Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Thundercats.

A/N

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Chapter 2

"You lack focus!"

"Shut up!"

The twins laughed as their fearless King was once again propelled into the ceiling of the tank as it drove across the mad terrain for the nearest village to get supplies. Two days on the road with Naruto and things were already proving to be a challenge for Lion-O, Tygra, and Cheetara. Panthro and the twins thought that he was hilarious with some of his child-like antics and with his methods of training. Right now he was teaching Lion-O on how to use a sword. Lion-O had agreed to training without the knowledge or when, where, or why they would be training.

The desired spot for training would be an open field or a place that gave you a new grasp of fighting in different terrains. One could learn to fight in a forest just about as easily as they could learn how to fight in a field full of flowers. However, Naruto had decided that training would take place in the back of the ThunderTank as he sped across probably the bumpiest area known to any animal. They hit a rock or a ditch almost every thirty seconds and sometimes with such force that if you weren't strapped down you'd find your heard meeting the ceiling.

Lion-O, of course, fought him over the time and place for this. This was neither the time nor the place to have a training session, but Naruto thought otherwise. Because of the tanks' great speed, random driving skills thanks to Panthro, and the unknown terrain that they were driving across, Lion-O would learn how to fight under the worst circumstances all thanks to this. Naruto knew that just because Panthro had one of these, didn't mean that the enemy didn't have one as well. And all thanks to this, Naruto was eager to teach him how to have a sword fight on or in a moving vehicle. Thankfully Panthro had decided that fighting on the top of the ThunderTank was too dangerous or Naruto would have made that a reality as well.

Rubbing his head, the lion growled deeply as he picked up the wooden sword and looked at the blond fox. Naruto was standing there with a smug expression as the twins laughed loudly as the plight of their leader.

"This is insane. Why are we doing this?"

"Lion-O," Naruto responded slowly, "you need to learn how to fight in any environment that you can think of. If I have to drag you into the sky and make you learn how to fight while falling, I'm going to do it. Learning how to fight in the back of a slow moving object like this or a fast moving object like this. I'm going to make you learn how to fight on or in anything I can think of and you can think of. And if you don't think of if, believe me, I will. I've had years to learn how to fight in things like this."

"When could you have possibly fought or training in something like this?"

"Years ago I-"

"Forget it! I don't wanna know. Let's just get this over-" A bump or something was hit and Lion-O's skull once again met the metal ceiling. The idea that all cats landed on their feet was obviously a lie as he not only banged his head on the ceiling, but he also lost his grip on the wooden sword, and with a sharp pain cutting through his skull, he couldn't land on his feet, instead landing flat on his face.

"Fuck this! Seriously! I'm not training with you anymore!"

Lion-O tossed the wooden sword at him. Naruto just stared it down before they struck yet another bump and launched him into the ceiling again, electing another cry of pain from the lion. The blond shook his head and sighed as he made the training sticks disappear and then sat down beside the two kits.

"It's okay," Kit said. She patted the fox on his back. "You are being a little hard on him. As far as I can tell, he's probably never done this sort of training before. We learned how to fight and survive in slums. You get a good amount of training in those areas."

"That's right," Kat said quickly. "Maybe you should train him on his own terms. That way he'll understand that you're trying to understand him."

"That would make me a lousy teacher," Naruto answered. "I had to learn things the hard way. My teachers were anything but nice. Well… they were nice. But that's not the point. The point is that I can't just give him the information he needs. He needs to earn it himself. It goes against my methods as a teacher."

"You don't strike me as a teacher. You strike me as more of a storyteller." The female twin smiled and began bouncing in her chair. "You got any more stories you can tell us?"

Naruto shook his head and walked towards the front of the contraption. Lion-O gave the fox a hard glare while Tygra looked eager to take a shot at him. Naruto ignored them and leaned against the roof of the tank. "So how much longer are you going to keep going for before you stop for supplies? I know a nice town not too far from here."

"If this thing makes it that far," Tygra snapped. The blond shrugged. "Listen, we're going to be needing supplies soon anyways, Panthro. How about we just test the Book of Omens out now while the others go get the supplies we need. That'll solve all our problems."

"So what you're saying is that you wanna go ahead and break this hell-bound contraption while some of go get supplies for what we need right now, and then go get more supplies for when you break this thing? Is that it? Why not just drive the damn thing all the way to the village and break it there?" Naruto asked.

"Naruto does have a point," the Librarian said softly. Lion-O rolled his eyes. The strange coat-wearing man had made his home on top of the tank and kept writing in his journal or diary or whatever it was. "Sadly, the device we replaced the power source with won't make the trip. It must be replaced soon. We can get the stuff required at the town."

"So we should stop and do what I wanna do before we blow this thing up? Is that what you're saying?" The tiger asked heatedly. Cheetara seemed all for his idea. "You heard the guy, Panthro. Pull over so we can do this and not kill ourselves."

"Death is only another form of freedom," Naruto told him. "You live your life to your best, seeking what you already have: Freedom. Only in death do you ever truly find the freedom you were looking for." Naruto hopped down and looked at the two kittens. They were blinking and giving him cute faces. "I'm not stopping you from coming along. It should be fun."

The tank came to a sudden stop and sent the two kittens falling towards the nearest wall. Naruto grabbed them up before they could hit it and sat them down. Popping the back hatch, Naruto stepped out with the twins following. Cheetara dropped down in front of him, hands on her hips and eyed the two kittens with a brow raised. "Where do you think you're going?"

"The town's not far from here. I'm heading out to get a few things. I thought I made that clear already?"

"No. You honestly didn't."

"Then your ears are sadly plugged. Or my mind is rather dull now. Either way, I need supplies as well. My kunai and shuriken are made by me, but I'm not smith. My talent doesn't compare to the real thing." Cheetara eyed him strangely and then turned her sights back on the kittens. "I'll take care of them. You have my word on that." The twins mowed and purred to get their way. "Don't worry. We'll be back in one piece." He scooped up the kits and placed them on his shoulders as he started for the town.

