Fate/9th Destiny: Chapter 5

I do not own Naruto or Fate/Stay Night. Those belong to their respective creators and not me. I am only writing this for fun and not for profit. If you have enjoyed my story thus far then please continue to enjoy. If you do not like the story then by this point, why are you reading it? For those that enjoy, please leave comments and reviews.

Fate/9th Destiny

By Ten-Faced Paladin

Chapter 5: Game Start

Yugakure - Hotel

Jiraiya sat back, his mind processing what he had been told by Archer, his new...Servant. They had come back to town and didn’t have any major incident. Although plenty of ladies were drawn to the man like flies to honey. Jiraiya mentally noted that he’d have to bring Archer along as a wingman during some of his pub crawls. They’d be crawling in the babes! In any case, they got back to the hotel room and Jiraiya threw up some privacy seals and he began talking to Archer to try and get some insight into what the heck was going on.

Archer didn’t hold anything back.

“So,” Jiraiya began after the longest time of being quiet (for him). “This Holy Grail War is a battle between selected Servants which are in fact entities called Heroic Spirits and the last ones standing get a wish for anything they want.”

“Yes,” Archer nodded.

“Hm,” Jiraiya frowned. As a ninja, his bread and butter was working on deception and misdirection. Even if he had to fight for it, the entire ‘wish for anything he wanted’ was kind of farfetched for him. “That aside, Servants are in fact the reincarnated souls of legendary heroes brought back to Earth because of the summoning.”

“Again, correct,” Archer nodded.

That made Jiraiya concerned. It wasn’t impossible to revive the dead, but doing that usually cost something like a human sacrifice and it didn’t exactly work entirely as one would want. The fact Jiraiya did it with just some words and a bunch of chickens had implications that he did not like. If Orochimaru found out then he’d be trying to go for an army of legends to fight with.

“Okay, so anyone who summons has to take part,” Jiraiya frowned. “Can any group just summon as many Servants as they want?”

“Groups?” Archer frowned, finally showing something besides his calm visage. “Master, you will have to elaborate.”

“Right,” the pervert nodded. “Okay, intel I’ve been getting have been saying that all of the major ninja villages have been doing this summoning business and it’s been working out pretty well. So far they’ve been getting teams of these Servants.”

“Entire teams?” asked Archer. “As in more than one? How many of these villages exist?”

“Plenty more than one,” Jiraiya nodded. “And there are plenty of ninja villages although the major ones seem to be having the majority of the success.”

“I see,” Archer nodded, growing contemplative. “And the villages which have been successful in their summonings, is there something that each of them have in common? Some source of power which they can tap into? Summoning Servants may be easy, but it is intensive. To be able to summon multiple Servants requires a lot of energy.”

Jiraiya contemplated it for a moment before it hit him like a ton of bricks, “They all have Jinchuriki…”

“Jin…” Archer began, but then it seemed to come to him. “Ah, yes. The hosts of the Tailed Beasts. That power would be enough to summon multiple Servants. How many Servants have been summoned by these villages?”

“At the most, seven,” Jiraiya replied. Archer grew contemplative again, “You know something?”

“When I was summoned, the Grail grants me knowledge so that I am not left adrift in an era so different from mine,” Archer explained. “I am also by necessity given knowledge about the Holy Grail and the Holy Grail War. Although the deep mechanics of this ritual are not made known to me, I am able to discern much from the knowledge that I do have.”

“This is all new territory to me so lay it on me,” Jiraiya shrugged.

“A Holy Grail War is meant to be fought between seven individuals, each with one Servant. Saber, Archer, Lancer, Rider, Caster, Berserker, and Assassin,” Archer explained. “You mentioned before that the first leader of your village fought in a Holy Grail War?”

“It was in his memoirs,” Jiraiya nodded.

“And how was that battle fought?”

“Between clans,” Jiraiya scratched his head. “If I remember right, the clans all had teams of Servants going for each of them.”

“I see,” Archer nodded. “Then I suspect that at some point in the past a failsafe for the Grail was activated.”

“Failsafe?” asked Jiraiya.

“A way to ensure that the competition is fair and keep too many people from allying together to try and keep the Grail for themselves. It would transform the war into a faction conflict,” Archer explained. “I assume this previous Grail War was fought between the most powerful clans?”

“Uchiha, Senju, a few others. More than a few,” Jiraiya nodded, growing grim. “The most powerful clans if I remember right. The kinds which had a powerful Kekkei Genkai.”

“So then you have your answer,” Archer nodded. “Rather than clans, the villages with the most powerful sources of prana have been selected to do battle for the Holy Grail.”

“Which is essentially sparking off another ninja war,” Jiraiya growled. And Naruto was smack dab in the middle of it since he went and summoned Saber. ‘You had better keep your head down and not do anything stupid kid. Kushina and Minato would never forgive me if you got yourself killed!”

(LINE BREAK)

Konoha - Forest

“Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh! Getitoff! Getitoff!”

The forest was alive with the sounds of Naruto screaming as he was getting his face mauled by a simple housecat. It was brown with lighter stripes and a red ribbon on its ear. Naruto had it trapped it in his grasp but it was still close enough to give his face the scratching of a lifetime while he struggled with getting the beast away.

His teammates were in a position to help him, but they didn’t. Sakura couldn’t help but giggle at the sight of the cat bringing their teammate to the ground. Sasuke looked like he couldn’t have cared less as he pressed a button on a radio attached to his ear, “We caught it.”

“Make sure it’s the right cat. It’s brown with lighter brown stripes. It wears a red ribbon with its name written on it,” Kakashi’s voice replied from the other end of the radio.

Sasuke glanced over where Naruto screamed bloody murder as the cat continued to try and get him to let it go. His eyes landed on the cat’s ribbon where stitched into it was the word Tora. Confirming it, Sasuke spoke into the radio again, “It’s the target.”

“Okay. Mission: Finding Tora is complete. Meet me at the rendezvous point,” Kakashi ordered.

“Copy that,” Sasuke nodded. Ending the call, he looked to see Naruto still struggling with the little monster. “Quit fooling around would you? I want to get this done. So let’s go.”

“Coming Sasuke-kun!” Sakura chirped, running to follow her crush.

“OW! OW! Hey wait for me!” Naruto cried, still being mauled by Tora as he tried to follow. “OW! YOU STUPID CAT!”

The newly minted Team 7 had been doing such missions for some time ever since they passed Kakashi’s test. Rather than the exciting missions like guarding princesses or fighting warlords like every academy student dreamed of doing, the three Genin ended up doing things like weeding gardens, painting fences, and babysitting kids. It was aggravating to the three since it wasn’t anything like they were hoping it to be. For Naruto, he was itching for the exciting missions which he could show how awesome he was. For Sasuke, he was annoyed that he wasn’t getting the teaching that he wanted to get stronger with. For Sakura, she was being kept so busy by the missions she wasn’t getting any time to try and get closer to Sasuke. It aggravated the three to no end. Catching a cat was just the worst mission they received yet since the house pet had fought with them the whole time in an effort to get away. It didn’t stop until they reached the mission office where the client was waiting.

The missions assignment office was a simple office where the missions were filed and passed out to the appropriate teams. Some of them were team specific, and held off until that team arrived. Others were given out on a first come first serve basis. The office guys filed the paperwork and the Hokage even helped hand out missions since many of them needed his personal signature, especially the A-Rank ones. Another portion of the room was reserved for receiving payment for missions or where clients could meet the ninja team they hired depending on the nature of the mission. It was where the client for Team 7 was waiting for her pet.

“Oh Toraaaaaaaa! Mommy missed you so much!”

It was with a sense of sadistic satisfaction that they returned Tora to her owner, the wife of the Fire Daimyo, Madam Shijimi. She was a middle-aged and perhaps a bit of a flabby woman who wore way too much makeup and gaudy jewelry. She scooped up the cat in her arms and hugged it like a squeeze toy, something the cat obviously did not appreciate as it struggled to escape. It made sense why the cat would run away and did so often. So much that finding it had become something of a tradition for a new team of Genin.

‘Serves you right you stupid cat,’ Naruto grinned vindictively as he watched the woman snuggle the cat in a death grip.

Madam Shijimi happily paid for the mission before cramming Tora into a cat carrier and leaving. None of the older ninjas in the room had any doubt that it would be a few days before they would hear from her again as she sobbed over her missing cat.

“Well, mission accomplished Team 7,” Sarutobi nodded as he read over more D-Rank missions waiting to be completed. “Now for your next mission you have a choice. There’s babysitting for the council of elders, running errands for a neighboring village, digging up sweet potatoes…”

“NO WAY!” Naruto cried, crossing his arms in an X as if trying to deny the existence of the missions being offered to him. “Come on Jiji! Can’t you give us something better?”

