Hello, once again dear readers of the internet! How's it going?

Super sorry about the horrible wait, moved back to the states after two years and started up my online college once again. Then I got a night job… It's been a hectic couple of months so far if I say so myself.

Updates will end up slowing as a result, but I'll do my best to get them out in a much more timely manner.

Anyways! As always, I don't own Naruto, rights to that character and story go to Masashi Kishimoto. Nor do I own Solo Leveling (Otherwise known as Na Honjaman Lebel-eob) that one goes to light novel author Chu-Gong.

Without further ado, let's get on with the show!

XxXxXxX

Chapter 12

The Aftermath

Konohagakure

Hokage Tower

The elderly form of the Third Hokage of Konohagakure sat hunched over his desk as he read the report from one of his rising jonin. Yuhi Kurenai had just arrived just a few days after she and her team had left, bringing back horrible news and her team injured greatly.

Looking up from the written report, Hiruzen looked to see the guilt-ridden face of the sensei of Team 8. Downtrodden, she looked as if she hadn't slept in several days. He could tell this mission was weighing heavily on her mind, no doubt causing her to question herself as a kunoichi.

Straightening himself and pushing his worry for the young genin to the side, for now, he turned to address the other occupant in front of his desk. A middle-aged man, his dark hair short and showing early signs of greying. Wearing hospital issue garments and a doctor's coat, this was the head of Konoha's shinobi hospital.

"What is the young ones' condition at this time, Yoto-sensei?" He asked quietly, his query causing the woman's head to immediately face the doctor in question.

Despite the troubled look on his leader's face and the disheveled appearance of the kunoichi next to him, the doctor did his best to hold an air of professionalism as he answered the question. Flipping open a small file he had brought with him for this meeting, he began in a calm voice.

"Hyuga-sama suffered some significant damage to her eyes and ears from her opponent's jutsu. However, she has recovered well with the application of the Healing Palm Technique, as well as her own clan's methods of assisting in ocular care."

Such was the needs of a clan whose livelihood was so dependent on their eyes, they had developed highly effective ways to aid in the repair of damage or other wounds to the eye or nerves around them, "I believe she should regain full use of her senses without any noticeable decrease in hearing or sight within a few days."

"Next would be Nara-san, he suffered extensive blunt force trauma to his sternum. The force was great enough to crack the sternum and break 4 of his ribs. Unfortunately, his impact after the flight from the blow had dislocated his left knee and had caused the shards of his broken ribs to dangerously press against his internal organs. Luckily, he was treated well enough to prevent lasting damage until he could reach Konoha. I believe he will be capable of full recovery in a few weeks with repeated healing sessions."

The two shinobi let out a quiet breath at the news so far, some hope given despite the situation.

"Then we have young Uzumaki-san," The doctor didn't so much as twitch an eyebrow at the boy's name, his professionalism working to ensure he treated all his patients equally, "He was stabbed deep in his right upper torso, causing some minor laceration in the upper lobe of his lung. Along with this, his next most pressing wound would be to his head, the boy suffered an incredible hit to the back of his skull. It caused severe bruising and gave him a pretty intense concussion as well. He also presented with several deep bruising and lacerations along his arms and chest.

"He has healed considerably over the last few days, use of healing jutsu and other medicine have reduced his danger for the time being. Though his progress is astonishing, I recommend he stay for the remainder of the week to ensure no unforeseen trouble occurring. After that, he should be placed on light duty along with Nara-san until they have recovered properly."

With the aid of the Biju inside him, Naruto was healing at speeds magnitudes higher than the average person. Even with the assistance of medical ninjutsu, such wounds would put many shinobi out of commission for months if not permanently. As such, he wanted the boy kept in the hospital for a while to ensure he was healed properly.

"Most pressing, however, is Aburame-san. The boy suffered extreme damage caused by a Raiton jutsu, as well as an almost total loss of his hive." That gave the other two pause, looks of dread on their face at the news.

An Aburame without their hive was knocking on death's door. Such was the intense link between man and insect in that clan that their own bodies had adapted to easily allow the insects to assume some of their bodily functions. The people of the clan had simply adapted to such a state over generations.