(-)

They walked into town and the twins instantly went to work after learning that their stolen money from Thundera was no good here. Lion-O tailed after them by ten minutes. Naruto just laughed at the entrance to the place and to how the twins were acting. Kat seemed more focused on trying to steal than anything else. Kit continued to ride on Naruto's shoulder as they passed shop after shop. When Kat came running back to them and took cover behind Naruto, the blond turned and looked at a man with blue skin and black hair. He had a dozen or so sword on his back.

"Can I help you?"

"Yes," he snapped. "That little cat behind you stole something from me. I want it back." The blond fox looked behind himself and snatched the item up from Kat. He gave him an annoyed look and forked the item over to the strange man. "At least you're honorable."

"Honor is for the dead or dying." Naruto waved him off and then looked down at Kat. "What?" He pulled out the item Kat had taken from his sleeves and handed it to him. "Don't get caught. Not a smart move."

Kat checked the bag, which was the item he stole, and found all the money in there still. "How'd you get it back when you handed it to him?"

"I didn't hand him the real thing. Come on. Let's go have some fun while we can before things heat up. I can smell some good soup nearby." The two kittens grinned as Naruto took them into a nearby stand and bought their meals for them. It was twenty minutes later that Lion-O showed up and told them he needed his sword back so he could win some money. Naruto forked it over with a smile. "You're going to lose it here." Lion-O ignored him and departed with his sword.

"Why'd you give him the Sword of Omens back if you think he's going to lose it?" Kat asked.

Naruto slurped up the remains of his soup and said, "Lion-O can't resist a challenge when his ego has been hit. That man you stole from has a history around here. Sort of amazed that he's still here. I came out here five years ago and saw him."

Shrugging, the three finished their meals and paid for them. When they ventured outside, they caught Lion-O cutting down the large stone in the center of town. The blond shook his head while the twins were cheered for the power of the sword.

"How come you didn't do that?" Kit asked curiously.

"Test my sword or break the stone?" She gave him a flat look. "My sword needs no testing. My sword has no reason to be tested anyways. I like believing that my sword is without rival, even if I know full well that there are other swords of greater power than mine. Besides, if I tested it in front of everyone, it would only make me a target for collectors or people who feel that their pride has been hit. I have a good track record of not making enemies right now and I'd like to keep it that way." Naruto pointed towards the animals and said, "Now watch a pro steal, alright?"

This produced a game of theft from the three as they tried to outdo each other. The twins did their best, but Naruto's skills far outshined their own. Before long they had accumulated enough money to take care of what Naruto needed done. He walked into the ugliest looking building the twins had ever seen. The blond began to smile as he approached a rough looking Badger. He threw the bag of money on the counter. The Badger began sniffing and biting it. Once he was sure it was real, he took the order.

"Two hours," the Badger told him.

"Thanks." Naruto produced his sword, the one given to him from Claudus, and said, "Can you sharpen and fix this one for me. It has sentimental value to me."

The Badger nodded and made it disappear. Waving goodbye, they ventured outside where Lion-O was sitting waiting for them. "You lost the sword?"

"I should hit you."

"Told you. This is why you should always listen to your betters. Let me guess; you want one of my swords to win it back?"

"I can beat him."

"Lion-O, you couldn't hit water if you fell out of a boat in the middle of the ocean. What makes you think you can beat a guy that has trained for years to be what he is? You have power, but you lack concentration and are quick to act without thinking things through. So I will not help. Though, if you fail to retrieve the sword through fair means before sundown, I will take the sword back from him and you will never see it again. So I suggest you either steal it through creative means, or win it back. If I get involved, I'm never letting you touch it again."

The blond left with the twins following after him. They didn't bother asking where he was going. He approached the stone in the center of town and ran a hand over it. The twins gave him funny looks as he continued to run a hand over the stone. He looked like he was lost in his own thoughts. When he finally returned from zoning out, he said, "Come. I'm tired and cold. I imagine you are as well." Kit shivered suddenly and nodded for a place to stay.

On their way to a local Inn, Naruto caught sight of Lion-O talking to a rabbit in rags. Whatever they were talking about seemed to be important. After paying the fee for a room, Kit suddenly asked, "Why did you want to find a place?"

"I'm not sticking outside right now when there is nothing to do besides swindling the other animals out of their money or clothes. Besides, would you rather stand outside in the middle of the night when it finally gets cold, go back to the ThunderTank where Cheetara will be all over me wanting me to make her little kittens while Tygra continued to be a dick and Panthro looks at you all funny, or would you rather rest in the comfort of this place?" The two quickly agreed and found a place to make their own.

It was an hour later when Kit asked, "So how come Kurama has so many stories around him? Do Sasuke and Sakura have any stories?"

Thinking about it, Naruto nodded. "Sasuke and Kurama had the most stories. Sakura played a big role in one of the stories where she blossomed in front of her team. Would you like to hear a story about Sakura or Sasuke?"

"How about a story involving all three?" Kat suggested.

Naruto placed a hand on his chin in thought. "I suppose there is a few out there. I'll tell you the story about how Sakura grew stronger to save Sasuke with Kurama, but met a tragic demise." Leaning back, Naruto grabbed his cup of water and swirled it around. "When Sasuke left the village for power, Kurama and Sakura were devastated. They hurt a great deal. Their friends spoke words of encouragement, but they fell on deaf ears. Sakura was never a strong bird in her youth. She was weak, easily frightened, and was the slowest member on the team in terms of speed, whereas Kurama and Sasuke were fast, strong, and swift. They jumped into fights at a moment's notice and were always willing to stand up to the bigger man and fight."

"When she heard that Kurama was leaving the village to train with his master for two and half years, she promised to get stronger for Kurama so that they could work together in retrieving Sasuke. She promised to no longer hold the team back. She felt that it was also her fault that Sasuke left the village for power. Kurama trained in the two and half years to get stronger. When he came back, he was hardly a changed man. He still possessed the same mentality that he did in his youth. Sakura had matured. She had grown smarter. She had learned the art of healing and strength beyond her species. She could break stones the size of houses with her claws alone. She had truly changed and morphed even further into a beautiful creature."