“Naruto…” Kakashi sighed.

“Naruto, show more respect to Hokage-sama!” Sakura shouted at the blonde.

Sarutobi merely sighed. He’d been expecting this particular explosion for a while. Naruto was actually overdue for it if anything, “Naruto, you’re just starting out as a Shinobi. You can’t just get sent on high risk missions. You have to build up your experience before I can send you on much missions. D-Ranks are all you can expect for now.”

“Yeah, yeah, but come on!” Naruto insisted. “How are we supposed to get better by just painting fences or digging potatoes? We’re ninjas, not chore boys! Give us something a ninja would do!”

Sarutobi sighed again before taking a soothing puff of his pipe. Naruto in his own way had a point. Sooner or later he was going to have to cut his teeth on something a little more tough than the D-Ranks. Besides, the general rule of thumb around Konoha was to take around 40 D-Rank missions before a Genin team gets their first C-Rank. It was that way the Jounin teachers would be able to teach them some of the skills they’d need. Team 7 had been going on D-Ranks for a while and had tallied almost the required 40 missions.

Glancing to Naruto’s teammates, he could tell that they were getting antsy for some better missions as well although they weren’t as quick to voice it. Sarutobi decided that he could afford to give them something. Members of the council were going to start pressuring him to get Sasuke out in the field so he could develop and show the might of the Uchiha anyway. At least this way the team something easy for a C-Rank and it would get some of the council to shut up over Sasuke’s development.

“Okay,” he smiled. “I’ll give you something a little more befitting of a ninja. It’s an escort mission for a certain individual. It’s low risk so I think you three can handle it.”

“Really?” Sakura gasped.

“Hm,” Sasuke nodded. ‘About time.’

“All right!” Naruto cheered. “Who is it? A lord? A princess?”

‘Oh prepare to be disappointed,’ Kakashi snickered inwardly.

Sarutobi gestured to one of his aides who stepped into a connecting room. After another moment, the client came back out. He was dressed up like a carpenter and was an older man with graying hair, a beard, and black glasses. He was also drunk, if the bottle in his hand was any kind of indication as to why he was so unsteady on his feet.

“Jeez,” he slurred. “These are the kids who are supposed to protect me? And especially the midget? I’m paying good money here.”

“Who’s the midget?” asked Naruto, looking around the room before swiftly realizing that as the shortest person the drunk had been referring to him. Enraged, he leaped for the old man, “I’LL KILL HIM!”

Kakashi acted fast, yanking Naruto back by his jumpsuit, “No, bad Naruto. No killing the client we’ve been assigned to protect.”

“Listen up you brats!” the drunk pointed at the team. “I am Tazuna, a bridge builder of ultimate renown! Until I’m safe back home you brats had better be ready to protect me with your lives!”

Naruto growled at the man and for once Sakura and Sasuke were both agreeing with him in the form of dirty looks at the old man. Kakashi on the other hand had his professional smile in place, “Well, we’ll meet you at the front gates tomorrow morning then. You seem to need some time to sleep off your fun in the village.”

“Whatever,” Tazuna huffed, taking another swig of his booze.

“Alright then,” Kakashi nodded before looking to his team. “You three prepare yourselves. We’ll be away from the village for some time so pack everything you need. Pack for any eventuality...and that doesn’t mean fill your pack with instant ramen Naruto.”

“Like Seiba-neechan will let me,” Naruto huffed.

“Okay. Dismissed,” Kakashi nodded, resisting the urge to chuckle. The mysterious Seiba seemed to be doing wonders for Naruto’s behaviour. It gave Kakashi belief that miracles did exist after all.

(LINE BREAK)

Hyuuga Estates

Hinata took a calm breath as she gently ran a hairbrush through Rider’s long purple hair. Maybe it was a slightly childish thing, but Hinata had been itching to try and brush Rider’s hair and see how it looked in braids or ponytails. She never had someone to try such an exercise with but at the same time she was simply too shy to ask. However, Rider seemed to just understand what Hinata wanted and allowed her to try. It had become something of a daily tradition for the two of them ever since. It also served to help them connect better even though Rider would follow Hinata all day. There was something to be said for girls bonding over a moment of style.

The Hyuuga Elders were still unsure of what to do about Rider and Hinata. Obviously she had broken the law by using the Kodai Kuchiyose no Jutsu. However, the sheer fact that it worked and called Rider opened up a different situation which had to be carefully considered. The Elders went over Hina’s old journals and discerned that should someone win the Holy Grail War, they and their Servant would receive a wish. Since the Servant portion turned out to be true, it made all the Elders excited, seeing a chance to make the Hyuuga stand above all others. They weren’t quite willing to let their hopes rest on Hinata though.

There was talk of somehow get Hinata’s Command Spells passed on to a more ‘worthy’ competitor for the Hyuuga Clan. Hinata feared her friend being taken away, but when the Elders attempted to ‘suggest’ the notion, Rider ‘insisted’ that Hinata was her Master and nothing would change that. She didn’t have to make any threatening motions or even say anything threatening, but a monstrous aura seemed to exude from her and caused the Elders to think twice about that particular plan. They had yet to bring it up again.

Instead, the Hyuuga Elders were selecting members of the Main Family to recreate the ritual using Hina’s research. What was difficult was finding a good catalyst to summon a Servant. Relics like the one Hina found were incredibly rare, coming from a lost history which had little documentation left. The Hyuuga were also wary of trying to summon figures that were well known considering the nature of the summons as famous figures and making them easy to counter. Famous heroes in their minds were easy to recognize by their special skills. So progress was quite slow and it was frustrating the Elders to no end. They wished to summon more Servants to the cause of the Hyuuga before someone else got them all.

Hinata wasn’t aware of this though. She was in fact simply enjoying the aspect that she now had many new friends like her teammates Kiba, Akamaru, and Shino while she had likely her closest friend Rider who would stay by her. She was actually quite happy to be able to have a ‘girl moment’ with someone. There were not too many children on the Hyuuga grounds and not many wished to actually play, focusing on training. The Hyuuga compound truly did have an oppressive feeling everywhere.

In order to make herself look more ‘presentable’, Rider had used her magic to recreate a kimono in her colors. Also, her blindfold had been replaced by a pair of glasses. She even had her hair done in a beautiful bun with glittering hair needles. In all, she looked like she could have very well been a princess. To the civilians and others who did not know of her nature, she fit in quite well in the Hyuuga Clan grounds looking every bit like a noble lady despite not having the Byakugan. Even then, her golden eyes with square-pupils helped her fit in. To help explain her presence in the Hyuuga Manor, she was introduced as Hinata’s tutor in the maidenly arts...which ironically Rider seemed to have a natural affinity for.

So Hinata’s world brightened up considerably.

“Have your lessons been going well, Master?” asked Rider, adjusting her glasses.

“Hai,” Hinata nodded, gently running the brush through Rider’s luxurious purple locks. “Kurenai-sensei has been teaching us about genjutsus and putting us through lots of exercises when we’re not on missions.”

“You last one taking you to the Inuzuka Clan kennels if I recall,” Rider smiled lightly.

“Hai!” Hinata smiled. “The puppies were very cute.”

Rider smiled, happy to see that her Master was losing the fearful stutter around her and the team she was placed with. The Inuzuka boy and his dog were loud, but they were kind. The boy with the bugs inside his body was often silent, speaking only when he needed to but again his intentions were good and he was quite kind. And their teacher although strict, was just as kind. In all, it was likely one of the best teams her Master could have received.

“I’m glad you are enjoying yourself. However, as you know, you have become a warrior and are expected to one day fight,” Rider spoke sternly but with some warmth.

“I know. I’m working hard,” Hinata nodded.

“That’s all you can do,” Rider agreed.

“Mn,” Hinata nodded. “Ano...Rider-san, can I try making a braid with your hair today?”

“Of course,” Rider smiled. “I’ve never had the chance to style my hair before. My sisters usually would just mess it up with pranks.”

“They would get along with N-Naruto-kun,” Hinata giggled lightly, her cheeks reddening just at the mention of her crush.

Rider smiled and allowed Hinata to begin diligently working her long hair into a braid. The girl had a natural touch to styling her hair. She also liked the chance to bond with her Master over something they could both enjoy.

Still, there were worries. In recent days Rider had felt a summoning within the limits of Konoha. She had yet to see another Servant besides Saber. She’d be slightly more concerned, but since the geas or whatever spell that prevented them from fighting each other was still in place, she felt that it would affect them as well. Until they could learn just what was going on in the nature of the Holy Grail War, Rider did not wish to worry her Master unless necessary.