Kurenai looked down at the news, she was truly worried about Shino more than the others. Not only had he received the most damage, but he was also in a much more precarious situation then they were as well.

"I also have a report of the events that transpired upon transport back to the village," he let out a saddened sigh at this, "Aburame-san suffered a cardiac event shortly after transportation had begun back towards Konoha. Though he had been revived, he was without oxygen being supplied to his brain for several minutes. This combined with the shock of the loss of his hive has left the boy in a comatose state.

"The prognosis isn't positive. The Aburame clan has arrived with backup chakra beetles and a new queen to introduce to the boy's system, but we really have no way of knowing what kind of damage may have occurred because of this loss of oxygen. We have done all we can to help alleviate the nerve and tissue damage he had received. For now, all we can do is make him comfortable and wait."

The two men respectfully ignored the jonin's shaking shoulders and allowed her a moment to express her grief at the situation. Sarutobi himself felt a pang of deep sadness as he heard of what had happened to the young children he had sent off on this C-Rank mission only a handful of days ago. Tilting his head forward to hide his expression with his hat, he once more contemplated the choices he had made while he thought over the circumstances of the mission.

"Thank you, Yoto-sensei. You may return to the hospital now." At the dismissal, the doctor stood and gave both the shinobi a respectful bow before he left the room.

Sitting in silence for a few minutes, the third Hokage moved from his chair to stand before the large windows at the back of his office. Gazing at the bright morning day blooming in front of him he felt almost cheated that the weather hadn't soured at this turn of events. A young boy was struggling for his life not 2 blocks away and the sun had the audacity to shine as if all was right in the world.

Turning around he looked back at the distraught jonin, seeing her calmed down and once more at ease. She was looking towards him with a sense of resolution. It was almost as if she was expecting him to begin to berate her or have her hauled off for punishment.

'I can't punish you for having bad luck, Kurenai-san. No matter how much you think you deserve it', he thought sadly as he returned to his seat.

"Be at ease, Kurenai-san. You did everything you could to keep the children and your clients safe. There was no way of knowing you had garnered the attention of such a powerful missing-nin."

The woman relaxed slightly at his words, understanding that the situation wasn't truly her fault but feeling responsible, nevertheless.

"I know Hokage-sama, but I still feel…" the woman trailed off, yet the man understood fully what she meant.

He had felt the same long ago when his sensei had sacrificed himself for his team. The feeling of helplessness when your precious comrades were in danger, unable to help or protect them even if you were capable of it. Every shinobi would feel this way, multiple times in their career.

It was the type of feeling that ruined many a great shinobi before their time.

"For now, you should head home and rest Kurenai. Clean yourself up and get something to eat and sleep, the med-nins are doing everything they can to help your team. I assure you that if anything happens, I will send someone to inform you."

Nodding hesitantly at her leader's words, Kurenai stood up and gave him a bow. Quietly leaving the office, she headed off to heed the aged Hokage's words. Just a quick bite to eat, shower, and a nap, then she'd head back to check on her team. She wasn't going to abandon them in their time of need.

Waiting a few moments after the departure of the jonin, the Hokage turned to his side and made a motion with his hand. Appearing from the shadows of his office was a cloaked individual with a porcelain animal mask on. The rounded features and colored marking displayed a canine of some sort, the figure's dark purple hair being the only outstanding feature one could make out.

"Anything to report on the remains found at the outpost?" Hiruzen questioned quietly.

Pulling a small stack of papers in a folder from their robes, the ANBU agent placed them on their leader's desk and began their report.

"Using Doton jutsu to sift through the rubble, we were able to find most of the remains of the manufactured Chakra Mutations that the stationed shinobi and Team 8's leader had fought against. Our research division is currently breaking down the augmentations and alterations made to their bodies. They expect results before the week is out."

The Hokage let out a quiet hum at the news, before asking another question, "The investigation on the identity of the rogue shinobi and his whereabouts?"