"However, fate wasn't kind to her or Kurama. Their first job when he returned was to save a fellow friend from another village. His name was Gaara, a Tanuki with the power over sand. He had been captured and the village was in an alliance with their village, so they were obligated to help. They were able to get to him and save him, but his powers were taken. Kurama fought against the one that took his power while Sakura fought the other. Her power proved useful enough, but even she needed help in dealing with this foe. They were able to win, but grief stricken, she believed that she hadn't changed at all. Her master said otherwise, but she would not listen. The wounds had already been laid upon her."

"They worsened as time went on. When they were finally able to track down Sasuke and made the attempt to make him see the error of his ways, she could do nothing. Her love still blinded her. For all her strength, it mattered not. She couldn't save the one she loved. Kurama was incapable as well. For all his power, Sasuke proved too hard to save. He would not return to a land where he felt like he was looked down on or not given what was rightfully his."

"Sasuke had grown strong over the years and possessed a new form of strength and speed that neither was prepared for. In a battle between the two and their new team, Sasuke beat them. Sasuke left with his master, Orochimaru, and didn't return to the village. Sakura was so saddened by this that her power began to fade. Her light began to dim. She no longer looked pretty. She wanted to save Sasuke so badly that she would do anything. Eventually, her desire to save him, lead her to drastic measures. She found Sasuke again and pleaded with him to return to the village. He would not. In an attempt to be with the animal she loved, she pledged her loyalty to him and declared that she would leave the village."

"Sasuke was no fool. He knew what she wanted. So he made her take a test. Sasuke had formed a new team, one that had gone with him to slay his older brother that had annihilated their family. They were able to kill his older brother. This woman, who was another Fox, lay dying at his feet. He stabbed her through her chest to kill the weasel that had been the cause of his brothers' betrayal. She had known no other life than fighting and healing. She had been in love with Sasuke as well, but her love was a different kind. Sakura had never taken a life. She hesitated. Sasuke attempted to strike her down. Realizing that he knew what her real game was, she dropped her act and began to darken more. Her team arrived and saved her, but Sasuke declared he would destroy their village for wronging his race."

Naruto stopped and closed his eyes.

"So what happened to Sakura?" Kit finally asked.

Naruto remained silent for several minutes. He answered with, "She died a year later. Her glow and skills began to diminish. Realizing that her true love would not be swayed, she gave up on living. She died as a result. Kurama was the real person who killed her. He used neither a blade nor his superior strength. His words alone killed her. Shortly before her death, Kurama had been sent to find and eliminate Sasuke. The village no longer desired his return. He committed terrible crimes. They sent Kurama. They fought for days before the victor was chosen. Kurama walked back into the village with Sasuke in his arms. He had slain him. He told Sakura and showed her the body. She died shortly after. Her grief caused her death."

"That sounds terrible!" Kat shouted. "How could they order him to kill his friend?"

"The real world isn't pretty. You can live in a utopia, but the real world is evil and twisted. With one hand a King may tell you he is innocent and just. But with the other hand he will order the assassination of someone in his land or distribute females for sexual activities. I'm not saying Claudus did stuff like that. What I'm saying is that the righteous sometimes aren't so righteous. The moral of that story is to move on. A first love that truly holds weight and becomes the one you spend the rest of your life with is good, but it's just a story in the long run. That kind of thing only happens in stories. I'll tell you what. Never put your money on the "good guys" because they have morals they won't break. Always place your bets on the bad guys."

"So you're saying that Mumm-Ra will win this war and get what he wants?" They both shouted at him.

"I'm just telling you from a perspective that I've come to understand. Look at Lion-O for instance. Have you seen kill anyone?" They nodded. Naruto rolled his eyes. "Okay. That was a bad one on my part. But have you seen him spar his enemies for no good reason?" They nodded. "That's what I'm getting at here. The "hero" will never kill unless needed. The "villain" will kill without a second thought. It's sad, but the real world is like that. The villains usually win because the hero refuses to do the right thing and kill his enemies before they come back. That was one of Kurama's problems. He had a chance to kill Sasuke and stop the whole problem before it grew to what it did. But he didn't. He believed he could return him. He paid the ultimate price for it."

The twins mulled his words over until sleep took them. Naruto remained awake for several hours until he caught Lion-O being kicked out of a smiths' shop. The rabbit from before had done it. Deciding to give the lion more time to get his sword back, the blond let sleep take him.

(-)

"Here's your order. I said two hours, by the way."

Naruto smiled apologetically and supplied the badger with more money. He took the items that had been folded up in a thick blanket to a table and began going through them. The two Kittens stared at each item in fear as Naruto showed off his wears like he was trying to sell them.

"What's this?" Kat asked. He was poking a large blade that had only a giant circle for a handle.

Naruto grabbed it up and pointed it at him. "This," he said with utter joy, "is the Fuuma Shuriken." With a twitch of his pinky the thing unfolded into a large shuriken with four blades. Kat jumped back, fearful of the thing as it snapped open and then closed. Naruto put it on his wrist, along with the second one. He made a small knife appeared that had leather tied to the handle with the same ring on the end like the other one, but much smaller this time. "This is a Kunai. Pretty standard for what I used to use back in the day. One of my more favorite weapons of choice."

Kit seemed scared of them and opted to stay well away from the sharp objects that Naruto seemed to enjoy having. He was trying to teach Kat how to twirl them effectively with one finger when Lion-O showed up with the Sword of Omens back in his grasp.

"What are you doing?"

Naruto laughed sheepishly. "Well to be honest, I'm trying to terrify the Kittens because they've never seen these types of weapons before." Naruto pocketed what he need and then rolled the others up in the blanket. The last item he got back was his sword. He checked it over and slowly sheathed it. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," the badger grumbled.

Making the sword disappear, he then snatched Lion-O's sword up and made it vanish as well. Lion-O didn't bother fighting him this time. He learned his lesson it seemed.

"We need to get back the ThunderTank," the Lion told them. The Kittens nodded while Naruto slung the blanket-turned-makeshift backpack on his back and walked out. Lion-O shook his head and followed. Leave it to Naruto to find a new use for everything and anything.

(-)

"What took you four so long?" Panthro growled.