And so she stuck close to her Master and would protect her from harm.

(LINE BREAK)

Naruto’s Apartment

“Okay, ramen, kunai, wire, tags, shuriken, smoke bombs, soldier pills, more ramen, I’m set!”

Naruto hefted the backpack over his shoulders as he prepared to leave for Nami no Kuni, the Land of Waves. It would be a long trek even if the Land of Waves existed just outside of Hi no Kuni. It was still going to be a long hike down to the shores where they could catch a boat to the small country.

“I must insist that I am against this Master,” Saber frowned, crossing her arms under her chest. “You will be exposed during your journey and we cannot be certain if another Master and Servant will find us and attack when our guard is down.”

“Ah, it’ll be fine!” Naruto insisted, but then blinked. “Wait, what do you mean by us?”

“I am going with you of course,” Saber replied as if it should be obvious.

“Huh?” Naruto frowned. “But, but, how am I supposed to explain you to Kakashi-sensei and my team? They already think you’re my cousin or something! And I don’t want to look like a wuss who has to bring my guardian along on my first mission out of the village!”

“Then I shall follow from a distance since you cannot seem to hold the fine control needed to astralize me,” Saber replied.

“I told you I was working on it!” Naruto huffed. “It’s just really hard!”

Naruto was telling the truth. Saber explained how to try and limit the amount of chakra or what she called prana being filtered to her through their bond. However, whenever Naruto tried to do it, he felt like something was beginning to swell inside of his body, like a water balloon which was being filled with too much water. If he held it too long it started to hurt so he couldn’t hold it and Saber was brought back to being solid again.

“So you’ve been saying,” Saber nodded. “So we have no other option. It is one thing to let you run around the village to do chores, but I refuse to let you go so far away without being by your side.”

“But Sakura-chan and Sasuke will think I’m a wuss if they see you following me!” Naruto sputtered.

Saber deadpanned, “That is what you’re worried about? Fine, I will be in my armor. My helmet will keep them from recognizing me anyway.”

“Yeah, but…” Naruto grimaced.

“Master, I am going with you. End of discussion,” Saber frowned. Outside without her protection would make him an easy target for enemy Servants and Masters that would take advantage of the opportunity. She feared his sub-par skills as a ninja, save perhaps his traps and clones, would make him an easy target for regular opponents as well.

“Okay…” Naruto sighed.

“Good,” Saber nodded. “Now go meet your teammates. I will be along shortly.”

“Right.”

Huffing, Naruto set out. Running through the streets he reached the front gates to the village where his team was waiting for him. Reaching them, he felt his good cheer and excitement returning. He had grown up inside the village his entire life and he had never had the chance to explore outside of it before.

“Hey Sakura-chan! Kakashi-sensei! Teme!” Naruto called out to his team.

“Good morning to you Naruto,” Kakashi nodded, beside him was Tazuna who was grumpy as always, but at least sober.

“We all together at last?” the bridge builder grumped. “Can we get a move on then? Keep up with us midget.”

“Hey! Watch it!” Naruto shouted at the old man. “You’d better be more respectful! Once I become Hokage you’re gonna wish you were nicer to me!”

Tazuna scoffed, “Nah. I don’t think so.”

“GRRR!!”

“Now, now, let’s all get along shall we?” asked Kakashi, patting Naruto’s head to cool him down. “We’re burning daylight so we should get started now.”

“Fine by me,” Tazuna shrugged.

So with a grumpy start, the escort group and their client headed out. It was a rather lackluster start since they only saw trees, trees, and even more trees. Despite being called Hi no Kuni the land was more known for being covered in thick and healthy forests, hence how Konoha got its name. The group were also feeling rather confident, being so close to their village and on their home turf, they weren’t expecting any trouble for a while.

“Um...Tazuna-san? You come from Nami no Kuni, right?” asked Sakura, her natural curiosity coming to the fore.

“Yup,” Tazuna confirmed. “What of it?”

“Are there ninjas there too?” she asked.

“No, there aren’t,” Kakashi shook his head. “Although plenty of countries have their own Hidden Villages, the smaller nations that don’t have much strategic value or are difficult to attack just don’t have one….no offence Tazuna-san.”

“Whatever,” Tazuna shrugged, pulling out a shooter bottle of booze.

“You’re drinking already?!” Naruto grumbled. “Jeez, what a drunk!”

“Say that again brat!” Tazuna challenged.

“I’ll say it all day!” Naruto fired back.

“Okay, okay, that’s enough,” Kakashi sighed. “We’ve got a long way to go so let’s not make things harder on us shall we?”

“Just how many Hidden Villages are there anyway?” asked Sakura. “I mean, I know about Sunagakure, Iwagakure, Kirigakure, and Kumogakure but you make it seem like there are a lot of ninja villages out there Kakashi-sensei.”

“Well the continent's a big place so of course there are going to be a lot of them,” Kakashi nodded. “There’s Takigakure, Yukigakure, Kusagakure, just to name a few and now and then new ones pop up like one I heard appearing in Ta no Kuni calling itself Otogakure. Of course the most powerful are Kiri, Suna, Iwa, Kumo and us, Konoha.”

“That’s a lot,” Naruto commented. “But we’re still Number One!”

“Don’t they teach this stuff to you kids in school?” asked Tazuna.

“Well, some of this stuff you can only learn with experience,” Kakashi shrugged. “A classroom can only teach you so much.”

“I’m sure,” Tazuna rolled his eyes.

The journey continued onward, causing aggravation as now and then Naruto and Tazuna would throw insults at one another. Of course now and then Sasuke would snark something and get Naruto angry at him. Sakura would try to huddle up to Sasuke who in turn would blatantly ignore her much to her chagrin. All in all, it wasn’t the most disciplined escort of all time, but it was getting the job done so far. Simple bandits would know better than to mess with ninjas of any age.

Walking over a hill, Naruto almost stepped in a puddle. The group didn’t pay it any mind as they progressed onward. After they had gotten a distance from that puddle, it suddenly bulge and rose up and transformed into a pair of men. Both wore dark cloaks with camouflage clothes. They both had dark hair and had large metal gauntlets on one of their hands, connected by a length of razor chain. Both with the hitae-ate of Kirigakure and breathing masks on their faces. Oddly, one had a metal horn attached to his hiate-ate while his partner had two horns.

The two Kiri-nins dove at the group, using their connecting chain to quickly crapture Kakashi in its links in the blink of an eye before land on either side of him.

“One little piggy,” one of them hissed before they both sharply pulled on their chain. Kakashi was immediately shredded into bloody chunks before he could even say a word. The Jounin dealt with, the pair lunged for Naruto, beginning the same attack pattern to wrap him in the deadly chain and rip him to pieces. The blood from Kakashi’s death just made it seem even more monstrous than a simple tool.

“Two little piggies…” the men hissed, eager for another kill.

That was when the chain suddenly gave a powerful yank, halting the two in their tracks with enough force to make them feel like their arms were about to be pulled from their sockets. Both grunted in pain, but that was all they could do before what caught their chain pulled it and them, throwing them through the air before slamming both of them down into the ground with enough force to create craters.

“H-huh?” Sakura gasped.

“Wha-?” Naruto gaped.

“?” Sasuke frowned.

“What on Earth?!” Tazuna gasped.

Standing between the men and the Genin was Saber, dressed to the nines in her almost demonic-looking armor. Gripped in her hand was the chain, now limp and no longer so threatening. She looked much more terrifying than the men had been a moment ago. Although Naruto certainly wasn’t afraid since he knew who she was.

“Grr!” One-Horn growled, standing up. “A pest.”

“Sloppy of us,” Two-Horn spoke. “Armored.”

“Yes. Plan B,” One-Horn nodded.

With a snap, the chain unlocked from the pairs’ gauntlet and they ran in different directions from one another. One charged towards Tazuna, Sakura, and Sasuke while the other moved to finish the job with Naruto. Lunging in close, Two-Horns reared back his gauntlet so the razor fingers could pierce through the blonde’s chest. His path was suddenly interrupted when his vision was filled with a silver gauntlet-ed hand which slammed into his face. The gauntlet tightly pressed into his face, crushing his breathing apparatus.

Saber held up the Kiri-nin before lifting him up and then smashing him down with a final crash. The ground cratered a second time and the enemy ninja fell limp. Saber stood up again, blood visibly dripping from the palm of her hand.

“Are you harmed Master?” asked Saber.

“Uh…” Naruto blinked.

“Well, this is interesting.”