"Searching through the battlefield, we have found numerous custom-designed kunai. We were able to match these unique weapons to one 'Machii no Raijin'. A-rank missing ninja from Kumogakure, he was one of their rising stars a few years ago before he ended up offending the Daimyo of Lightning. He was blacklisted and went into hiding for the past 2 years. Previous reports put him anywhere from southern Hi no Kuni all the way to the badlands west of Kaze no Kuni (Land of Wind). It was alarming to learn he had been contracted by a shadow organization, we have people assigned to look into this more."

The aged kage thought on the report some more, allowing his subordinate to continue after some time while he read through the information gathered so far.

Judging the situation purely on the events, much less the shocking news of a highly organized criminal syndicate hidden in the middle of his country, he would have to say this mission had gone from a C-Rank escort to a High A-rank Combat and Survival mission. Even S-rank was a possibility given the power of the man they faced, the elite A-rank jonin Machii was quite powerful and more than strong enough to begin to encroach on borderline S-rank threat levels.

Looking out the window of his office, the old man made sure to plan a visit to the team when they awoke. He wanted to ensure they were alright after such trauma.

XxXxXxX

Konoha's Hospital

That night

In the quiet hours of the night, a young boy's eyes opened for the first time in days. Groggily sending his gaze around the room, he tried to figure out where he was. Spotting the uniform whiteness of the room, along with the strong smell of sanitization, it hadn't taken him long to come to a conclusion.

"…Hospital, huh…?" He whispered through dry, cracked lips.

Letting out a cough, he looked to his side to see a pitcher of water on a table. Weakly reaching out to it, he was mildly surprised when the shadows of his room coalesced together to pour and give him a glass of water.

Awake at last….

Very thankful…

How do you feel…?

Taking the glass happily, young Naruto looked to the figures around the room as he sipped the cool liquid.

"Feels like I got tossed into a garbage disposal full of rocks, but I'm alive. I guess that counts for something, right?" He remarked after a moment. The shadows responded positively at his statement, pulling the room into even more darkness as the boy watched many figures shift around the room in concern for him.

Though his eye was covered under a bundle of bandages, he could still shift its gaze through the shadows on his face to see just how many of the Clan had come to see him. Much more than the half dozen or so he had accompanied him the last few weeks, it was akin to nearly 2 dozen now. He hadn't seen so many since the night he had signed the contract with the King so long ago.

Setting his glass down with some assistance from the shades near him, Naruto took some time to take stock of his situation. Thick bandages were wrapped around his head, which felt very tender and kind of soft on the back of. Pressing his fingertips gingerly into the back of his scalp, he shuddered when he felt them dip in slightly to the heavily bruised skin.

'Kami that feels gross, like pudding or something under my skin.' Sticking out his tongue at the queasy feeling it gave him, he moved on to his chest. Checking the bandages there he felt his wound and experimentally bent his torso.

He regretted it almost immediately as his side painfully protested at the movement and he lost his breath from the pain. Letting out a strangled grunt of pain as the shadows clambered around him, he waved them off as he fully sat back once more. Now at ease on his bed, he tried to think of everything he could remember from the fight and the events after it.

'The whole building was coming down; how did we make it out?' He thought idly, momentarily trying to think of what happened before he lost consciousness. Thinking back on the event in question, he tried to remember anything else important.

"If only you had simply let sleeping dogs lie, none of this would have happened…" the words of Machii rang out suddenly in his mind.

Staring down at his legs, his fists balled up as numerous emotions ran through him as he remembered the cause for the entire ordeal. Anger at the enemy for hurting his comrades, sadness that he had been the reason for it all, fear for the conditions of those hurt by the attack.

Worst of all was the feeling of utter helplessness coursing through him, something he hadn't felt in several years.

"it's all my fault…", slowly his eye teared up as he went thought the fight again in his mind. "… I just had to get that file… we could have left no problem… everyone got hurt because of me."

Closing his eye fitfully, the boy tried to stop the flow of tears as he remembered the damage done to his team. All of them were hurt because of his choice, plus so many of the outpost shinobi were hurt too.