Naruto raised his new weapons and the panther backed off. Lion-O already knew he was in trouble. Naruto was going to tell the others what he'd done and get him in trouble. Lion-O was at least going to take his punishment. Tygra might make another snatch for the sword, though.

"Got lost on the road of life," Naruto answered, offering Lion-O a glance that told him to add on. He missed it. The kittens seemed more interested in the repairs for the tank. "So can we get moving yet?"

Grumbling at how Naruto had taken over without a fight from Lion-O, Tygra snapped at him with, "You don't control us! We are not the same species. The only orders we follow come from Lion-O!"

The blond looked around confused. "Did we miss something," Kat finally blurted out. "All Naruto did was ask a question. No need to go and yell at him." Tygra growled took a threatening step in Kat's direction. Naruto's beaten sword sprang to his hand and he stepped protectively in front of the younger cat.

"I wasn't going to hurt him."

Lion-O snarled and grabbed his brother up. "We don't threaten each other or those who work with us." He gave his brother a shove and jumped up on the tank. "Can we go or not? It's a simple question."

Panthro nodded and took up the controls. Once everyone had boarded and was safely tucked away, Panthro started moving the thing. Naruto remained protectively beside Kat incase Tygra tried something again. Naruto doubted he would, much like the ThunderCats leader did, but it never hurt to make sure.

(-)

WilyKit blinked and watched Lion-O train with Naruto. Lion-O was being forced to make Naruto move from his circle. It proved rather difficult since Naruto not only had greater skills, training, and faster reactions than the Lord of the ThunderCats, he seemed to enjoy bending all the rules. Never once did he step out, but he leaned back far enough to avoid strikes that might have been considered him "out" of the ring.

Lion-O swung with his all his might. Naruto snapped his sword up and parried the strike. The Sword of Omens was knocked from his hands and sent sailing into the air. Naruto snatched the sword out of the air and put it away.

"You still swing this like a club," he told him. Lion-O growled at him. Naruto pointed his sword at him and shook his head at him. "Never swing your sword in anger. A sword is to be used to protect people. Always remember that. As are all weapons."

The Lion said nothing as he went out to find something to eat from the forest. Naruto watched him go while scratching the back of his head. He felt like a hypocrite saying that. Hadn't his finally moments been spent swinging something in anger? He was pretty sure it had been. Madara had captured him after killing off most of his friends and Naruto was pretty sure that he had just decided to go down swinging, though that had been a bit cloudy since his mind was so filled with rage that he couldn't even hear Kurama's voice of reasoning.

The blond put up his own sword and inhaled deeply. Something's were better off learned the hard way.

"You really do know how to knock him down." Tygra put his hands on his hips, smiling at the fox. "So why do you bother teaching him how to use the sword if you don't find him worthy?"

"I do find him worthy. It's now just a matter of wanting to make sure he doesn't fuck up with it. A sword can live or die just as anyone else can." Tygra looked confused but didn't push for more. Naruto looked off in to the distance. I don't approve of him. Not yet anyways.

(-)

The entire thing stunk. Lion-O was too busy grumbling to himself about their misfortune to see the twins head off into the forest with Cheetara and Naruto.

The tank broke down. They no longer had an easy form of transportation. Panthro wasn't about to leave his baby behind and Lion-O didn't have it in him to just up and leave the thing either. It was their home and mode of transportation. They'd already crossed a great number of places where shelter was scarce. No one wanted to argue about leaving it either as well. Naruto did, but that was for his own amusement, which Panthro had taken complete offense to.

So since they were broke down, Naruto had decided to go hunting for food. Tygra had decided to stay around the tank and try to help while Lion-O went to get firewood, grumbling the whole way as he did. Cheetara had at first wanted to stick around the tank as well, but when the twins decided that they wanted to go with Naruto on his little hunting trip, she decided to follow. For the kittens' safety, of course.

No said anything as they ventured through the strange forest in search of food. Occasionally, Cheetara would vanish and move ahead of them, only to turn around and get lost. The only reason she could find them when this happened was because of Kit. Every so often Cheetara would find her lagging behind just enough so that she could still find the others.

After ten hours Naruto decided to call it quits and return to base. No matter the distance they put between themselves and the tank, the trip didn't seem to take that long in getting back. The twins complained about being hungry, but that was to be expected. Once they got back they were greeted with even worst news.

"We can't sleep inside the thing," Tygra said sharply. Naruto shrugged. He didn't care in the slightest. The thing was a hellish contraption to him. He didn't like it. "The inside is smoked out. And worst news is that it's going to rain soon."

"So no shelter?" The twins shouted. "We'll freeze to death."

"No we won't," Lion-O told them. They didn't seem believing. Cheetara was nice enough to take over by calming their fears while Lion-O turned to Panthro. "How long until you can get the tank fixed? What kind of damage are we looking at?"

"The engine is old and worn out. The gears inside it are even older, I think. They have a lot of rust on them and they haven't been properly oiled either. I'm going to have to patch the thing up like a leaky ship so we can get it moving again. But that might take a while. We might be here for a good long while."

"And the nearest town is miles away," Tygra added. "Too long for us to make a trip there and back with parts and too dangerous… No Cat has been this far out. You said you've never been here, right, Panthro?"

"I never did come through this area." The panther looked around and then shook his head. "I'm going to get to work on fixing the tank. Hopefully I can get it back in working order so we can get to the next town. Otherwise, we're stuck. And I'm not leaving my baby behind."

"No one said you were going to or had to." Lion-O looked at his brother for a moment and then to the small camp. The fire was burning brightly while everyone but Kit tried to get to sleep. She was playing her flupe. "Things aren't looking up for us, are they?" Tygra nodded sadly. "No transportation. Nothing to eat. And no shelter. If the rain actually stopped, it might be bearable."

Decided to call it a night, the two brothers found the comfiest place to rest that was out of the rain. Naruto remained awake for several hours before sleep finally took him. Librarian didn't sleep. He wondered off to catalog the new plants that had appeared. Had he stayed at the camp he would have been treated to an interesting sight as little creatures worked their magic erect a small shelter over the tank and the sleeping animals. Naruto didn't wake through the whole thing.