Saber and Naruto looked up to see Kakashi holding the remaining Kiri-nin in a headlock. The man was unconscious and out of the fight. Kakashi himself was eyeing Saber cautiously. Naruto gasped before looking back to where he saw ‘Kakashi’s’ corpse had fallen, finding only chopped up hunks of wood where bloody chunks should have been. Kakashi had obviously used Kawimari no Jutsu, avoiding the attack altogether.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto cried out.

“Yo. Sorry for freaking you out, but I had to see who those two were going after,” Kakashi waved. “I noticed them right away. It hasn’t rained for several days and it had been sunny. There is no way a puddle would be out in the open like that.”

Kakashi dragged his captive to the Two-Horn and tossed his captive down. His eye was on Saber the whole time as he checked the Two-Horn, “Hm. Not dead but any more blows to the head like that and he may bite it.”

“You expect me to care?” Saber scoffed.

“No, but I am somewhat curious as to why you’re here,” Kakashi stood up, staring directly into the eyeholes of Saber’s helmet. “I knew you were following, although you were good at sneaking you’re no ninja. Although why you’re here to protect Naruto I’m not sure.”

“Um…” Naruto gulped.

“He is my Master,” Saber replied. “That is all the reason I need to protect him.”

“Master?” Kakashi repeated curiously before turning his gaze to Naruto, “Is there something you haven’t told us, Naruto?”

“I...uh...well…” Naruto gulped. “Uh….”

“Master?” Sakura gaped at the armored figure. “Naruto, what the heck is going on?!”

Saber glanced over at the pinkette, causing Kakashi to tense in case the armored warrior made a threatening move. Instead, Saber spoke, “That information is none of your business child. Should Master decide to share the information, he will.”

Sakura flinched and Sasuke began looking at Naruto with a stern stare. He knew something was up and he wanted to know. Naruto gulped and shuffled his feet, knowing he shouldn’t talk about Servants or the Holy Grail War. Sarutobi himself said that it was best that it be kept a secret. He didn’t want to blurt it out but it was quickly looking like he wasn’t going to get a chance to decide that.

“We can deal with it later,” Kakashi turned, glancing over at Tazuna. “Tazuna-san, you have some explaining to do as well.”

“M-me?!” Tazuna gulped.

“At first it wasn’t clear why those ninjas were attacking us,” Kakashi explained. “That’s why I let them attack. It’s not unusual for ninjas from one village to attack groups of ninjas from another. I’m particularly infamous too so plenty of other ninjas will try to take my head. However, besides taking out the obstacles you were their target. So it begs the question, what aren’t you telling us about the mission?”

“Ulp!” Tazuna gulped. The bridge builder looked to the left and right, but he couldn’t really avoid being questioned about what he was now obviously hiding. Knowing he couldn’t get out, he slumped, “Okay, okay, I’ll talk.”

“Okay,” Kakashi nodded. “We’re listening.”

Tazuna rubbed his neck, “I did lie about the ranking for the mission. There’s someone who wants me dead.”

“And that would be?” Kakashi pressed.

“You’ve likely heard his name before: Gato,” Tazuna answered.

“Who?” asked Sasuke.

“Gato? The owner of Gato Shipping and Transport?” Kakashi frowned. “He’s one of the richest men on the continent if not the whole world. He’s after you?”

“Yes,” Tazuna nodded. “On the surface Gato looks like a legitimate businessman but that’s a sham. The man’s a crook who works with gangs and criminals, using his shipping business to ship drugs and contraband all over the place. Using intimidation and violence, he takes over whole countries starting with companies.”

“So what’s his beef with you?” asked Naruto, honestly confused.

“A little over a year ago, he came to Nami no Kuni,” Tazuna explained. “He at first claimed he was looking to invest or set up a venture. We were all for it since our economy wasn’t exactly booming. But then he brought in all kinds of thugs and gangsters who threatened and attacked all of the shipping and transport businesses until he owned them all. He then put all kinds of taxes and penalties on transporting on and off the island, destroying our economy and pretty much destroying commerce.”

“And that’s where you come in,” Kakashi realized.

“I’m currently building a bridge which can connect Nami no Kuni to the mainland,” Tazuna explained. “If that bridge gets completed then Gato’s stranglehold on the country is broken. He can’t afford that so he wants me gone. He first tried to bribe me, but then he started making threats.”

“So these ninjas were working for him,” Sasuke frowned.

“But then why didn’t you just hire ninjas for a more appropriate ranking?” asked Sakura.

“Like I said before, our economy wasn’t all that good. Gato just made it even worse,” Tazuna shook his head. “I was lucky to be able to afford a C-Rank mission. And that emptied me out everything I had left.”

Kakashi sighed, “You do realize that we are in our rights to just abandon the mission since we just don’t have the skills to do what you need us to do.”

“I know, but I’m desperate,” Tazuna sighed. “If you ditch me I’m as good as dead. Of course, my grandson’s little heart will be broken and my daughter will likely vow to hate your village forever as she lives her life alone. But that’s none of your business.”

Saber spoke up, “If you intend to return to the village, that’s fine by me. However, hearing this man’s story, I cannot in good conscience allow this injustice to continue.”

“Saber-neechan?” Naruto blinked.

“What?!” Sasuke and Sakura blinked. They looked to the armored warrior who saved them and tried to connect them to the woman who took up guardianship of Naruto. For some reason, as much as logic said it was true their minds just could not make the connections between the warrior and the tomboyish woman they had met.

“I may not be the perfect knight, maybe not even worthy of the title anymore,” Saber spoke. “But some of those habits are hard to break. If Master gives permission and remains within the village until I return, I will ensure that the bridge builder is protected until his bridge is complete.”

“That won’t be necessary,” Kakashi shook his head. “We’ll keep Tazuna-san safe until we get him back to Nami no Kuni. That’s as far as we go though.”

“Thanks,” Tazuna nodded. It wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for but it was enough for him. It was plenty of time for him to try and convince the ninjas to stay and cover him until they could get that bridge built. At the very least, the oddly dressed samurai would stay behind to protect him. But there was nothing like a guarantee. Maybe once they saw his darling family they would change their minds.

So the escort continued, travelling through Hi no Kuni until they finally reached the shores at a small coastal village. Tazuna had a boat waiting for them there. The group loaded up, Saber’s added weight causing it to dip slightly but she refused to remove the suit so they had to tough it out. The boat then took them off towards Wave. It was early morning when they left, so the fog was thick and obscured a lot.

“Saber-san?” asked Sakura as they went deeper into the fog. “You said you would leave Naruto back the village to help Tazuna even if you had to do it alone. Did you mean that?”

Saber sighed, her armor creaking slightly, “Old habits die hard. I was raised to embody a certain standard of behaviour. Although I cast those standards away at one point, they are still ingrained into me. Perhaps by following them now, I can begin making up for a certain event which happened in my past.”

“Like a samurai,” Kakashi noted.

“There is a similarity,” Saber nodded. “However my first priority is my Master and he will come first if there is the first hint of his life being in danger.”

“I thought you were cousins,” Sakura said, confused, “Why do you call him Master?”

“...” Saber remained silent for a moment. “A cover. The truth is much more involved than simply being long lost relatives.”

“I look forward to hearing that,” Kakashi nodded.

Sasuke remained silent, a hardened look on his face. However, he kept looking back at Saber and Naruto. For some reason, he didn’t like this new development. He always wrote Naruto off as the class’ dead last and the dobe but during the test Kakashi had set for them, the blonde had shown some amazing insight that didn’t match up to his exam scores in the academy. Now, he apparently had a bodyguard. Just what was so special about Naruto?

“Quiet down, we need to go silently from here,” the boatman spoke up, shutting off his engine. “Gato’s got patrols to keep people from leaving the island. The only time to get in or out is in the mist. We don’t want to get caught!”

The boatman pulled out an oar and began rowing towards his destination. After a couple of minutes, a huge structure began to be seen in the mist. Once they got closer, the group could see that the structure was an actual bridge, partially complete but downright massive. It was large enough to handle all sorts of traffic going in and out of Wave. Unlike most smaller bridges, it was made to be used at all hours and not for just foot traffic.

“Impressive,” Saber nodded. “You should take pride in this. A revolutionary project no doubt.”

“Heh! My pride and joy,” Tazuna grinned. “Once this baby is finished, Gato’s finished in Wave.”

Kakashi had to admit that the bridge was something. At first he wondered if Gato wouldn’t just destroy the bridge if it was completed. However, with the size of the bridge and all the stone and steel going into its construction and the design of it showed that it would need to take a huge destructive technique of at least a kage’s level to bring it down. Gato wouldn’t have any chance of taking down the bridge with his illegal resources since any ninja that powerful wouldn’t be able to move without being noticed and no missing-nins were strong enough to do such attacks. Sabotage outside of a ninja’s abilities was also obvious and would lead Gato to be an obvious suspect. He couldn’t afford that kind of attention if he wanted to maintain a clean image of his company and keep suspicion off of his illegal activities.

