his balance. However his arms knocked the pot off balance and he fell to the floor, his body sprawled out, his face paling as he noticed the large pot was tipping over to his direction. The golden and cheesy contents spilled out and fell directly into his face with the rest splashing onto his body.

"OOOOOOH GOOOOOD! IT'S STICKING! WHY IS IT SO HOOOOT?! He screamed and wailed, voice muffled by a thick coating of cheese they made its way into his mouth as he screamed, the melted cheese now filling his orfice and scorching the insides of his throat until he began to choke on it. Finally... he passed away. Dead on the floor.

Eventually, Emiya Shirou will revive as though nothing had happened. And he will be forced to endure another bizarre or gruesome death. Why? For shits and giggles.

End Omake.

Next probable updates:

Naruto x Undertale fanfic.

Naruto x Sekirei fanfic.

Toxic Love.

Fortune favors the Bold.

Return of the Golden King.