When morning came, confusion followed. It was still raining, but the shelter had made them believe it had stopped. No one spoke up on making it, which meant that another party had done it for them. When the issue of food was brought up by the twins they found several baskets of candy fruit. Naruto opted to not eat it under the guise that he wasn't hungry. His stomach almost betrayed him, but they could tell he was lying. The twins tried and failed to get him to eat. He only smiled at them and went back to resting in the tree.

A plan was hatched to catch whatever it was that was aiding them. Naruto thought it was the stupidest thing ever his guardian thought it was the most brilliant thing ever. It was clear that he only wanted to record whatever it was that was aiding them. No doubt for some kind of weird experimentation. He sort of came off as the weird scientist to them.

It was near two in the morning when they showed up. Naruto had been expecting other Cats while the others were thinking something else. What came out to help them was probably the cutest thing Naruto had ever laid eyes on. They were small, robotic, bears covered with fear in some areas. They rolled around and turned into balls as a form of moving fast. The strange creatures jumped up on the tank and started taking it apart. They worked mostly with the engine.

Panthro saw enough and charged in against Lion-O's orders.

"What are you furry freaks doing to my tank?"

The small robotic bears jumped at the sound of his voice and made a mad dash for the forest. Panthro snagged one of them before it could safely get away. It was a brown colored one. "Put me down!" It ordered in a deep, cracking voice. It flailed around and tried every means it could think of to escape as everyone eyed it and tried to figure out what it was. "Put me down!"

"What is it?" Cheetara asked.

Panthro listened to the little thing and sat it down, though he kept his hand on its head just in case. "Ro-Bear Bill," it answered. "A Ro-Bear Berbil."

"What did he say?" Tygra looked right at the Librarian.

"He said his name is Ro-Bear Bill and he's a Ro-Bear Berbil." He answered while writing. "Truly interesting. This thing is animal and machine with most of it being animal."

"So we can't eat it?" Naruto joked.

"I'm afraid not. Unless you can digest metal, that is."

"I probably could. But I'm not too keen on trying right now. So why are you here?"

"Nice to meet you Ro-Bear Bill!" WilyKit shouted in a hyper voice. She was eating more of the candy fruit. "I'm WilyKit and this is WilyKat! And where the…." She couldn't stop eating for that long and started chomping down on the thing again.

"ThunderCats," the robot bear finished with a guess. "Berbils help ThunderCats."

Naruto scratched his head and looked at the General. He wasn't paying any attention to Naruto. No one seemed to pay him any attention when more of the little things showed up and started working on the tank. It wasn't five minutes later the little guys had the tank working. Panthro was little put off by how well they managed to work and what they were able to do.

Once the tank was back in minor working order, the Berbils lead them towards the village. It was at this very moment that the Librarian stopped Naruto and pulled him back. "We'll be there in a minute," Naruto told them. The others wondered off, following the small robot bears. "Is there any chance that…"

"No," he said suddenly. "Madara-sama did not create them. I would have known about them."

"Funny. I seem to recall you saying that when we were sealed in the chamber that you lost complete contact with him. Anything he did while I was turned to stone or while you were trapped in there wouldn't be known. Then again, he was an idiot." Librarian snorted, his form of showing anger. "Get as angry as you want, but you know I will never see him the way you do. Madara was a man of pure evil that sought only control. You can deny it all you want, but deep down, I think you know that he was a truly evil man."

"Evil is only in the eye of the beholder. Though, I'm not going to argue philosophy with you. But he couldn't have created them. He lost power over the Illusion two hundred years for the Great Impact."

That was what he called the arrival of the animals on the planet. He never found the impact zone, but the crash and the resulting quake was felt even where they were at the time. Naruto was still stuck in stone, but the Librarian wasn't. He felt it, over analyzed it, and then just gave up trying to figure out where it was, what it was, and why it hit the planet. Being stuck in the cave really put a dam on the river of curiosity he had though. Naruto doubted that the mystery would really ever be solved. Just knowing that it was a ship once used by their current enemy didn't seem to satisfy him enough. That sated him for now.

The two went their separate ways for several hours. It was Lion-O that found him when dusk was setting in. Naruto had found a nice spot in the trees to watch the sun set. Lion-O simply stared ahead for several minutes before he finally said, "They were attacked by bandits. Ro-Bear Bill was hurt and might not make it. His family was captured as well. We're going to help them… I need the Sword of Omens back."

Naruto continued to look out at the setting sun. The clouds were orange and wavering like they were aflame. Lion-O waited ten minutes before getting an answer. "How are you going to help them?"

"We're going to go get his family back."

Naruto waited for him to finish.

"So can I have my sword back?"

The blond shook his head. He didn't despise him for not thinking this through. He would have as well in his youth. "Sure," he finally answered. Producing the sword, he tossed it at him and then stood up. The Librarian arrived without a sound and motioned for him to come over. "I have a few things to go take care of."

Lion-O nodded happily before trotting off.

"So what's up?"

"An artifact is here."

The blond blinked. That couldn't explain a few things. How could the Ro-Bears even exist if they weren't here when he slept? Did someone build them? Why? But the real question was if they were built: where were the people that did build them.

"So which one is it?"

"There are about five of them, probably six. Two of them are in the village, I found them, but the bears might be a little uneasy about me taking them. I'd like you there to aid me if they need to be stolen."

The former Jinchuuriki rolled his eyes. He could provide enough logic to a deaf man to make him believe he wasn't deaf. So what if he stole it, he could talk his way out of it. Unless this was something that required a smaller person's touch, then of course Naruto would be the first and only choice unless they could somehow talk Kit or Kat into doing it for them.

Motioning for him to lead the way, the blond soon was in step with his caretaker. The Ro-Bears greeted them with a hyper Kit and Kat screaming at his heels and showing him their candy fruit. The blond smiled and ruffled their hair as he was lead into a dimly lit chamber. A few of the Ro-Bears were huddled around a few of the terminals.

The Librarian explained what the object he was looking for was. While this was going on, Kit and Kat tried to tempt him with some of their sweets. Naruto declined and then when he got the go ahead to take the item, Naruto removed the object and tossed it to the Librarian. The other one wasn't as easy to part with. The first one was taken easily because it was "Dead" as they called it. Naruto couldn't tell. They all looked alike to him.