Some were even killed….

The boy's shoulders began to shake as the reality of the situation started to crash down around him. Around him the shadows sat in silence as the boy quietly cried over his feelings, wishing to help him but being unable to comfort the boy as he sobbed silently. As the boy lamented over his situation, he failed to notice a figure slowly move towards him from the shadows.

His breath hitched in his throat when he felt a solid hand gently grasp his shoulder. Looking to his left to find out who it was, he was shocked to see the King of the Shadows knelt beside his bed. Such was the height of the King that he was still looking up despite the being kneeling beside him, a sympathetic look in his helmeted eyes.

"K-King…? When did you get here…?" the boy muttered out quietly, feeling slightly ashamed of crying in front of the Shadow King.

Be at ease, young Shade…

You and yours have survived this battle….

Take solace in that fact…

Slowly removing his hand, the King once more stood at his full height. Moving to the foot of the boy's bed, he regarded him with an inspecting eye. Looking over the wounds the child had, he made a judgment on what he had been told by the shades who were with the boy that battle.

You fought well, despite the strength of your opponent…

You make the clan proud, young Shade…

This simple statement caused the boy to blush in embarrassment of the praise and nervously scratch at the side of his head as he looked away.

"T-thanks, but I don't think I did that well. My friends got destroyed before I could do anything…." Sobering himself a little at the news, he suddenly widened his eyes as he looked back at the King.

"My friends! How are they? Is everyone ok?" his frantic questioning was met with the raised hand of the King.

Calm thyself, young shade….

Allow me to explain what has happened to your team…

The King quietly explained everything to the young boy. His friends were currently alive and recovering from the battle. Naruto's uplifted face was soon destroyed at the news of Shino's condition, however. Looking down at his bed sheets once more, the boy gained a saddened look on his face as he worried about the state of his quiet friend.

A thought suddenly came up to the boy, looking back towards the patiently waiting King he asked something that had been bugging him.

"How did we get out? The outpost was collapsing, and I couldn't escape on my own…"

At this the King's eyes glowed slightly, his eyes taking a rather entertained look as he began to speak once more.

You are never alone, young shade…

xXxXxXx

Hi no Kuni

That Day

The Shadow Clan's King had been moving through the land of Hi no Kuni, inspecting the territory he had while making his way towards the latest of the Clan's contract holders. He was looking forward to checking the youth's progress, reports from the shades that kept the boy company having filled him with confidence at the boy's capabilities. He was nearing the village of Konoha when he received extreme news from one of the shades nearby.

Naruto and his team were in danger, and they needed support.

Feeling his power flow through him, the King vanished from the outskirts of Konoha and reappeared from the shadows of the outpost minutes later. Momentarily watching the battle blazing out in front, he was satisfied with the strength of the boy's shadow beasts.

The wolf was fighting valiantly alongside the sensei of Naruto's team. Being supported by the newest addition to the boy's army, the shadow falcon and its incredible speed and durability, he had no reason to step in here. Distracted by the sudden appearance of a large tail from some creature, the King saw what appeared to be a massive snake slither back underground.

Frowning as he saw the situation change to a standoff, he realized what was happening beneath the outpost nearby. The additional shadows being created by the burrowing of the snake was about to destroy the integrity of the buildings and bring them all down. Reaching this conclusion quickly, the King vanished once more to enter the outpost.

Stumbling slightly as the ground shifted suddenly beneath him, he moved to the room that Naruto and his team were in. Arriving to hear the near-silent pleas of his contract holder, the King's eyes glowed a fierce blue.

Help has arrived young shade…

He spoke quietly, his power bringing the inert shadows shooting up to hold the collapsing roof in place. Beside him two massive Shadow Golems appeared, each stood over 10 feet tall and were built as if small mountains had been given life. Using their tree trunk-like arms, they held the collapsing ceiling up momentarily as other smaller shades manifested to pull Team 8 and their clients out of the room.

Arriving outside with the unconscious forms of the group, the King watched as each of the shades set them down. Quickly looking over the group, the King realized the dire straits they young genin were in. He wasn't capable of the necessary medical care needed to stabilize the children.