The boatman used some cover from mangrove trees to bring the group to a small homemade boathouse and dock. The escort disembarked and began to guide Tazuna through the fog on the beaten path towards his home. Still, everyone was tense since they were now expecting enemy ninjas to attack them. Kakashi himself knew that one was likely imminent. They were far away from resources and backup by that point and close to their goal. If there was going to be a time to attack, it would have to be then.

‘Okay. Keep eyes out on everything! This is my chance to show everyone how great I am!’ Naruto hyped himself up. Walking out at a lakeside, Naruto was on high alert. He looked about and was prepared to throw a shuriken at any little noise, but his thoughts were abruptly cut off when he suddenly felt a sharp burning running up his arm. “Ow!”

“What is it Naruto?” asked Kakashi.

“My hand!” Naruto grimaced, lifting his hand. The Command Spells on the back of his hand in the form of Konoha’s insignia were glowing bright red in the misty air. “Ow! Ow! Ow!”

“Master, is it the Command Spells?” asked Saber, walking up to her Master.

“Yeah! They’re burning!” Naruto grimaced.

“Burning? But they ticked when Rider appeared in Konoha,” Saber frowned, examining the brightly glowing symbol on Naruto’s hand. The comment caused Kakashi to raise an eyebrow. Saber didn’t notice as she also came to another conclusion, “Another Servant is near! Move!”

Kakashi frowned, but the sounds of something flying caught his attention. He leaped to his team and the client, pushing them over, “Duck!”

Everyone hit the ground and what seemed like a spinning razor disk cut through the air, passing through the area where their heads used to be. The weapon struck a nearby tree, revealing it to be a giant sword shaped similar to a butcher’s knife. A blur landed on the handle, revealing an adult man who was shirtless with camouflage arm and leg covering. A bandolier was across his chest while his face was concealed by white wrappings. The only other feature was his spiked black hair. Strapped haphazardly on his head was a Kirigkaure hitae-ate.

“Zabuza Momochi,” Kakashi frowned as he and the escort stood up. “The Kirigakure no Kijin himself.”

“Sharingan no Kakashi,” Zabuza replied, turning around. “I’ll be with you in a minute. My first business with with the blonde boy.”

“Huh?” Naruto blinked. Saber grunted and clenched her hand, causing a blood like energy to fill it before forming into her broadsword.

Zabuza couldn’t help but whistle in appreciation of the weapon, “Now that is a truly impressive sword. I assume that you are Servant Saber then.”

“How’d you know about that?!” Naruto gaped.

“Simple,” Zabuza replied. Lifting his arm, he slipped his sleeve back to reveal a marking that looked like the Kirigakure symbol etched onto the back of his hand, glowing much like Naruto’s was. “I’ve got a Servant too. Let me introduce you. RIDER!”

The forest seemed to just explode as the underbrush and trees were destroyed by a charging red and gold blur. Saber reacted quickly, slashing at the blur with one hand and striking something which caused a blast of sparks, but also a shockwave which knocked the Genin and Tazuna onto the backs. The blur continued on before landing, coming to a stop below Zabuza. Stationary, it allowed the group to see what had attacked them.

The first to be noticed was a mighty war horse that had hair which was such a shade of brown that it looked like it was red. It was adorned with impressive reigns and saddles, looking ornate but functional with red and gold. The horse’s tail and mane were deep black, making a sharp contrast with its fur. It stomped the ground with a hoof, causing dust to kick up and sink into the dirt from the force of the stomp.

The man riding the horse was as massive to men, as the horse was compared to other horses. He wore ornate foreign armor, the chest looking like a beast’s mouth painted red and gold like a dragon’s. His shoulder plating had axe-like edges coming out of them. His gauntlets were dark and had large gold plating coming out of the wrists like horns. Red fur circled the collar and his elbows. Thigh protection draped over the sides of the horse, painted red and looking clouds. He wore black pants with yellow ribbons near his ankles. His skin was a tan bronze and he had short red hair with dark brown eyes. He wore a simple piece of headdress which had two long red ribbons trailing down his back. In his left hand he held a long black spear with a golden arrowhead and reversed arched on either side of the spear tip.

The man gazed at the collected opponent with a disdainful frown. Naruto and Sasuke may have taken offense to obviously being snubbed, but the aura of violence and war coming off of the man on such a majestic scale caused them to swallow their words. It gave both boys the impression that they were allowed to live merely because of his whims.

“Uh...uh...uh...uh…” Sakura whimpered.

“...” Naruto gulped as he stared at the Servant, but then his eyes grew blurry for a moment. The before his eyes he began to see words start to appear above Rider’s head.

Servant Rider: ********

Strength: B Mana: C+

Endurance: B Luck: B-

Agility: B+ Noble Phantasm: A

“Nnn!” Naruto rubbed his eyes and looked again, the words and letters faded but somehow they seemed to be faded into the background. If he started paying attention to them, they’d become more visible again.

Unbeknownst to them, Zabuza was staring directly at Saber, his own vision filling with similar words.

Servant Saber: ********

Strength: ? Mana: ?

Endurance: ? Luck: ?

Agility: ? Noble Phantasm: ?

“Careful Rider. He’s going to be a challenge,” Zabuza spoke to his Servant, dismissing the vision. So Saber could hide his statistics from the vision all Master’s receive when they claim a Servant. That could mean trouble since in battle, knowing your opponent was one of the keys to victory, but going in blind was a surefire way of courting defeat.

“Bah. A challenge, but ultimately he will lose. They all do,” Rider scoffed, looking disdainfully down on Saber. Rider then flicked the reins of his horse which neighed and took off at a charge towards Saber. Turning into a blur once more, Rider crashed directly into Saber. The force took her off her feet and the both of them went crashing through the woods, vanishing among kicked up dirt, crushed underbrush, and falling trees.

“Saber!” Naruto cried out.

“You’ve got bigger concerns kid!” Zabuza spoke up.

“Naruto! Sakura! Sasuke! Manji formation!” Kakashi barked, taking up a stance in front of his team. He reached up and began moving his hitae-ate which was covering his eye. Said eye had a vertical scar over it and as he opened his eye, he revealed it to be blood red with three tomoe spinning around the pupil.

“Oh? To face the Sharingan so early. I’m honored,” Zabuza grinned beneath his bandages. “I remember the old bingo books from back when I worked for Kirigakure. So I get to fight the man they said had copied over a thousand different techniques.”

Kakashi remained silent, but to an experienced fighter it was easy to tell he was ready to move in a heartbeat.

“Sadly I don’t have time to talk,” Zabuza crouched down on his sword. “I’ve got a job to do by killing the old man. Rider’s going to take out that Saber so I can get one step closer to getting my wish so I’ve got no time to dally. So first I’ll kill you Kakashi.”

“You’re welcome to try,” Kakashi replied.

*BOOM!*

(LINE BREAK)

“Gn!” Saber grunted as Rider’s charge threw her across a small clearing. She landed on her feet, but the momentum caused her to keep moving. Leaving long tracks in the dirt, she finally stopped when her back hit a tree. Shaking her head, she looked around before the red blur that was Rider was upon her again. Cursing under her breath, Saber rolled to the side just as a high speed strike struck the tree. The impact point was destroyed, crushing the wood and causing the tree to fall over with a loud groan.

Saber regained her feet, struggling to keep the red blur in her sight. Obviously Rider was more of a threat on his horse, but all Riders were more of a threat on their mounts. The question was, how was she going to get Rider to stand still long enough for her to strike him down?

Rider made another charge, forcing Saber to lash out with her sword, causing another crash of sparks and shockwave from the impacts.

“Dammit!” she hissed. This was going nowhere! She was going to have to stop the bastard somehow! Fortunately, she had an idea. Although she dressed the part, she hadn’t been a knight for some time. Since she was not a knight, she didn’t have to fight like one!

Rider came around for another run and Saber prepared herself. It was going to hurt, but she was used to pain so it did not matter. Rider charged once more, committed in his path once again. Saber acted in kind, charging at Rider with her weapon raised in one hand. Once they were close enough, Saber leaped at the charging man and horse, colliding with them in mid-air. Saber felt a crunch in her abdomen, causing her to gag but she was sure that the object that hit her was the horse’s head. Feeling it striking her, she swung wildly with her sword, hoping to strike at Rider which he was off guard. Her vision blurred by the speed and pain she couldn’t tell if she hit anything, but she could feel something stop her blade.