"This one is dangerous," he reasoned heatedly.

Naruto looked to the one in the briefcase. Naruto wasn't a man of science, but the two items created life and death. It was a means of regulating the illusion, but from what the Librarian understood it was a failed project and killed thousands in an instant while creating billions in the illusion just as quickly as the reaping one took effect. It was basically creating a numbers game where the one that gave life was creating too many too fast and the one that stomped life out couldn't kill them fast enough, thus "overloading" the illusion.

The Librarian finally had enough and removed it without word or care. The Ro-Bears began to panic and tried to get it back. When Panthro arrived, the blond snapped. "It's not safe," Naruto exploded. "These things are more dangerous than you'd understand. We can compensate you for this, but this is going whether you like it or not." They continued to fight and try to take it back.

It was stuffed inside the case.

Panthro ran a hand over his head and said, "I think they use them as a means of powering this place."

"No," one of them said sharply. "Our dead go to it. When the time comes, they come here and sleep the sleep of eternity."

"But it's an evil artifact. It has the power to kill in the real world. It must be taken. I'm sorry."

"The artifact is stable and holds our deceased."

Panthro could understand now that there was going to be a more serious problem than what might actually be lead to believe. It was like desecrating graves. While it wasn't something Panthro was proud of, he'd take the thing away from them as well if it meant protecting the furry little creatures.

The blond walked outside and waited. A theological debate wasn't his forte. No matter how old and powerful he got, he never grew beyond the idiot blond that had grown up not knowing much. He was still an idiot, didn't know what to say when the situation was spiraling out of control, and he certainly didn't understand politics. It was all a game of words he couldn't do.

A few minutes later the twins sat down beside him and looked out ahead over the forest. They had calmed down and were suffering from the crash of not having sugar in their system. Both looked ready to pass out. WilyKit was leaning on his shoulder while her brother had his head resting on Naruto's knee.

Ten minutes later produced Panthro and Librarian. Both looked ragged over whatever the Ro-Bears talks about the artifacts. Obviously they were taken and things were smoothed out, or the situation might have been worse.

"We need to go find the other artifacts that are in the area," his caretaker told him.

Naruto nodded without really paying attention. His focus was on the twins. He was happy that they trusted him enough to rest on. The others probably didn't trust him as far as they could throw him. Well perhaps Panthro trusted him. He kind of had to.

"Let's go get the other artifacts."

Creating a clone, he swapped with it and smiled down on them. Panthro just blinked once and accepted it. Naruto wasn't the first person he'd seen with magically abilities, and he doubted he'd be the last.

Leaving his clone to watch over the twins and make sure that Panthro didn't lose his mind and break the little bears, Naruto and the Librarian departed into the east. The Librarian went on about the plant life and how the creation of the Ro-Bears might have been influenced by the artifacts, or something else entirely man made. Naruto didn't pay enough attention to care. His mind was focused on Lion-O and his simple idea of rescuing Bill's family. Even though Ro-Bear Bill had been saved, his family was still in danger. These creatures were in danger. Naruto knew how he would have approached this, how he still might approach it if they came back. Lion-O wanted to walk the path of least amounted bloodshed.

Claude's had been the same to some extent. He wanted to fix things without bloodshed, but more often than not, bloodshed was unavoidable. When talks failed, and it was usually by his own sense of pride and ambition, bloodshed was the only answer.

If those animals came back, the only solution would be to fight. But fighting without killing would only go one way: Lion-O's way. He wouldn't want his enemies dead if he saw that they could be reasoned with. Naruto would have done the same thing-was even tempted to doing the same thing.

But the world doesn't work that way, he thought sadly. Time and time again, I've seen it. Claude's tried to fight things without words, but he was bad with them, just like me. So when words fail, fighting is the only solution. The world hasn't changed, even if humans are gone, our successors are no different. They found the first artifact. Naruto turned his gaze towards the west and closed his eyes. They'll come back with more numbers. It's only a matter of time before they return, and when they come back, so will the person that took Bill's family. He'll have to have reinforcements with him to stand a chance against the ThunderCats. With Panthro here, I might not have to fight to kill. I can just sit it out and watch.

"You're over thinking this."

Naruto smiled as a familiar scent hit him. It was the scent of blood. Enhanced senses were the greatest thing, but also the greatest of weakness.

"Lion-O will not fight to kill. That is a given." Clutching the artifact, the lime-green relic shimmered like burning fire. "Naruto, we both know that you will be forced to fight. Claude's would kill anything that threatened him. Lion-O won't. So the choice will be yours in the end. I will only protect you because it is my job should Madara-sama return to use you again."

"Don't mention his name around me. Call him as you were before. That name sickens me."

Naruto shoved passed him and kept walking. The world truly hadn't changed. For all of Madara's divine power, he had failed in the long run. His never ending Genjutsu was a bust. It worked, but only for so long. When it finally died, so too did the rest of the world. Their minds had been baked, fried, destroyed without the support of the illusion. Naruto, and the other Jinchuuriki, had all been trapped in stone, frozen in time. Naruto was the last of his kind and the first of all Fox kind on this world. He arose first, but others came with the ship that crashed here. He was still the first and last of his kind.

Rounding up the remaining artifacts was easy. There were only five in total that were still active of the seven that were officially in the area. The other one was too far out for Naruto's liking. He didn't want to leave the village as they had already gone out about eighty kilometers and had been gone for well over two days. Naruto's clone hadn't been destroyed by anything so that meant that it was still active.

Once they returned to the village they were greeted with the twins eating candy and being hyper and Panthro going over some modifications to his tank. Lion-O had yet to return with Cheetara and Tygra.

The clone left when they arrived and Naruto was filled in on funny memories of what took place. Kit lost in a challenge of eating sweets and constant complaints from Panthro as the tank was upgraded from an old piece of crap to a new, more powerful, beast of a machine. Naruto doubted that the new thing was going to stay new if they stayed here for much longer.

It was four days later that Lion-O returned with Ro-Bear Bill's family.

"They'll be back," Lion-O told everyone.