Kneeling beside the prone Naruto, he lightly set his palm on the boy's chest, a purple light appeared in his hand after a few moments. Only one shadow user could have the ability of Shadow Extraction at a time. No one else could use the ability while the boy lived, but the King was an… exception to the rule. He was able to temporarily borrow the ability and use it for a few minutes at a time.

Looking back at the outpost, he could see the Shadow Golems slowly begin to struggle with the building, realizing he had to work quickly to help the children. His momentary viewing of the battlefield told him there was no medic present, though there was a reason to believe one would be stationed in an outpost such as this. Thus, there was no doubt one had been killed or otherwise neutralized before the battle had even begun.

Closing his eyes, he expanded his senses to find anyone capable of helping with the situation. It hadn't taken long for the King to sense the fallen energy of the outpost's shinobi.

Vanishing through the darkness once more, he arrived at the location he felt to spot nearly half a dozen corpses of various Konoha shinobi tossed about a small clearing. It seemed that they had been ambushed by surprise and left to rot here, given the lack of self-defense wounds present on their bodies. Checking over their forms, he spotted one with the telltale symbol of the Medic Corp. of Konohagakure.

Holding his glowing palm towards the body, he spoke the command that activated the technique.

Arise…

The shadows concealed the body for a few moments as eerie cries and screams could be heard around the darkened woods. From the congealed shadows burst the hands of the shinobi's shadow. Pulling himself up, the shadow soldier stood at attention before the Shadow King, awaiting his command.

Unlike the shadow beasts, the former shinobi had not gained immense size or bulk upon his revival. Instead, his form had turned pitch black, his skin obtaining a darker blue glow to it as his clothes took on a more armored appearance. Bright blue lights signified his eyes, with the same light shining from his open mouth.

The King quickly led the newly arisen soldier back to the prone forms of Team 8 and their clients. Ordering the medic to begin working on the group, the King looked about the trees around them in interest as the green glow of the medic's hands lit up the clearing. He could still sense something nearby; its killing intent easily being felt and almost palpable in the air of the woods behind the outpost.

Walking some feet away from the group, the King stood at ease as he felt out the location of the threat to the kids. A few moments later he spotted the subtle shifting of dirt in front of him, moving quick he blurred to the spot and easily buried his arm into the earth. Feeling the squirming creature in his grip, he pulled with mighty strength and ripped the massive snake from the ground.

Shocked at its sudden change in surroundings, the snake sat in place with a dazed look on its reptilian face. Spotting the source of the reason it was removed from the safety of the earth, the massive beast bared its fangs threateningly and moved with near lightning quickness. The King regarded the beast for only a moment before his form vanished entirely from view.

Seconds later the mighty snake fell to the ground, its mouth still wide open with a fierce look on its face as the head continued to roll away from its body. Appearing beside the downed mutation, the King stood rather regally, an impressive longsword now in his hands as he looked at the deceased beast.

Much too slow…

He remarked to himself, rather disappointed with the anticlimactic fight. Walking back to the group he checked on the progress the medic shadow soldier had made so far. Seeing the fresh bandages around the Uzumaki and Aburame, the King nodded in satisfaction at the shadow soldier's work.

Building collapsing…

Enemy escaping….

Looking up at the building, he saw the Golems vanish into the darkness, no longer able to give the King time to stay hidden from the shinobi out front. Focusing his senses once more on the combatants a distance away, he could feel one in particular rapidly running off to the east. Taking a moment to think about the situation, the King nodded to himself.

Stay and heal them, leave if anyone shows up…

I'm going after the man who caused this…

Heeding the King's order, the medic shadow nodded dutifully, resuming his work as the King vanished from sight.

It had taken the King only a few minutes to catch up to the running nuke-nin, appearing from the shadows in front of his fleeing form. Shocked by the sudden arrival of a new opponent, Machii had to kick off the side of a tree to avoid running directly into the form of the armored shadow.