Saber dislodged herself and fell to the ground with a hard thud, groans escaping her lips. Nearby, she heard something crash and a horse neigh loudly in pain. Shaking her head, Saber stood up and forced her vision to clear. Across the clearing was Rider, lifting himself up by his halberd while nearby his horse was struggling to stand back up again but the angle of one leg could tell that the bone was broken. The horse would not be getting up anytime soon and were it a normal horse it would have to be killed for its own good.

“Rest now, old friend,” Rider spoke to his mount. “We will take to the field of battle again later.”

The horse seemed to take solace in that and stopped struggling before dissolving into red prana and vanishing, leaving only Rider and Saber standing in the clearing.

“I suppose I should offer you praise. Not many can dismount me from my steed, yet you faced such a task head on and at great personal pain,” Rider commented, standing up.

Saber clutched her abdomen for a moment, but then likewise stood tall, “Pain is no great deterrent for me.”

“Nor should it for anyone who calls themselves a Heroic Spirit,” Rider retorted, but then took a stance with his weapon. “But now we don’t fight as knights and cavalrymen, but as warriors!”

“That, I will agree to,” Saber smirked, taking a stance of her own.

The pair were silent, eyeing each other up. They were still as statues, just waiting for the other to make the first move. Although there were sounds of battle in the distance and the fog began to grow thicker, they did not move and they kept a hawk-like gaze on one another.

A leaf fell from a tree, drifting between the two.

“HRAAAAAHHH!”

The leaf was destroyed as the two Servants met, smashing their weapons against one another. A shockwave resulted which pushed back all the branches in the nearby trees. The two didn’t stay stationary long before unleashing blow upon blow on each other. Rider would thrust, parry, stab, and sweep in attempts to strike down his opponent. In turn, Saber would slash, strike, parry, and block as she tried to strike down Rider.

“Why fight with only one hand Saber?” Rider grunted, his halberd clashing with Saber’s sword  “Don’t you know a sword strike is more powerful with both hands?”

“Oh I know,” Saber retorted, grunting as she held her sword against the halberd. “But a free hand lets me do things like this!” She punctuated the statement by abruptly punching Rider across the face with her free hand, causing him to stumble from the blow.

Rider shook his head before he thrust, blocking up a follow up strike from Saber’s sword. Looking up, he smirked at her, “Finally, someone who gets it!” Rider then lashed out with a side kick, striking Saber’s side and sending her skidding across the ground before she caught herself.

“Over and over again I met warriors who limited themselves, trapping themselves in paths of what they thought were warriors,” Rider grinned. “They refused to do what it took to win! We were at war! Chivalry, honor, and good behavior have no place on the battlefield! Even if I were to be painted a demon, so long as those under me won their wars I didn’t care!”

Saber huffed to catch her breath, but couldn’t help but smirk, “We think alike in that case. Courtly manners are all well and good while in court but when faced with an enemy who will do anything to destroy you, you must in turn be ready to do whatever it takes to destroy them!”

‘Isn’t that right, Mother?’ Saber thought venomously to herself.

Rider reared his head back and laughed, “Ah ha ha ha ha! Yes, yes! That’s exactly it! Now show me Saber of Konoha! Show me what you will do to win this war!”

The two Servants charged at one another again and began clashing. This time though, there was no holding back. As much as they clashed with their weapons, they attacked other openings with their fists and feet. They struck at sides with punches, attempted low blows with kicks, yanked on limbs to throw the opponent off balance, and several times tried kicking up dirt to blind their opponents. To them, wars were not poetic, they were not to be admired, they were not to be clean and proper. Wars were messy, brutal, and with the lives and ideals of countless soldiers on the line. Defeat was not an option and no tactic was too despicable. Victory was all that mattered, doubly so with a battle such as the Holy Grail War.

*KLANG!*

*BOOM!*

(LINE BREAK)

Tazuna was half sure that his ticket was about to get punched. What he was pretty sure about though was that he had never been more scared of anything in his life. He had felt a little bad about lying about the nature of his mission request, but he really couldn’t afford anything better than that since his finances were almost entirely tied into that bridge. He sprung for the C-Rank since he figured that he’d get a Jounin and three somewhat experienced Genin in the deal who would likely be able to take care of themselves. Unfortunately the team he got was still a little green and now they were dealing with a guy who even he could tell was an experienced killer. That samurai wasn’t going to be helpful either since Zabuza had some kind of cavalryman on his side to match him.

The battle begun in a flurry, Kakashi and Zabuza countering each other with Mizu Bunshin which made Tazuna confused as to how and when they managed to use the damn technique. But then Zabuza managed trick Kakashi and get him trapped in a Suirō no Jutsu before sending a Mizu Bunshin after the bridge builder and the Genin. Zabuza then kicked the kids around, trying to scare them off and abandon Tazuna. The kids were ready to run, but somehow Naruto of all people, the one Tazuna pegged as a loudmouth brat managed to inspire his teammates to stick with Tazuna and protect him.

Still, even Kakashi wanted his team to run for it and regaled them on how Zabuza got his nickname. In Kirigakure the old graduation exam for their Genin was to have them pair off and fight to the death. What made it especially evil was that the students had all been in close contact for years, eating in the same cafeteria, taking lessons, helping each other, and staying in the same dorms together. It made such an exam especially cruel. However, Kirigakure had to reform their Genin exam when a boy who wasn’t even a graduate killed off the entire graduating class by himself. That boy it turned out had been Zabuza. Even creepier, Zabuza actually seemed to look back on the event with nostalgia as if it were a warm and fuzzy childhood memory.

The kids were undeterred and prepared to move, but the clone Zabuza kicked Naruto away and stomped Sasuke into the ground, using enough force for the boy to cough up blood.

“Sasuke-kun!” Sakura cried out.

“Bastard! Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!” Naruto cried out, unleashing his signature technique and creating a mob of clones to circle around the lone Water Clone.

“Shadow Clones eh? And more than I’ve seen anyone use,” Clone Zabuza commented, reaching back to grab his sword.

“Ready or not! Here we come!” the mob shouted as one before they charged on the clone en masse, all of them gripping kunai. They all formed a mass of yellow and orange, covering the cline from view while they seemed to stab randomly at it. However, it didn’t last long before the clones all but exploded off as the Clone Zabuze swiped his sword in multiple directions. Naruto’s clones hit the ground and vanished into puffs of smoke. Only one was left and after he hit the ground, he tugged off his backpack before pulling out what looked like a curved blade on a ring.

“Sasuke!” Naruto yelled, throwing the weapon to his teammate.

‘So that’s his plan,’ Sasuke thought before he managed to grab the thrown weapon. Hitting the hidden mechanism inside, the one blade became four as it was revealed to be a Fuma Shuriken.

“Nice toy, but it won’t work on me,” Clone Zabuza mocked.

Sasuke just smirked and used his chakra to leap into the air. He then hurled the giant shuriken with as much force as he could muster. The Clone Zabuza frowned and moved to deflect the attack, but he suddenly realized the shuriken wasn’t aimed at him at all. In fact, it missed him entirely. Instead, the shuriken flew towards the original Zabuza

“Clever, but still amateurish!” Zabuza snapped, actually catching the weapon out of the air. Moving it, his eyes bulged when he saw a second Fuma Shuriken flying towards him, having been hidden behind the first! “Hmph!” Again, Zabuza took the attack in stride and simply leaped up, keeping his hand on the Water Prison keeping Kakashi contained and letting the weapon fly right underneath him.

“He dodged it?!” Sakura cried.

“Heh!” Sasuke smirked.

The flying Fuma Shuriken suddenly burst into a cloud of smoke as Naruto came out of it. In mid-air, he reared back his arm before unleashing a kunai aimed straight at Zabuza’s head. With his current positioning of being in the air after his jump, there was no way for him to dodge the strike. Zabuza bit back a curse and pulled away from the Water Prison just as the kunai nicked his face. On the shore, Zabuza’s clone collapsed into water and even the Water Prison began to fail as Zabuza’s rage focused in on Naruto as he splashed into the water.

“YOU-!” he bellowed, beginning to run across the water at Naruto with the Fuma Shuriken ready to cut the blonde down.

*CLANG!*

The shuriken blades met with the back of a soggy Kakashi’s glove. There was a slight splash of blood from where the blade cut through, but the metal on the back of the glove kept it from getting worse. He looked up, his lone Sharingan blazing as he glared at Zabuza.

“Good plan Naruto,” he praised, his eyes not leaving Zabuza. “Quick thinking and excellent teamwork.”

“Heh, heh!” Naruto grinned as he treaded water. “I had a clone pretend to be me so I could change into a shuriken with the Henge and have Sasuke throw me at him. I didn’t think it would be enough to get Zabuza to let you go but I figured a kunai from behind might.”