"Yeah and we can't stay and protect them from these guys!" Tygra pointed out heatedly. "These little bears can't defend themselves by fighting. They'll just get captured again."

"True," Panthro said smugly. "They may not know how to fight, but they do know how to build."

The Librarian and Naruto stuck to listening as battle plans were drawn up. Nothing lethal was going to be used, much to the dismay of Panthro. He was a General through and through. Why use nonlethal when you knew that the enemies would return? He was a realist.

It was days later when the work was finished. Naruto, during this time, spent a good majority of it with the twins. They helped in creating some of the stuff, opting to use the Candy Fruit has a form of projectiles, though Naruto had opted to teach them some self-defense in case they were cornered. Panthro had wanted rocks for their mounted weapons instead of it, but he understood that if the candy was hard enough or the enemies were soft enough, the projectiles could kill if they hit the right area. What few interactions Naruto or the Librarian had with the others were anything but sweet.

Naruto stuck with Panthro on the lethal side of things while his caretaker opted only for information and study of whatever it was that was coming. Alive or dead made no difference to him as long as he could study whatever they were. And from what Lion-O said they were mostly large creatures that when described by Tygra and Cheetara made Naruto think that humans still existed, only that they had de-evolved somehow. His caretaker also had believed this. The others were dog or pig tips. They fit the description at least.

Eight days later the work was completed and the enemy appeared eighteen miles out heading this way. Naruto had sent clones to scout only. Lion-O might yet correct himself or the enemy might not be as determined as he believed. In either case, the blond could feel his swords shaking in their sheaths at the prospect of feasting on blood. His old battle senses were coming back like a living thing. They'd already remembered how to scout and how to fight battle where victory was assured, now a miniature battle was forming and those senses were coming back as well.

Patience, he told himself, I won't act unless there is a need for it.

The sound of gravel under foot made his ears twitch, but his nose already knew who was behind him. "Do you think my brother is in the right on this?"

The former Jinchuuriki turned slowly, his arms crossed. With all three swords visible on his form, two on his left hip and a third on his back, he looked more menacing than he had prior. Tygra held a sense of pride when he looked at him now. Naruto no longer looked like a story teller, but a warrior who was steeped in the blood of others.

"I didn't hear you voice against him." Naruto turned back to the setting sun. The sky looked ablaze. It was rather beautiful. Almost poetic for a blood bath. "I won't take a side in this. A part of him wants to believe that Lion-O is right and that I'm wrong. But the practical side can see that he's wrong. It's not wrong to believe that violence is always the answer. Words can work as well. Sometimes the threat of violence alone is enough of a deterrent to prevent another battle."

"So you think if we show enough force here without killing them, they'll back off?"

"I don't know. It depends entirely on your performance and who their leader is. If you were leading an operation against us and saw that we were fighting only to drive you back with a defense like this, but without killing, would you want to come back for fear of them turning things lethal even if they may never do it?"

"I'd rather scout the place first. But… if we're looking from a bandit point of view: I'd return. They never know when to quit."

The blond envisioned the Akatsuki for a moment. "Yes. I suppose you're right. Do what you want. If things get bad and I think they'll try something funny, I'll take care of it. No point in staining your hands tonight if it can be avoided."

"Trying to keep us pure or something?"

"Do you enjoy killing?"

"No."

"Do you fight for the sake of fighting or to prove your strength to another?"

"Somewhat…"

"Then you shouldn't kill. Only those who are ready to be killed are people that should kill. Are you ready to die?"

Tygra shook his head slowly.

"Then I'll take care of things if it goes that far. I have no qualms about dying. It would be a blessing, but I suppose I'm stupid. I want to go down swinging, not sitting around doing nothing. I really am no different from Kurama." He smiled brightly. "Such a poor soul… He was stuck in the cycle of hatred. Do you know about the cycle?" Naruto turned back to the setting sun. "I doubt you do. The cycle works like this. You kill someone and are labeled as a murderer, but their family comes back and kills you for murdering their loved one out of hatred. Friends and family feel angered by your loss, even if it might have been justified, or you actions justified, and take up arms against your killer. Before long you have two sides that won't see eye-to-eye and will kill each other over something that might have been accidents or an act of defending oneself."

"So he died to the cycle of hatred?"

"To an extent… I told you that only because you don't seem to be the type to understand something like that the first time you hear it. You're smart, powerful, and brave… A natural leader… But you lack a great deal of patience. That much I can see in you. I see myself in you. I don't like waiting around." Naruto gripped his swords and looked back towards the small village. "They're coming. I'd get into position if I were you. And don't fight with hatred in your heart. You'll only end up making things worse."

Tygra gave him a curious stare before departing.

Naruto watched him go and then drew the blade he'd forged on his own. It was slung across his back. As much as he hated the idea of staining any of his swords, this would have to do. He was only lucky in the fact that his clothing was dark. It would hide the blood, but not the scent. A lake was close by. If he did end up killing them, he could easily race towards it and wash up just to ensure that no one knew what he'd done.

"We're outgunned and outnumbered," the Librarian said while slinking from the shadows.

Smiling, Naruto's scalar shimmered red. "Yeah… They don't stand a chance." Turning slowly, the blond grabbed his own creation and slowly drew it from its scabbard. "So, you helping me?"

"My orders are to ensure your survival for further use."

"So is that a yes?"

"It depends on your situation and nothing more."

"So that's a yes." Naruto looked over the edge of the ravine and smiled as he saw the passing bandits fanning out. Dropped down and crushing one, most of them turned to face him while others kept going unaware of what was going on. "If you turn around and leave I won't have to kill you. So leave now or die by my blade."

The animals looked to their leader only to find him gone. He was ahead with the rest of their pack getting ready to assault the Ro-Bears' village.

"You've got ten seconds. Then I'm just going to start killing you. Make your choice because I won't stop until I'm walking over your broken bodies."

Like a magic word had been said they charged him in mass.

"Fine… I gave you your chance. Let no one forget that."

And like a switch Naruto began killing.