"What the hell? Where did you come from?" He questioned, now standing on a tree branch some feet opposite of the King.

No words were spoken from the shadowy being, only the faint sound of a sword being drawn from its scabbard as the King took a combat stance. Understanding this wasn't a friendly meeting, Machii quickly pulled out two kunai to ready himself in a dual-wielding stance. He quietly analyzed his opponent as he tried to gauge his chances of winning the fight.

The sheer aura of power he could feel from the shadow was more than enough to give the man pause, having never felt such incredible pressure from anyone short of the Raikage himself. Though his unusual armor leads him to believe that his opponent wouldn't be as fast as him, he was loathe to underestimate someone undeniably strong.

Pushing Raiton chakra through his kunai, he decided this must be another summons from the blonde genin from before. No doubt he would easily be able to cut through its form and make his escape before the creature could reform. Appearing in front of the shadow, he swung both kunai at the being's body. One towards its face, while the other went into its stomach, he ensured that his opponent would take some kind of damage after this attack.

He was surprised when his shadowy opponent skillfully twisted his sword and blocked both attacks in a single smooth motion. Machii was sent back with a slight stumble from the surprise move, the King took advantage of his loss of balance and rapidly swung his sword at the rogue shinobi.

The two exchanged blows, Machii swinging his kunai in powerful quick arcs, leaving trails of electricity that flared out around him. Each attack seemed to bounce off the weapon of the Shadow King, his blade cutting through the shinobi's techniques as if they were nothing. Crossing his kunai at an overhead slash from the shadow, Machii was once more held in place as he locked blades with the King. The shadow King calmly adjusted his grip on his blade, giving the shinobi no chance to reassert his control on the fight and prepared to land a critical blow against him. By suddenly twisting his blade once more, the locked weapons slid past each other. The sharp edge of the King's sword bit into the rogue shinobi's shoulder as he deftly rolled away from the near beheading.

Machii frowned as he thought through a plan to defeat be as they continued the fight. The King was taking advantage of the short reach of his kunai, landing glancing blows when Machii failed to move fast enough to dodge. Thinking quick as he dodged back from a wide sweep of the deadly longsword, Machii prepared his chakra for a surprise attack. Locking blades with the King once more, the shinobi took a step back and disrupted the Shadow warrior's balance.

Surprised by the turn of events, the King stumbled forward as his opponent spun around him to strike from behind. Pushing his chakra through his blades, electricity pulsed through his weapons to form extended sabers of Raiton chakra. He let loose a victorious smirk as he sank his weapons in the King's back.

His smirk fell from his face as the shadows themselves seemed to billow off the man's armor, his blades passing through the inky darkness without leaving a mark on the King. Now off balance from the impromptu attack's miss, Machii could only watch in shock and abject horror as the Shadow King's sword carved a deep gash across his chest. Pressing on his newfound advantage, the King let loose a flurry of blows on the rogue shinobi's defenses.

Wide-eyed at the swordsmanship the shadow creature used, it was all Machii could do to prevent the sword from cutting him to pieces. Feeling the blade bite deep through his flak armor once more, he stumbled back as the blood began to flow from him in decent amounts. Throwing up his kunai as meager defenses, he took a step back as each blow sent out a ringing chime around the clearing they fought. Each crash of the blade against his kunai sent sparks flying until eventually one blade was cut clean through and the other was knocked clean from his grip by the might blows.

Holding his side from a fresh gash from his opponent, Machii narrowed his eyes at his opponent as his mind went through plan after plan in an attempt to escape the fight. With his back against a tree and no weapons to his defense, he wasn't too optimistic about his chances. 'How is he so damn strong? It like every move has the force of a dozen men behind it.', he couldn't fathom someone so easily handling him in a fight as was happening now.

Pointing his sword at the ninja's throat, the King offered him a parting statement.

Any last words, human…?

The quiet, eerie whispers of the Shadow King echoed out around the man, sending shivers down his spine as his eyes met his opponent's glowing blue gaze. Unconsciously gulping down some nervous saliva, Machii subtly began to manipulate his chakra as he spoke out quietly.