“Feh,” Zabuza snorted. “I let my temper get away with me and you got out.”

“No. Your jutsu was broken by my three students,” Kakashi retorted. “Now just so you know, the same trick won’t work on me twice. Care to try again?”

Zabuza scowled before he and Kakashi kicked off from one another before landed a short distance away. Staring at each other, both of them began flying through several hand seals. After moving a grand total of fourty seals, they completed their jutsus.

“Suiton: Suiryūdan no Jutsu!”

The water around both men came alive and rose up forming into twin serpentine dragons which surged towards their targets. Both dragons crashed against one another, causing a flood over the ground. Sakura, Tazuna, and Sasuke struggled to stay up as the water splashed into them. Naruto almost got submerged from where he was swimming. Kakashi and Zabuza weren’t idle as once the attacks clashed, so did they in another charge against one another.

‘Something’s not right,’ Zabuza thought as he stared at Kakashi. It wasn’t anything obvious, but there was a sensation in the back of his skull and it had more than once saved his hide. Kakashi was up to something.

Kicking off, Zabuza and Kakashi landed an equal distance from one another. Zabuza quickly moved to prepare another attack, but to his surprise he saw that Kakashi had copied his moves perfectly, ‘What?’ He made a few gestures and Kakashi copied them perfectly, ‘He actually sees-!’

“-through them all!” Kakashi finished Zabuza’s thought, causing the man to flinch.

‘What?!’ Zabuza choked in thought. He began flying through several hand seals for another attack, ‘Is he reading my mind with that Sharingan?! Dammit! He’s-!”

“-got that sickeningly evil look in his eye, right?” Kakashi spoke, copying Zabuza gesture for gesture.

“A copycat through and through eh?” Zabuza tried to mock, not letting the fact that his moves being seen through so easily intimidated him.

“Oh, I’m no copycat. I’m the original. No copycat can hope to compare with me,” Kakashi retorted, sounding like something Zabuza would say in his situation.

“GRRRR!” Zanuza snarled! “You’re like a parrot! I’ll just shut your beak for good!” He prepared another jutsu, but froze when he saw some kind of faint image appear behind Kakashi. A mirror image of Zabuza himself doing the same thing Kakashi was doing, ‘A...a genjutsu?!”

Seeing his chance, Kakashi finished the jutsu that Zabuza was preparing, “Suiton: Daibakufu no Jutsu!”

Water exploded around Kakashi, rising several meters into the air before surging like one cascading stream of water much like a waterfall. Rattled as he was already, Zabuza had no time to move before it hit him like a boulder. He was tossed around roughly by the attack before he managed to pull himself out and crashed against a mangrove tree. He didn’t get much time to rest before four kunai struck him in his biceps and thighs. Above him, Kakashi landed on a tree branch with another kunai in his hands.

“A-Are you able to see the future or something?” Zabuza growled, unable to believe how Kakashi was able to stay one step ahead of him.

“I can foresee your death,” Kakashi replied, ready to go for the killing blow.

He never got the chance though as a pair of senbon needles shot through the air and pierced Zabuza’s neck. The man let out a soft grunt before his eyes rolled up and he collapsed onto the ground. He was completely limp...like a corpse.

“Looks like your prediction came true.”

(LINE BREAK)

Saber and Rider clashed heavily once again, the weapons scraping against one another in showers of sparks. Saber lashed out with another punch to the kidney while Rider tried to stomp Saber’s ankle during that exchange. Of course, they both managed to get away from taking those hits and squared off once again.

The area around them looked like pure hell. Trees were falled over, looking more like someone tore them out in some cases or cut them down with one swipe. Deep gouges littered the soil, tearing up the grass and crushing some of the rocks in the soil during the course of the fight. Setting off a bomb may have been nicer, if only to make all the damage uniform.

Squaring off once again, Saber was preparing to make another charge when Rider stiffened. He frowned deeply before relaxing his stance, “It seems my time is at an end as is my Master. I must say farewell at this point Saber of Konoha.”

“Wha-?” Saber blinked, but Rider than astralized and left the area leaving the Servant alone. The female Servant grumbled and stood up, “Just when it was getting exciting.”

Dismissing her sword, Saber headed back in the direction of her Master. Dirt gave way to soggy ground and emerging from the trees she saw that the area looked as if it had been flooded. At the far end, a youth wearing a set of dark clothes, long black hair, and flat mask sporting the symbol of Kirigakure was just picking up the apparently dead body of Rider’s Master. The child made a hand seal before both he and the corpse vanished in a flurry of wind and mist.

“Who was that?” asked Saber, approaching her Master and his team. Naruto was soaking wet, looking like he had been swimming in his clothes as did his teacher. The rest merely looked like they had been caught in a heavy rain.

“Saber-neechan!” Naruto cheered, running up to his Servant. “You’re okay! Did you manage to kick Rider’s butt or what?”

“He retreated when he felt something happen to his Master,” Saber replied. “Which looked like to me he had been killed. Or am I wrong?”

“Someone called an Oinin managed to kill Zabuza to keep any secrets Kirigakure may have had in his body and took it,” Sakura spoke up.

“I see,” Saber nodded. “Well without a Master to supply him with prana then Rider will fade away. We are fortunate then. One less opponent for the Holy Grail.”

“Whew,” Kakashi sighed, slipping his headband back over his eye. “Well then if all of the excitement is out of the way we’ve still got to get Tazuna back home.”

“Heh,” Tazuna grinned. “Well you kids would probably like to lick your wounds after being shown up like that. You can all rest up at my place before you decide your next move.”

“Much obliged,” Kakashi nodded before he then promptly collapsed face down on the ground with a groan.

“Kakashi-sensei!” Naruto and Sakura cried, running over to his side.

“I’m okay...just used the Sharingan too much…” the one-eyed Jounin reported. Inwardly he was pondering maybe he’d been taking his own time a little too much lately if this could bring him down. He may have to look into that.

“You should train harder then,” Saber scolded, hefting Kakashi up with one arm before throwing him over her shoulder like a sack of flour. Kakashi grunted and then sweatdropped, feeling his manly pride shrink from the action alone. “Even when the fighting is done, there is still much left to do before the battle is finished.” she glanced to Tazuna. “You will lead the way of course?”

“R-right,” Tazuna snickered, walking again. “Follow me!”

(LINE BREAK)

The group managed to return to Tazuna’s house, a humble little house which was built over water and looked pretty good. Then again, being a builder Tazuna probably had it designed and built himself so he knew how to really make it work. They even had a small windmill as part of the house, but what it was for no one had the presence of mind to ask.

The one who met them at the door was Tsunami, Tazuna’s daughter. She was a lovely woman with long dark hair who wore a pink blouse and blue skirt. She immediately helped set up a futon where they could set Kakashi down. The Genin were treated to the sight of Tsunami scolding Kakashi for pushing himself into such a state but at the same time she was thanking him for going to such lengths to protect her father.

“There now,” Tsunami finished setting the futon with Kakashi in it. “Are you feeling well Sensei?”

“No…” Kakashi groaned. “Give me a week...probably.”

The team was set up in the living room of Tazuna’s house. The Genin were all in attendance, fretting over their teacher to various extents. Tazuna was sitting back, glad to be home and relaxing for the first time in what felt like forever. Saber had removed her armor in her usual flash of red, but Tsunami had sent a disapproving look at Saber’s usual style of dress. Not that Saber paid it any mind.

“That Sharingan is an incredible power, but the cost seems to be a little too much if you ask me,” Sakura winced as she looked over her downed teacher.

“Well, you guys probably took down the worst threat so feel free to relax a little,” Tazuna laughed.

“Hn,” Sasuke huffed, but he was thankful for the downtime. His chest still hurt from where Zabuza stomped on him and his hands hadn’t stopped shaking yet.

“Still, that Oinin guy gives me the creeps,” Sakura shivered. “I mean, taking dead bodies like that? Brrr!”

“It’s a necessary practice,” Kakashi replied. “Even after a shinobi dies, there are a lot of secrets which their bodies can give. Medical practices from their village, training practices, and even some signs of the kinds of jutsus that they specialized in. That’s where Oinins come in. They dispose of the corpses and hunt down Nukenin who could spill those secrets.” He looked up to the ceiling. “Silently and without a trace. That’s how ninjas leave the world.”

“Brrrr!” Naruto and Sakura trembled.

Kakashi rolled his head over to see Naruto, “Since we’re getting into explanations. You have one don’t you Naruto?”