(-)

Lion-O was the first to sense something was wrong after their battle was over. The Librarian and Naruto weren't present. He hadn't seen them at all during the fight. Plus the size was too small for what he'd seen at the auction place. There had been dozens upon dozens of animals lined up to buy them as slaves and yet only half a dozen or maybe more showed up. They expressed complete confusion during the battle, some even turning back and looking for something else.

With the twins too hyped up on their sugary sweets to be reasoned with, they were left in the protection of the Ro-Bears and tricked into defending them in the likely case that more of the bandits returned for a second attack. Hyped up on sugar they agreed without question.

"He was over here when I found him," Tygra said, pointing towards the ravine's cliffs. Not a moment later he stopped and backed up a step. "Blood… Lots of it."

Gripping their weapons of choice they reached the crest of the cliff and looked down onto a sight of pure gruesomeness. Blood and bodies littered the area. For Panthro his mind was set to what true combat had looked like during a war. The realistic nature of war in its totality. Bodies strewn everywhere with their guts spilling out onto the landscape and pools of blood that would stain the grass red for months to come. The air would stink for months until the rotting flesh would be covered by the grass and dirt, concealing this area until others tried farming or building something here.

But for the others it was a sight of pure horror. The blood of a dozen different animals mixed together. Some looked surprised while others looked mortified as if they had been killed while in shock to the world around them. Some appeared to have been at peace while others looked like they had begged for mercy. It was sight and smell that no one would forget. Tygra was impressed by only one thing: the location. It was perfect, out of sight, and easily capable of being concealed from the watchful eyes of others. Naruto, for all his weird acts and stories, was very smart in choosing his locations to do battle.

At the center of the mess of blood and guts stood Naruto; his eyes drawn only to the sword that had done the slaying. He appeared mesmerized by the sword. There was no telling how long he had been doing it, only that he was doing it now and seemed more interested in it than the blood he now wore. He paid it no mind, perhaps thinking of it as a smelly rain when on a farm.

"Did you…?" Lion-O stopped and looked at him. There was no point in asking. He had his answer. Naruto slaughtered them all. Why bother asking when the evidence was right in front of him. "Why did you slaughter them?"

The blond continued to stare at the sword. No longer did he seem mesmerized, instead now looking rather happy at the coating of blood that was covered it. Several minutes passed in silence until Lion-O couldn't take it and moved towards him with his sword in hand.

"Answer me!" The lion held the sword above his head ready to swing.

"You were outgunned and outnumbered." Naruto turned slowly. Blood was splashed against his face. Tygra backed up a step. The fox looked ready to kill some more. His eyes had a dark gleam to them. "The animals committed a crime I can't forgive. None of the Ro-Bears would have been safe when we left."

"You don't know that!"

Naruto turned and reached into the pile of corpses to drag out the leader. He was a mass of cuts and bruises, but still alive. "Lie and you die. Tell the truth and you live," the blond told him. "Were you going to come back with another force?"

"No…!"

Naruto drove his sword through his chest. He howled and then died. Naruto tossed the body aside. A piece of Lion-O looked dead as he watched the body hit the ground.

Cleaning the blood off the sword, the blond fox bit his lip before saying, "Look, I'm not going to say I don't respect your choice, because I do respect it, but you need to open your eyes before it's too late."

"You don't know that he was lying!"

"Lying or not, it makes little difference."

"It makes all the difference!" Lion-O swung the sword at the blond. Naruto caught it and made it vanish from his grasp. "He wasn't going to come back. Do you think that I'm a poor judge of character? He gave me his word that he wouldn't return."

Panthro coughed, getting their attention. "I'm not going to undermine you, Lion-O, but I have spent many years as a general and I can tell you this: No one ever admits to what they will or will not do. Getting rid of the threat is something we have to do. Do you expect to fight Mumm-Ra in the same fashion?"

"No! I intend to unite all the animals of Third Earth and beat him! It's my job, as King of Thundera, holder of the Sword of Omens, to destroy him. It's my destiny! No one else is capable of doing this. It's all on me."

"You think you can't make mistakes?!" Cheetara asked carefully, almost shocked. The lion faced her fully, his eyes wide with fear. She'd never talked down to him. Reasoned with, sure, but never down on him. Tygra looked smug at hearing that. "The choices you make could get yourself and everyone here killed. But I do believe in you. I'm sure we all do. But you don't have to do this on your own."

"You can't save the world on your own, Lion-O. You're not a one cat army." Tygra growled and sat down on one of the boulders. "And even if raised an army, Mumm-Ra has more power than what we can imagine. That much is clear. He controls the Lizards. There's no telling if he controls others as well."

"We can turn them against him. I'm sure we can."

Naruto turned and started walking.

"Give me my sword back, Naruto!"

"No." Naruto took three more steps then growled as he turned around. "You're an idiot. Plain and simple. You're a goddamn moron. Do you really believe that just because you have the sword and are a king that you suddenly have the weight of the world on your shoulders alone? Claude's turned to others for help when he was lost or in need of aid. You can do the same. You don't have to take the weight of the world purely on your shoulders. This is the worlds' problem. Not just yours. Same with this village. They have enemies that will try to take them out and turn them into slaves for their own use. What if Mumm-Ra came here to take them? Do you think a few non-lethal weapons will best him? With what you said he won't be stopped like that. They need to learn to defend themselves with lethality. Now with this guy out of the way, do you think they're going to be pestered by him anymore? No. He's dead. I dealt with him. Now let's move on."

Naruto departed with a snort and washed himself when he reached the lake. He doubted they'd want to talk to him for a while anyways. As long as he had the sword Lion-O wouldn't just leave without him. The real problem would be whether the others could accept him. Panthro would stick by his side. Naruto didn't get a feel from the others, but he doubted they felt the same way. Naruto slaughtered those poor animals either way.

Looking down at his hands, he closed his eyes and fought off the memory of the death storm he kicked up. A piece of his mind was thrilled at what he'd done, while another part was revolted. He hadn't spared any of them. There were those that tried to run once it started, but he just killed them all and soon started enjoying it. Like an animal enthralled in the kill of the weak and slaughtered them all.

Punching his reflection in the water, he sighed in defeat and decided to finish up and head back to the others. Time would tell if they could forgive him or understand what he did.