"What are you?"

Does it matter to a dead man…?

"… I suppose not. But why are you doing this, there's no way that brat is alive. How are you

here?" he was grasping at straws at this point, trying to buy some time while he worked on his last-ditch effort for the fight.

The King seemed to tilt his head slightly, looking somewhat quizzical as he stared the shinobi down. The edge of his pitch-black longsword gleamed in the morning light, inviting the man to gaze on its razor edge in nervousness once more.

I am no mere summons, human…

I am much more than that….

The King soon concentrated his powerfully dark energy through his blade, causing the slowly brightening clearing to become shrouded in darkness. His blade lost all reflection, a shifting sound heard as the shadows themselves coalesced on the blade, storing up incredible pressure for the final attack of the battle.

Farewell human…

Now, embrace the darkness…

With his parting words, he unleashed his attack, a wide sweep that sent the black energy of the shadows careening towards the shinobi at nigh-untraceable speeds.

A brief flash of fear flooded through the rogue shinobi as he activated his final move, his chakra exploding from his body in every direction. The massive burst of chakra sent out dozens if not hundreds of arcs of electricity. The light was blinding, blocking the King's view as he sent forth his attack.

When the light faded, all that could be seen in front of the King was a destroyed landscape. The remains of his technique, along with the aftermath of whatever Machii had done in his final moments.

Glancing about the destroyed clearing, the King's gaze landed on the smoking crater that remained some feet away. While he wasn't entirely sure what Machii had done, it seemed to have proven fruitless in the onslaught of his power. The ground was blackened and the smell of ozone permeated the area, it certainly remained a testament to the power of the techniques used in the final clash.

Satisfied with his inspection of the desolate battlefield, the King calmly walked away. Entering the shadows of the nearby grove, his voice quietly rang out a farewell for the opponent he had fought to the death.

Requiescat in Pace…

XxXxXxX

Naruto was reeling a bit after the King finished his tale. Moving his gaze from the King's imposing form to the far wall, the boy's mind was spinning with all he had learned. Taking a few minutes to reaffirm himself he turned back to the King with a questioning look.

What does 'resquat in patch' mean?" he asked quietly, his head tilted to the side rather endearingly.

His response wasn't expected, the King began to laugh rather merrily. The quiet, echoing sounds of his entertainment sounded out in the room. He looked at the boy with relaxed eyes.

Requiescat in Pace, young shade…

A language long dead to this world….

It roughly translates to 'rest in peace'….

We utter it as a sign of respect for our fallen opponents…

"I see…" the boy muttered to himself quietly, before looking up at the King once more.

"Thank you for saving us. I'm not sure if we would have survived without you showing up." Bowing his head as best he could in his damaged, bedridden shape.

The King nodded his head in turn,

Think nothing of it, young shade…

You are of my clan now; you need only ask, and we shall come to your aid…

Around the room the other numerous shadows gave out their quiet assurances, letting the young genin know he had help whenever he needed it. Naruto took in their support gratefully, wholly unused to being able to rely on others. The realization seemed to give him a measure of peace, his shoulders sagging as he relaxed deeper in his bed. His eye fluttered for a moment as he stifled a yawn, seeing this the King signaled to the rest of his kin.

Many soon left as the boy began to fall asleep, leaving only a few shades and the King left behind as they watched over his resting form. Reaching into the shadows beside him, the King pulled out a small cylinder. Looking much like the handle of a sword without the guard, it was quite the unassuming item that he left on the boy's bed.

A gift from me to you, young shade….

Use it well….

The gift slowly sank into the boy's shadow, the telltale glow of his shadow beast's eyes signifying who had pulled it in. Bidding the beasts and his kin farewell, the King left the room. When Naruto was released, he would come back to teach him about what he had gifted him, for now, he'd let him puzzle it out on his own.

Who knows, maybe the boy will surprise him once again?

XxXxXxX

Kurenai had visited him the next morning after his talk with the King. Cheerful crying was not what he expected alongside breakfast that morning, but he was more than happy to spend the morning with the relieved jonin.