“Uh…” Naruto winced. Looking to Saber, he saw her shrug but her eyes were in that no nonsense position he remembered so many times when she kept trying to get him to wear the clothes she bought or when she wouldn’t let him eat that fifth bowl of ramen. He knew he had to keep the Holy Grail War a secret, “Uh...can we talk about this alone?”

“Sure thing brat,” Tazuna nodded. Tsunami agreed and both she and her father went to another room. Sasuke and Sakura looked like they wanted to object, but a look from Kakashi sent them away. Once the room was empty save for Naruto, Saber, and Kakashi the usually excited blonde began to speak.

“So...uh...you know how I became a Genin right?” asked Naruto.

“Mizuki fed you a story about how for a remedial test you had to steal the Forbidden Scroll but you and Iruka managed to stop him when he came for it,” Kakashi nodded.

“Yeah,” Naruto nodded, still feeling a little stupid about being tricked so easily like that. “Well, part of the scam Mizuki fed me was that I was supposed to learn one of the jutsus from the scroll in order to pass. It’s how I learned Kage Bunshin no Jutsu.”

“Uh-huh,” Kakashi nodded. Mizuki was likely hoping Naruto would pick out one of the lethal jutsus and kill himself so he could scoop up the scroll and then stage the scene to make it look like Naruto was trying to get revenge on Konoha or something. Ironically Naruto picked the one jutsu in the entire scroll that was likely never to hurt him and ended up kicking Mizuki’s ass. “Did something else happen?”

“Well, Mizuki was late so I figured I could try for extra credit by learning another jutsu,” Naruto continued. “That’s when I found something called the Kodai Kuchiyose no Jutsu. It seemed so easy since all I had to do was carve a seal into the ground so I did that but Iruka-sensei caught me before I could finish.”

“And then what happened?” asked Kakashi. He had been made aware of Saber or Seiba Uzumaki, but this was all new information to him.

“Well, Mizuki then showed up and a lot of fighting happened,” Naruto explained. “Then Mizuki doped himself with something and then during the fight I must have triggered the Kodai Kuchiyose no Jutsu by accident or something because Saber rose up out of it and kicked Mizuki’s ass a second time.”

“Okay,” Kakashi nodded. So that explained where Saber had come from, but it wasn’t all that he wanted to know. “And what was the deal with that Rider fellow and mentions about some Holy Grail War?”

“Well…” Naruto began. “It sorta goes like how there’s seven Servants who have to fight each other and the last guy standing gets a wish for anything that he wants.”

“Really?” Kakashi blinked. That sounded too good to be true to him.

“Don’t ask me! Jiji confirmed it! He said the first Hokage fought in a Grail War too!” Naruto insisted. “It was before he founded Konoha and everything!”

“Really?” Kakashi blinked. Well he was going to have to ask the Hokage a few questions if his student was being thrown into what amounted to a free-for-all with a wish for anything one could desire at the end of it all. “Fortunately it seems you’re one step closer considering Zabuza’s dead and Rider...faded away?”

“The nature of the Servants is that they can exist so long as they have a master to supply them prana, or chakra as you commonly call it these days,” Saber explained. “With his Master dead, Rider will not last long unless he has the Independent Action skill. That particular skill is usually limited to those of the Archer Class.”

“Ah. So we got lucky,” Kakashi nodded. “However, I couldn’t help but overhear you say that there was already a Rider in Konoha.”

“What?!” Naruto gasped, rounding on his Servant. “Saber, you didn’t tell me?!”

“We met the day you were assigned your team. The day where your Command Spells began to tickle,” Saber explained. “I confronted her without your knowledge because I did not wish to make you a target. However, it was for naught since we were unable to even so much as draw weapons on each other.”

“You mean some sort of compulsion kept you from fighting?” asked Kakashi. He had heard of jutsus that could do the same thing, like the Hyuuga’s prized seal which could keep the Branch Family in line.

“Indeed. Only when we abandoned the thought of battle altogether were we able to move freely again,” Saber nodded, a frown on her face. “I was confused as to what this may mean, considering that there was no mediator to this conflict to explain. With what I have learned today though, I believe something far more sinister is afoot.”

“Sinister?” Naruto blinked.

“There are two Riders thus far,” Saber explained. “Either the woman I met was lying about her class, which is not an unusual strategy or there indeed was more than one Rider.”

“So what does that mean?” asked Naruto.

“It means that this is not a seven-way battle,” Saber replied. “But a team of seven facing other teams of seven with the winners receiving the Holy Grail.”

“So you’re saying Konoha will have a team of seven and Kiri likely has a team of seven, now six?” asked Kakashi.

“Master’s Command Spells, the symbol of our contract tickled when Rider of Konoha was near us. They burned when Rider of Kiri had approached. I believe this will be our way of telling who is an enemy and who is an ally,” Saber explained. “Rider lent more credence to that theory when he referred to me as Saber of Konoha. It hints he has possibly met a Saber of Kiri already and called me that to differentiate between us.”

“So I don’t have to fight anyone from Konoha?” Naruto breathed. “Whew! That’s a relief!”

“In a way its worse. Kiri at least knows about the Holy Grail and that may mean more villages will know,” Kakashi cut in. “An entire war is about to break out and we’ve only seen the first clash of it.”

“The war is to remain secret,” Saber replied. “One or two people in the know is fine considering the widespread use of your techniques but outside interference is not tolerated. That much the Grail told me when I was summoned.”

“So there’s a group which protects this system?” asked Kakashi.

“As far as I know, the Grail is defended and the rules enforced by entities of the Grail’s own choosing,” Saber replied. “Likely Servants summoned outside of the system who will ensure secrecy and fairness.”

“So if some Kage tries to stack the odds, the enforcers of the rules will intervene?” asked Kakashi.

“Most likely,” Saber agreed.

“Hm.”

(LINE BREAK)

Inside a hidden grove, the masked Oinin had just set Zabuza’s body down to begin his work. He opened a small pack which contained surgical tools, indicating a medical background.

“Now to get to work. First let’s get those bandages off so any blood can drain out,” the Oinin muttered, taking out a pair of shears and reaching to Zabuza’s face. Before he could take the bandages in hand, Zabuza’s hand launched up and grabbed the Oinin’s arm.

“Enough! I can do it myself!” Zabuza choked out. Sitting up with some slight struggle, he tugged open the bandages on his face and spat out some blood which had pooled up from the senbon still in his neck.

“Ah,” the Oinin spoke, sitting back. “Awake already Zabuza-sama?”

“Hn,” Zabuza growled, touching the senbon sticking out of his neck. Taking hold of them, he tugged them out with a sharp yank. Despite their positioning, only blood from the initial penetration came from the wounds. “You still have all the finesse of a butcher, Haku.”

“Zabuza-sama, be careful,” the Oinin fretted, checking the wounds on the neck. “If you pull them out the wrong way they will cut an artery and you really will die!”

“Whatever,” Zanbuza grunted, touching the senbon wounds. “And why the heck are you still wearing that mask? Ditch it already.”

“My apologies. Old habits die hard,” the young man replied before removing the mask. His true face was that of a rather handsome young man, one handsome enough to pass for a woman if he was so inclined. Wrapped around his forehead was a familiar hitae-ate of Kirigakure. “And it does so come in handy during our routine.”

Zabuza snorted, but didn’t disagree, “Did you have to hit my neck? There are just as many places on my body which could have done just as well!”

“Yes, but the neck has less muscles which would disrupt my aim,” Haku explained. “Still, no matter what the point is you are going to need a week to recover from being places in a state of near-death like that.”

“Hn,” Zabuza growled, not liking the news. “Where’s Rider?”

“He has not returned yet…” Haku began, but then twitched slightly. Raising his hand, he revealed red markings shaped like a snowflake, split into three portions. “I stand corrected. He’s coming now.”

Red motes of light formed together before forming into the mighty body of Rider. His arms were crossed as he looked down at his Master and his Master’s apprentice, “I take it your ploy was needed for this battle.”

“Yeah,” Zabuza spat out more blood before fastening his bandages back to his face. “You get any insight into that Servant?”

“He is Saber, no doubt,” Rider nodded. “He is also not afraid to do what it takes to win. He will be a most glorious challenge.”

“Think you can take him again?” Zabuza pressed.

“Red Hare needs time to recover,” Rider replied. “In your state, he will need that week to recover to full strength with the injuries Saber dealt him.”

“Then it seems we have time to wait,” Haku nodded. Looking up, he eyed the clearing air, “Looks like the mist has lifted. We’ll have to prepare for next time.”

“Next time,” Zabuza growled. “Next time I will crush that Sharingan!”

To Be Continued...

A/N: And the first true battle begins. We now have proof that this is not going to be a common Grail War.