He learned more details on the rest of their team, their wounds and recovery times. Though he shared Kurenai's apprehension about Shino's condition, he remained positive. If there was anyone who could live through that, it would be Shino. He had a quiet strength to him, a semblance of something that made him feel as if the quiet boy was going to pull through.

The next afternoon had Kurenai accompanied by the Hokage, the elderly man more than happy to see the awake, if somewhat bored, face of his favorite genin. Though the visit wasn't all merriment and happiness. At the Sandaime's request, Naruto got into his report on the battle at the outpost.

"-I managed to blow up the clone at the end, after that, I got thrown into a wall and knocked out while the building came down and that's all I remember." The genin finished his report as well he could, Kurenai beside him writing it down for the collaborative report she was making with the other genin that had awoken.

The Hokage stroked his goatee in thought as he digested the new information. The rest of team 8 had been neutralized quite soon into the battle with the rogue ninja's clones. They hadn't had much to say about the situation other than the preparations they had done and what they thought of the clones who had taken them out.

"You did well to defeat the clone, Naruto-kun." The leader said, at last, favoring the boy with a proud smile, "Machii is a powerful shinobi, defeating his clone in combat stands a testament to your training since making genin."

Naruto smiled bashfully at the praise, his head turning to the side as a small blush graced his whiskered cheeks. As he scratched his eyepatch in bashful reticence, he missed the change in the demeanor of the Third.

Sharing a glance with the jonin next to him, they both realized something was missing from the boy's report. The mysterious individual who had expertly stabilized the fallen team, likely the one who had pulled them out of the collapsing outpost as well. The aged leader took a few moments to think over the situation, idly wondering over the importance of the information.

On one hand, the description of the disappearing individual indicated that it was likely one of the Shadow clan. There was little doubt in his mind on that. Meanwhile, on the other hand, the individual in question had done a superb job in stabilizing the genin. With them helping the team, the children's chances of survival had shot up dramatically.

There wasn't any pressing need for the boy to tell them, he may not even be able to reveal it as well. Given he was probably unconscious during the rescue, it was unlikely Naruto could tell them anything more than they already could guess at.

Naruto was fidgeting faintly as he looked at his leader and sensei. He wasn't sure about sharing what the King had told him. It would have meant revealing he could revive the dead, bringing back any shinobi to serve him as a shadow soldier.

Such a power would be highly coveted by many people. Many unscrupulous people, who no doubt would gladly try to take advantage of him and his power.

He definitely didn't want that.

The Hokage regarded the boy with a thoughtful look for a few moments, apparently thinking over something. Nodding to himself slightly, he stood up and spoke once more.

"Very well, that's enough for today Naruto-kun. If there's anything you can think of or remember later, feel free to come by my office to report it." He smiled at the boy, waving farewell as he left the hospital room.

Naruto let out a sigh of relief, watching as the old Hokage left his room. A short chat later and Kurenai excused herself as well, deigning to head out to check on the other genin. Left alone once more, the boy thought about what he wanted to work on in the future.

'I need to get faster… I couldn't even react to anything that bastard threw at me.' He reflected on his memories of the vague blur that was Machii, just moments before he was run through by the man's kunai. He couldn't even believe someone could get so fast, Machii was on a whole different level than anyone he had ever seen.

Sighing once more to himself, the boy settled back into his bed and resigned himself to bedrest once more. He was stuck here for several more days, he may as well sleep to make time go by. His eyes closed as the afternoon sun dipped below the horizon, another day coming to an end after the horrible mission gone wrong.

XxXxXxX

There we have my oh so patient readers, the aftermath and results of sorts for Team 8. Life moves on, will Naruto?

He's got some growing to do, but for now, he needs to heal. Next time we'll see him leave the hospital and dive into training, meeting an unlikely friend, and getting his foundation as a shinobi started in earnest.

Look forward to it, won't ya?

The next one will be out in a bit, preferably not as long a wait as this one.

…I hope…

Still sorry about the wait.

Review, if you please and I'll see you guys next time.